MXPA03011909A - Apparatus for liquid-based fiber separation. - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for treating fibrous material is disclosed. The apparatus may include a fiber separator, a de-liquefier, a dry-to-wet blender and a flash dryer. The fiber separator may be a liquid-based fiber separator. The de-liquefier is f or removing liquid from the fibrous material. The blender downstream, which may be a dry - to-wet blender, is for adding a dry material to the de-liquefied fibrous material. The de-liquefier and a dry-to-wet blender are downstream from the fiber separator and the dry-to-wet blender may be downstream from the de-liquefier. The flash dryer, which is even further downstream, is for drying the treated fibrous material.

Description

APPARATUS FOR THE SEPARATION OF LIQUID-BASED FIBERS DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is generally related to an apparatus for treating fibrous materials, such as wood-based cellulosic fibers; cellulosic fibers that are not wood; natural textile fibers, and artificial fibers and, more particularly, with an apparatus for treating cellulosic fibrous material for subsequent processing in the installation of thermal and acoustic loose fill. Each waste paper treatment plant (WP) is specifically designed to raise the quality of the WP's input grades to the quality required for subsequent use. This objective includes making possible the lowest practical quality of the WP grade that will be used. System designers should consider the WP treatment plant as an entity - not just the influence of each piece of individual equipment. In WP treatment plants to convert WP to cellulosic insulation, the dry process has traditionally been used. Over time, a variety of dry mills have been used to break down the WP and remove the prohibited materials. Prohibited ("prohibited") materials are materials other than paper (eg, plastic, metal, glass, etc.) (known as "opposites" in the paper recycling industry). Some dry mills have involved high-energy impact devices. Other dry mills have involved crushing the WP to its smallest particle size, sometimes to fiber. These processes of reduction of size tend to be processes of high mechanical energy and high power. Also, these processes tend to generate a lot of dust. On the other hand, these processors are not robust because the entry of the WP must have a quality that contains quantities, types, and limited sizes of prohibited materials. The use of high mechanical energy makes it important to eliminate any prohibited material from these processes that could facilitate the formation of fires. Even after removing any prohibited material that could facilitate the formation of fires, it is important in a dry process to add fire retardants to the WP. In addition to making the cellulosic insulation fire resistant, it is desirable that the WP be fire resistant as it is being processed to form a finished product to prevent fire. The fire can consume the WP before being processed to form a finished product. Also, fires tend to interrupt production in the process line of the plant. At this point, fire retardants such as boric acid or ammonium sulfate can be added to the WP. Traditionally, fire retardants have been added in the form of dust, or sometimes, as liquid sprayed onto the dry WP at some point in the process line of the plant. A disadvantage in adding fire retardants in liquid form is that a means to dry the WP must be worked since the WP treatment plants to convert the WP to cellulosic insulation tend not to have dryers. One approach to trying to eliminate some of the aforementioned problems has been to use a Continuous Batch Fiber Recovery System (CBFRS, Regenex). This approach does not fit properly in the WP treatment approaches of the traditional paper industry because it comes from the laundry industry, where it has been used for more than 15 years. In the CBFRS, a tunnel washer is used that has a battery of basic modules. Collectively, these modules initially operate as a reducer to drum pulp, and subsequently as an ink extractor. The modules also allow bleaching, either during the extraction of ink or after reduction to pulp. The basic module consists of an inner rotating cylinder and an outer screen cover. The inner rotating cylinder includes a blade that oscillates up to 230 ° initially, and then up to 360 °, and in this way transferring the WP process to the next module. This continuous dropping action separates the forbidden material from the P to provide a good fiber. Prohibited materials are discarded at the end of the cylinder. The outer sieve cover accepts separate good fiber during the re-shrinking and bulking step of the WP, and allows the ink to pass during any washing step of ink extraction. The complete system requires some additional accessories, such as screens, and can be a water extraction device in wet layers. A clarifier provides a water seal. Ash, ink particles and other prohibited materials are removed so that water can be recirculated to the tunnel washer. Among the disadvantages of CBFRS are the cost of the equipment and the slowness of the process. Thus, there is still a need for a new and improved apparatus for treating fibrous material which is sufficiently robust so that it is capable of accommodating a broad spectrum of material introduction and, more particularly, with an apparatus for fiber separation. liquid-based cellulosic for subsequent processing in, for example, loose fill insulation. The present invention is directed to an apparatus for treating fibrous material. The apparatus may include a fiber separator, a liquid extractor, a dry to wet mixer, and an instant or flash dryer. The fiber separator can be a liquid-based fiber separator. The liquid extractor removes the liquid from the fibrous material. The dry-to-wet mixer is downstream and adds a dry material to the fibrous material without liquid. The liquid extractor and a dry to wet mixer are downstream of the fiber separator and the dry to wet mixer can be located downstream of the liquid extractor. The instant dryer, which is even more downstream, dries the treated fibrous material. The instant dryer can be a spray dryer. In addition to the instant dryer, there may be additional equipment, such as, one or more of any of the dust collectors, bullet former and / or packer in bags. The liquid based fiber separator can be a high solids, low cut pulper. In a water-based separator it is the preferred type of fiber separator with liquid base. Also, the apparatus may include a fiber cleaning system to remove the prohibited materials. The fiber cleaning system can be a washing machine to remove the prohibited materials. In addition, the fiber cleaning system may include at least one conical cleaner to remove the prohibited materials. Alternatively or additionally, the fiber cleaning system may include a mesh screen to remove the prohibited materials. On the other hand, the fiber cleaning system can include a compensation chamber to accumulate clean fiber. The liquid extractor can be a screw press. In addition, the liquid extractor may include an arc screen. The result of the liquid extractor may be greater than about 25 weight percent solids, preferably, greater than about 40 weight percent solids. The mixer can be a double screw mixer. The dry material that is included in the fibers can be a flame retardant. An example of a flame retardant is boric acid. The boric acid may be added to be present in about 10 weight percent of the fibrous material without liquid. Also, the dry material that is included in the fibers can be a colorant. An example of a dye is titanium dioxide. The dyes can also be a heat trap or they can impart the heat capture characteristic in the fibers. In cases like this, the heat trap dye is a pigment, dye or other colored material selected for its relative ability to retard thermal movement compared to other / materials . On the other hand, the dry material that is included in the fibers can include one or more tracer substances. One type of such tracer substances is called "microscopic pieces". The microscopic parts are chemical or physical drillers that can be used to identify an explosive by the manufacturer, lot number, and type, even after being detonated. Such tracer substances can be selected from the group consisting of elements or molecules that can be analyzed by visual, colorimetric, radioactive, spectrophotometric or other techniques. Accordingly, the tracing substances can be radioactive isotopes, such as Carbon 14; colorimetric indicators, such as pH indicators; visual indicators, such as chemicals with color; stable adulterating agents, such as elemental gold; or a combination of one or more of these types of tracer substances. Finally, as used herein, it should be widely understood that fibrous materials include wood-based cellulosic fibers; cellulosic fibers without wood; natural textile fibers and artificial fibers. Also, natural and artificial fibers capable of trapping or entraining air within their structure are particularly suitable for use in the present invention, such as mineral wool, cellulosic fibers and glass fibers. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for treating fibrous material. The apparatus includes a fiber separator with liquid base; a liquid extractor, and a mixer. The liquid extractor and the mixer are downstream of the liquid-based fiber separator. The liquid extractor removes the liquid from the fibrous material and the mixer adds supplementary materials. Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for treating fibrous material. The apparatus includes a liquid extractor and a dry-to-wet mixer. The liquid extractor removes the liquid from the fibrous material. The dry-to-wet mixer is located downstream of the liquid extractor. Also, the dry to wet mixer adds a dry material to the fibrous material without liquid. Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for treating fibrous material. The apparatus may include a fiber separator, a liquid extractor, a dry-to-wet mixer and an instant dryer. The fiber separator can be a liquid-based fiber separator. The liquid extractor removes the liquid from the fibrous material. The dry-to-wet mixer located downstream adds a dry material to the fibrous material without liquid. The liquid extractor and a dry-to-wet mixer are located downstream of the fiber separator. The instant dryer, which is even more downstream, dries the treated fibrous material. These and other aspects of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following description of the preferred embodiment taken into consideration with the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1? is a block diagram of an apparatus according to the present invention; FIGURE IB shows details of Figure 1A; FIGURE 2 is a block diagram of an apparatus according to the present invention; FIGURE 3 is a detail of the dryer of the Figure 2; FIGURE 4A is an apparatus according to the present invention; FIGURE 4B is a detail of the apparatus of the Figure 4A; FIGURE 5 is a detail of an alternative fiber separator of the apparatuses of Figures 1A and 2; FIGURE 6 is a detail of an alternative liquid extractor of the apparatuses of Figures 1A, 2, and 4A; FIGURE 7 is a detail of a mixer of the apparatuses of Figures 1A, 2, and 4A; FIGURE 8 is a detail of a fiber cleaning system that can be added to the apparatuses of Figures 1A, 2, and 4A; FIGURE 9 is a detail of, among other things, a fiber separator, a liquid extractor, a mixer, and an instant dryer of an apparatus in accordance with the present invention; FIGURE 10 is a photograph of a sample of conventionally processed cellulosic fibers showing their inhomogeneous structure and aggregate before their classification; FIGURE 11 is a photograph of a sample of the cellulosic fibers processed according to the present invention, showing their homogeneous structure and without aggregates before their classification; FIGURE 12 is a SEM photomicrograph of a sample of conventionally processed cellulosic fibers that have been added with a supplementary dry material showing non-uniform coverage of the surface of the cellulosic fibrous material; and FIGURE 13 is a SEM photomicrograph of a sample of cellulosic fibers processed in accordance with the present invention, which have been added with a supplementary dry material showing the substantially uniform coverage of the surface of the cellulosic fibrous material. In the following description, the reference characters designate similar or corresponding parts in all views. Also, in the following description, it should be understood that such terms as "front", "back", "left", "right", "up", "down", and the like are words that are used for convenience and They should not be interpreted as limiting terms. With reference to the drawings in general and to Figures 1 ?, IB, 2, 4A, 4B and 9 in particular, it should be understood that the illustrations are shown for purposes of describing the preferred embodiment of the invention and should not be intended to limit the invention . As best seen in Figures 1A, 2, and 4 ?, there is shown an apparatus for treating fibrous material, generally designated at 10, which is shown to be constructed in accordance with the present invention. The apparatus 10 includes at least one liquid extractor 14 and mixer 16, as can be seen in comparison with Figures 1A, 2, and 4A. As best shown in Figures 1A and 2, the apparatus 10 may include a fiber separator 12. As can be seen further in Figure 2, an apparatus 10 may include a dryer 20. On the other hand, as can be seen in Figures 1A, 2, and 4A, the apparatus 10 may include a residual liquid treater 42. If the apparatus 10 includes a fiber separator 12, a liquid extractor 14, and a mixer 16, the liquid extractor 14 and the mixer 16 are located downstream of the fiber separator 12. The fiber separator 12 is preferably a liquid-based fiber separator and more preferably, the liquid is an aqueous base. Otherwise, if the apparatus 10 includes a liquid extractor 14 and a mixer 16, the mixer 16 is preferably downstream of the liquid extractor 14. The liquid extractor 14 removes the liquid from the fibrous material. The mixer 16 adds a dry material to the fibrous material without liquid. In Figures 1A, IB and 9, the apparatus 10 is shown including a fiber separator 12, a liquid extractor 14 and a mixer 16 downstream of the fiber separator 12, and a waste liquid treater 42 in communication with each . FIGURE IB further includes details about the fiber separator 12, the liquid extractor 14 and the mixer 16. FIGURE 5 shows the fiber separator 12. further including a conveyor 44 for supplying, for example material P in bales. Also shown in Figure 5 is the fiber separator 12 which may include a compensation chamber 34 for accumulating sufficient amounts of fiber mixture to support the downstream pseudo-continuous processes.

The fiber separator 12 according to the present invention can include any of a batch pulp reducer and a continuous pulp reducer as conventionally known in the papermaking art. Examples of such conventional fiber pulp reductants include: TA series pulpers (available from Allimand); Aquabrusher (available from APMEW or Bellmer); Grubbens pulper reducer (available from Cellwood or Comer), Barracuda pulper reducer and Shark puller reducer (available from GL &V); reducer to pulp of Canal HDK, reducer to pulp Vertical HD, and reducer to pulp Preflo (available from Metso Paper / Fiber); Delta pulper reducer and Hydrapulper pulper reducer (available from Termo Black Clawson, Lamort, Aikawa); and reducers to pulp of the series St and reducer to pulp Unipulper (available from Voith Paper). When it is preferred to remove the fragile intact material intact, the batch pulp reducer can be used in conjunction with a low friction helical rotor (similar to an inflated cork) to minimize decomposition of the prohibited materials. Examples of such equipment include: Bi-Pulper (available from A. Celli and Comer); Tri-Dyne (available from GL &V); CHD (Continuous High Density pulp reduction system with screen to admit); Reducer to pulp SM-G (available from Metso Paper / Fiber); and the Helico pulper reducer and the Hi-Con pulper reducer (available from Thermo Black Clawson, Lamort). U.S. Patent No. 4,129,259, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference, contains the description related to a Hi-Con pulper, available from Thermo Black Clawson. The removal of large prohibited materials from the WP can be achieved by subsystems around the fiber separator 12. Represented and not numbered in Figures IB and 5, a scrap trap can be seen. In a scrap trap, large stones, metal traps, and other heavy materials sink into this dead area of the reducer into pulp, between 2 valves, and automatically purge at desired time intervals. An example of such equipment includes a Privet Double Dumper ™. Not represented in any of the figures and useful for removing long prohibited material (for example, bullet wire, rags, plastic strips, threads, etc.) is a rag remover. The long forbidden materials are entangled with each other and can be removed from the fiber separator 12 as an endless ragged rope by means of the winch-type rake remover. An example of such equipment includes the Valmet rag remover (available from Metso Paper / Fiber). The rope can be periodically cut by means of a rope cutter or rag, to facilitate its removal. An example of such equipment includes the Valmet tail cutter (available from Metso Paper / Fiber). The tails of the broken rags eliminators, weighing up to 3 tons, can be removed from the fiber separator 12 without emptying it. An example of useful equipment for such an operation includes a rag eliminator (available from Neilsen &Hiebert Systems). The drum puller provides an alternative approach to the conventional pulp reducer. Its characteristics are continuous operation, minimum degradation of fibers and prohibited material, low consumption of dust (and thus energy saving), and high space requirement. Examples of equipment useful for such an operation include: the Fibreflo Drum pulper (available from Andritz-Ahlstrom) and the Horizontal Drum-Soaking-Mixing-Screening System (available from Finckh). To provide a treated fibrous material, which can be subsequently used to be processed in thermal applications, acoustics, etc., it may be beneficial for the fiber separator 12 to include a second pulp reducer downstream of the primary pulp reducer. The secondary pulp reducer complements the ability of the reducer to pulp to remove large prohibited material by removing high and low density forbidden material, while also disintegrating non-disintegrated paper sheets. The secondary pulper reducer can be either a batch or continuous batch reducer, and the models are available for both. Examples of secondary pulp reductants include: pulp reducers Selector and Selepump (available from A. Celli); Epurex, ESC series, and Turboremover pulper reducer (available from Comer); reducer to pulp Rej ect-Master (available from Finckh); Reducer to BelPurge pulp (available from GL &V); Tamtrap TTP pulper reducer (available from Metso Paper / Fiber); Dumping Poire (batch) + reducer to pulp Helico = Helipoire