AU2020200747A1

AU2020200747A1 - Product and process of production thereof

Info

Publication number: AU2020200747A1
Application number: AU2020200747A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Tawab Frahmand; Priyan MENDIS; Ylias SABRI; Massoud SOFI
Original assignee: Ouroborus Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Ouroborus Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2019-02-01
Filing date: 2020-01-31
Publication date: 2020-08-20

Abstract

Processes are described comprising the steps of substantially sterilising waste to obtain a product precursor material; and treating the product precursor material in a vortex to obtain the product. Products and industrial or agricultural material obtained according to the processes are also described. 1/8 Sealed steam units Water vaporises 0*00 00 00 Dirty zone: Raw MSW Shredder: Autoclaves: High tech sorter: MSW sorted according to collected or retrieved Cuts all materials Saturated steam Eddy current separator material type: from landfills into small pieces Pressure 10 bars Metal, plastic, glass, biomass Temperature 150°C FIGURE 1 Outletopening Outletvessel pipe Inlet opening Collection point Sound proof box containing Conveyor belt vortex system FIGURE 2

Description

1/8

Sealed steam units

Water vaporises

0*00 00 00

Dirty zone: Raw MSW Shredder: Autoclaves: High tech sorter: MSW sorted according to collected or retrieved Cuts all materials Saturated steam Eddy current separator material type: from landfills into small pieces Pressure 10 bars Metal, plastic, glass, biomass Temperature 150°C

FIGURE 1

Outletopening Outletvessel pipe

Inlet opening Collection point

Sound proof box containing Conveyor belt vortex system

FIGURE 2

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: OUROBORUS PTY LTD

Actual Inventors: Tawab FRAHMAND Priyan MENDIS Massoud SOFI Ylias SABRI

Address for Service: Houlihan 2 , Level 1, 70 Doncaster Road, Balwyn North, Victoria 3104, Australia

Invention Title: PRODUCT AND PROCESS OF PRODUCTION THEREOF

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to the Applicant:

PRODUCT AND PROCESS OF PRODUCTION THEREOF FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a product and a process of production thereof. More particularly, this invention relates to a process of producing a product from biomass, such as a biomass fraction extracted from municipal solid waste, and to the product obtained thereby.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Generally, embodiments of the present invention relate to the processing of waste and using the resultant product industrial and agricultural applications. In some embodiments the waste is solid waste, such as a biomass fraction extracted from solid waste. The biomass fraction is typically derived from municipal solid waste (MSW) and comprises the residual non-recyclable fraction that is left when the recyclable fraction has been extracted. The present invention is directed to a process of producing the product, to the product and to materials incorporating the product. Generally, the product is a mixture that is fibrous and which contains particulate matter. The product typically comprises organic compounds and metal oxides.

[0003] In a broad form, the invention relates to a process comprising the steps of substantially sterilising the waste to obtain a product precursor material; and incubating the substantially sterilised material in a vortex to obtain the product.

[0004] According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a process comprising the steps of: a) substantially sterilising waste to obtain a product precursor material; and b) treating the product precursor material in a vortex to obtain the product.

[0005] The waste may comprise general household refuse and garden and/or green waste and/or municipal solid waste (MSW). The MSW may comprise a heterogenous mix of general household refuse and garden and/or green waste. It will be appreciated that MSW comprises a mixture of at least recyclable materials, non-recyclable materials and biomass. The waste may alternatively comprise biosolids extracted from sewerage, or by-products and waste from the mining industry.

[0006] The process may further comprise the step of shredding the waste.

[0007] The step of substantially sterilising the waste may comprise autoclaving the waste. The waste may be autoclaved at about 150°C at about 5 bars for about 3 hours.

[0008] The process may further comprise the steps of: c) drying the substantially sterilised waste; and d) sorting the dried, substantially sterilised waste to obtain product precursor material.

[0009] The product precursor material may be semi-organic. The product precursor material may comprise biomass.

[0010] The step of sorting the dried, substantially sterilised waste may comprise separating a recyclable fraction from a non-recyclable fraction. The non-recyclable fraction may comprise biomass.

[0011] The recyclable fraction may comprise glass, metal, and/or plastic.

[0012] The step of sorting the dried, substantially sterilised waste may be carried out using conventional methods in the art. In some embodiments, an Eddy current separator is used in which separates a recyclable fraction from a non-recyclable fraction based on differences in infra-red conductivity. The step of sorting the dried, substantially sterilised waste may be carried out using commercially available apparatus such as that provided by the Bioelektra Group (http://bioelektra.com/.)

[0013] The vortex may be a high-speed vortex.

[0014] The step of treating the product precursor material in a vortex may be carried out using a VortexIS 35 machine, such as that supplied by Vortex Industrial Solutions Ltd (http://vortexis.global/).

[0015] The step of treating the product precursor material in a high-speed vortex may be carried out for at about 100,000 to about 150,000 psi, at a speed of about 800 to 1,000 km/hr. The step of treating the product precursor material in a high-speed vortex may be carried out at a rate of about 20 ton/hr.

[0016] According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a product obtained according to the process of the invention.

[0017] According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a product according to the invention, when used as an additive in construction material; in acoustic materials, as an additive in fertiliser; as a product for spreading on sand or soil for keeping the sand/soil in place and/or maintaining hydration thereof.

