JP2001226686A - Unit for producing molten material by using ligneous biomass as raw material and method of producing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an equipment for producing a molten material, capable of directly melting a ligneous biomass so as to recover the molten material in a high yield without utilizing a liquefying reagent. SOLUTION: This molten material producing equipment 1 for producing the molten material starting from the ligneous biomass as a maw material is composed of a melting section 2 which is equipped with a melting chamber 21a for melting a supplied pulverized raw material B1 in a closed system, a raw material supply 3 for supplying the melting chamber 21a with the raw material, an atmosphere controlling measure 4 for controlling the inside of the melting chamber 21a to be a nonoxidizing atmosphere, a compactor 5 for compacting the supplied raw material, a power supply 6 which supplies the raw material in the melting chamber 21a with electric power so that the raw material in a compacted state is subjected to heat treatment, a recovery section 7 for recovering a molten product formed by the heat treatment of the raw material, and a controlling device 8 for overall controlling the molten material producing equipment 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for producing a molten substance for producing alternative fuels and other molten substances in place of fossil fuels using woody biomass as a raw material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Biomass is an organism that is biosynthesized using solar energy in the earth's biosphere, and appears as plants, animals and microorganisms by using various chemical components as raw materials. The term is a generic term for those that return to inorganic in a predetermined cycle after undergoing a morphological change in a predetermined ecosystem.

[0003] Such biomass has been attracting attention as a raw material for various industries for a long time. However, from the viewpoint of a raw material for industrial materials, wood, pulp, fiber, rubber, food, feed, firewood, municipal waste, etc. Organic components, human waste, agricultural waste, livestock waste, food processing waste, activated sludge generated by sewage treatment, and the like are generally called biomass.

[0004] Such biomass is often compared with underground resources such as coal, oil or natural gas. Underground resources such as coal have benefited from the renewal cycle of solar energy in the past, but now they are not regenerated outside of the cycle, so there is no problem if they are used up. Biomass, on the other hand, is an inexhaustible resource if used effectively because biomass always benefits from the renewal cycle as long as solar energy does not cease.

[0005] Under such a background, researches for producing alternatives to fossil fuels and recovering molten substances from woody biomass as a raw material have been actively conducted.

[0006]

Conventionally, a method for producing a substitute for fossil fuel or recovering a molten substance from woody biomass as a raw material is based on a method of converting woody biomass into a predetermined solution (liquefaction reagent). The mainstream is to mix and process the mixture at a predetermined pressure and a predetermined temperature to convert cellulose, lignin, etc. into a liquid. Depending on the type of liquefying reagent, it is called "phenol liquefaction" or "alcohol liquefaction". However, in such a method, a liquefied reagent is indispensable, so that the material cost increases and the obtained liquefied material is affected by the liquefied reagent used. In addition to this, there is a problem that not only is the material not utilized, but also the material containing the pollutant is deteriorated and the yield is low.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and directly melts woody biomass without using a liquefying reagent to obtain a high yield of a molten substance containing no pollutants. It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for producing a molten substance using woody biomass as a raw material that can be recovered by a method.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a molten substance using woody biomass as a raw material, the melting apparatus having a melting chamber for melting the loaded raw material in a sealed state, a raw material loading apparatus for loading a raw material into the melting chamber, and a melting chamber. Environment control device to make the non-oxidizing environment, a compression device to compress the raw material loaded in the melting chamber, a heat treatment device to heat-treat the raw material in the melting chamber in a compressed state, and a melting product generated by melting the raw material by the heat treatment And a molten product recovery device for recovering the molten product.

According to the present invention, the raw material of the woody biomass is compressed by the compression device while being loaded into the melting chamber by the raw material loading device, and in this state, the surrounding environment is set to a non-oxidizing environment free of air. The heat from the heat treatment device is applied to the heat and heat treatment is performed, so that the constituent molecules are in a state where they can easily act on each other under pressure and do not burn during the heat treatment, thereby forming biomass. Cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and the like are properly melted, whereby the woody biomass becomes a molten substance such as repoglucosan.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the raw material loading device is configured to load the raw material into the melting chamber by rotating the raw material around the axis of the screw feeder. It is assumed that.

According to the present invention, the raw material of the woody biomass is supplied to the raw material loading device, guided by rotation around the axis of the screw feeder, and advanced to the melting chamber. By using such a screw feeder, it becomes possible to easily adjust the supply amount of the raw material by controlling the number of rotations.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the raw material loading device is configured to load the raw material into the melting chamber by an air current.

According to the present invention, since the raw material is introduced into the melting chamber by an air flow, the raw material is introduced into the melting chamber by employing an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon as the air flow. Can be in a non-oxidizing environment.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the melting device includes: a cylinder having the melting chamber formed therein; And a piston to be inserted.

According to the present invention, the raw material inside the cylinder is pressed by the piston by being immersed in the cylinder while the raw material is loaded in the melting chamber in the cylinder, and the raw material in the cylinder is pressed into the cylinder. By configuring the melting device with such a cylinder and a piston, the raw material compression structure can be simplified, and a reliable compression process is realized.

In particular, since the melting chamber is closed by the piston inserted into the cylinder, the pressing force of the piston does not act uniaxially on the raw material, but rather from the outer peripheral surface of all the raw material particles. It acts uniformly on each raw material particle, whereby the conversion of the molecular structure of the raw material can be performed uniformly and effectively.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the invention, the compression device comprises a hydraulic mechanism or an electric mechanism for driving the piston.

According to the present invention, the use of a hydraulic mechanism makes it possible to make the compression device compact and powerful while generating a large pressure, and the use of an electric mechanism makes the compression device simple. It is possible to have a structure, and any of them is effective in realizing reliable compression of the raw material.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the environment adjustment device is
An inert gas introduction device for introducing an inert gas into the melting chamber is provided.

According to the present invention, by supplying an inert gas into the melting chamber, the melting chamber becomes a non-oxidizing atmosphere in which no air exists, so that the raw material does not burn even by the heat treatment of the biomass raw material. Is properly performed.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the melting device and the raw material loading device are disposed in an airtight chamber capable of preventing outside air from entering. The environment adjustment device is characterized by being provided with a vacuum pump for sucking air in the airtight room.

According to the present invention, by extracting air from the hermetic chamber by driving the vacuum pump, the interior becomes a non-oxidizing atmosphere in which no air is present, so that the raw material does not burn even by the heat treatment of the biomass raw material. The melting process of the raw material is performed properly.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the heat treatment apparatus obtains electric power from a power supply apparatus for supplying a DC current or a pulse current to convert the raw material. It is characterized by being subjected to heat treatment.

According to the present invention, when a direct current or a pulse current is supplied to the heat treatment apparatus, the raw material is rapidly heated by Joule heat to perform a melting treatment. And
In particular, when a pulse current is supplied to the raw material, the raw material is shaken by the vibration of the pulse, the densification progresses, and the particles of the raw material approach each other and influence each other, so that a more effective melting process is performed. Is realized.

