JP2010100815A - Biocoke production process and production apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a biocoke production process and an apparatus capable of easily discharging a compression molded biocoke from a reaction vessel. <P>SOLUTION: In the biocoke production process producing a biocoke molded body by pressure molding biomass granule packed in a reaction vessel while heating the biomass granule in a temperature range and a pressure range in which a semi-carbonized product or a solid product before being semi-carbonized is obtained in a close state and then cooling the resultant product, the biomass granule is pressurized by a pressurizing body and heated and held by a heating means, then the molded product formed in the reaction vessel is cooled by switching the heating means to a cooling means, pressure of the pressurizing means is reduced and a bottom part of the reaction vessel is opened, the pressurizing body is made descend to extrude and discharge the molded body, a position in the height direction of the pressurizing body is detected when the molded body is discharged, it is determined that clogging of the molded body is generated when the pressurizing body does not reach the lowest end and the cooling means is switched to the heating means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology for producing bio-coke using biomass as a raw material, and more particularly to a bio-coke production method and a production apparatus for producing bio-coke that can be effectively used as an alternative fuel for coal coke.

In recent years, CO ₂ emission reduction has been promoted from the viewpoint of global warming. In particular, in the steel industry, coal coke, which is a fossil fuel, is used as the main fuel and reducing agent in casting furnaces (cupola furnaces) and blast furnaces. In combustion equipment such as boiler power generation, fossil fuels such as coal and heavy oil are often used as fuel. This fossil fuel causes global warming due to the problem of CO ₂ emission, and its use is being regulated from the viewpoint of global environmental conservation. In addition, from the viewpoint of depletion of fossil fuels, the development and commercialization of alternative energy resources are required.

Therefore, as an alternative to fossil fuels, the use of fuel using biomass that does not affect the amount of CO _{2 in} the atmosphere is being promoted. Biomass is an organic substance resulting from photosynthesis, and includes biomass such as wood, vegetation, agricultural products, and moss based on agricultural products. By converting this biomass into a fuel, it is possible to effectively use the biomass as an energy source or industrial raw material and contribute to global environmental conservation.
As a method of converting biomass into fuel, a method of drying biomass into fuel, a method of pressurizing to form fuel pellets, a method of carbonizing and carbonizing to solidify and liquid fuel, and the like are known. However, simply drying the biomass makes it difficult to transport and store because the porosity is large and the specific gravity is low, so it cannot be said that it is effective as a fuel for long-distance transport or storage.

On the other hand, a method for converting biomass into fuel pellets is disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-27435). In this method, the water content of the chopped organic fiber material is adjusted to 16 to 28%, and this is compressed in a die and dried to produce fuel pellets.
Further, a method for carbonizing biomass to produce fuel is disclosed in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-206490) and the like. This method is a method in which biomass is heated at 200 to 500 ° C., preferably 250 to 400 ° C. in an oxygen-deficient atmosphere to produce a biomass semi-carbonized consolidated fuel precursor.

However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, biomass is made into fuel by performing compression molding. However, since the generated fuel pellet has a large amount of water, it generates a small amount of heat and is not suitable as a fuel.
In addition, as described in Patent Document 2 and the like, the method of converting biomass into fuel by dry distillation has a higher value as a fuel than biomass that is not processed, but it is apparently compared with coal coke. Low specific gravity and low calorific value. Furthermore, since the hardness is lower than that of coal coke, it is insufficient for use as an alternative to coal coke.

In recent years, bio-coke based on Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent No. 4088933) has been studied as an alternative to coal coke.
Bio-coke is produced by holding a biomass raw material under pressure and heating for a certain period of time and then cooling it while maintaining the pressure. The pressurization and heating conditions are as follows: before the semi-carbonization or semi-carbonization of the main components in the biomass fine particles, the lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose are subjected to low temperature reaction while thermally decomposing hemicellulose and retaining the skeleton of cellulose and lignin. Set the pressure range and temperature range to obtain solids. As a result, the following reaction mechanism is established, and high-hardness and high-pressure dense bio-coke can be produced.