[0018] The product may comprise a chemical composition as analysed by XRF, when considered in both elemental and oxide forms, as follows:

Formula Oxide Z Concentration Formula Na Na20 11 about 0.36%

Mg MgO 12 about 0.26% Al A1 2 0 3 13 about 0.46% Si SiO2 14 about 2.73% P P 2 05 15 about 0.29% S SO 3 16 about 0.42% Cl K20 17 about 0.89% K CaO 19 about 1.22% Ca TiO 2 20 about 10.44% Ti Cr203 22 about 0.21% Cr MnO 24 about 0.13% Mn Fe203 25 about 0.44% Fe NiO 26 about 3.36% Ni CuO 28 about 0.01% Cu ZnO 29 about 0.02% Zn Rb 20 30 about 0.19% Br SrO 35 about 0.01% Rb Nb205 37 about 0.00% Sr BaO 38 about 0.08% Nb PbO 41 about 0.01%

[0019] The product may comprise a moisture content of between about 5 and about 20%. In some embodiments the product comprises a moisture about 11%.

[0020] The product may comprise a decomposable fraction of about 61% and a substantially stable fraction of about 39%, after heating to about 750 °C for about 10 hours in air.

[0021] The product may comprise a chemical composition, as analysed by MPAES when digested in aqua regia for about 24 hours, as follows: Formula Concentration Formula Concentration Wt% Wt% Se 0.09 U about 0.17 Zn 0.07 TI about 0.00 Cd 0.06 Th about 0.00 V 0.01 Pb about 0.05 Ca 0.54 U about 0.08 Ag 0.01 Tl about 0.04 Fe 0.16 K about 0.08 Ba 0.01 Mo about 0.02 Ni 0.02 Mg about 0.08 Cu 0.02 Mn about 0.32 Ni 0.01 Cr about 0.03 As 0.28 Mg about 0.07 Sb 0.25 Al about 0.26 Be 0.00 Na about 0.05

Co 0.04 Hg 0.00

[0022] The product may have a pH of between about 8 and about 10, typically about 9.7, when dissolved in water at a ratio of about 0.5g of solid to about 25ml of water. The product may have an electrical conductivity of between about 3 and about 5, typically about 3.66, when dissolved in water at a ratio of about 0.5g of solid to about 25ml of water.

[0023] The product may have a compressive strength of between about 25.00 and about 11.00 MPa at about 72 hours, as measured using a Technotest compression testing machine.

[00241 According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a process of preparing an industrial or agricultural material, the process comprising the step of mixing the product according to the invention with any one of the following: cementitious material; fertiliser; acoustic material; sand or soil.

[0025] According to a yet further aspect of the invention, there is provided an industrial or agricultural material obtained according to the process of the invention.

[00261 According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an industrial or agricultural material comprising the product according to the invention.

[00271 The industrial or agricultural material may further comprise any one of the following: cementitious material; fertiliser; acoustic material; sand or soil.

[0028] Further aspects and/or features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[00291 In order that the invention may be readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numbers refer to identical elements. The drawings are provided by way of example only, wherein:

[0030] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the autoclave-based sterilising and sorting system used for the first step of the process according to an embodiment of the invention, comprising treating municipal solid waste (MSW) to obtain a product precursor material, in which the MSW is treated, autoclaved, dried and sorted using an Eddy current separator.

[00311 Figure 2 is a schematic drawing showing the apparatus used for the second step of the process according to an embodiment of the invention, comprising treating the product precursor material in a high-speed vortex to obtain the product for use in the construction material, the apparatus comprising a vortex-isolation system.

[0032] Figure 3 is a graph showing the particle size distribution of reference cement.

[0033] Figure 4 are optical microscope images of (a) biomass sample in a plastic bag, (b) white paper and (c) the biomass material on paper, and higher magnification.

[0034] Figure 5 is a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) spectrogram of a sample of the biomass dissolved in dichloromethane (DCM). The GC chromatogram is shown in the top panel and mass spectroscopy for one sample is shown in the bottom panel.

[0035] Figure 6 is in a GC-MS spectrogram of a sample of the biomass dissolved in hexane. The GC chromatogram is shown in the top panel and mass spectroscopy for one sample is shown in the bottom panel.

[0036] Figure 7 is a ATR-FTIR spectrogram of the biomass sample.

[0037] Figure 8 is the output of Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) of the "as is" biomass sample under nitrogen gas.

[0038] Figure 9 is the output of TGA analysis of the ground biomass sample under nitrogen gas.

[0039] Figure 10 is the output of TGA analysis of the ground biomass sample under air.

[0040] Figure 11 is the output of X-Ray Powder Diffraction (XRD) analysis of the biomass sample.

[0041] Figure 12 is a series of graphs showing (a) the normalised heat flow of all the cement pastes from 0 to 90 hours; (b) normalised heat flow of all the cement pastes from 0 to 0.7 hours; and (c) the maximum cumulative heat for all the cement paste samples.

[0042] Figure 13 shows a graft of the compressive strength development of the cement pastes samples with strength (MPa) represented on the Y axis and time (days) represented on the X axis.