System, Poire Pulper (continuous), Hydra Impactor, Hydrapurge (available from Thermo Black Clawson, Lamort); and Contaminex, Fiberizer, and Turboseparator (available from Voith Paper). Also, a treated fibrous material is provided for subsequent processing, it may be beneficial for the fiber separator 12 to include other equipment such as a fiber sorter, a dispersion system, and a kneading system. Examples of dispersion systems include: Krima (available from Cell ood, Comer and FMW), Diskperser (available from GL &V), Micar Processor, Diva (based on Confio + the HiPreheater fluffer / steam mixer, available from Metso Paper / Fiber); Frotapulper (available from MoDoMekan), Triturator / Kneading Disperser (available from Thermo Black Clawson, Lamort); Disperger (available from Voith Paper). The methods of the kneading systems include: MDR Kneader (available from Andritz-Ahlstrom), Ultra Twin-Flyte (available from Thermo Black Clawson), Kneading-Disperger (available from Voith Paper). The apparatus 10 includes a liquid extractor 14 downstream of the fiber separator 12. Referring to Figures IB, such a liquid extractor 14 can include a screw press 40 and an arc screen 40. Likewise, as shown in Figure 6, the liquid extractor 14 can include a thickener to increase the solids of the mixture leaving the liquid-based fiber separator 12 to an amount that could be between 1 and 10 percent by weight of solids and even more preferably about 8 weight percent solids. As depicted in Figures 6 and 9, the liquid extractor 14 can include any of the different types of equipment used to thicken, wash, or separate. The liquid removed by the liquid extractor 14 can be called filtering, or pressed when it comes from a press. The solid material of a filter can be called a filter pulp. Among such equipment is the band filter press, for example, which includes: Double Wire Press (available from Andritz-Ahlstrom); BDP (available from Baker Process); Turbodrain (1 cable), Winkelpress (2 cables), and Cascade S (both types in series) (available from Bellmer and Comer); HC Press, Gap Washer, and TwinWire (with Paraformer head) (available from Metso Paper / Fiber and Phoenix Process Equipment); Saltee Belt Press (available from Saltee); DNT Washer (available from Thermo Black Clawson); Vario-Split (available from Voith Paper); and Osprey (available from William Jones, London). As shown in Figures IB, 4B, 6, and 9, the liquid extractor 14 preferably includes a screw press that can have either a single screw (e.g., Brown Stock Washing) or two screws (e.g. 2 interlocked screws that rotate in the opposite direction). Examples of screw presses include: Andritz / Dupps Screw Press (available from Andritz-Ahlstrom); Belpress BP (available from Beltec); Krima Screw Press (available from Cellwood); FKC (available from FKC = Fukoku Kogyo); CHS (available from GL &V / Celleco); and Fibropress (available from Thermo Black Clawson, Lamort). Other types of equipment that may be included with the liquid extractor 14 include the Curve screen. { for example, Hydra-Screen, Hydrasieve, and Micra-Screen (available from Andritz-Ahlstrom); Bow Screen and DSM (available from Dutch State Mines and GL &V / Celleco); and Hydrosil (Spirac) and Vertiscreen (available from Termo Black Clawson); the Decker; Drum screen water extraction. { for example, (available from Comer); AKTROM (available from Kufferath); RF (available from Saltee and Sinclair); Free Drainage Thickener (available from Thermo Black Clawson, Lamort); Screen Drum F type and ZTR.B (available from Voith Paper and Arburton Holder)} , the Disc keeps all the filter. { for example, Discfilter (available from Hydrotech)}; the thickener Disc. { for example, AKSE (available from Kufferath)}; the Gravity decker. { for example, Hooper (available from Andritz-Ahlstrom and Finckh); Drainpac (available from GL &V / Celleco); Tamdec (available from etso Paper / Fiber); the Gravity sieve. { for example, (available from Nash); Sweco (available from Sweco); and the Gravity Strainer (available from Thermo Fibertek)}; the (inclined plate clarifier, dried plate clarifier). { for example, Settle Píate Clarifier (available from Heuser Apparatebau)}; the plate filter press without flange and press for engravings. { for example,: filtomat MCFM (available from Filtration Ltd) and Omnifilter (available from Voith Paper)}; the rotary pressure drum filter / washing machine, vacuum rotary drum filter / washing machine; Thread Screw. { for example, KW Washing Screen (available from Andritz-Ahlstrom); Krima Screw De-waterer (available from Cellwood and Comer); Akusand, Akuscreen (available from Kufferath); Sandsep, Spiropress (available from Spirac), Hydrascreen (there is also a vertical version), and Lamort-Baker Water Extractor (available from Thermo Black Clawson, Lamort)}; the sieve Sidehill. { for example: Kenfil (available from Kent Filtration)}; the Spraying filter. { for example: Spraydisc (available from GL &V / Celleco) and White Water Filter (Sweco)}; the Tubular filter; the Twin roller press; the PreRoll Press; WiRoll Press (available from Metso Paper / Fiber)); and the Vibrating screen. Referring to Figures 1A, IB, 2, 4A, 4B, 7 and 9, the apparatus 10 includes a mixer 16. In particular, a twin screw mixer is preferred. This type of mixer is commonly referred to as a tunnel scrubber mixer and uses a battery of basic modules and rotating inner cylinders, which transfer the product through a continuous dropping action. The mixer 16 can be used to include additives and supplementary materials, including dry materials within the fibrous material. The dry materials that may be included are fire retardants such as, for example, boric acid, ammonium sulfate and sodium borate. When boric acid is used, it is believed that about 10 weight percent is preferable. Alternatively, the dried material may include a colorant. For example, a titanium dioxide can be used to whiten the processed WP. Alternatively, the colorant may be that which acts as a heat trap. That is, when the reprocessed materials used in a building or facility where it takes advantage of, for example, solar heat or other types of heat sources, the dye would be of such color, chemical composition and combination that it would allow the recycled material processed not only act as an insulation material but also trap heat for a subsequent radiation to heat such a structure. Another example of a dry material is a tracer substance. Examples of such substances are included, for example, in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,359,353 (describes the use of polypeptides as labeling materials); 4,363,965 (describes the use of labels containing Mossbauer isotopes), 4,390,452 (describes the use of microcoded particles for retrospective identification); 5,057,268 (describes the use of deuterated synthetic fibers by blending with non-deuterated natural fibers to form the paper); 5,409,839 (describes the use of perfluorocarbon (PFT) tracers as labeling materials); 5,451,505; 5,747,937 (describes the use of nucleic acids as the microscopic pieces), and 5, 760, 394 (describes the use of multiple isotopes of one or more elements in the proportions of controlled abundance in a labeled substance), whose subject matter is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Turning to Figure 2, an apparatus 10 according to the present ntion is shown which, in addition to including the liquid-based fiber separator 12, the liquid extractor 14 and the mixer 16, includes a dryer 20. The details with with respect to the dryer 20 are set forth in Figure 3. The dryer 20 may be any combination of various dryers known in the papermaking, chemistry, or fiber processing industry for drying the treated fiber material. Traditionally, the wet end of a pulp dryer (pulp machine) has generally been similar to that of modified papermaking machines to accommodate the greater range of consistency of the head (e.g., between about 1.0% by weight and 1.8% by weight), a grammage weft of 600-1,000 g / m ~, and the use of presses with a high solids content. An alternative is a double cable press, instead of an endless band forming table, with a press for high solids content. In this approach, no vacuum is needed and the grammage can be as high as up to about 1,250 g / m2. Examples of such alternative include: Double Wire Press (available from Andritz-Ahlstrom); Tetraformer (available from GL &V); and PressFormer (available from Metso Paper / Fiber). As another alternative, the dryer 20 can include either steam-heated dryer cylinders for conventional papermaking, or an air-flotation dryer. In the latter, the pulp mesh can pass several times over rows of air bars. The air flotation drying capacity can be increased (or introduced) by adding plates vertically or at the base of the machine. A steam-heated dryer cylinder for paper making is called an MG cylinder (Yankee cylinder). The suppliers of the MG cylinder (Yankee cylinder) include: Metso Paper / Paper; Mitsubishi; Sam Yang; Sandusky Walmsley; and Voith Paper. Similarly, air drying (air drying, TAD) can employ high porous grades, such as bulky, low grammage (eg, 25 g / m2) and non-woven fabric. The TAD uses a high-speed hood with either a cylinder of panel-like structure or a perforated suction drum to transport the weft. The TAD can be used on its own, before or after the MG cylinder. Examples of air drying (TAD, air drying) include: High-Tech Drum (available from Fleissner, MEGTEC, and Toschi) and Honeycomb (available from Metso Paper Honeycomb). The following table compares some basic characteristics of different methods of drying fibrous materials.