  The reaction mechanism is that the reaction is performed under the above-described conditions, so that the hemicellulose, which is the fiber component of the biomass fine particles, is thermally decomposed to develop an adhesive effect, and the free water contained in the biomass fine particles is subjected to this pressurization and heating. The lignin reacts at a low temperature while maintaining its skeleton by the action under the conditions, and acts synergistically with the compaction effect, whereby high-hardness and high-pressure compacted bio-coke can be produced. The thermosetting reaction proceeds when a reactive site is induced between phenolic polymers contained in lignin and the like.

FIG. 9 shows a table comparing the physical properties of bio-coke with other fuels. Note that this table only describes experimentally obtained numerical values, and the present invention is not limited to these numerical values.
As shown in this table, bio-coke is densely packed with an apparent specific gravity of 1.2 to 1.52, and has a maximum compressive strength of 20 to 200 MPa and a physical property value of a calorific value of 18 to 23 MJ / kg, both in hardness and combustibility. It has excellent performance, and its raw woody biomass has an apparent specific gravity of about 0.4 to 0.6, a calorific value of about 17 MJ / kg, and a maximum compressive strength of about 30 MPa. It can be seen that this is far superior. Further, even when compared with physical properties of coal coke, apparent specific gravity of about 1.85, maximum compressive strength of about 15 MPa, and calorific value of about 29 MJ / kg, bio-coke has performance comparable to that of combustibility and hardness. Therefore, bio-coke is an effective fuel as an alternative to coal-coke and has a high utility value as a material material.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-27435 JP 2003-206490 A Japanese Patent No. 4088933

However, bio-coke is still in the research stage, and Patent Document 3 does not disclose a specific device configuration such as pressurizing means, heating, cooling means, etc. and its control. No mention was made of technically manufacturing techniques.
Further, since the biomass raw material is pressure-molded at a high pressure while being heated, there is a problem that it is difficult to discharge the compression-molded molded body from the reaction vessel. In order to solve this problem, the cooling time after heating is lengthened and the compact is shrunk and discharged, but in this case, the cooling time must be ensured twice or more as usual, and productivity is increased. There was a problem that would decrease.
Therefore, the present invention proposes a bio-coke production method and apparatus that can easily discharge compressed bio-coke from a reaction vessel and can produce bio-coke in a short time and efficiently.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the biomass fine particles packed in a bottomed cylindrical reaction vessel are pressurized while being heated in a temperature range and a pressure range to obtain a semi-carbonized or semi-pre-carbonized solid in a substantially dense state. In the bio-coke production method for producing a bio-coke molded body by cooling after molding,
The biomass fine granule is pressurized in the pressure range by a pressurizing body inserted from the upper part of the reaction vessel and heated and held in the temperature range by a heating means, and then the reaction is switched from the heating means to the cooling means. Cool the molded body produced in the container,
Lowering the pressure of the pressure body to open the bottom of the reaction vessel, lowering the pressure body to extrude and discharge the molded body from the opened bottom,
When the molded body is discharged, the position of the pressure body is detected, and when the pressure body does not reach the lowermost end, it is determined that the molded body is discharged, and the cooling means is switched to the heating means. It is characterized by that.

  In the present invention, the molded body generated in the reaction vessel is extruded and discharged by the pressurized body. At this time, the position of the pressurized body is detected, and when the pressurized body has not reached the lowest end, the molded body is molded. It is determined that the discharge blockage of the body has occurred, and the molded body can be easily discharged by switching from the cooling means to the heating means to heat and expand the reaction vessel. Thereby, the cooling time and the discharge time can be shortened, and the productivity can be improved.

Further, the heating means and the cooling means are cooling medium circulating means for heating or cooling the biomass fine particles by passing a heating medium or a refrigerant through a cooling medium passage formed on the outer periphery of the reaction vessel,
When it is determined that the compact is discharged and clogged, the refrigerant that has been passed through the cooling medium passage is switched to the heating medium.
Thus, by using a cooling medium circulating means as the heating means and the cooling means, it is possible to quickly heat or cool the biomass fine particles, and to smoothly switch from heating to cooling and from cooling to heating. Shortening the discharge time can be promoted.

Further, after switching to the heating means, when it is detected that the pressurized body has reached the lowest end, the bottom of the reaction vessel is closed and the next biomass fine particle is charged while the heating means is maintained. It is characterized by doing.
In this way, after discharging the compact, it is preferable to move to the filling process while continuing the heat medium circulation, which eliminates the need for cooling and heating processes during discharge and improves productivity by shortening the reaction time. Can be achieved.