[0043] Skilled addressees will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the relative dimensions of some elements in the drawings may be distorted to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0044] Embodiments of the present invention relate to the processing of waste and using the resultant product industrial and agricultural applications. In some embodiments the waste is solid waste, such as a biomass fraction extracted from solid waste. The biomass fraction is typically derived from municipal solid waste (MSW) and comprises the residual non-recyclable fraction that is left when the recyclable fraction has been extracted. The present invention is directed to a process of producing the product, to the product and to materials incorporating the product. Generally, the product is a mixture that is fibrous and which contains particulate matter. The product typically comprises organic compounds and metal oxides. The present invention is of significant advantage because it can be used to obtain a cost-effective product for use in construction material, that provides better thermo installation properties, and decreases the density and weight of the construction material. Furthermore, the present invention is of significant advantage in that it assists in recycling unwanted MSW, thereby decreasing disposal of MSW in landfills.

[0045] The invention is at least partly predicated on the unexpected discovery that a highly heterogeneous MSW can be processed into suitable form to provide an alternative and cost effective product for use in various industries such in construction, and agriculture.

[0046] In this specification, the terms "comprises", "comprising" or similar terms are intended to mean a non-exclusive inclusion, such that an apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include those elements solely, but may well include other elements not listed.

[0047] Throughout the specification the aim has been to describe the invention without limiting the invention to any one embodiment or specific collection of features. Persons skilled in the relevant art may realize variations from the specific embodiments that will nonetheless fall within the scope of the invention.

EXAMPLES

MSW Treatment Process

[0048] In one embodiment of the invention, the process was carried out in two stages. In this embodiment, the first stage comprises cutting or shredding, sterilizing and sorting. The second stage of this embodiment comprises steps of grinding, mixing and drying. Stage 1: cutting, sterilisingand sorting

[0049] As shown in Figure 1, the MSW was transferred using waste collection trucks to a 'dirty zone'. MSW was then loaded onto conveyor belts and transferred to a shredder which cut the material into smaller pieces. The shredded material was the transferred to an autoclave routers machine where it was autoclaved under standard conditions of saturated steam at a pressure of approximately 5 bars and a temperature of approximately 150°C. This step was carried out using commercially available apparatus provided by the Bioelektra Group (http://bioelektra.com/.)

[0050] During sterilisation, steam was generated in separate steam units in a completely sealed system, such that no water was released. The shredded, autoclaved material was then transferred to a sorting unit. During transferral to the sorting unit, water was allowed to evaporate from the hot, shredded, autoclaved material, leaving the materials semi-dry. The material was passed through a feeder to a separate unit, which used advanced sensing technology and optics to identify different materials, and sought those materials based thereon. the material was sorted into metal-based, plastic-based and glass-based material. The sorted material is then collected for recycling, and considered to be the recyclable part of the MSW. The residue, a semi-organic mixture referred to here after as "biomass" was collected. It is this biomass that is generally considered by person skilled in the art as non recyclable. Stage 2: grinding, mixing and during

[0051] The biomass was processed bypassing it through a vortex-oscillation system housed in a soundproof container, such as that shown in Figure 2. The material was fed into the vortex, and forced out of the other end of the container through an outlet opening which connected to an upward vessel by way of the knee pipe. This step was carried out for at about 100,000 to about 150,000 psi, at a speed of about 800 to 1,000 km/hr. The step of treating the product precursor material in a high-speed vortex may be carried out at a rate of about ton/hr. The pulverised material fell under its own weight through a narrow opening where it was collected in boxes.

[0052] The system used is described in more detail below and was a whirl or vortex chamber milling device, fitted with tangential fluid injection nozzle is, which carried out reasons vortex grinding. The working chamber included a generally cylindrical body with one or more openings for the introduction of particular solids. During the milling process, particles that reached the required particle size range were continuously discharged fire and axial discharge duct. Furthermore, sound generators were provided in the index fluid nozzles which interacted with the incoming fluid flow, thereby enhancing the grinding. Materials and Methods Biomass CharacterizationMethodology

[0053] For the work presented herein the specification for the Vortex machine used for biomass vortex processing is 2018 VIS36500-AUS (Vortex Industrial Solutions Ltd at Kilsyth, Victoria, Australia).

Chemicals

[0054] All chemicals used were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich Chemicals Co. The chemicals were of analytical reagent (A.R) grade and were used without any further purification. Throughout the chemical synthesis, Sartorius Stedim Biotech S.A (Model Arium 61316) deionized water (18.2 M9.cm) was used. Characterizationtechniques