In the heat treatment, the process of increasing the temperature due to Joule heat and the pressure are linked to each other to melt the chain structure of a polymer such as cellulose. Also,
At the same time as melting occurs, an electric current also flows through the raw material, which greatly affects the property formation of the molten product. These are confirmed by detecting a change in the resistance value of the supply current characteristic.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the molten product recovery device is provided with a recovery pipe connected to the melting chamber via an on-off valve. It is characterized by having been done.

According to this invention, the melting chamber is closed by closing the on-off valve and communicates with the recovery passage when the on-off valve is opened. Therefore, the melting process is performed in the melting chamber by closing the on-off valve. On the other hand, by opening the on-off valve after the melting process, the molten product in the melting chamber is led out of the system through the recovery pipe.

[0028] The invention according to claim 10 is a production method for producing a molten substance using woody biomass as a raw material, wherein a pulverizing step of pulverizing woody biomass into a fine powdery raw material; A raw material loading step of loading and sealing in a predetermined melting chamber set in the environment, a compression step of compressing the fine powder material in the melting chamber, a heat treatment step of melting the compressed fine powder material by heat treatment, and this heat treatment And a recovery step of recovering the molten product obtained in the step.

According to the present invention, the raw material of the woody biomass is pulverized in the pulverization step to increase the surface area, which is advantageous for the melting treatment. The pulverulent raw material formed by pulverization in the pulverization step is loaded into a melting chamber set in a non-oxidizing environment in the raw material loading step, compressed in the compression step, and heat-treated in the heat treatment step. Is
Because the constituent molecules are in a state where they can easily act on each other under pressure and do not burn during heat treatment, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, etc., which constitute biomass with a high molecular structure, are properly melted Thereby, the woody biomass is reformed into a molten substance such as low molecular weight repoglucosan.

The eleventh aspect of the present invention is the invention according to the tenth aspect, wherein the fine powdery raw material has a particle diameter of 120.
It is characterized by using a particle whose particle size is adjusted to not more than μm.

According to the present invention, low-molecular-weight repoglucosan, which is a molten substance, can be obtained at a yield of at least 50% by melting a fine powdery raw material whose particle size has been adjusted to 120 μm or less.

[0032]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a process chart showing one embodiment of a method for producing a molten substance using woody biomass as a raw material according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the method of the present invention comprises a pulverizing step P1 in which woody biomass B is finely pulverized into a fine powdery raw material B1, and a fine pulverized raw material B1 finely pulverized in the pulverizing step P1 is supplied to a predetermined melting device 2. A raw material loading step P2 for loading the raw material into the processing chamber, a compression step P3 for compressing the fine powder raw material sealed in the processing chamber at a predetermined pressure, and And a recovery step P5 for recovering a molten substance generated by melting by the heat treatment in the heat treatment step P4. By sequentially performing each step, the woody biomass B Can be converted to a molten substance.

As the woody biomass B, wood sawdust, thinned wood, waste of pulp products such as paper, corn stalks and the like are used. Such materials are usually adopted as raw materials, which are usually landfilled or incinerated as waste. These woody biomass Bs are composed of polysaccharides such as cellulose and hemicellulose and phenylpropane. This is because lignin, which is a compound, is a main component and is a stable solid polymer compound, but can be converted into a molten substance by being heat-treated under predetermined conditions.

In the present invention, as a result of various tests, the woody biomass B is converted into a fine powdery raw material B1 and then heat-treated under a predetermined condition, whereby the repoglucosan in the anhydrosugar, which is a kind of monosaccharide, is converted. As a result of finding out what can be obtained, the present invention has been reached.

The woody biomass B is firstly pulverized in a pulverizing step P1 to obtain a fine powdery raw material B1. In the crushing step P1, the woody biomass B is first crushed to the order of several centimeters by a crusher such as a jaw crusher or a hammer crusher, and then several hundred μm to several mm by a crusher such as a roll mill or a high-speed rotary mill.
And finally pulverized by a pulverizer such as a consolidation shearing mill or an air-flow type pulverizer to 0.01 μm to several hundred μm.

The reason why the woody biomass B is pulverized in this way is to increase the surface area as a whole, thereby compensating for the drawback of the woody biomass B, which has an extremely small thermal conductivity disadvantageous to heat treatment, and improving the thermal efficiency. This is because the homogenization and speeding up of the melting process are achieved by pulverization.

In the present invention, the particle size of the fine powdery raw material B1 is adjusted so that the average particle size (average particle size) is 0.01 μm to 120 μm. This range is adopted because
If the woody biomass B is finely pulverized to less than 0.01 μm, the pulverization efficiency is extremely lowered and it is not economical. Also, if the particle size of the fine powdery raw material B1 exceeds 120 μm, the particles are too large. This is because it becomes difficult to uniformly and efficiently melt the fine powdery raw material B1.

In the raw material loading step P2, 0.0
Fine powdery raw material B1 whose particle size has been adjusted to 1 μm to 120 μm
Is loaded into a melting chamber of a predetermined melting apparatus set in a non-oxidizing environment in advance. To make the melting chamber a non-oxidizing environment,
The melting device itself is placed in a vacuum chamber. Then, the fine powdered raw material B1 is charged into the melting chamber after the pressure in the decompression chamber is set to a predetermined degree of vacuum, and is compressed by being compressed at a pressure of 50 to 2000 kg / cm ^{2 in} the next compression step P3. 180 ° C ~ 45 in heat treatment process P4
Heat to 0 ° C. In the present embodiment, the pressure inside the decompression chamber is reduced to a degree of vacuum of about 10 Pa. Note that the formation of the non-oxidizing environment is not limited to only reducing the pressure in the melting environment, but by replacing the air in the melting chamber with an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon, or hydrogen as a reducing gas. Is also good.

Then, in the heat treatment step P4, the fine powder material B1 is heated to 180 ° C. to 450 ° C. However, since there is almost no air in the melting chamber due to the reduced pressure treatment, the fine powder material B1 is burned. In a pressurized state, only the influence of heat is exerted, and it is quickly and properly melted to decompose the main components of high molecular weight cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin to obtain a molten product. The melting product includes a liquid product and a gaseous product. The liquid form has a yellow-brown or black color, and contains a lot of repoglucosan, various low-molecular compounds and carbon.

Further, in the present embodiment, the melting treatment of the fine powder material B1 in the heat treatment step P4 is performed by using an AC power supply having a frequency of 0.1 Hz to 500 Hz for the compressed fine powder material B1. This is performed by applying a pulse current having a predetermined pulse width at 1000 A.

For this purpose, the powdered raw material B1 is compressed while being loaded in a container to which a pulse current is supplied. By the supply of the current, the current flows intermittently to the dies 21, 22, and 23, and the fine powder material B1 is heated and melted by Joule heating by the intermittent current supply. Then, the filling of the fine powder material B1 is promoted by the vibration of the particles of the fine powder material B1 due to the intermittent current supply, and heat is evenly transmitted to each particle to realize an efficient melting process. Melt product B2 will be generated in the room. The current supplied to the container may be a DC current instead of the pulse current.