Also, a bottomed cylindrical reaction vessel filled with biomass fine particles, a pressure body that pressurizes the biomass fine particles in the reaction vessel, a heating means that heats the biomass fine particles, and the biomass Cooling the molded body obtained by pressure molding while heating the fine granules in a substantially dense state while heating in the temperature range and pressure range to obtain a semi-carbonized or pre-semi-carbonized solid by the heating means and the pressure body. In a bio-coke production apparatus comprising a cooling means,
Position detecting means for detecting a height direction position of the pressurizing body;
A control device that performs pressure control of the pressurizing body, switching control of the heating means and the cooling means, and opening and closing control of the bottom of the reaction vessel,
The controller opens the bottom of the reaction container when discharging the molded body in the reaction container, and when the opening is opened, the position detecting means detects that the pressurizing body has not reached the lowest end. In this case, it is determined that the compact is discharged, and control is performed to switch from the cooling means to the heating means.

Further, the heating means and the cooling means are cooling medium circulation means for heating or cooling the biomass fine particles by passing a heating medium or a refrigerant through a cooling medium passage formed on the outer periphery of the reaction vessel. It is characterized by that.
Furthermore, the control device performs control for closing the bottom of the reaction vessel when the position detecting means detects that the pressurizing body has reached the lowest end after switching from the cooling means to the heating means. It is characterized by starting the filling of the next biomass fine particles.

In the present invention, the molded body generated in the reaction vessel is extruded and discharged by the pressurized body. At this time, the position of the pressurized body is detected, and when the pressurized body has not reached the lowest end, the molded body is molded. It is determined that the discharge blockage of the body has occurred, and the molded body can be easily discharged by switching from the cooling means to the heating means to heat and expand the reaction vessel. As a result, the cooling time and the discharge time can be shortened, and the productivity can be improved.
Further, by using a cooling medium circulating means as the heating means and the cooling means, the biomass fine particles can be heated or cooled quickly, and the switching from heating to cooling and from cooling to heating can be performed smoothly. Shortening of time can be promoted.
Furthermore, after the molded body is discharged, the process of the heating medium circulation is continued and then the filling process is performed, so that the cooling and temperature raising steps are not required at the time of discharging, and productivity can be improved by shortening the reaction time.

It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the bio-coke manufacturing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a hydraulic circuit diagram of a pressurizing hydraulic mechanism. It is a system configuration diagram showing an example of a cooling medium circuit. It is a flowchart of the discharge process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement of discharge which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows all the processes of the bio-coke manufacturing method which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the filling process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the reaction process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a table | surface which compares the physical-property value of bio-coke.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. However, the types of components described in this embodiment, the relative arrangement thereof, and the like are not merely intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but are merely illustrative examples, unless otherwise specified.
In the present embodiment, the biomass that is the raw material for bio-coke is an organic substance resulting from photosynthesis, and is biomass such as wood, plants, crops, and moss. For example, waste wood, thinned wood, pruned branches, etc. , Plants, agricultural waste, and coffee waste such as coffee and tea.
In the present embodiment, biomass fine particles whose water content is adjusted so as to have a predetermined moisture content as required are used as raw materials. The biomass fine granule may be a small particle size biomass such as a teacup or coffee koji, or may be obtained by previously pulverizing a large particle size biomass such as waste wood to a predetermined particle size or less. Also good.

First, with reference to FIG. 1, the whole structure of the bio-coke manufacturing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 1, the bio-coke production apparatus 1 has a cylindrical reaction vessel 2 into which biomass fine particles 11 are charged. A funnel-like hopper 3 for receiving the biomass fine particles 11 is provided at the upper part of the reaction vessel 2, and a discharge part 5 for discharging the formed bio-coke is provided at the lower end. The reaction vessel 2 also includes a heating unit that heats the contents to a predetermined temperature and a cooling unit that cools the contents after heating. Furthermore, a pressurizing means for pressurizing the biomass fine particles 11 in the cylinder 2 to a predetermined pressure is provided above the reaction vessel 2. Furthermore, it is preferable that a position sensor 20 for detecting the position in the height direction of the pressurizing piston 6 included in the pressurizing means from the amount of extension of the pressurizing piston 6 is provided.