[0055] The elemental contents of a Vortex processed biomass sample was characterized using Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (WD-XRF) which was conducted on a Bruker S4 pioneer X-ray spectrometer. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was performed on a CP-3800 Saturn 2200 GC-MS with a polar column operated at 250°C. The column was an Agilent HR-GC column (DB-VRX) with a 30m length, 0.25mm diameter and 1.4pm wall thickness. The sample was first digested in dichloromethane (DCM) and separately in hexane. A single bounce diamond attenuated total reflectance (ATR) attachment on a mid-infrared (MIR) was used for ATR-FTIR analysis. The instrument was a Spectrum 100 spectrometer (Perkin Elmer, Waltham, MA, U.S.A.). The scan range was set to 400 to 4000 cm-1 with a resolution of 4 cm- 1. Approximately 0.4 g of the sample was used for each sample and the scans were repeated four times across the sample before taking the mean of these results as the final value. Prior to taking a reading, the pressure applied on the diamond crystal was such that the spectral bands obtained were of high strength with a transmittance intensity of >80%. This ensured a good sample/crystal interface contact. The moisture content was determined by placing 0.766g of the sample at 105°C for 24 hours and observing the mass difference therein. The ash content of the sample was determined through heating the sample to 750°C for a period of 3 and 10 hours in air and recording the mass difference at each time point. In order to find out the content of material that would degrade and leave the sample in the presence and absence of oxygen, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed under both nitrogen and air atmospheres, using on a Perkin Elmer Hyphenated TGA instrument. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was performed using the D8 Advance (from Bruker) with a Cu K-alpha radiation source (k= 0.154 nm). The XRD patterns were collected over a 20 range of 10 - 800with a step size of 0.02° and step time of 1 s per point. In order to determine how much metals that actually leach out of the sample and into acid, 195mg of the sample was dissolved in aqua regia solution (1:3 volume ratio of concentrated acids of HNO 3 :HCl) for a 24 hour period. The soluble metal/oxide content of the sample was estimated using microwave plasma atomic emission spectrometer (MP-AES) system (4200 MP-AES, Agilent).

Experiments on Biomass Paste Isothermal Calorimetry

[00561 The early age hydration of pastes were investigated by monitoring the hydration heat using a TAM Air 8-channel isothermal calorimeter. The testing samples were cement pastes with Vortex processed biomass replacement ratio of 0%, 10%, 15% and 20%. Details of the reference cement are provided in the following section. They were prepared according to the mix proportions in Table 1. As the hydration heat was captured by the isothermal calorimeter under a constant temperature of 23 °C, all the materials before mixing were kept in the room with a temperature of 23 °C for 24 hours. The cement pastes were manually mixed by using a wooden stick for 7 minutes. Immediately after mixing of each sample, the sample was injected into a glass ampole with a cap on and loaded into the calorimeter. The calorimeter measures the hydration heat and heat flow continuously over time until it was stopped after 90 hours from the loading of samples.

Table 1. The mix proportions of pastes for isothermal calorimetry

Reference Biomass Total w/b water cement (g) (g) binder (g) (g) Ref 30 0 30 0.44 13.24 10% BM 27 3 30 0.44 13.24 15% BM 25.5 4.5 30 0.44 13.24 20% BM 24 6 30 0.44 13.24

Note: The total binder is considered as the total amount of reference cement and biomass in the paste.

[0057] In order for the comparison between different samples, the recorded hydration heat and heat flow of each sample were normalized by dividing its total mass of dry materials. The maximum heat of hydration for each sample was found at the time when the heat flow become stable and close to zero. The difference of hydration heat between the reference cement and each paste sample divided by the hydration heat of reference cement paste is calculated as the reduction percentage compared to reference sample. Reference cement

[0058] The biomass processed by the Vortex was further mixed with reference cement to produce paste samples for testing. The experiments in this research adopted reference cement supplied by Cement Australia. The chemical composition and particle size distribution of reference cement are presented in Table 2 and Figure 3 respectively. The biomass fiber was processed by Vortex machine. The material properties of the biomass fiber are presented in the result section.

Table 2: the chemical composition of the reference cement.

Composition Percentage(%) LOI 3.9 S02 2.7 CaO 63.7 SiO 2 19.9 A1 2 0 3 4.6 Fe203 2.57 MgO 1.39 K 20 0.69 Na2O 0.09 P 20 3 0.04 Mn203 0.06 Cr203 0 SrO 0.07 Na2O 0.5 C3 S 65.78 C3A 7.82 C 4AF 7.88

Mechanical Testing

[0059] The compressive strength testings were conducted at the age of 1, 3, 7 and 28 days by using a Technotest compression testing machine. Cement cubes of 50cm x 50cm x cm were prepared for the testing based on the mix design presented in Table 3. Vortex processed biomass is used to replace reference cement by 0%, 10%, 15% and 20% respectively in the mixes.

Table 3: The mix design of pastes for compressive strength testing.

Reference Biomass Total w/b water SP cement (g) (g) binder (g) (g) (g) Ref 1000 0 1000 0.44 441.25 0 10% BM 900 100 1000 0.44 441.25 8 15% BM 850 150 1000 0.44 441.25 12 20% BM 800 200 1000 0.44 441.25 16

Results

Optical Characterisation

[0060] The optical image of the sample provided is shown in Figure 4, which includes images of a) biomass sample in plastic bag, b) white paper and c) higher magnification of the biomass material on paper. Elemental/Oxides Analysis

[00611 The Vortex processed biomass sample was characterised for its elemental contents using WD-XRF. The data obtained is shown in Table 4. It can be observed that the sample mostly contains Si, Ca and Fe with the remaining mass being carbon based materials. It should be noted that the absence of an elements in the table below (except for carbon) indicates its absence in the sample.

Table 4: XRF data showing elemental analysis of biomass when considered in both elemental and oxide forms.