Then, after a predetermined time has elapsed, the power supply to the melting chamber is stopped, and after a further predetermined time has elapsed, the powdered raw material B1 (in this case, it has already become a molten product B2) is discharged. The compression is released, and thereafter, the molten product B2 generated by performing the recovery process P5
Is led out of the system.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing one embodiment of the transition of the temperature of the fine powder material B1, the current value of the supplied pulse current, and the pressure applied to the fine powder material B1 in the heat treatment step P4. Note that the current value is actually 0.1
Although the amplitude has a pulse width of about 0.2 sec, only the peak current value is shown because the drawing is difficult.

As shown in this graph, the raw material B1 which was initially pressurized at a weight of 4500 kg and was at room temperature was 90
When a pulse current of 0 A is supplied, approximately 1.3 ° C. /
It is heated at a heating rate of sec and reaches 240 ° C. after 3 minutes. Subsequently, the supply of the pulse current to the fine powder material B1 is continued.
The temperature is kept at this temperature without increasing the temperature to at least ℃. Then, after this state is continued for 3 minutes, the supply of the pulse current is stopped, and the melting process of the fine powdery raw material B1 is completed, whereby the molten product B2 is generated in the melting chamber.

At about two minutes after the start of the supply of the pulse current, the melting of the fine powdered raw material B1 rapidly proceeds to generate gas, and the gas pressure increases the pressure in the melting chamber 21a. Since the total pressure in the melting chamber 21a increases, this is detected and the pressure is temporarily reduced (see FIG. 2).
(See time point X in the middle), and control is performed so that the total pressure applied to the fine powdery raw material B1 is constant. This tendency is
This also occurs after a lapse of 6 minutes immediately before the supply of the pulse current is stopped (see the point Y in FIG. 2).

Note that, even after the completion of the melting process, the molten product B2 is forcibly cooled until the temperature of the molten product B2 reaches a predetermined temperature (although the forced cooling is not essential). The pressure state is maintained. Then, after the molten product B2 is cooled to a predetermined temperature, the molten product B2
Is released from the melting chamber.

The melt product B2 thus obtained
Is a viscous liquid having a pale yellowish brown or black color, and its main component has been confirmed to be repoglucosan, which is a raw material for derivatives such as triacetal, tribenzoate and trimethyl ether. The fact that the main component of the melted product B2 is repoglucosan will be described later in detail in the section of "Example" in relation to the particle size of the fine powdery raw material B1.

Next, an apparatus for producing a molten substance using woody biomass as a raw material according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 are explanatory views in a cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of a molten material manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 4 shows a state where the fine powder material B1 is being loaded into the melting chamber.
Fig. 5 shows a state in which the fine powdery raw material B1 charged in the melting chamber is compressed, and Fig. 5 shows a state in which the molten product B2 formed in the melting chamber is being led out.

As shown in these figures, a molten substance producing apparatus 1 comprises a melting apparatus 2 for melting a fine powdery raw material B1,
The raw material supply device 3 for supplying the fine powder material B1 to the melting device 2, the environment adjusting means 4 for setting the environment where the melting device 2 is placed to a non-oxidizing environment, and the fine powder material B1 loaded in the melting device 2 A compression device 5 for compressing and reducing the volume, a power supply device 6 for supplying electric power in the form of a pulse current to the fine powdery raw material B1 loaded in the melting device 2, and a melting product B2 generated in the melting device 2 Recovery device 7 for recovery and molten material production device 1
And a control device 8 for controlling the operation of the vehicle.

The melting apparatus 2 and the raw material supply apparatus 3 in the molten substance production apparatus 1 are disposed in a decompression structure 10 in which they can be housed in a sealed state, while the power supply apparatus 6 and the control apparatus are provided. Reference numeral 8 is provided outside the decompression structure 10, and the compression device 5 and the recovery device 7 are provided inside and outside the decompression structure 10.

The decompression structure 10 is constructed in a box shape from a structural material such as mild steel on a foundation F1 laid on a floor F, and is provided with a bottom plate 11 closely attached to the foundation F1 and a peripheral edge of the bottom plate 11. And a top plate 13 extending between upper edges of the side plates 12 opposed to each other. The bottom plate 11 and the side plates 12 A space surrounded by the top plate 13 forms a decompression chamber 10a capable of reducing pressure in an airtight state.

The one side plate 12 has an entrance 12a for entering and exiting the decompression chamber 10a, and a door 14 for closing the entrance 12a. The door 14 has a peripheral portion with bolts in a state where the entrance 12a is closed via a seal member (not shown).
To ensure that the airtightness of the inside is maintained. Such a door 14 is provided periodically or as needed, by opening the door 14,
This is for performing inspection and maintenance management of the inside by entering the decompression chamber 10a from the entrance 12a.

The melting device 2 includes a cylindrical metal mold 2.
1 (cylinder), a metal lower die 22 on which the middle die 21 is placed and fixed, and a metal upper die 23 disposed above the middle die 21. Medium 21
Has a melting chamber 21a formed of a columnar space perforated so as to extend in the vertical direction at the center position thereof, and in the melting chamber 21a, the fine powder material B1 from the raw material supply device 3 is supplied.
Is to be loaded.

The lower mold 22 includes a base 22a having a diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the middle mold 21;
and a lower mold body 22b installed at the center position of a. The base 22a is directly supported by the foundation F1 by being fitted into a bottom hole 11a formed in the center of the bottom plate 11 of the decompression structure 10.

The lower die body 22b has a vertical dimension
The height is set to 1/3 or less of the height dimension of No. 1. The lower mold body 22b is fitted into the middle mold 21 with its outer peripheral surface being in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the middle mold 21.
A melting chamber 21a is formed in a space surrounded by the upper surface of 2b and the inner peripheral surface of the middle mold 21.

The upper mold 23 has a cylindrical body 23a having an upper portion fixed to the compression device 5 via an insulating member 15, and an upper mold body 23b suspended from the center of the lower surface of the cylindrical body 23a.
(Piston). The top plate 13 of the decompression structure 10 is provided with a fitting hole 13a for fitting the columnar body 23a at the center thereof, and the annular insulating material 1 is provided in the fitting hole 13a.
The upper die 23 is mounted on the decompression structure 10 so as to be able to move up and down by inserting the cylindrical body 23a in a sliding contact state through the 6.

Two piston rings 23c are externally fitted to the upper die body 23b.
Thereby, airtightness in the melting chamber 21a when the upper mold body 23b is fitted in the melting chamber 21a can be ensured.

The upper die body 23b is dimensioned such that the outer diameter dimension is fitted into the inner peripheral surface of the melting chamber 21a in a sliding contact state. The body 23a is moved up and down in the melting chamber 21a by raising and lowering, and at the time of lowering, the fine powder material B1 loaded in the melting chamber 21a can be compressed in an airtight state.