Next, the detailed configuration of each device and part will be described below.
The hopper 3 provided in the upper part of the reaction vessel 2 includes a raw material supply unit (not shown) for supplying the biomass fine particles 11 to the hopper 3. The raw material supply unit may be a device that measures and measures the biomass fine particles 11 into the hopper 3, or may be a device that continuously charges the biomass fine particles 11 into the hopper 3.
The discharge part 5 of the reaction vessel 2 has an opening having the same diameter as the reaction vessel 2, and a discharge device for opening and closing the discharge part 5 is provided below the opening. The discharge device includes a bottom cover portion 9 that seals the discharge portion 5 and a discharge hydraulic mechanism 10 that controls the sealing and opening of the discharge portion 5 by sliding the bottom cover portion 9 in the horizontal direction. Is done. After the reaction process is completed in the reaction vessel 2, the discharge device drives the hydraulic mechanism 10 to slide the bottom cover portion 9 to open the discharge portion 5 to drop the bio-coke in the cylinder 2. It comes to discharge.

  The pressurizing means provided in the reaction vessel 2 is driven by a pressurization cylinder 7 and pressurizes a pressure piston (pressurization body) 6 that slides up and down on the inner peripheral surface of the reaction vessel 2, and the operation in the pressurization cylinder 7. It comprises a pressurizing hydraulic mechanism 8 that controls the supply and discharge of oil (see FIG. 2). The pressurizing piston 6 and the pressurizing cylinder 7 are arranged coaxially with the reaction vessel 2. The pressurizing piston 6 descends to near the bottom surface of the reaction vessel 2. The pressurizing piston 6 is configured to be able to maintain a pressurized state for a predetermined time.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a hydraulic circuit diagram of the pressurizing hydraulic mechanism. The hydraulic oil supplied to the pressurizing cylinder 7 is pumped up from the tank 76 by the pump 77, and the supply amount is controlled by the electromagnetic valve 78 and supplied to the pressurizing cylinder 7. The opening degree of the electromagnetic valve 78 is controlled by the control device 100, and the pressure value of the pressurizing piston 6 is adjusted based on the opening degree. The pressure stage of the pressurizing piston 6 is a first pressure stage P that pressurizes the biomass granules 11 at the time of filling at a pressure lower than the pressure range in which the biomass granules 11 are reacted to obtain semi-carbonized or semi-carbonized solids. a _first and a second pressure stage P ₂ which is pressurized with the pressure range of biomass granulates 11 pressurized during filling, the at least two stages.
In addition, check valves 71 and 72 are provided in the hydraulic oil passage between the electromagnetic valve 78 and the pressurizing cylinder 7. The hydraulic oil pressure of the check valve 72 disposed in the hydraulic oil passage between the electromagnetic valve 78 and the back pressure chamber 7 a of the pressurizing cylinder 7 is detected as a back pressure by the pressure detection sensor 75.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the heating means and the cooling means provided in the reaction vessel 2 may be the same temperature adjusting means. In the present embodiment, the temperature adjusting means has a double tube structure in which a jacket is provided in the reaction vessel 2, and a cooling medium passage 4 is provided between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder. A heat medium or a refrigerant (hereinafter referred to as a cold medium) flows through the cold medium passage 4 so that heat energy is transferred to the biomass fine particles 11 filled in the cylinder inner cylinder by heat transfer by the cold medium. It has become. A cooling medium inlet 4 a is provided below the cooling medium passage 4, and a cooling medium outlet 4 b is provided above the cooling medium passage 4. The cooling medium inlet 4a and the cooling medium outlet 4b are connected to a cooling medium circuit described later (see FIG. 3). A mechanism that includes the cooling medium passage 4, the cooling medium inlet 4a, the cooling medium outlet 4b, and a cooling medium circuit and controls the temperature of the reaction vessel 2 by switching the cooling medium is referred to as a cooling medium circulation mechanism.

