Large scale low cost production of submicrometric powder through biomass refinery

Abstract

Biomass Refinery (BR) is a null pollution thermochemical sequential cracking of any biomass and some petrochemical products, which generates chemicals, liquid or solid fuels and inorganic submicrometric/nanometric powders (SM/NM) such as ashes, silica, and carbon black. The processing route, powder characterisation and addition of some ashes to red clay resulting a grès-type ceramics will be presented. Rupture strengths of the vitrified ceramics were respectively 36 MPa for pure clay, 44 MPa for clay + 13.5% MOL ash (organic matter of municipal solid waste), 50 MPa for clay + 20% F+20% CL* ash (50% MOL + 50% wood) and 42 MPa for clay + 40% feldspar (used for comparison). The reason why the BR-ashes are better than feldspar is due to their submicrometric and partially nanometric nature. The impact of BR-ash technology can be evaluated by its national potential production of 2 × 10(6) ton/year only from municipal solid waste (MSW) compared to 350,000 ton/year of national consumption. The first BR is under installation in Lorena - SP, Brazil

Incorporation of the ash from cellulignin into vitrified ceramic tiles

“…It is composed of six basic technologies: (a) acidic prehydrolysis; (b) furfural reactor and distillery; (c) closed cycle affluent treatment; (d) low temperature conversion of sludge; (e) thermoelectric plant, and (f) ceramic vitrification of toxic metals. 1 In the acidic prehydrolysis operation, the biomass is cracked into a sugar solution and a powder catalytic biofuel known as cellulignin.…”