Formula Oxide Z Concentration Formula Na Na20 11 0.36% Mg MgO 12 0.26% Al A1 20 3 13 0.46% Si SiO 2 14 2.73% P P 2 05 15 0.29% S SO 3 16 0.42% C1 K20 17 0.89% K CaO 19 1.22% Ca TiO 2 20 10.44% Ti Cr203 22 0.21% Cr MnO 24 0.13% Mn Fe2O3 25 0.44% Fe NiO 26 3.36% Ni CuO 28 0.01% Cu ZnO 29 0.02% Zn Rb 20 30 0.19% Br SrO 35 0.01% Rb Nb20 5 37 0.00% Sr BaO 38 0.08% Nb PbO 41 0.01%

Organic Compound Separation

[0062] GC-MS was performed to identify different substances within the test sample. The GC-MS data for both solvents are shown in Figures 5 and 6, respectively. The data shows that the substances that are dissolved in each solvent have high retention times and so are expected to be of high molecular weights. There were over 14 of such substances observed in the data. Moisture Content

[0063] The presence of Moisture content confirmed through ATR-FTIR technique. Figure 7 shows the ATR-FTIR spectra of the sample where a big moisture peak observed at 3500-3300 cm-1 is attributed to moisture. The peaks at the lower wave numbers represent substances with other functional groups. The peaks at 1020-1220 cm-1 could be attributed to alkyl amines whereas the strong peak at 1026 cm-1 can be attributed to C-O functional groups. The strong peak at 1420 cm-1 could be attributed to alkanes.

[0064] Once the presence of moisture was confirmed, the quantity of moisture was measure by heating the sample and observing the mass difference. The data from the experiment is shown in Table 5. Assuming all mass lost was due to moisture (accepted in usual biomass moisture tests), then the moisture content of the sample is observed to be 11.0%.

Table 5: Mass difference of sample through heating at 105°C over 24 hour period.

Sample Mass (mg) Mass of % moisture moisture (mg) Crucible 31303.0 Crucible + 32068.5 sample before heating Crucible + 31984.0 84.5 11.0 sample after heating

Sample Degradation(ash content)

[0065] It is expected that most organic and volatile substances would decompose at high temperatures. Therefore the sample provided was heated to 750°C for 10 hours in air in order to observe the amount of material that would left behind after such intense sintering process. The data is presented in Table 6 below. It is observed that 61% of the material is decomposable while the rest 39% was stable even after intense heat treatments.

Table 6: Mass difference of sample through intense heating at 750°C over a 10 hour period. Sample Mass Mass of % of material (mg) material decomposed decomposed (mg) Crucible 31303.0 Crucible + 31752.8 sample before heating Crucible + 31478.2 175.2 61.0 sample after heating (3h) Crucible + 31478.2 0 0 sample after heating (10h)

[0066] In order to find out the content of material that would degrade and leave the sample in the absence of oxygen, TGA analysis was performed under nitrogen atmosphere, the results of which are shown in Figure 8. It was found that similar amounts of sample had left the sample when under nitrogen atmosphere as when under air atmosphere with 39% of the sample having remained even after a heat treatment of 850°C.

[0067] The derivative line (blue line with right axis) shows the temperatures at which the main mass loss has occurred. It can be observed that a significant mass loss occurs between 300 and 500°C.

[00681 In order to obtain a better understanding of the amount of material that decompose off the material, the sample was ground up to fine particles. It was observed that the moisture content contributed to the sticking of the finer particles. The ground sample was then analysed by TGA under both N2 gas and air. The results are presented in Figures 9 and 10, respectively. Crystal Components Analysis

[0069] In order to determine if any crystalline material is present in the sample, it was characterised by XRD using the Bruker D4 Endeavour system. The data is shown in Figure 11. It can be observed that crystalline substances are present in the material. A quick library search showed the presence of CaO, Fe203 and Ca4Fe907. There are additional crystalline substances present however a thorough analysis is required to determine their identity. ProportionofDissolvableSolids

[00701 The concentration of each metal dissolved in the mixed acid obtained from MPAES analysis is shown in Table 7 below.

Table 7: MPAES when digesting 195mg of sample in aqua regia for a 24 hour period. Formula Concentration Formula Concentration Wt% Wt% Se 0.09 U 0.17 Zn 0.07 Tl 0.00 Cd 0.06 Th 0.00 V 0.01 Pb 0.05 Ca 0.54 U 0.08 Ag 0.01 Tl 0.04 Fe 0.16 K 0.08 Ba 0.01 Mo 0.02 Ni 0.02 Mg 0.08 Cu 0.02 Mn 0.32 Ni 0.01 Cr 0.03 As 0.28 Mg 0.07 Sb 0.25 Al 0.26 Be 0.00 Na 0.05 Co 0.04 Hg 0.00

Summarv of the MaterialCharacterization

[00711 The material characterization of the Vortex processed biomass sample by the testings aforementioned in this section is summarized and presented in the Table 8 below.