With reference to FIG. 3, an example of the cooling medium circuit 30 provided in the cooling medium circulation mechanism will be described. By using this cooling / heating medium circuit 30, it is possible to provide a temperature adjusting means with high thermal efficiency and high safety. Of course, a cooling / heating medium circuit having another configuration may be used. In this cooling / heating medium circuit 30, it is preferable to use silicon oil for the refrigerant and the heating medium.
The cooling medium inlet 4a and the outlet 4b of the reaction vessel 2 are connected to a cooling medium circuit 30 shown in FIG. The cooling medium circuit 30 has a configuration in which a refrigerant circuit and a heating medium circuit are combined. The cooling medium outlet 4 b is connected to a cooling medium discharge line 41 and branches into a heating medium return line 42 and a refrigerant return line 43 via a three-way valve 45 on the discharge line 41.
The heat medium return line 42 is connected to the heat medium tank 31. The heating medium tank 31 includes a heater 31a and a stirrer 31b, and raises the temperature of the cooled heating medium. It is preferable that N ₂ gas is supplied from an N ₂ cylinder as necessary, and the tank is maintained in an inert atmosphere to ensure safety. The outlet side of the heating medium tank 31 is connected to the cooling medium supply line 40 via a three-way valve 46.
Using such a configuration, when the reaction vessel 2 is heated, the heat medium is circulated to the heat medium tank 31 side by controlling the three-way valves 45 and 46, and the heat medium tank 31, the cooling medium supply line 40, A heat medium circuit including the cold heat medium passage 4 (reaction vessel 2), the cold heat medium discharge line 41, and the heat medium return line 42 is formed.

The refrigerant return line 43 is connected to the refrigerant heat exchanger 36. The refrigerant heat exchanger 36 is configured to exchange heat between cooling water such as clean water and the refrigerant to cool the refrigerant.
Furthermore, a refrigerant tank 35 is preferably provided upstream of the refrigerant heat exchanger 36 in the refrigerant return line 43. This refrigerant tank 35 has at least the ability to cool the refrigerant temperature to the boiling point of water or lower, preferably 80 ° C. or lower. Furthermore, the refrigerant tank 35 preferably includes a stirrer 35a, thereby reducing a change in refrigerant temperature at the outlet of the refrigerant tank 35 and improving the cooling capacity.
Using such a configuration, when the reaction vessel 2 is cooled, the three-way valves 45 and 46 are controlled to switch to the refrigerant tank 35 side so that the refrigerant circulates to the refrigerant tank 35 side. A refrigerant circuit including a refrigerant heat exchanger 36, a cooling medium supply line 40, a cooling medium passage 4 (reaction vessel 2), a cooling medium discharge line 41, and a refrigerant return line 43 is formed.
As described above, by using the cooling medium circulation mechanism including the cooling medium circuit 30 as the heating means and the cooling means for the biomass granules 11 in the reaction vessel 2, the biomass granules 11 can be heated or cooled quickly. It is possible to smoothly switch from heating to cooling and from cooling to heating.

Returning to FIG. 1, the pressurizing hydraulic mechanism 8, the discharging hydraulic mechanism 10, and the cooling medium circulating mechanism are controlled by the control device 100. The control device 100 includes a microcomputer having a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and an input / output interface (I / O interface). Furthermore, the control device 100 includes a counter 101 that counts the number of times of filling of the pressurizing piston 6 of the pressurizing hydraulic mechanism 8 and a timer 102 that measures the duration of predetermined control.

  In the bio-coke production apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, after performing a filling step of filling the biomass fine particles 11 in the reaction vessel 2 and pressurizing at the time of filling, the biomass fine particles 11 are semi-carbonized in a substantially dense state. Alternatively, press-mold while heating in the temperature range and pressure range to obtain a semi-pre-carbonized solid, hold for a certain period of time, and perform a reaction process to produce a bio-coke molded body by cooling while maintaining the pressurization. A discharge step of discharging the bio-coke molded body generated in the reaction vessel 2 is performed. The temperature range and the pressure range are semi-carbonized or semi-carbonized by thermally decomposing hemicellulose among lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose, which are the main components in the fine biomass of biomass, and maintaining the skeleton of cellulose and lignin. The pressure range and temperature range for obtaining the pre-solid material are set. That is, a temperature range and a pressure range in which hemicellulose in the biomass fine particles is thermally decomposed and lignin induces a thermosetting reaction.