The raw material supply device 3 includes a raw material hopper 31
And a screw feeder 32 provided continuously below the raw material hopper 31. Raw material hopper 3
1 is formed in a funnel shape with upper and lower portions opened, and the upper edge portion is fixed to the inner surface of the top plate 13 of the decompression structure 10 by welding, while the top plate 13 corresponds to the upper opening of the raw material hopper 31. The raw material loading port 13b is opened at the position thus set, and a lid 17 for closing the raw material loading port 13b is provided. The lid 17 is bolted to the top plate 13 with the raw material loading port 13b closed, thereby maintaining the airtightness in the decompression chamber 10a.

The screw feeder 32 comprises a cylindrical feeder tube 32a and a screw shaft 32 having a screw on its outer peripheral surface, which is provided inside the feeder tube 32a.
b, and a drive shaft is provided with a drive motor 32c concentric with the screw shaft 32b. Feeder cylinder 3
2a is a raw material hopper 31 on the base end side (left side in FIG. 3).
The upper end of the upper die body 23b is lifted up and detached from the middle die 21 (FIG. 3), and is arranged so as to face the upper opening of the melting chamber 21a.
The drive motor 32c is fixed to the base end of the feeder cylinder 32a, and its drive shaft is concentrically connected to the screw shaft 32b. Then, by driving the drive motor 32c, the screw shaft 32b rotates in a predetermined direction, whereby the fine powdery raw material B1 loaded in the raw material hopper 31 is cut out through the feeder cylinder 32a, and the upper part is opened. It is designed to be loaded into the melting chamber 21a.

The environment adjusting means 4 reduces the pressure in the decompression chamber 10a in order to adjust the inside of the melting chamber 21a to a non-oxidizing environment, and a suction pipe 41 communicating with the decompression chamber 10a.
And a vacuum pump 42 connected to the suction pipe 41. In the present embodiment, the vacuum pump 4
As for No. 2, a device capable of reducing the pressure in the airtight decompression chamber 10a to approximately 10 Pa by continuously operating it is adopted.

Accordingly, after the raw material supply device 3 is driven to load the fine powdered raw material B1 into the melting chamber 21a, the vacuum pump 42
Is driven to make the inside of the decompression chamber 10a in a vacuum state, the inside of the melting chamber 21a is also in a vacuum state and almost no air is present.
Is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the ignition point, the fine powdery raw material B1 does not burn.

As the environment adjusting means 4, a pressure pump for introducing an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon into the decompression chamber 10a is employed instead of the vacuum pump 42, and the inert gas from the inert gas tank is supplied to the decompression chamber. The air may be introduced into the inside 10a and replaced with air, thereby changing the inside of the decompression chamber 10a to a non-oxidizing atmosphere.

The compression device 5 includes a predetermined number of cylinder devices 51 arranged to extend vertically above the decompression structure 10, a pressing plate 52 provided below each cylinder device 51, It comprises a hydraulic unit 53 for supplying a hydraulic pressure to the pressing plate 52. Cylinder device 51
Consists of a cylinder 51a and a piston rod 51b projecting downward from the cylinder 51a. Then, by changing the supply direction of the hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic unit 53 to the inside of the cylinder 51a up and down, the piston rod 51b can be moved forward and backward (up and down) with respect to the cylinder 51a.

The lower end of the piston rod 51 b of the cylinder device 51 is connected to the upper surface of the pressing plate 52. Accordingly, the piston rod 51b is driven by the drive of the hydraulic unit 53.
Is pushed out of the cylinder 51a so that the pressing plate 52
As a result, the lower end of the upper die body 23b is immersed into the melting chamber 21a of the middle die 21 (FIG. 4) or comes off the melting chamber 21a (FIG. 3). ing.

The power supply device 6 converts the commercial power into pulses and supplies the converted power to the upper mold 23 and the lower mold 22. The rectifier circuit rectifies an AC current from the commercial power supply 60 having a frequency of 60 Hz to DC. 61 and an inverter 62 for converting a current once rectified to DC into a desired pulse current.
And a transformer 63 for boosting the voltage of the pulse formed by the inverter 62 to a predetermined voltage (approximately 10,000 V in this embodiment), and directing the pulse boosted by the transformer 63 to the upper mold 23 and the lower mold 22. And a pulse output circuit 64 for outputting.

The inverter 62 has a predetermined number of transistors and diodes, and the pulse output circuit 64 has a predetermined number of thyristors. By appropriately controlling the operations of these transistors, diodes and thyristors, The characteristics of the pulse output from the pulse output circuit 64 are adjusted. The characteristics of the pulse include a pulse waveform, a pulse width, a pulse interval, a pulse current value, a peak voltage value of the pulse, and the like. By variously changing the adjustment elements of the pulse characteristics, the inside of the melting chamber 21a is changed. Fine powdery raw material B sandwiched between the upper surface of the lower mold body 22b and the lower surface of the upper mold body 23b
1 can be controlled. Such a pulse characteristic is controlled by the control device 8. For details, refer to Japanese Patent Application No. 11-68884 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-68884).
No. 342470).

The recovery device 7 is for recovering the molten product B2 generated in the melting chamber 21a in the recovery step P5 after the heat treatment step P4 (FIG. 1) is completed, out of the system. Cooling means 71 for cooling the melted product B2 generated in the above, a recovery pipe 72 for leading the melted product B2 in the melting chamber 21a out of the system, and a cooling pipe 71 between the melting chamber 21a and the recovery pipe 72. On-off valve structure 73 for opening and closing the communication state
It consists of

The cooling means 71 comprises a cooling pipe 71a formed in the middle mold 21, and a cooling water pump 71b for feeding cooling water to the cooling pipe 71a. When the cooling water pump 71b is driven at the end of the heat treatment step P4, cooling water (tap water, industrial water, etc.) from a predetermined water source flows through the cooling pipe 71a, and the melting chamber 2
The molten product B2 in 1a is cooled to a predetermined temperature by the cooling water through the middle mold 21.

The recovery device 7 may be used for temperature control of the melting device 2 so that the melting device 2 is maintained at a predetermined temperature.

The recovery pipe 72 is connected to the middle pipe 72a provided inside the middle die 21 so that the lowermost part of the melting chamber 21a communicates with the outside. And a recovery pipe 72b drawn out of the decompression chamber 10a. Melting chamber 2 of medium-sized inner pipe 72a
On the 1a side, a valve storage concave portion 72c for storing an on-off valve 73c described later, which is slightly larger in inner diameter than the pipe line, is provided. The molten product B2 generated in the melting chamber 21a is led out of the system through the recovery pipe 72 when the on-off valve structure 73 is in the valve-open state.

The on-off valve structure 73 includes a valve cylinder 73a fixed to the outside of the side plate 12 of the pressure reducing structure 10, a valve piston rod 73b protruding from the valve cylinder 73a so as to be able to advance and retreat, and a valve cylinder 73a. An on-off valve 73c fixed to the tip of the piston rod 73b is provided.

The valve piston rod 73b penetrates through the side plate 12 and is housed in the decompression chamber 10a. On the other hand, the middle die 21 is provided with a rod mounting hole 21b so as to communicate with the valve housing recess 72c. I have. The distal end of the valve piston rod 73b is fitted into the rod mounting hole 21b in a sliding contact state.