Table 8: Summary of the results presented in this report Specified Units Concentration Chemical or other attribute Mercury mg/kg 0 Cadmium mg/kg 26 Lead mg/kg 0 Arsenic mg/kg 0 Chromium mg/kg 13 Copper mg/kg 2 Nickel mg/kg 1 Selenium mg/kg 0

Zinc mg/kg 0

Other metals mg/kg 2111

Na mg/kg 36 Mg mg/kg 26 Al mg/kg 46 Si mg/kg 273 P mg/kg 29 S mg/kg 42 Cl mg/kg 89 K mg/kg 122 Ca mg/kg 1044 Ti mg/kg 21 Mn mg/kg 44 Fe mg/kg 336 Zn mg/kg 19 Br mg/kg 1 Rb mg/kg 0 Sr mg/kg 8 Nb mg/kg 1

Moisture content % 11 (%)

Non-decomposed % 31 solid

decomposed solid % 69 (Air, 750°C)

Crystalline Yes/no yes substances

pH in H20 pH 9.17*

Electrical mS/cm 3.66* conductivity (EC)

* pH and conductivity were determined by dissolving 0.5g of solid in 25mL of water followed by measurements due to the nature of the sample.

Heat of hydration

[00721 The monitored heat of hydration for cement pastes with biomass replacement ratio of 0%, 10%, 15% and 20% are presented in Figure 12.

[0073] Figure of 12(a) shows the normalized heat flow which indicates the rate of released hydration heat. There are several peaks in each heat flow curve. The first peaks of all the pastes showing high rates of hydration heat can be clearly observed in Figure of 12(b). The first peak represents the dissolution of the surface of cement particles, mainly involving the hydration of C3 A (Tri-calcium aluminate, 3CaO.Al203). The first peak of paste containing % biomass has similar height as the reference cement paste. Except that, with the increase of biomass percentage in the paste, the height of first peak decreases, indicating a lower rate of hydration heat.

[0074] In Figure of 12(a), it can be seen that the increase of biomass percentage in the paste causes more retardation of the occurrence of the second peak. As the second peak is associated with the setting of pastes, the setting of pastes is delayed with the increase of Biomass ratio. The figure also shows that the pure reference cement paste has a third peak following the second peak while pastes containing biomass does not have a third peak in their heat flow curves. The heat flow curves of the cement with biomass have lower height compared to that of reference cement paste. Higher biomass replacement level causes lower height of heat flow curve. This indicates that the increase of biomass in cement paste could result in lower rate of hydration during the 90 hours from the beginning of the hydration.

[0075] Figure of 12(c) shows the cumulative heat of hydration over time for all the pastes. The heat of hydration for pastes with biomass is much lower than the reference cement pastes. Higher biomass percentage contributed to lower hydration heat. Different from the hydration heat curve of the reference cement paste which is increasing continuously, the hydration heat curve is quite flat from 0 up to 20 hours for pastes with 10% and 15% biomass. The heat of hydration curve for pastes with 20% biomass is nearly flat from 0 to 45 hours. This indicates that the hydration of the pastes with biomass during these period was very slow and even was not increasing.

[0076] As the increase of hydration heat is not noticeable after 3 or 4 days of hydration, the maximum heat of hydration for all the pastes could be found and presented in Table 9 for comparison. The hydration heat of pastes with 10% and 15% biomass was decreased up to 24.53% and 30.8% respectively. The hydration heat of pastes was reduced up to 50.88% when the biomass replacement level reached 20%.

Table 9. The maximum cumulative heat for all the cement paste samples

Sample Maximum cumulative heat of hydration Reduction compared to Ref (J/g) (%) Ref 233.80 10% BM 176.45 24.53 15% BM 161.79 30.80 20% BM 114.83 50.88

Compressive Strength Development

[0077] Figure 13 shows the compressive strength data obtained. Conclusions

[0078] In summary, we reported an important progress in replacing part of cement with high percentages of processed municipal organic waste (or biomass) while achieving acceptable compressive strength and heat of hydration of concrete relative to Portland cement (PC). The processing involved placing the organic landfill waste in autoclave at (150°C, 5 bars, 3hours) followed by separation of the biomass from platics, metals and glass. Approximately 30% of the municipal waste was recovered as biomass and further processed through vortex-oscillation technology which offer new physical effects (i.e. dehydration, grinding, mixing etc.) through an efficient and cost-effective manner. The percentages replacement of the processed biomass were 0% (PC), 10% (BM10), 15% (BM15), 20% (BM20) and 30% (BM30) by weight while keeping the ratio of water to biomass constant at 0.44. Results of this investigation indicated that pastes with PC, 10% and 20% of biomass had strengths of 25.85, 18.78 and 10.72 MPa at 72 hours. The data showed that pastes with % biomass may have acceptable fresh properties and strength if further mixed with aggregates. The paste with >15% biomass may have problems in fresh properties and may not be able to develop satisfactory strength. Advantages of the Invention

[0079] Some embodiments of the invention have the added advantage of assisting in the recycling of municipal solid waste (MSW). The disposable of household waste has become a significant global problem. It is estimated that the cities of the world generate about 1.3 billion tons of waste annually, which is predicted to increase to 2.2 billion tons by 2025, at current urbanisation and population growth rates. Conventional attempts at decreasing waste production, and recovery, recycling or reuse of materials, our not addressing the problem. In Australia, municipal solid waste (MSW) alone is generated at a rate of 13.3 mt/year. Although 51% of MSW is recycled, more than 0.25 tons per capita is still sent to landfill. Landfills have been shown to have adverse ecological and economical effects, as well as emitting gases and leachate into the environment and water waste due to the degradation of the waste material disposed therein over time. It is estimated that landfills contribute about % of the global greenhouse gas (methane and carbon dioxide) emissions, as well as leaching toxic chemicals, such as mercury, arsenic, beryllium, boron, cadmium, lead, thallium, and hydro carbon compounds, into the environment. Moreover, the prevalence of fly and increase in vermin surrounding landfills, as well as the odours, smoke and noise typically associated with landfills, adversely affect human health, and have been linked with birth defects, respiratory illnesses, and cancer.

