EP0834542A1 - Method for manufacturing a fire lighting material and material obtained by this method - Google Patents

Abstract

Preparation of a firelighter material comprising immersing platelets of a vegetable origin in an impregnation bath containing: 1 - 5% (preferably 2 - 3%) of wax; 1 - 5% (preferably 2 - 3%) of an animal fat extract; the remainder being constituted of a natural product obtained from the distillation either of wood tar, tar from animal matter, wax or other organic material.

Description

The present invention relates to a process for preparing a fire starter material as well as said material.

When a person wants to start a fire, whether it's a free fire, a fire in a fireplace or a fire in a barbecue or other device, it generally uses paper to ignite small wood. Beside the need to have these elements, the ignition of the main fire is not always guaranteed. There are fire starter products to get rid of the elements mentioned but which so far meet a certain number of drawbacks. These known fire starters can be of the liquid type, pasty or solid. In the case of liquid or pasty fire starters, their preparation of petroleum or coal derivatives, raw materials not renewable and the combustion of which can give off unpleasant odors. On the other hand, experience has shown that some of the liquid products used as fire starters can be dangerous to use. Concerning the solid products, entirely synthetic or with a certain quantity wood chips agglomerated in a flammable product, generally synthetic, these products are also largely made up of non-renewable raw materials with unpleasant odors during their combustion. These solid products are generally greasy to the touch and dirty the user's fingers. Use of either product above generally causes a flow during its combustion of the material with which it is impregnated, flow fouling the fireplace or barbecue.

A first object of the invention is to propose a manufacturing process of a fire starter material which does not meet the drawbacks of the products known

This object is achieved by a process meeting the characteristics of claims 1 to 10.

Another object of the invention is to propose a fire starter product, easy to use, made according to the previous process.

This other object is obtained by a product having the characteristics of claims 11 to 13.

The following description gives still other advantages of the process. and of the product according to the invention, this description being easily understood without a figure being necessary.

The proposed fire starter product is mainly composed of chips, or sticks or more generally of vegetable product debris. We here means in particular residues of slaughter or cutting products, residues wood from sawmills or other processing facilities wood, more generally any plant debris that has not been treated, i.e. have not already been directly used for other purposes. For example we refrain from using wood that has already been used to make an object, like a case for example, since this wood could have been treated and impregnated or painted, which may cause unpleasant odors when combustion. These plant debris can come from any species capable of be burned. Preferably take debris from softwoods given their ease of combustion, debris from hardwood being also admissible.

This debris is first reduced to chips or chips having approximately longitudinal dimensions in the range of one to a few centimeters and a thickness of the order of 1 to 20 mm. These chips are generally obtained in a shredder and are therefore of shape and dimensions quite irregular. In the event that slaughter falls are used, the shavings can also consist of the bark of the branches. In the case where the debris used is of dimensions significantly smaller than those mentioned above, for example sawdust, debris from leaves or debris from pives (cones), it is possible to first create plates or sticks, by pressing this debris, without additives, so as to obtain elements having approximately the dimensions mentioned. A batch of fire starters may include boards obtained by shredding as well as by pressing. In the following description as in the claims, we will speak of platelets, without specifying their method of obtaining which can be one or the other of those described above.

The preparation process consists of impregnating these platelets in a bath composed of 1 to 5%, beeswax, preferably between 2 and 3%, 1 to 5% stearin, preferably between 2 and 3%, the balance consisting of food paraffin. Beeswax facilitates combustion while emitting a pleasant odor, stearin makes it possible to give a dry and non-oily to the finished wafer while the paraffin facilitates combustion. We note that all these products are natural products, that is to say not using petroleum, coal or any other chemistry non-renewable basic; they could be replaced by equivalent products, as natural, having the same properties, for example wax bee could be replaced by another natural wax, stearin by any other animal fat extract and paraffin by any other product obtained from the distillation of wood tar, animal tar, wax or any other organic matter.

The above product mixture consists of a bath, heated to a temperature between 150 and 250 ° C, preferably between 180 and 200 ° C, in which the inserts are introduced in batches or according to a process continuous, the duration of stay of the platelets in the bath being of the order of 2 20 minutes, preferably between 3 and 10 minutes, this duration being essentially depending on the humidity level of the inserted platelets as well as their dimensions. During this stage, moisture is extracted from the platelets, these can then be impregnated to the core by the bath product.

Following this impregnation, the platelets are extracted from the bath, then are drained and dried. This last operation can be done in the open air or under the action of a forced air flow at controlled temperature. We will watch for this operation not to have large clumps of platelets in order to avoid self-ignition when their temperature is still high.

After drying, the wafers are in a very natural with an untreated appearance and natural color; their outer surface is dry and non-greasy so that the pads do not stick between they are easy to grip without getting the user's hands dirty.

They can then be packaged for sale, in bulk or in packages containing a certain quantity of said plates or else be prepared in individual doses, each packed in its own combustible packaging, one dose being sufficient to ignite a fireplace. For the packaging of said doses, preferably a packaging obtained will be chosen. from a plant material, such as a hemp fillet or other suitable product. For plates more specifically intended for barbecues it is possible to include a certain proportion of herbs or aromatic leaves in the blister packaging.

Another advantage of using this means for lighting a hearth is that it is made up of individual platelets, which makes that air is between the plates, thus facilitating their combustion, without any ash can smother the start of the fire. Their high calorific value means that only a small amount of platelets is required, even being possible then to get rid of the need to use small wood for starting the fire. The combustion of these platelets is long, without toxic fumes or unpleasant odors, the impregnation products burning completely, there therefore has no spillage likely to clog the hearth.

Besides their use mentioned above, this means Ignition uses sawmill or lumber byproducts that are thus revalued.

Claims (14)

Process for the preparation of a fire starter material in the form of plates of a vegetable material, characterized in that
said plates are immersed in an impregnation bath containing; 1 to 5%, preferably 2 to 3% of wax, 1 to 5%, preferably 2 to 3% of animal fat extract, the balance being made up of a natural product obtained from distillation either: wood tar, tar from animal matter, wax or another organic matter. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the wax is beeswax. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the animal fat extract is stearin. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the natural product of distillation is food paraffin. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the temperature of the impregnation bath is between 150 and 250 ° C, preferably between 180 and 200 ° C. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the duration of stay of said wafers in the impregnation bath is 2 to 20 minutes, preferably between 3 and 10 minutes. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the impregnation of said plates in the impregnation bath takes place in batches. Method according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that that the impregnation of said wafers in the impregnation bath is done in continued. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least part of the plates made of plant material is obtained by wood chipping. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least part of the plates made of plant material is obtained by compression of plant debris without adding additives. Fire starter material, characterized in that it consists of plates obtained by wood chipping or by compression of plant debris impregnated with natural products not involving the chemistry of petroleum or coal. Fire starter material according to claim 11, characterized in that it is packaged in ignition doses, each dose being packaged in a packaging in a combustible natural product. Fire starter material according to one of claims 11 or 12, characterized in that it is packaged with herbs or aromatic products. Use of a fire starter material according to one of claims 11 to 13 for starting a fire.