An on-off valve 73c is attached to the tip of the valve piston rod 73b. The on-off valve 73c is dimensioned so as to be fitted into the valve storage recess 72c in a sliding contact state, and in a state where the on-off valve 73c is fitted in the valve storage recess 72c, as shown in FIG. While the communication with the inner pipe 72a is cut off, the valve cylinder 73a is closed.
In the state where the valve piston rod 73b protrudes due to the driving of the valve, as shown in FIG.
c, the melting chamber 21a and the recovery pipe 72 are communicated with each other.

The control device 8 controls the molten material production apparatus 1 comprehensively, and outputs a control signal to the power supply apparatus 6 and the like based on detection signals from sensors provided at various places. Thereby, the optimal melting treatment of the fine powdery raw material B1 can be realized. In order to perform such control, the temperature sensor 8 composed of a thermocouple is attached to the middle mold 21.
1 is embedded and the pressing plate 52 of the compression device 5 is
A displacement sensor 82 for detecting the amount of displacement of the upper die 23 is provided in the vicinity. Also, the lower die body 22b and the foundation F
1, a pressure sensor 83 for detecting the pressing force of the compression device 5 on the fine powdery raw material B1 is provided.

Normally, analog signals are output from these sensors 81, 82, and 83. Therefore, a converter for converting the analog signals into digital signals is interposed between control device 8 and each sensor. 3 to 6, the illustration of the converter is omitted. Note that the function of the converter may be provided in the control device 8. Hereinafter, the control device 8 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 6 shows the fine powdery raw material B1
It is a block diagram for explaining control of the melting process.
As shown in this figure, the control device 8 is constituted by a so-called computer, and a CPU 8 serving as a central processing unit.
a and a storage device 8 for storing various data and programs
b, an input / output device 8 for inputting predetermined data and work instructions, outputting detection results by sensors and various calculation results
c.

The control device 8 includes a temperature sensor 81,
The detection signals from the displacement sensor 82 and the pressure sensor 83 are appropriately input, and a predetermined program is executed based on the detection signals, whereby the power supply device 6, the hydraulic unit 53, the drive motor 32c, the vacuum pump 42, A predetermined control signal is output to the cooling water pump 71b, and the melting process of the fine powdered raw material B1 is properly performed by the organic interlocking of the respective devices.

Hereinafter, such control and various operations performed in parallel with this control will be performed with time from the loading of the fine powdered raw material B1 into the melting chamber 21a to the discharge of the molten product B2 out of the system. Will be explained.

In melting the fine powder material B1, first, the lid 17 is opened to open the raw material loading port 13b of the raw material hopper 31, and the required amount of the fine powder material B1 is loaded into the raw material hopper 31. After that, the lid 17 is closed and the inside of the decompression chamber 10a is sealed. In this state, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper mold 23 is located at the raised position, and the fine powder material B1 is placed between the lower end of the upper mold body 23b and the upper edge of the middle mold 21 in the melting chamber 21a. A gap is formed for loading the inside. Further, the inside of the decompression chamber 10a remains at normal pressure.

When the loading of the fine powdered raw material B1 into the raw material hopper 31 is completed, a start signal is output from the control device 8 to the vacuum pump 42, so that the vacuum pump 42 is driven and the air is sucked and removed. The pressure is reduced to 10 Pa, whereby the inside of the decompression chamber 10a becomes a non-oxidizing environment with very little air. The operation of the vacuum pump 42 is continued until the melting process of the fine powder material B1 is completed.

Then, when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the vacuum pump 42 and the pressure in the decompression chamber 10a reaches 10 Pa, a start signal is output from the control device 8 to the drive motor 32c. Then, the drive motor 3 based on the start signal
By driving 2c, the screw shaft 32b rotates around the axis,
The fine powdery raw material B1 in the raw material hopper 31 is cut out of the raw material hopper 31 by this rotation, moves the feeder cylinder 32a toward the front end side (left side in FIG. 3), and is loaded into the melting chamber 21a from the upper opening. You.

The loading amount of the fine powdery raw material B1 is controlled by the drive time of the drive motor 32c.
Specifically, a timer (not shown) is provided in the control device 8, and the timer is set by inputting the drive time of the drive motor 32c from the input / output device 8c.
Therefore, when a predetermined time has elapsed after the start of driving of the drive motor 32c, a stop signal is output from the control device 8 to the drive motor 32c, whereby a predetermined amount of the fine powdered material B1 set in the melting chamber 21a is set in advance. Will be loaded.

A predetermined amount of the fine powdery raw material B1 is placed in the melting chamber 21a.
Is loaded, a drive signal for driving the cylinder device 51 is output from the control device 8 to the hydraulic unit 53. The hydraulic unit 53 that has received this drive signal
The cylinder 5 is moved so that the piston rod 51b projects.
The upper die 23 is lowered by the projection of the piston rod 51b by this, and the upper die body 23b fits into the melting chamber 21a of the middle die 21, and the fine powdery material B1 in the melting chamber 21a is removed by the upper die main body. It is pressed and compressed by 23b.

Then, the compression state of the fine powder material B1 is detected by the pressure sensor 83, and this detection signal is input to the control device 8. On the other hand, the control device 8 includes
A pressurizing amount (for example, 4500 kg) for 1 is input, and when this pressurizing amount is reached, a control signal is output to the hydraulic unit 53 so as to stop further pressurizing. . Therefore, the fine powder material B1 in the melting chamber 21a is maintained in a state of being compressed at a predetermined pressurized amount.

When the pulverized raw material B1 is pressurized by a predetermined pressurizing amount, a start signal is output from the control device 8 to the power supply device 6, and the power supply device 6 is started by this. Rectifies the current from the commercial power supply 60
, The inverter 62 generates a pulse, the transformer 63 boosts the voltage, and finally a predetermined pulse current is output from the pulse output circuit 64 to the upper mold 23 and the lower mold 22.

The pulse current may be supplied to the upper mold 23 and the lower mold 22 even before the pressurization of the fine powder material B1.

The pulse current circulates through the melting device 2 and partly vibrates from the lower surface of the upper mold body 23b and the upper surface of the lower mold body 22b to the fine powdery material B1 compressed in the melting chamber 21a. As a result, the fine powdered raw material B1 melts components such as cellulose by this heat treatment to become a liquid molten product B2 (FIG. 4).

While the pulse current is being supplied,
A detection signal from the temperature sensor 81 is input to the control device 8, whereby the control device 8 determines whether or not the temperature of the fine powder material B1 is appropriate. A so-called PID control is performed, in which a control signal is output and a pulse current is output so that the temperature of the fine powdery raw material B1 becomes a preset appropriate temperature.

The fine powdery raw material B from the power supply device 6
When the supply of the pulse current to 1 is completed (that is, when the molten product B2 is generated in the melting chamber 21a), a drive signal is output from the control device 8 to the cooling water pump 71b of the cooling means 71 this time. The supply of the cooling water thereby cools the molten product B2 through the middle mold 21.