[0080] Conventional approaches to the recycling of waste have focused on waste-to-energy (WTE) in order to recover, heat and power from a waste, particularly non-recyclable waste using combustion-based processes. However, such approaches are expensive, are often not properly controlled, and result in the emission of harmful pollutants into the environment, adversely affecting human and animal health. Nonetheless, combustion-based processes or on incineration remain the preferred management option for disposing of the and recyclable part of MSW. A serious drawback of this approach is the generation of toxic, mostly inorganic ash residues containing heavy metals, assets and other toxic compounds. It is difficult and expensive to dispose of such toxic ash residues which often further pollute the environment.

[0081] Other approaches have involved the use of waste to construction materials (WTC). However, difficulties encountered with such approaches include the variability of waste found in MSW. Organic waste constitutes more than 45% on average of MSW, worldwide. If recyclable waste materials are excluded, such as paper (16.7%), plastic (10.1%), glass (4.7%) and metals (4.2%), organic waste, together with other identified waste (17.7%) constitutes more than two thirds of MSW. In China, the organic matter content of MSW exceeds 60%, while the water content is about 50%. In India, 36% of MSW is comprised of bio waste (food waste, yard waste, coconut waste) while about 30% is made up of recyclable materials such as plastics, paper, cardboard and metals. More than half of MSW in most countries may be classified as semi-organic, which is currently either incinerated or dumped into landfills.

[0082] Unlike conventional approaches to the disposal of MSW, invention assists in processing heterogeneous MSW without producing further waste byproducts that must be disposed of.

[0083] Furthermore, in light of the significant problems associated with disposal of MSW, there are many free sources of MSW, providing a cost-effective source of the starting material for producing the product.

[0084] Some embodiments of the invention provide an eco-friendly alternative additive for use in construction materials. Recently, there has been increased interest in the production of lightweight construction materials as a replacement for ordinary concrete. The weight of concrete has been considerably reduced by the substitution of lightweight aggregates (such as perlite or vermiculite) or by aeration of the concrete. However, the use of perlite or vermiculite, or aeration of the concrete, often adversely affects the strength of the resultant concrete, when cured. Furthermore, vermiculite in particular absorbs and retains water which, when the concrete is cured, can increase the weight of the cured concrete. Products to construction materials, such as cement, have also been used to affect thermo-insulation properties, noise absorption properties, and to reduce the density of products made from those construction materials. Such products assist in the preparation of products such as fibre-reinforced cement products. Reinforcing fibres used in such products have included asbestos fibres, cellulose fibres, metal fibres, glass fibres and other natural and synthetic fibres. However, the use of reinforcing fibres that are specifically produced as products for construction materials can be expensive, and the manufacture thereof often results in waste by-products that must be disposed of, an expensive and environmentally unfriendly exercise.

[0085] Other approaches have attempted to recycle waste products by including them into construction materials. Rice husks, ground coffee waste, banana skins, coconut shells, coconuts and durian fibres, wood fibre waste, cellulose primary sludge generated from paper and pulp mills, lignocellulite waste, sisal fibres, wool fibres, carpet fibres and even human hair have been used as products in the cement-based products, to improve the engineering properties of construction materials. However, such composite construction materials typically only include one kind of waste, usually obtained from agricultural or industrial industries, to maintain consistency and therefore quality control in the production of construction materials to meet regulatory requirements. Current composite construction materials therefore typically include only one kind of waste obtained from a homogenous waste stream. A disadvantage of this approach is that it precludes the use of heterogeneous waste such as general urban household waste, or municipal solid waste (MSW).

[0086] Advantageously, in some embodiment so the invention, where the product of the invention is mixed with construction materials, the resultant construction products have improved properties such as those selected from the group comprising improved acoustic properties; improved flexibility; improved crackling; improved thermal conductivity properties; decreased weight; and decreased density.

[0087] A further advantage of the invention is that the product produced has decreased, if not substantially eliminated odour. Currently, the treatment of waste generates end-products that having an undesirable odour. In contrast, embodiments of the invention have a decreased, if not substantially eliminated odour.

[0088] The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A process comprising the steps of: a) substantially sterilising waste to obtain a product precursor material; and b) treating the product precursor material in a vortex to obtain the product.

2. The process according to Claim 1, wherein the waste comprises general household refuse and garden and/or green waste and/or municipal solid waste (MSW).

3. The process according to Claim 2, wherein the MSW comprises a heterogenous mix of general household refuse and garden and/or green waste.

4. The process according to Claim 2, wherein the MSW comprises a mixture of at least recyclable materials, non-recyclable materials and biomass.

5. The process according to Claim 1, further comprising the step of shredding the waste.

6. The process according to Claim 1, wherein the step of substantially sterilising the waste comprises autoclaving the waste.

7. The process according to Claim 6, wherein the waste is autoclaved at about 150°C at about 5 bars for about 3 hours.

8. The process according to Claim 1, further comprising the steps of: c) drying the substantially sterilised waste; and d) sorting the dried, substantially sterilised waste to obtain product precursor material.

