초록 ▼

Described herein are biofuel pyrolysis devices and methods of use thereof. The devices described herein include a reactor having a plurality of chambers wherein the chambers of the reactor can be arranged to have at least one aerobic chamber and anaerobic chamber. In certain aspects, the devices des

Described herein are biofuel pyrolysis devices and methods of use thereof. The devices described herein include a reactor having a plurality of chambers wherein the chambers of the reactor can be arranged to have at least one aerobic chamber and anaerobic chamber. In certain aspects, the devices described herein can be used for distilling biomass and for potentially generating torrefied products, which include, but are not limited to, torrefied biomass. In certain aspects, the method describe herein include, but are not limited to, introducing biomass onto at least one tray of a plurality of trays in a first chamber of the reactor, heating the biomass in the first chamber with heated vapor from at least one vapor inlet, and transferring the biomass from an upper tray to at least one of the following: a lower tray, a biomass outlet, another chamber (i.e., at least a second chamber), or any combination thereof.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method of distilling biomass in a reactor, the reactor having a plurality of chambers, in which temperature, internal vapor pressure, vapor composition and vapor flow can be independently controlled in each chamber, the method comprising: introducing biomass into at least a first chamber of the

1. A method of distilling biomass in a reactor, the reactor having a plurality of chambers, in which temperature, internal vapor pressure, vapor composition and vapor flow can be independently controlled in each chamber, the method comprising: introducing biomass into at least a first chamber of the plurality of chambers of the reactor; andtransferring the biomass from the first chamber to a second chamber of the plurality of chambers,wherein a chamber separator is disposed between the first chamber and the second chamber of the plurality of chambers, wherein the chamber separator has an open and closed position, and wherein the closed position separates the first chamber from the second chamber. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the biomass is cellulosic material. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the cellulosic material is wood. 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the cellulosic material is grass. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating an anaerobic environment in at least one chamber and heating the biomass in the anaerobic environment at a temperature and pressure sufficient to remove lower molecular weight volatile organic compounds from the biomass, the anaerobic environment being unsuitable for exothermic decomposition. 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising removing the lower molecular weight volatile organic compounds from the chamber via at least one vapor outlet and recovering the lower molecular weight volatile organic compounds. 7. The method of claim 1, comprising transferring the biomass to at least one anaerobic chamber, and heating the biomass in an anaerobic environment having a temperature and pressure sufficient to induce at least one of hemi-cellulose decomposition and cellulose decomposition in the biomass. 8. The method of claim 1, comprising heating the biomass in a chamber having an aerobic environment to reduce moisture content of the biomass to 5% or lower while minimizing burning off lower molecular weight volatile organic compounds; and transferring the biomass from the chamber having an aerobic environment to an anaerobic chamber. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of transferring the biomass from the reactor into a cooling compartment, the cooling compartment having an anaerobic environment; andcooling the entire biomass in the cooling compartment to a predetermined discharge temperature that is below an ignition temperature of the biomass. 10. A reactor for distillation of biomass comprising: a plurality of environmental control units;a plurality of chambers arranged vertically along a vertical axis, wherein each is independently connected to at least one environmental control unit and each chamber is capable of having an independently controlled internal environment; andwherein a chamber separator is disposed between a first chamber and a second chamber of the plurality of chambers, wherein the chamber separator has an open and closed position, and wherein the closed position separates the first chamber the second chamber. 11. The reactor according to claim 10, wherein the reactor comprises at least two interconnected chambers along a vertical axis. 12. The reactor according to claim 10, wherein the reactor comprises at least five interconnected chambers along a vertical axis. 13. The reactor according to claim 12, wherein the first chamber is an aerobic chamber, the second chamber is a first anaerobic chamber, the third chamber is a second anaerobic chamber, the fourth chamber is a third anaerobic chamber, and the fifth chamber is a fourth anaerobic chamber. 14. The reactor according to claim 13, further comprising at least one cool down compartment connected to the fourth anaerobic chamber and configured to receive biomass from the fourth anaerobic chamber and to allow for the biomass to cool down to a predetermined discharge temperature below an ignition temperature of the biomass. 15. The reactor according to claim 10, wherein each chamber further comprises a plurality of trays, wherein each tray is independently rotatable or independently non-rotatable about the vertical axis and is configured to move biomass from an upper tray towards an opening in the tray or an edge of the tray so that the biomass falls from the upper tray to either a lower tray or to the chamber separator. 16. The reactor according to claim 15, wherein each chamber further comprises a plurality of sweepers, each sweeper is independently rotatable, independently non-rotatable, independently capable of an actuating movement, or any combination thereof to move the biomass located on an upper tray towards an opening in the tray or an edge of the tray so that the biomass falls from the upper tray to either the lower tray or the chamber separator. 17. The reactor according to claim 10, wherein the first chamber is configured to reduce or inhibit vapor transfer from a first chamber to a second chamber by maintaining a lower vapor pressure in the first chamber relative to a vapor pressure of the second chamber. 18. The reactor according to claim 15, wherein at least one vapor inlet and at least one vapor outlet are arranged to produce a cyclonic vapor flow about the vertical axis of the chamber in either a co-current or counter-current fashion relative to transfer of biomass.