PM Dryer or Coater PM Frame Principle Technology Pressure PM Dry PM Dry PM Profile Principal Drying of Main Mechanics Increased Moisture Dried Applied Improved Steam Dryers Driving Only Fabric Yes Yes No Conventional Convection Ventilation No Yes Yes Yes Bell + Bag Steam Spray Latent heat No No Yes Yes Infrared Radiation + No No Yes Yes Convection High Convection Bell No (MG effect) Yes Yes Yes Speed Air Dry Convection No YES If g / m2 low Flotation Drying Convection No Yes ** Yes No Air Hot Press Driving Yes No Yes No Direct Dryer with Gas Driving + Only Fabric No Yes ** No Heated Radiation Dryer by Conduction + Yes Maybe Probable Probable Press / Radiation Impulse * Indicates unusual use In the preferred embodiment, the dryer can be an instant dryer, sometimes called an industrial spray dryer. In the preferred embodiment, the instant dryer is a Winergy cyclonic hot air dryer or the AS48, which can be obtained from Superior Technologies of Belle Chasse, LA. The apparatus may further include a bale former 24, a bag packer 26, and a plurality of dust collectors 22. The treated fiber materials can be dried between about 85% by weight and 100% by weight of total solids and preferably between about 90% by weight and 95% by weight of total solids. If the moisture content is too high, the paper products may begin to agglomerate, which adversely affects the handling and physical characteristics of the products. The desired moisture content can be achieved by means of a humidity meter. Also, a cooling section may be present. Examples of equipment that include a cooling section include: FC series (available from ABB Flákt) and PulpDry (available from Metso Paper / Fiber). By using the bale former 24, the dry treated fiber materials can be cut into sheets and stacked by means of a cutter stacker, to make the bales. The stacker can incorporate a reject gate, adjustment of cutting knife to total speed, cut of bale wrap, sheet counter and batch scale, and can be controlled by a PLC controller (for example, that which can be obtained from Lamb ). Individual bullets can be compressed (to minimize the volume of transport), and wrapped (very often using the sheets of the same pulp). Examples of such bullet-forming equipment include: Duowrap and Uni rap (available from Lamb). The bales of the plotted material can then be weighed, packed, and marked (for example: by means of an ink jet printer). The bales of the treated fiber material can also be stacked and unitized into units packed or clamped 2-4 bales wide by either 3 or 4 bales high for subsequent volume handling. Examples of such equipment include: Unityer (available from Lamb) and Robostacktyer and Robotyer (available from Metso Paper / Fiber). If the treated fiber material will be used as a fluffy treated fiber material, it can be wound on a giant reel, and then rolled into smaller rolls. "Spongy" is a relatively inexpensive cellulose fiber derived from wood pulp that has excellent volume, softness and high absorbency. Fluffy is widely used to make handkerchiefs and disposable towels. It is usually made by means of a non-woven process "laid on air" by forming a sheet by means of wood pulp fibers.

Alternatively, the treated fiber material can be packaged in bags. In the preferred embodiment, suitable equipment can be obtained from Amark Packaging Systems of Kansas City, MO and Premier Tech Ltd., of St. Bruno, Quebec, CANADA. The dust collectors 22 may be those conventionally used in the art or may include some of the characteristics found in shock-drying hoods. Such a bell can be high speed, with an air shock velocity of up to approximately 150 m / s, or designed for a lower speed. As in the manufacture of paper, the hood can use air heated with steam, or be heated directly using gas or oil. The heated air can be forced out of the nozzles or grooves, collide in the treated fiber material or remove the air layer loaded with moisture. Examples of such equipment include: HVH (available from ABB Flákt, Brunnschweiler, Greenbank Metso Paper / Paper, Premiair Technology, Spooner) and Correct Hood (available from Voith Paper). Referring now to Figure 4A, a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of the present invention related to a liquid extractor 14 and a mixer 16 downstream of the liquid supply of the liquid extractor 14 can be seen. In each of the previous Figures, a residual liquid treater 42 is also included in the system. The residual liquid treater 42 is an optional aspect of the present invention and may be beneficial to allow the reuse of liquid in the processing of the recyclable materials. Referring now to Figure 4B, we can see a detail of the apparatus 10 of Figure 4A. The liquid extractor 14 can be a screw press 40, which preferably has an arc screen 40, as mentioned above, the amount of solids within the liquid feed material to the liquid extractor 14 should be between approximately 1 and 10 weight percent solids and more preferably about 8 weight percent solids. Downstream of the feed liquid material the mixer 16 can also be found. In a preferred embodiment, this mixer 16 is the type of mixer that is used to mix dry materials in a wet material. As previously mentioned, a preferred type of mixer appears to be a double screw type mixer although any other mixer known in the industry may also be suitable as long as it fulfills the function of the invention. FIGURES 3, 5, 6, and 7 show some of the details for the different elements of the present invention. In particular, Figure 5 shows a liquid-based fiber separator 12 which can include a conveyor 46 to provide the WP to the fiber separator 12. Those skilled in the art will recognize that those types of conveyors are commonly used to feed WP to the reducer to pulp. For this purpose, the fiber separator 12 of the present invention may include one or more such carriers. The conveyor includes a conveyor type steel strip (or apron conveyor), for WP in bales and loose; a chain-type conveyor, for loose WP, where the rubber band is activated by a chain; and a sliding belt conveyor, for unpacked bales and loose WP, where the belt (with a low friction bottom) can be supported by a steel channel. Although not shown in Figure 5, the packaging wire can be automatically removed (unpacked) and compacted using equipment such as: Wire Wizard (available from Advanced Dynamics, B + G Fórdertechnik, and FMW); Wire olf (available from Lamb and Metrans); and Wiremaster (available from Neilsen &Hiebert Systems and Suntib). Figure 6 shows the aspects of the liquid extractor 14 including a thickener and a screw press including a curved screen 40, as described above. Figure 7 shows aspects of the mixer 16 and Figure 8 shows other aspects of the present invention related to a fiber cleaning system 30. The fiber cleaning system 30 may include, for example, a screen 32, conical wipers 36, a washing machine or washing machines (not numbered), and a compensation chamber 34. A screen 32 can be used in the cleaning system 30 to remove forbidden material, fiber balls and knots. The common principles apply to the variety of usable sieves. In each case, the current equipment used is appropriate for the fiber material and the prohibited material present. A pressure screen is only a type that can be used as a screen 32. Examples of such screens include: pressure screens (available from A. Celli, Fiedler, Finckh, BelWave (available from GL &V), Niimega (available from Metso Paper / Fiber), Cobra, Lehman, and ThermoTek (available from Thermo Black Clawson, Lamort), and C-Bar (Voith Paper) The sieving is commonly divided into coarse, intermediate and fine screening. sieve orifice usually varying between about 0.5-2.5 mm (between about 20-100 miles), but reaching up to about 10 mm up to a "high consistency" feed of between about 2% by weight and 5% by weight. Reducer to pulp with an extraction plate orifice with a diameter between approximately 3 or 6 mm, the size of the orifice can be reduced to approximately 1 mm The intermediate sieving uses screen slot widths usually varying between about 0.25-0.65 mm (between about 10-26 miles) to a "high consistency" feed of between about 2.5% by weight and 5% by weight. A fine screen sieve uses slot widths usually ranging from about 0.08-0.25 mm (between about 3.2-10 