The cooling means 71 may be used for temperature control of the melting device 2 instead of the temperature control means.

When it is confirmed by the detection signal from the temperature sensor 81 that the melted product B2 has been cooled to the predetermined temperature, a stop signal is sent from the control device 8 to the vacuum pump 42. Output, vacuum pump 4
2 stops. Then, when the vacuum pump 42 stops,
Outside air flows backward through the vacuum pump 42 and the suction pipe 41,
The inside of the decompression chamber 10a is gradually returned to normal pressure.

When the pressure in the decompression chamber 10a completely returns to normal pressure, the control unit 8 sends the hydraulic unit 5
3, a drive signal is output, and the upper die 23 is raised by the piston rod 51b entering the cylinder 51a, and the melting chamber 21a is opened. In this state, the control device 8
Outputs a drive signal to the hydraulic unit 53 so that the valve cylinder 73a is driven to open the on-off valve 73c.
c protrudes from the valve storage recess 72c into the melting chamber 21a (FIG. 5), and the recovery conduit 72 communicates with the melting chamber 21a. The molten product B2 in the melting chamber 21a is led out of the system through the connected recovery pipe 72.

The thus obtained molten product B2
Since is solidified when cooled to room temperature, it can be used as a raw material for injection molding in the same manner as ordinary synthetic resins. In addition, since such molded articles are basically made of wood, they are biodegraded when left in the natural world, so that there is no need to separately treat waste, which is effective in preserving the global environment.

Further, when the solidified melt product B2 is pulverized, a small amount thereof is mixed with a new fine powdery raw material, and the mixture is treated by the melting device 2, the melted product B2 is newly obtained. By inducing a fine powdery raw material,
A melt product can be obtained more efficiently.

Further, by mixing a conductive substance such as metal fine powder into the fine powder material B1, when a pulse current is supplied in the melting chamber 21a, the fine powder material B1 is interposed via the metal powder.
An electric current flows in the inside, and a more efficient melting treatment of the fine powder material B1 is realized by the Joule heating.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view in sectional view showing a second embodiment of the apparatus for producing a molten substance according to the present invention. This embodiment is characterized in that the decompression structure 10 is not used, and that an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon is introduced into the melting chamber 21a without creating a vacuum environment for forming a non-oxidizing environment. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the supply of the fine powdery material B1 into the melting chamber 21a is performed together with the flow of the inert gas.

As shown in FIG. 7, the melting apparatus 2a according to the second embodiment has a melting chamber 21a inside, and has a cylinder 201 installed with its opening facing upward, and is in sliding contact with the cylinder 201. It has a basic configuration including a piston 202 to be inserted. A piston ring 209 is externally fitted to the piston 202, and the airtightness in the melting chamber 21a is ensured by the piston rings 209.

[0099] At an appropriate position on the peripheral wall of the cylinder 201 (depth position of about 1/3 of the melting chamber 21a), a raw material charging passage 210 is provided.
In addition, an inert gas introduction passage 211 is provided obliquely at an upper position of the raw material charging passage 210 so as to have a common outlet position. Raw material loading passage 21
0, a screw shaft 32b similar to the above is provided, and by rotating the screw shaft 32b around its axis, the fine powder material B1 from a raw material hopper (not shown) can be supplied into the melting chamber 21a. I have.

The inert gas introduction passage 211 is provided with a first piston having a piston which is inserted into the inner peripheral wall surface in sliding contact therewith.
The valve rod 213 is fitted. At the lower end of the first valve rod 213, there is provided a raw material valve 214 for opening and closing the opening on the melting chamber 21a side of the raw material charging passage 210, and the first valve rod 213 is advanced and retracted by driving a drive mechanism (not shown). The raw material valve 214 opens and closes.

On the other hand, an inert gas source 9 storing an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon is provided near the melting device 2a. The inert gas from the inert gas source 9 is
The cylinder 2 is connected so as to communicate with the inert gas introduction passage 211.
01, the inert gas introduction passage 211 and the raw material valve 21 which is opened.
4 and is introduced into the melting chamber 21a. Then, the gas flow causes the raw material loading passage 21 to move through the screw shaft 32b.
The fine powdery raw material B1 carried to the opening 0 is introduced into the melting chamber 21a.

In the melting apparatus 2a of the second embodiment, the raw material charging passage 210, the screw shaft 32b, the inert gas introduction passage 211, the first valve rod 213, the inert gas passage 212 and the inert gas source 9 are used. A raw material supply device 3a according to the present invention is formed.

The cylinder 201 has a melting chamber 21a.
A product lead-out passage 216 for leading out the melted product B2 generated by the heat treatment is formed at a position opposite to the inert gas introduction passage 211 with the intermediary therebetween. Further, a rod fitting hole 215 for fitting a second valve rod 217 having the same configuration as the first valve rod 213 is provided in an upper portion of the product outlet passage 216. The rod fitting hole 215 and the product outlet passage 216 join on the upstream side.

A product valve 218 is provided at the end of the second valve rod 217, and the opening and closing operation of the product valve 218 by the driving means (not shown) opens the product outlet passage 216 on the side of the melting chamber 21a. Are closed or opened.

The piston 202 has a piston shaft 203
The piston rod 204 is connected to the piston rod 204 so as to be rotatable around, and the piston rod 204
06 is rotatably supported around a crankshaft 205. The base end of the crank 206 is fixed to the drive shaft 207 of the electric motor 208. Accordingly, the rotation of the drive shaft 207 by the drive of the electric motor 208 causes the crank 206 to rotate around the drive shaft 207, and the rotation of the crank shaft 205 around the drive shaft 207 causes the piston rod 204 to move up and down, thereby causing the piston 202 to rotate.
Reciprocate in the cylinder 201.

The melting device 2a includes a cylinder 201
And power (DC current or pulse current) from the power supply device 6 is supplied to the piston 202 and the cylinder 201.
And the Joule heat of the piston 202 causes the melting chamber 21
The fine powdered raw material B1 loaded in a is melted.

In the second embodiment, the raw material valve 214 is opened in synchronization with the movement of the piston 202 toward the upper position (top dead center), and the product valve 2 is opened.
18 is closed, and in this state, the fine powder material B1 is sent toward the melting chamber 21a by driving the screw shaft 32b, and the inert gas from the inert gas source 9 is supplied to the inert gas passage 212 and the inert gas. The fine powder material B1 is spouted into the melting chamber 21a via the passage 211, and the spouted flow smoothly introduces the fine powder material B1 into the melting chamber 21a.

Then, when the piston 202 reaches the top dead center, the raw material valve 214 is closed, and then the electric power from the power supply device 6 is supplied to the melting device 2a, whereby the melting device 2a is heated by Joule heating. become. In addition, the piston 202 is lowered by the driving of the electric motor 208 in synchronization with the power supply from the power supply device 6, whereby the fine powder material B1 in the melting chamber 21a is pressurized. Note that the power supply may be always performed.