In the present embodiment, when the bio-coke compact is not discharged from the reaction vessel 2 in the discharge step, the reaction vessel 2 is heated and expanded so that the bio-coke compact is smoothly discharged.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the discharging process according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the discharging process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, in the discharging process, the high pressure of the pressure cylinder 7 is removed as shown in FIG. 5 (i) (S18), and the discharging hydraulic mechanism 10 is driven as shown in FIG. 5 (ii). The bottom lid portion 9 is slid to open the discharge portion 5 (S19). Next, the pressure cylinder 7 is driven downward at a low pressure, and the bio-coke molded body 19 generated in the reaction vessel 2 is pushed out by the pressure piston 6 and discharged (S20).
At this time, the position sensor 20 detects the position of the pressurizing piston 6 in the height direction and determines whether or not the detected position of the pressurizing piston 6 has reached the lower end position (S40). If 6 does not reach the descending end, it is determined that the biocoke molded body 10 is clogged, and the refrigerant flowing through the cooling medium passage 4 is switched to the heating medium to circulate the heating medium. The reaction vessel 2 is heated (S41). By heating the reaction vessel 2, the reaction vessel 2 expands slightly. Thereby, as shown in FIG.5 (iii), the bio-coke molded object 19 in a cylinder is discharged | emitted smoothly.

Further, the position of the pressure piston 6 is detected by the position sensor 20, and when the pressure piston 6 reaches the lowermost position, it is determined that the bio-coke molded body 19 has been discharged. At this time, the control device 100 determines whether or not a heating continuation command for instructing filling of the next biomass fine particles in a state where circulation of the heating medium is maintained is input (S42). If there is a continuation command, the pressurizing cylinder 7 is driven to the ascending side at a low pressure while maintaining the heat medium circulation to raise the pressurizing piston 6 (S22) and the bottom cover 9 is closed (S23) to pressurize. The piston 6 is moved to the rising end (S24).
On the other hand, when there is no heating continuation command, the heating medium flowing through the cooling medium passage 4 is switched to the refrigerant to cool the reaction vessel 2 (S43), the pressurizing piston 6 is raised (S22) and the bottom cover The part 9 is closed (S23), and the pressure piston 6 is moved to the rising end (S24). Thus, after discharging the formed body in the discharging step, the heat medium may be switched to the refrigerant once.
When a normal operation stop command is input to the control device 100 (S25), the operation is terminated (S25). When the stop command is not input (S25), the process returns to the filling process. At this time, it is determined whether or not there is a heating continuation command in the same manner as described above (S27). If there is no heating continuation command, the process returns to the start of the cooling medium circulation mechanism (S2) indicated by (* 2). If there is a continuation command, the process returns to the filling number reset (S3) indicated by (* 3).

  According to this embodiment, when the biocoke molded body 19 is discharged, the position of the pressure piston 6 is detected, and when the pressure piston 6 does not reach the lowermost end, the discharge blockage of the biocoke molded body 19 is blocked. It is possible to easily discharge the bio-coke molded body 19 by determining that it has occurred and switching the cooling means to the heating means to heat and expand the reaction vessel 2. Thereby, the cooling time and the discharge time can be shortened, and the productivity can be improved. In addition, after discharging the compact in the discharge process, it is preferable to move to the filling process in a state where the circulation of the heat medium is continued. This eliminates the need for cooling and heating processes during the discharge, thereby reducing production time. Improvement can be achieved.

Next, the flow of all the steps of the bio-coke manufacturing method will be described with reference to FIG. The above-described process of FIG. 4 is inserted into the portion * 1 in FIG.
First, in the filling process, the filling operation is started by the control device 100 (S1). This starts each hydraulic mechanism including the pressurizing hydraulic mechanism 8 and the discharge hydraulic mechanism 10 and the cooling medium circulating mechanism (S2), and resets the number of times the counter 101 is filled (S3). That is, if the number of times of filling is X (times), X ₀ = 0 is set. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7 (i), the pressurizing piston 6 is set to an initial position H ₀ above the reaction vessel 2.
And the biomass fine particle 11 which is a raw material is thrown in in the reaction container 2 from the hopper part 3 (S4). After the biomass fine particles 11 are charged, as shown in FIG. 7 (ii), the pressurizing cylinder 6 is driven downward by the pressurizing hydraulic mechanism 8 at a low pressure to lower the pressurizing piston 6 (S5). The pressure during the low pressure descending, a pressure stage P ₁ of the first lower than the pressure of the reaction steps described below. At this time, the filling count of the counter 101 is incremented by +1, and X ₀ = X ₀ +1 is set (S6). The control device 100 at the time of low-pressure lowering, pressure P of the pressure cylinder 7 monitors whether the set is greater than a predetermined pressure P ₁ in advance (S7). Oil pressure P of the pressure cylinder 7 is at a predetermined pressure P ₁ the following conditions, if the pressing time is measured by the timer 102 has elapsed preset predetermined time or more, the pressure cylinder 7 again returns to step S5 Drive down. Preferably, the pressure P ₁ of the first stage of performing filling upon pressurization and 14 MPa, the predetermined time is set to 10 seconds.