miles) to a "low consistency" feed of between about 1% by weight and 3% by weight. Any of the sifted one, two or three separate can be used, depending on the application, the previous distinction becomes a little clear when considering the plate of extraction of the reducer to pulp (sometimes followed by a sieve) as a sieving coarse and fine sieving stages in a pressure sieve body. Examples of other sieves that may be used include: Ahlsorter, Hooper, MODUScreen C, H, and F (available from Andritz-Ahlstrom); Cyberscreen, PV Screen, Selectifier and Ultra Screen (available from Comer); C.H. Horizontal Screen, Diabolo, and Hico Screen N (available from Finckh); Alfascreen, CellecoScreen (both horizontal), Hi-Q, S Screen (GL &V), Key Screen (Maule), DeltaScreen, MiniDelta Screen, ??? Screen, TAS Screen, and TL series (available from Metso Paper / Fiber); SP Screen series and Ultra-V (available from Thermo Black Cla are, Lamort); and Centriscreen, EcoScreen, Minisorter, MultiSorter, Omniscreen, Omnisorter and Spectro Screen (available from Voith Paper). Some pressure screen bodies have 2 screens (for example: concentric baskets), so that both slots and holes can be used at the same time. The pulp can also be descalmed in the sieve. For example: DeltaDouble (Metso Paper / Fiber), ADS Screen (DS = double separation, Thermo Black Clawson, Lamort), Low Pulse Screen, LPD (Voith Paper). The MuST screen (Multistage, Metso Paper / Fiber) can have a horizontal pretamiz (typically 3 mm diameter holes) and up to 3 stages of slotted wedge wire screen (0.08-0.45 mm). A shower screen is a recent device intended to wash good fiber out of the final rejected product. It looks like a pressure sieve (with a basket) but also contains showers that separate the good fiber while the rotor is part of the desquamation. The production of fiber in this way is improved (up to 50% of the rejected material can be good fiber), and the amount of waste is reduced. Example of its use in WP systems include after the pulper reducer and the HD cleaner instead of the thick multistage sieve and when multistage sieving is required, as an end sieve for the rejected material in the final stage sieve .

The four main alternative connections for pressure screens include the cascade configuration, forward flow, partial cascade and configuration A-B. There are variations according to the number of stages, place the process, equipment (for example: in parallel), experience, etc. The cascade configuration has been used more traditionally and commonly. The accepted material from the first (primary) stage continues downstream, and the rejected material is fed to the second (secondary) stage. The accepted material from the second stage is returned to the first stage (primary) feeding, while the rejected material goes to the third stage (tertiary). The rejected material from the last stage is directed towards the end sieve. In the forward flow, smaller orifices are present in the second stage (secondary) screens and the third stage (tertiary) screens (relative to the first (primary) stage), and to send all the material accepted downstream (ie, forward) - instead of sending it back to the first (primary) stage. This results in less recycled materials being recirculated, but the content of forbidden materials from the main diluted pulp stream may be higher. The partial cascade configuration is similar to the forward flow, except that the accepted material from the third stage (tertiary) screen is re-screened in the second stage (secondary) screen instead of joining it to the main diluted pulp flow . In the configuration? -?, Two similar sieves are used in series for the screening of mechanical pulp paper and often the fine screening. The additional unit can provide more cleanliness in relation to the forward flow. The conical cleaners 36 may include one or more hydroclones. As will be recognized by those skilled in the art, a hydrocyclone (hydroclone) is the generic name for the equipment that uses centrifugal force (Latin: that flies from the center, see: centripetal force, Latin: which searches for the center), and other hydrodynamic forces, produced by entering the cyclone (ie: conical body) for insoluble solids separation. The geometry of cyclone provides the decrease in diameter (cross section). For solids, this means increasing the acceleration, due to the increase G (force g, that is, acceleration, measured in relation to the acceleration of free fall due to gravity, 9.81 m / s2, 32.2 ft / s2), and increase the separation efficiency of prohibited material / fiber. Banks (eg, rows) of several individual cleaners can be combined in a variety of orientations (circle, rows, etc.) to share common discharge and feed chambers. Examples of such a variety of orientations include: Spirelpak (available from Thermo Black Clawson, Lamort) and Tripac 90 (available from GL &V / Celleco). The conical cleaners 36 may include one or more of a forward flow cleaner (conventional); a high-density cleaner, an inverse cleaner, a through-flow cleaner, an interior fading cleaner, an asymmetric cleaner and a rotating body cleaner. A conventional centrifugal cleaner (CC, centrifugal, forward flow cleaner, free vortex cleaner) has approximately the shape of a narrow cyclone (ie, an inverted cone), with the pulp diluted by tangentially entering from the top . A vortex type swirl is formed, so that the high density forbidden material moves to the bottom of the cone from where they can be rejected. Accepted diluted pulp travels to the top of the cone from where it passes upstream. Examples of forward flow cleaners (conventional) include: Ahlcleaner RB series, Centri-Cleaner, and TC series (available from Andritz-Ahlstrom, Comer and Fiedler); Albia T, Cleanpac 270 to 1500 series, Elast-O-Cone, Posiflow and TW series (available from GL &; V); CT series, Hydraclone, ELP series and Ultra-Clone (available from Thermo Black Clawson, Lamort); and Cyclean, and KS series (available from Voith Paper and Wilbanks). Up to about 5 stages of cleaners can be used, depending on the cleaning required. A high density cleaner (HD cleaner) is a large diameter forward flow cleaner that operates between approximately 2% and 6% consistency. It is located near the reducer to pulp when using low grade WP that provides and removes high density forbidden materials. A decanting section helps separate the fiber from the rejected material. The latter are removed from the rejected material chamber either manually (by the door) or automatically (by 2 timed valves). Examples of high density cleaners (HD cleaner) include: (available from? Celli); Ahlcleaner RB 300HD (available from Andritz-Ahlstrom); Cleantrap, Grubbens High Density Cleaner (available from Cellwood), (Eat); Albia FRB, Combitrap (available from GL &V); HC Cleaner (available from Metso Paper / Fiber); HD Cyclone, Liquid Cyclone, Lo Profile Cyclone and Ruffclone (available from Thermo Black Clawson, Lamort, Aikawa); D1C, D2C, and High-Consistency Purifier S series and T series (available from Voith Paper). In a reverse cleaner, the normal exit points of the accepted material and the rejected material are inverted. The removal of good low density forbidden material can be achieved. Approximately 50% of the flow (and proportionally more than the fiber) can be rejected. The accepted material flow can be thickened by a factor of up to approximately 2.5. Examples of inverse cleaners include: Cleanpac 270R, Cleanpac RT (reverse, thickening), Tripac 90 Reverse (available from GL &V / Celleco); Contra-Clone, CT series, and Xtreme, (available from Thermo Black Clawson, Lamort); and KS series (available from Voith Paper). In a through-flow cleaner (through flow, parallel flow), both the rejected material and the accepted material come out at the same end. Removes low density forbidden material together with air. The rejected material is approximately 10% of the feed flow. Examples of through flow cleaners (through flow, parallel flow) include: Cleanpac 250 LWR and UniFlow (available from Gl &V); XX-Clone (available from Thermo Black Clawson); and Coreclean (available from Voith Paper). The interior bleach cleaner has the configuration of a forward flow cleaner, but with the addition of a central bleach to separate the forbidden material of