By the synergistic action of the pressurization and the heating, the fine powdered raw material B1 in the melting chamber 21a is quickly and reliably melted, and the liquid melting product B2 is contained in the melting chamber 21a.
Is generated. In the melting process, the inside of the melting chamber 21a is filled with an inert gas and has a non-oxidizing atmosphere.
The inconvenience that the melting treatment cannot be performed properly and smoothly by the combustion of the fine powdery raw material B1 does not occur.

The melted product B2 is supplied to the product valve 218.
Is opened to be discharged out of the system through the product discharge passage 216. Thus, the fine powder material B
The melting process of one batch of No. 1 is completed, but by repeating this operation, the fine powdery raw material B1 is converted to the molten product B2 substantially continuously.

According to the melting apparatus 2a of the second embodiment, the equipment cost is reduced because the decompression structure 10 is not used.

The melting device 2a of the second embodiment has substantially the same structure as the internal combustion engine,
08, the drive shaft 207 is used as an output shaft, and the fine powder material B1 is introduced into the melting chamber 21a as fuel, and is melted in accordance with the generation timing of the melted product B2 in a state compressed by the piston 202. If the molten product B2 generated by introducing the combustion air or the combustion catalyst into the chamber 21a is burned, the melting device 2
a can be used as an internal combustion engine.

[0113]

EXAMPLE A confirmation test for confirming the relationship between the particle size of the finely divided raw material of woody biomass and the amount of repoglucosan in the molten product obtained by the melting treatment was carried out in the following manner. The test apparatus employed has basically the same functions as those shown in FIG. 3, but is a small-scale apparatus capable of loading approximately 5 gr of fine powder material.

Prior to the test, a sample of the finely divided raw material was prepared on a scale. The prepared samples have particle sizes of 1 μm, 10 μm,
There are a total of 5 types of 4 μm, 120 μm and 200 μm. 3 gr of each of these samples was loaded into a melting chamber of a test apparatus, and a pulse current was supplied to the sample in a state where the sample was compressed with a force of 4500 kg to perform a melting process.
Approximately 3 minutes from the start of pulse current supply, the target temperature of 240 ° C
Reached. By continuing this temperature for 2 to 3 minutes, it was confirmed that the sample was completely melted.

Then, the amount of repoglucosan contained in the molten product of each particle size taken out from the test apparatus was measured. In this calibration, the fact that repoglucosan was dissolved in a sulfolane solution was used. Specifically, the solid molten product at room temperature is pulverized to a predetermined particle size, immersed in a sulfolane solution for a predetermined time, then drained, dried, and weighed,
The amount of repoglucosan was calculated based on the weight ratio before immersion (that is, the weight loss was repoglucosan dissolved in the sulfolane solution).

FIG. 8 shows the test results. FIG. 8 shows the particle size of the finely powdered biomass in which the particle diameter of the fine powdery raw material was set on the horizontal axis on a logarithmic scale and the ratio (yield) of repoglucosan in the molten product on the vertical axis was set on a decimal scale. It is a graph showing the relationship with the repoglucosan yield. As shown in this graph, the particle diameter of the sample having a particle size of 200 μm becomes smaller while the yield of repoglucosan is as very low as 20%. It can be seen that the yield increases as the yield increases.

Then, the particle diameter is from 200 μm to 120 μm.
m, the yield sharply increases, and at 120 μm, the yield is 50%. Thereafter, although gradually, the yield increased as the particle diameter decreased, and it was confirmed that at 1 μm, about 98% was repoglucosan. From this, it is predicted that 99% or more of the particles will be repoglucosan when the particle diameter is 0.1 μm or less.

As a result of this test, it can be seen that it is preferable to set the particle size of the fine powder of woody biomass to 0.1 μm to 120 μm in order to secure the yield of repoglucosan at least at least 50%.

[0119]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a melting apparatus having a melting chamber for melting a charged raw material in a closed state, a raw material loading apparatus for loading a raw material into the melting chamber, and a non-melting chamber are provided. An environment control device for oxidizing the environment, a compression device for compressing the raw materials loaded in the melting chamber, a heat treatment device for heat-treating the raw materials in the melting chamber in a compressed state, and a recovery of the melting products generated by melting the raw materials by the heat treatment. The melted material production device is composed of the melted product recovery device and the raw material of the woody biomass.The raw material of the woody biomass is compressed by the compression device while being loaded into the melting chamber by the raw material loading device. Being set to a non-oxidizing environment that does not exist, it is heat-treated by obtaining power from the power supply device, and the constituent molecules are in a state where they easily act on each other under pressure,
The effective effect of the synergistic effect of rapid heating and pressurization, and the fact that it does not burn during heat treatment allows the high molecular weight cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, etc. that constitute biomass to melt properly, Woody biomass can be converted to low molecular compounds such as repoglucosan.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the raw material loading device is configured to load the raw material into the melting chamber by rotating around the axis of the screw feeder, the woody biomass is rotated by rotating around the axial center of the screw feeder. Can be supplied to the melting chamber. By using such a screw feeder, the supply amount of the raw material can be easily adjusted by controlling the number of rotations.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the raw material is charged into the melting chamber by air flow, the raw material is introduced into the melting chamber by employing an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon as the air flow. Above, the melting chamber can be in a non-oxidizing environment, which is convenient.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the melting device is constituted by the cylinder having the melting chamber formed therein and the piston reciprocally fitted into the cylinder, the melting chamber in the cylinder is provided. When the piston is inserted into the cylinder and the piston is immersed in the cylinder, the internal raw material can be compressed by the piston. By composing the melting device with such a cylinder and a piston, the raw material compression structure can be simplified, and a reliable compression process can be realized.