9. The process according to Claim 8, wherein the product precursor material is semi organic.

10. The process according to Claim 8, wherein the product precursor material comprises biomass.

11. The process according to Claim 8, wherein the step of sorting the dried, substantially sterilised waste comprises separating a recyclable fraction from a non-recyclable fraction.

12. The process according to Claim 11, wherein the non-recyclable fraction comprises biomass.

13. The process according to Claim 11, wherein the recyclable fraction comprises glass, metal, and/or plastic.

14. The process according to Claim 11, wherein the step of sorting the dried, substantially sterilised waste is carried out using an Eddy current separator which separates a recyclable fraction from a non-recyclable fraction based on differences in infra-red conductivity.

15. The process according to Claim 1, wherein the vortex is a high-speed vortex.

16. The process according to Claim 1 or Claim 15, wherein the step of treating the product precursor material in a vortex is carried out using a VortexIS 35 machine.

17. The process according to Claim 1 or Claim 15, wherein the step of treating the product precursor material in a vortex is carried out for at about 100,000 to about 150,000 psi, at a speed of about 800 to 1,000 km/hr.

18. The process according to Claim 1 or Claim 15, wherein the step of treating the product precursor material in a vortex is carried out at a rate of about 20 ton/hr.

19. A product obtained according to the process of any one of Claims I to 18.

20. A product according to any one of Claims 1 to 19, when used as an additive in construction material; in acoustic materials, as an additive in fertiliser; as a product for spreading on sand or soil for keeping the sand/soil in place and/or maintaining hydration thereof.

21. A product according to any one of Claims 1 to 20, wherein the product has a chemical composition as analysed by XRF, when considered in both elemental and oxide forms, as follows:

Formula Oxide Z Concentration Formula Na Na20 11 about 0.36% Mg MgO 12 about 0.26% Al A1 2 0 3 13 about 0.46% Si SiO 2 14 about 2.73% P P20 5 15 about 0.29% S SO 3 16 about 0.42% Cl K20 17 about 0.89% K CaO 19 about 1.22% Ca TiO 2 20 about 10.44% Ti Cr203 22 about 0.21% Cr MnO 24 about 0.13% Mn Fe203 25 about 0.44% Fe NiO 26 about 3.36% Ni CuO 28 about 0.01% Cu ZnO 29 about 0.02% Zn Rb 20 30 about 0.19% Br SrO 35 about 0.01% Rb Nb20 5 37 about 0.00%

Sr BaO 38 about 0.08% Nb PbO 41 about 0.01%

22. A product according to any one of Claims 1 to 21, wherein the product has a moisture content of between about 5 and about 20%.

23. A product according to any one of Claims 1 to 22, wherein the product has a moisture about 11%.

24. A product according to any one of Claims 1 to 23, wherein the product comprises a decomposable fraction of about 61% and a substantially stable fraction of about 39%, after heating to about 750 °C for about 10 hours in air. 25. A product according to any one of Claims I to 24, wherein the product has a chemical composition, as analysed by MPAES when digested in aqua regia for about 24 hours, as follows: Formula Concentration Formula Concentration Wt% Wt% Se 0.09 U about 0.17 Zn 0.07 Tl about 0.00 Cd 0.06 Th about 0.00 V 0.01 Pb about 0.05 Ca 0.54 U about 0.08 Ag 0.01 Tl about 0.04 Fe 0.16 K about 0.08 Ba 0.01 Mo about 0.02 Ni 0.02 Mg about 0.08 Cu 0.02 Mn about 0.32 Ni 0.01 Cr about 0.03 As 0.28 Mg about 0.07 Sb 0.

25 Al about 0.26 Be 0.00 Na about 0.05 Co 0.04 Hg 0.00

26. A product according to any one of Claims 1 to 25, wherein the product has a pH of between about 8 and about 10, typically about 9.7, when dissolved in water at a ratio of about 0.5g of solid to about 25ml of water.

27. A product according to any one of Claims 1 to 26, wherein the product has a pH of about 9.7, when dissolved in water at a ratio of about 0.5g of solid to about 25ml of water.

28. A product according to any one of Claims I to 27, wherein the product has an electrical conductivity of between about 3 and about 5, typically about 3.66, when dissolved in water at a ratio of about 0.5g of solid to about 25ml of water.

29. A product according to any one of Claims I to 28, wherein the product has an electrical conductivity of about 3.66, when dissolved in water at a ratio of about 0.5g of solid to about 25ml of water.

30. A process of preparing an industrial or agricultural material, the process comprising the step of mixing the product according to any one of Claims 19 to 29 with any one of the following: cementitious material; fertiliser; acoustic material; sand or soil.

31. An industrial or agricultural material obtained according to the process of Claim 30.

32. An industrial or agricultural material comprising the product according to any one of Claims 19 to 29 and 31.

33. The industrial or agricultural material according to Claim 31 or Claim 32, further comprises any one of the following: cementitious material; fertiliser; acoustic material; sand or soil.

34. The industrial or agricultural material according to any one of Claims 31 to 33, wherein the product further comprises cured cementitious material and has a compressive strength of between about 25.00 and about 11.00 MPa at about 72 hours, as measured using a Technotest compression testing machine.