low density (more deaeration) from the accepted material stream. Each rejected material stream equals approximately 10% of the feed flow. Examples of interior bleaching cleaners include: Ahlcleaner SC 133 (available from Andritz-Ahlstrom); Albia TDLR, Cleanpac 350 Combi, and Cleanpac 700 LD (available from GL &V); and KS / E series (available from Voith Paper). The asymmetric cleaner is essentially a forward flow cleaner, but with one straight side and the other side converging on it. This lack of symmetry around the central axis provides, among its benefits, the ability to manipulate (and remove) particles according to their position within the cleanest stratum (eg, levels). The asymmetric cleaner takes two different forms. Those that resemble the Cleanpac 270 SR (Step Relay having steps on the converging side for a removed restricted cone end that can be obtained from GL &V / Celleco) and those that resemble the Cleanpac 270 HyS (which has increments in the pressure of feeding material and accepted material that can be obtained from GL &V / Celleco). The rotating body cleaner differs from the others because a horizontal cylinder (for example, 500 mm in diameter) rotates at 1,300-1,500 rev / min, thus exerting a greater centrifugal force of approximately 700 G over a longer holding time , to provide good removal efficiency of low density prohibited material. An example of a rotating body cleaner includes Gyroclean (available from Thermo Black Clawson, Lamort). Gyrocleans can be efficient as a sticky separator.

A decanting section can be added in the last stage of a conical cleaner 36 to reduce the fiber content of the rejected material and the liquid consumption. This can be achieved by injecting liquid, which pushes the good fiber back into the system for subsequent separation. The decanting section may include valves to periodically discard the rejected material. Example of decanting sections include: Albia WFRC (water and fiber recovery control), FRB, RCC, and Fibermizer FMZ (available from GL &V) and Rejectomat (available from Voith Paper). FIGURE 9 shows all the components of the fiber separator 12, a fiber cleaning system 30, a liquid extractor 14, a mixer 16 and a dryer 20 combined in a manner that is considered to be beneficial for the production of treated fiber materials according to the present invention. Details related to the specific piece of equipment or subteam can be found at http: // www. paperloop. com / pp_mag / paperhelp / 9. shtml, entitled "9. Waste Paper Recycling, whose subject matter is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety." It is considered that the apparatus 10 of the present invention can process any of the variety of WP grades available in the market. experts in the art will appreciate that although national classification systems of WP grades differ, there are four broad classes of WP generally accepted.These broad classes of WP are further subdivided.There are specifications as to the freedom of prohibited material (for For example, in the United States, the definitions of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) and in Europe, CEPI and the Bureau of International Recycling have unified and outlined 14 national standards in a single European List of Standard Degrees (dated February 1999) GEN has been presented, for inclusion in the revision of the EN 643 standard, and can be found on the BIR website The grade of paper that has been included in an incompatible degree of WP is exceptional. The four broad classes of WP are pulp substitutes, degreasing grades, grades of brown kraft paper and mixed waste paper (MWP). Pulp substitutes are generally chemical pulp substitutes. Its quality is the most similar to that of virgin fiber, so its price is also related to virgin fiber. { for example, convert and print clippings; trim edges (mechanical and wood-free separately); stains (suitable for bleaching); and slightly printed WP (for example: scratched book clippings). Poly-coated cardboard (for example: cardboard packaging with liquid plastic coating, floor plank, disposable cardboard and disposable cups) also produces good quality pulp (particularly direct waste from the converters)} , but requires a separate initial pulp reforming treatment. The grades of brown kraft paper include, for example: paper waste from corrugation plant, old corrugated containers (OCC); KLS (straw carton lined with kraft paper is an OCC based on waste paper containing> 33% by weight of kraft paper); used kraft cardboard sacks; and recyclable waste. This WP is mainly used for test and folding carton. OCC bleaching is used for fine paper. Mixed waste paper (MWP) is cheaper and of lower quality. Traditionally, this has been the balance, after removing the other grades easy to classify, plus the role of everyday waste. It has been used for ordinary cardboard and folding cardboard boxes with gray backs. There is a continuous degradation in the quality of old newsprint (ONP) marketed in the United States. The ONP usually has grade # 6 or # 8. Grade No. 8 has been the industry standard to use as cellulosic insulation but, with the general degradation in quality, grade # 8 of ONP is now effectively transforming into approximately grade # 6 which, in turn, becomes problematic for the cellulosic insulation industry to produce a competitive product in terms of cost due to the higher processing costs associated with a more deficient feed liquid. The present invention is capable of processing even M P, of the cheapest and lowest quality, economically. The domestic waste is calling the intention as the last major vein to be exploited. The so-called residential mixed paper (RMP), the US Recovery Index of approximately 9 million tons per year is only about 20%. The collection system used determines the quality of the resulting WP. When the ONP is collected separately in the United States, the resulting WP composition is approximately: 30% cardboard / carton for SBS packaging; 30% of white grades and correspondence; 25% mechanical fiber (newspaper / magazines / coated and uncoated); and 15% brown kraft paper (old corrugated containers and bags (OCC)). This WP can be a substitute for a medium quality OCC, with the lowest price shifting the lower production. In operation, an appropriate mixture of the variety of WP grades is provided to an apparatus 10 for treating the fibrous material as depicted in Figures 1A, IB, 2, 4A, and 4B. When the apparatus 10 includes a liquid extractor 14 and a mixer 16, as shown in Figures 4A and 4b, the WP may be in the form of a mixture as will be described below. Alternatively, when the apparatus 10 includes a fiber separator 12 in addition to the liquid extractor 14 and the mixer 16, as shown in Figures 1 ?, IB, 2, and 9, any of the variety of WP grades can be provided to the fiber separator 12 to decompose the WP to obtain a fiber material. The mixture of the decomposed fiber material is then transferred to the liquid extractor 14 to remove the liquid in a preparation to add a dry material to the fibrous material without liquid. The addition of the dry material is done using the mixer 16 while the fiber material without liquid remains wet. Examples of such equipment are the Mycar or CBFRS mixer, Regenex with the wet fiber material without liquid at room temperature and with a consistency of approximately 25% and 50%. The material without treated liquid can be transferred to containers to be transported to a different place. Alternatively, as can be seen in Figure 2, the fiber material without treated liquid can be transferred to a dryer 20 for drying. The liquid from the fiber separator 12, the liquid extractor 14, and the mixer 16 can be circulated through the waste liquid treater 42 and recycled as suggested in Figures 1A and 4A. The materials introduced into the apparatus 10 including a liquid extractor 14 and a mixer 16, as depicted in Figures 4? and 4b, it can be a mixture of WP. The obtained pulp (for example, commercialized pulp) can be transported as a mixture for use in the apparatus 10, as shown in Figures 4A and 4B. The operation parallel to the operation downstream of the fiber separator 12 for the apparatus 10 has the fiber separator 12. The dryer 20 of Figures 2, 3 and 9, dries the treated fiber material to a temperature