In particular, since the melting chamber is sealed by the piston inserted into the cylinder, the pressure applied by the piston does not act uniaxially on the raw material, but rather from the outer peripheral surface of all the raw material particles. It acts uniformly on each raw material particle, whereby the conversion of the molecular structure of the raw material can be performed uniformly and effectively.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, since the compression device is constituted by the hydraulic mechanism or the electric mechanism for driving the piston, it is possible to make the compression device compact and strong enough to generate a large pressure. Thus, reliable compression of the raw material can be realized.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the environment adjusting device is constituted by the inert gas introducing device for introducing the inert gas into the melting chamber, by supplying the inert gas into the melting chamber, the environment is controlled. The atmosphere becomes a non-oxidizing atmosphere without air, and the raw material does not burn even by the heat treatment of the biomass raw material, so that the raw material can be properly melted.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the melting device and the raw material loading device are disposed in an airtight chamber capable of preventing outside air from entering, and the environment adjusting device is operated by a vacuum pump that sucks air in the airtight chamber. Because of the configuration, by extracting air from the hermetic chamber by driving the vacuum pump, the room becomes a non-oxidizing atmosphere where there is no air, and the raw material does not burn even by heat treatment of the biomass raw material. It can be done properly.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since a heat treatment apparatus that heats a raw material with electric power from a power supply apparatus that supplies a DC current or a pulse current is employed,
The raw material in the compressed state is heated by Joule heat, and the melting treatment can be performed by this heating. In particular, by employing the pulse current, the raw material is shaken by the vibration of the pulse, the densification proceeds, and the particles of the raw material approach each other to influence each other, thereby realizing a more effective melting process. be able to.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since the molten product recovery device is provided with the recovery pipe communicating with the melting chamber via the on-off valve, the on-off valve is closed in the melting chamber. While being in a closed state, it can communicate with the recovery passage by opening the on-off valve, and can perform the melting process in the melting chamber by closing the on-off valve,
By opening the on-off valve after the melting process, the molten product in the melting chamber can be led out of the system through the recovery pipe,
By repeating these operations, continuous processing can be realized.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the pulverizing step of pulverizing the woody biomass into a fine powdery raw material, and charging the fine powdery raw material into a predetermined melting chamber set in a non-oxidizing environment and sealing it. From a raw material loading step, a compression step of compressing the fine powder material in the melting chamber, a heat treatment step of melting the compressed fine powder material by heat treatment, and a recovery step of recovering a molten product obtained in this heat treatment step. Since the method for producing a molten substance is configured, the woody biomass raw material can be made advantageous in the melting treatment by increasing the surface area by being pulverized in the pulverization step. The pulverized raw material formed by pulverization in the pulverization step is loaded into a melting chamber set in a non-oxidizing environment in the raw material charging step, compressed in the compression step, and heat-treated in the heat treatment step. The raw material is in a state where the constituent molecules easily act on each other under pressure and does not burn during the heat treatment, so that the cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, etc. constituting the biomass are properly melted. However, this allows the woody biomass to be easily modified to a molten substance such as, for example, lepoglucosan.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, since the fine powdery raw material whose particle diameter is adjusted to 120 μm or less is used, it is possible to recover the repoglucosan as a molten substance with a yield of at least 50%. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a process chart showing one embodiment of a method for producing a molten substance using woody biomass as a raw material according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing one embodiment of the transition of the temperature of the fine powder material, the current value of the pulse current supplied to the fine powder material, and the pressure applied to the fine powder material in the heat treatment step.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view in cross section showing one embodiment of a molten substance manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, and shows a state where a fine powder material is being loaded into a melting chamber.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view in cross section showing an embodiment of the molten substance producing apparatus according to the present invention, showing a state in which a fine powdery raw material loaded in a melting chamber is compressed.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view in a cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of the molten substance producing apparatus according to the present invention, and shows a state in which a molten product formed in a melting chamber is being led out.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram for explaining control of melting processing of a fine powdery raw material by a control device.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the molten substance manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the particle size of fine biomass and the yield of repoglucosan, in which the logarithmic scale is set on the horizontal axis and the proportion (yield) of repoglucosan in the molten product is set on the decimal scale on the vertical axis. It is a graph shown.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Molten substance manufacturing apparatus 10 Decompression structure 10a Decompression chamber 11 Bottom plate 11a Bottom hole 12 Side plate 12a Doorway 13 Top plate 13a Insertion hole 13b Raw material loading port 14 Door 15 Insulating member 16 Ring insulator 17 Lid 2 Melting device 21 Medium 21a Melting chamber 21b Rod mounting hole 22 Lower mold 22a Base 22b Lower mold main body 23 Upper mold 23a Cylindrical body 23b Upper mold main body 3 Raw material supply device 31 Raw material hopper 32 Screw feeder 32a Feeder cylinder 32b Screw shaft 32c Drive motor 4 Environment adjusting means 41 Suction Pipe 42 Vacuum pump 5 Compressor 51 Cylinder device 51a Cylinder 51b Piston rod 52 Press plate 53 Hydraulic unit 6 Power supply device 60 Commercial power supply 61 Rectifier circuit 62 Inverter 63 Transformer 64 Pulse output circuit 7 Recovery device 71 Cooling Step 71a Cooling pipeline 71b Cooling water pump 72 Recovery pipeline 72a Medium inner pipeline 72b Recovery pipe 72c Valve storage recess 73 Open / close valve structure 73a Cylinder for valve 73b Piston rod for valve 73c Open / close valve 8 Controller 81 Temperature sensor 82 Displacement sensor 83 pressure sensor 8a CPU 8b storage device 8c input / output device F floor F1 foundation 2a melting device 3a raw material supply device 201 cylinder 202 piston 203 piston shaft 204 piston rod 205 crank shaft 206 crank 207 drive shaft 208 electric motor 209 piston ring

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 4C090 AA04 BA24 BC01 BC10 BD03 CA04 CA05 4H015 AA13 AB01 BA13 BB03 BB05 CA03 CB01

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A manufacturing apparatus for producing a molten substance using woody biomass as a raw material, comprising: a melting apparatus having a melting chamber for melting the loaded raw material in a closed state; and a raw material loading method for loading the raw material into the melting chamber. An apparatus, an environment control apparatus for converting the melting chamber into a non-oxidizing environment, a compression apparatus for compressing the raw material loaded in the melting chamber, a heat treatment apparatus for heat-treating the raw material in the melting chamber in a compressed state, and melting of the raw material by the heat treatment. An apparatus for producing a molten substance using woody biomass as a raw material, the apparatus comprising a molten product recovery apparatus for recovering the generated molten product. 2. The melting method using woody biomass as a raw material according to claim 1, wherein the raw material loading device is configured to load the raw material into the melting chamber by rotating the raw material around an axis of a screw feeder. Material production equipment. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the raw material loading device is configured to load the raw material into the melting chamber by an air current. 4. The melting device according to claim 1, wherein the melting device comprises a cylinder in which the melting chamber is formed, and a piston reciprocally fitted into the cylinder. An apparatus for producing a molten substance using any of the woody biomass described above as a raw material. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the compression device comprises a hydraulic mechanism or an electric mechanism for driving the piston. 6. The woody material according to claim 1, wherein the environment control device is provided with an inert gas introduction device for introducing an inert gas into the melting chamber. Equipment for producing molten substances from biomass. 7. The melting device and the raw material loading device are disposed in an airtight chamber capable of preventing intrusion of outside air, and the environment control device includes a vacuum pump that sucks air in the airtight chamber. The apparatus for producing a molten substance using woody biomass as a raw material according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 8. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heat treatment is performed by obtaining electric power from a power supply device that supplies a DC current or a pulse current to the raw material. For producing molten material from woody biomass. 9. The woody material according to claim 1, wherein the molten product recovery device is provided with a recovery pipe connected to the melting chamber via an on-off valve. Equipment for producing molten substances from biomass. 10. A method for producing a molten substance using woody biomass as a raw material, comprising: a pulverizing step of finely pulverizing the woody biomass into a fine powdery raw material; A raw material loading step of loading and sealing in the melting chamber, a compression step of compressing the fine powder material in the melting chamber, a heat treatment step of melting the compressed fine powder material by heat treatment, and the melting obtained in this heat treatment step. A method for producing a molten substance using woody biomass as a raw material, comprising a recovery step of recovering a product. 11. The fine powdery raw material having a particle diameter of 120.
The method for producing a molten substance using woody biomass as a raw material according to claim 10, characterized in that a particle whose particle size is adjusted to not more than μm is used.