range of between about 93.33 and 121.11 ° C (200 and 250 ° F), with 104.44 ° C (220 ° F) being preferred, with a dwell time of preferably about one second. In operation, the process of the apparatus 10 of Figure 9 which includes the fiber separator 12, the fiber cleaning system 30, the liquid extractor 14, the mixer 16, and the dryer 20, continues as follows: the separator 12 of liquid-based fibers, the recycled paper is passed to the reducing tank to pulp by means of the conveyor 44 and mixed with water until obtaining a consistency of about 7% by weight and 15% by weight and working up to about 45 minutes. The worked dough is then diluted with water to a consistency of between about 3% by weight and 4% by weight, filtered and moved to the container 34. The fiber is then pumped through the cleaning system 30 passing through. the containers and the high density cleaners 36 and the container 34. The resulting mixture is passed through the liquid extractor 14 immediately to the mixer 16 to mix the dry fire retardant which is charged at room temperature and pressure. The treated fibers are then moved to dryer 20 where they are heated to about 93.33 and 121.11 ° C (200 and 250 ° F) with residence times of less than about 2 seconds and dried. Fibers, separated from water, they move to the packer 24 and then to the packing unit 26 in bags to be transported. An alternative feeding liquid for the present process may be bagasse. Bagasse is the cellulosic fiber separated from the non-fibrous component of plants, such as sugar beet or sugarcane and natural rubber from rubber plants. In the case of sugarcane, bagasse is found in the belt of bagasse around the world parallel to the equator, which extends from Spain in the North to South Africa and Australia in the South. Usually, the sugar cane harvest lasts 4-9 months, which means that most pulp mills have large stocks of bagasse. Normally, the bagasse is burned in the boilers of sugar mills to provide steam and meet energy requirements. The substitution of an alternative fuel frees the bagasse in the pulp mill, but places the bagasse at a price equivalent to fuel. Before the reduction to pulp, dirt and dust are washed and any magnetic material is removed. Bagasse can be used in a wide range of paper grades, including coated papers. The following table shows some typical levels, which also apply approximately to other pulps that are not wood, with similar properties (for example, fiber length): Grade of Bagasse Pulp Paper Grade% Bagasse Bleached pulp paper Periodic paper 75-80 mechanically, chemically or thermomechanically: Paper with mechanical printing 50 Handkerchiefs 50 Unbleached pulp Medium 75-100 Semi-chemically high-production Corrugated: Chemically non-multi-walled, extensible 40-bleached pulp: Kraft cardboard for coating 40-60 Wrapping paper (grade B) 50-75 Handkerchiefs and wrapping paper Fruits 60-90 Paper glass and fat-proof 50-90 Chemically pulp paper 80-100 bleached and printed writing paper: Ordinary cardboard with white coating 50, top coating Cardboard and floorboard 65-75 Handkerchiefs and paper for fruit wrapping 60-90 Paper glass and greaseproof 50-90 Newsprint 35-50 It is believed that the production of cellulosic fiber materials as insulation is particularly advantageous according to the present invention. The apparatus 10 and the method of the present invention provide characteristics and quality of fibers that can be utilized by unique and novel techniques in combinations of standard industrial paper machines. These combinations of standard industrial paper machines can produce a product more quickly with better quality at a lower cost. Additionally, the present invention provides unique and novel means for adding dry materials to wet materials, and in particular, adding a fire retardant to the cellulosic fiber materials. In the past, the means have been the addition of a dry material to a dry paper or a liquid material to a dry paper. In other words, the fire retardant is added either dry, completely liquid, or can be semi-dry / semi-liquid, but always on dry paper. By means of the present invention, dry materials such as the dry fire retardant have been added to a liquid paper mass having between the ranges of about 3% by weight and 50% by weight of solids, and preferably between the ranges of about 3% by weight and 20% by weight solids. When boric acid is used, it is considered to be preferable between 10 weight percent. The result has been a fire resistant product. Another advantage may be the substantial saving in terms of cost since the wet processing may allow the correction of the excess fire retardant of residual liquid treater 43. In addition, when using the wet treated fiber materials, the steps of drying and re-wetting the fiber materials are eliminated. In this way, the present invention saves several process steps while, at the same time, simplifying the process in general. A microscopic examination of the treated fiber material produced by the present invention to be subsequently processed into the formation of for example cellulosic insulation, shows that the treated fiber material is substantially homogeneous before its classification. For example, FIGURE 10 is a photograph of a sample of conventionally processed cellulosic fibers showing their inhomogeneous structure and added before their classification. In comparison, FIGURE 11 is a photograph of a sample of cellulosic fibers processed according to the present invention showing its homogeneous structure and free of aggregates before classification. Specifically, the fibers are substantially separated into individual fibers and the individual pieces of paper are no longer clearly present. Also, a microscopic examination shows that the supplementary material, for example, the dry flame retardant, substantially and evenly covers the surface of the fibrous material. In addition, the treated fiber material is also substantially free of aggregates before classification. For example, FIGURE 12 is a SEM photomicrograph of a sample of conventionally processed cellulosic fibers to which a supplementary dry material has been added showing uneven coverage of the surface of the cellulosic fibrous material. In comparison, FIGURE 13 is a SEM photomicrograph of a sample of cellulosic fibers processed in accordance with the present invention, to which a supplementary dry material has been added showing substantially uniform coverage of the surface of the cellulosic fibrous material.

The treated cellulosic fibrous material produced by the present invention is particularly suitable for further processing in cellulosic insulation formation, which can be used in both residential and commercial applications for both thermal and acoustic insulation applications. An example is shown in U.S. Patent No. 5,910,367, issued to Kean et al., For improved cellulosic loose-fill insulation, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading the above description. By way of example, the inclusion of an isolated medium, biodegradable mineral or vegetable oil such as soybean can be used for a powder-free product. Used as a liquid, an emulsion, a dry chemical powder inhibitor can be added to reduce the dusting of the product. Dry chemicals such as electrostatic chemical manipulators can also be used for this process. Also, starch and other types of adhesives can be added for the application or reduce the settlement of the different points in the process. These are then activated later in the process when applied to the product to cause it to stick in the cavities. For example, when blowing on a wall or when blowing horizontally and trying to stabilize it. It should be understood that all modifications and improvements have not been included herein to achieve a concise and legible description but are suitably within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (63)

1. CLAIMS 1. An apparatus for treating fibrous material, the apparatus is characterized in that it comprises: (a) a fiber separator with liquid base; (b) a liquid extractor downstream of the liquid-based fiber separator to remove the liquid from the fibrous material; and (c) a mixer downstream of the liquid-based fiber separator for adding a supplementary material to the fibrous material without liquid.
2. 2. The apparatus in accordance with the claim 1, further characterized in that it includes an instant dryer for drying the treated fibrous material.
3. 3. The apparatus in accordance with the claim 2, characterized in that the dryer is a spray dryer.
4. 4. The apparatus according to claim 2, further characterized in that it includes a dust collector.
5. 5. The apparatus according to claim 2, further characterized in that it includes a bullet former.
6. 6. The apparatus according to claim 2, further characterized in that it includes a packer in bags.
7. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the liquid-based fiber separator is a high-solids low-cut pulp reducer.
8. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the liquid-based fiber separator is a water-based separator.
9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that it includes a fiber cleaning system for removing the prohibited material.
10. 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the fiber cleaning system is a washing machine for removing prohibited material.
11. The apparatus according to claim 9, further characterized in that it includes at least one conical cleaner for removing prohibited material.
12. 12. The apparatus according to claim 9, further characterized in that it includes a mesh screen for removing prohibited material.
13. 13. The apparatus according to claim 9, further characterized in that it includes a compensation chamber for accumulating clean fiber.
14. 14. An apparatus for treating fibrous materials, the apparatus is characterized in that it comprises: (a) a liquid extractor to remove the liquid from the fibrous material; and (b) a dry-to-wet mixer downstream of the liquid extractor to add a dry material to the fibrous material without liquid.
15. 15. The apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that the liquid extractor is a screw press.
16. 16. The apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that the liquid extractor also includes an arc mesh.
17. 17. The apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that the result of the liquid extractor is greater than about 25 weight percent solids.
18. 18. The apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that the result of the liquid extractor is greater than about 40 weight percent solids.
19. 19. The apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that the mixer is a twin screw mixer.
20. 20. The apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that the dry material includes a flame retardant.
21. 21. The apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that the flame retardant is boric acid.
22. 22. The apparatus according to claim 21, characterized in that the boric acid is about 10 weight percent of the fibrous material without liquid.
23. 23. The apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that the dry material includes a colorant.
24. 24. The apparatus according to claim 23, characterized in that the dye is titanium dioxide.
25. 25. The apparatus according to claim 23, characterized in that the dye is a heat trap.
26. 26. The apparatus according to claim 25, characterized in that the heat trap dye is titanium oxide.
27. 27. The apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that the dried material includes tracer substances.
28. The apparatus according to claim 27, characterized in that the tracing substances are selected from the group consisting of radioactive isotopes, colorimetric indicators, visual indicators and stable adulterating agents.
29. 29. An apparatus for treating fibrous material, the apparatus is characterized in that it comprises: (a) a fiber separator with liquid base; (b) a liquid extractor downstream of the liquid-based fiber separator to remove liquid from the fibrous material; (c) a dry-to-wet mixer downstream of the liquid-based fiber separator to add a dry material to the fluidless fibrous material; and (d) an instant dryer for drying the treated fibrous material.
30. 30. The apparatus according to claim 29, characterized in that the dryer is a spray dryer.
31. 31. The apparatus according to claim 29, further characterized in that it includes a dust collector.
32. 32. The apparatus according to claim 29, further characterized in that it includes a packer.
33. 33. The apparatus according to claim 29, further characterized in that it includes a packer in bags.
34. 34. The apparatus according to claim 29, characterized in that the liquid-based fiber separator is a high-solids, low-cut pulp reducer.
35. 35. The apparatus according to claim 29, characterized in that the liquid-based fiber separator is an aqueous-based separator.
36. 36. The apparatus according to claim 29, further characterized in that it includes a fiber cleaning system for removing the prohibited material.
37. 37. The apparatus according to claim 36, characterized in that the fiber cleaning system is a washing machine for removing prohibited material.
38. 38. The apparatus according to claim 36, further characterized in that it includes at least one conical cleaner for removing prohibited material.
39. 39. The apparatus according to claim 36, further characterized in that it includes a mesh screen for removing prohibited material.
40. 40. The apparatus according to claim 36, further characterized in that it includes a compensation chamber for accumulating clean fiber.
41. 41. The apparatus according to claim 29, characterized in that the liquid extractor is a screw press.
42. 42. The apparatus according to claim 29, characterized in that the liquid extractor also includes an arc mesh.
43. 43. The apparatus according to claim 29, characterized in that the result of the liquid extractor is greater than about 25 weight percent solids.
44. 44. The apparatus according to claim 43, characterized in that the result of the liquid extractor is greater than about 40 weight percent solids.
45. 45. The apparatus according to claim 29, characterized in that the mixer is a double screw mixer.
46. 46. The apparatus according to claim 29, characterized in that the dry material includes a flame retardant.
47. 47. The apparatus in accordance with the claim 46, characterized in that the flame retardant is boric acid.
48. 48. The apparatus in accordance with the claim 47, characterized in that the boric acid is about 10 weight percent of the fibrous material without liquid.
49. 49. The apparatus according to claim 29, characterized in that the dry material includes a colorant.
50. 50. The apparatus according to claim 49, characterized in that the dye is titanium dioxide.
51. 51. The apparatus according to claim 49, characterized in that the dye is a heat trap.
52. 52. The apparatus according to claim 51, characterized in that the heat trap dye is titanium oxide.
53. 53. The apparatus according to claim 29, characterized in that the dried material includes tracer substances.
54. 54. The apparatus according to claim 53, characterized in that the tracing substances are selected from the group consisting of radioactive isotopes, colorimetric indicators, visual indicators and stable adulterating agents.
55. 55. A method for treating fibrous material, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: (a) providing a precursor of fibrous material to a liquid-based fiber separator to create a mixture of fibrous material; (b) removing at least a portion of liquid from the fibrous material mixture to produce a fibrous material; and (c) mixing a supplementary material with the fibrous material to produce a treated fibrous material.
56. 56. A method for treating fibrous material, the method is characterized in that it comprises the steps of: (a) removing at least a portion of liquid from the fibrous material mixture to produce a fibrous material; and (b) mixing a dry material with the fibrous material to produce a treated fibrous material.
57. 57. A method for treating a fibrous material, the method is characterized in that it comprises the steps of: (a) providing a precursor of fibrous material to a liquid-based fiber separator to create a mixture of fibrous material; (b) removing at least a portion of liquid from the fibrous material mixture to produce a fibrous material; (c) mixing the dry material with the fibrous material to produce a treated fibrous material; and (d) using an instant dryer to dry the treated fibrous material.
58. 58. A treated fibrous material, characterized in that the treated fibrous material is substantially homogeneous before its classification.
59. 59. The fibrous material treated in accordance with claim 58, further characterized in that it includes a supplementary material that substantially and uniformly covers the surface of the fibrous material.
60. 60. The fibrous material treated in accordance with claim 59, characterized in that the supplementary material is a dry material that substantially and uniformly covers the surface of fibrous material.
61. 61. The fibrous material treated in accordance with claim 60, characterized in that the dry material is a flame retardant.
62. 62. A treated cellulose fibrous material, characterized in that the treated fibrous material is substantially homogeneous and free of aggregates before classification.
63. 63. A treated, cellulosic fibrous material characterized in that the cellulosic fibrous material is substantially homogeneous and free of aggregates before being classified, the cellulosic fibrous material, further including a supplementary material that substantially and evenly covers the surface of the cellulosic fibrous material. 6 The cellulosic fibrous material treated in accordance with claim 63, characterized in that the supplementary material is a dry material that substantially and uniformly covers the surface of the cellulosic fibrous material. 65. The cellulosic fibrous material treated in accordance with claim 64, characterized in that the dry material is a flame retardant.