On the other hand, the hydraulic pressure P of the pressure cylinder 7 is if older than a predetermined time at a predetermined pressure P ₁ is greater than the state, then it detects the filling amount of biomass granulates 11 in the reaction vessel 2. This is done to mold bio-coke to the desired size.
The filling amount detection of the biomass fine particles 11 is performed as follows.
As shown in FIG. 7 (ii), the position sensor 20 detects the height direction position H of the pressurizing piston 6 when it is lowered. Then, it is determined whether or not the detected height direction position H is equal to or higher than the target height setting value H ₁ (H ≧ H ₁ ) (S8).

Another method of loading detection of biomass granules 11, the fall time T that the pressure piston 6 descends from the initial position H ₀ to the height direction position H of the pressurization is detected by the timer 102 filling The amount may be estimated. In this case, the descending time of the pressurizing piston 6 from the initial position H ₀ to the target height setting value H ₁ is acquired in advance, and this is set as the designated time T ₁ . Then, it is determined whether or not the detected fall time T is less than or equal to the designated time T ₁ (T ≦ T ₁ ) (S8).
As described above, by using the descent time T of the position sensor 20 or the pressure piston 6, it is possible to easily detect the filling amount of the biomass fine particles 11. In particular, when the position sensor 20 is used, highly accurate detection is possible, and when the falling time T is used, the apparatus can be made inexpensive.

When the filling position H in the reaction vessel 2 has not reached the filling target position H ₁ (H <H ₁ ), or when the lowering time T of the pressure cylinder 7 is longer than the specified time T ₁ (T> T ₁ ). determines that the amount of filler is insufficient to drive the pressure cylinder 7 to rise side (S11), the hydraulic pressure P of the pressure cylinder 7 is determined whether greater than a predetermined pressure P ₁ (S12) If it is larger, the process returns to S11, and the pressure cylinder 7 is further driven to the ascending side. If it is smaller, the biomass fine particle 11 is again introduced as shown in FIG. 7 (iii) (S4). The filling process of the pressure cylinder 7 is repeated. This operation, as shown in FIG. 7 (iv), the hydraulic pressure P of the pressure cylinder 7 is larger than the predetermined pressure P _1, and biomass granulate 11 filling amount preset filling amount set value H ₁ or more It ends when it becomes.
By performing the filling step as described above, it is not necessary to measure the biomass fine particles 11 in the reaction vessel 2 in advance, and it is possible to obtain bio-coke having a certain size. Further, since the biomass is put into the reaction vessel 2 in the form of fine particles, the bulk density is low, and if it is as it is, the volume of the reaction vessel 2 must be increased, but the pressure is reduced by the pressure piston 6 in the filling process. By performing the pressurization at the time of filling, it becomes possible to introduce more biomass fine particles 11 and to reduce the size of the reaction vessel 2.

If the biomass granulate 11 in the reaction vessel 2 is detected to have reached the loading of interest at S8, the filling times X ₀ which is counted by the counter 101 is less than the predetermined fill times Xa it is determined whether or not there (S9), when the filling number X ₀ is less than the predetermined fill times Xa is pressurized by the pressure piston 6 is abnormality such caught near the entrance of the reaction vessel 2 has occurred It is presumed that the pressure piston 6 has not been lowered properly, and the apparatus is stopped (S10). When filling the number X ₀ is a predetermined filling number Xa or more, the process proceeds to the reaction step. Thus, by counting the fill count X ₀ by the counter 101, it is possible to grasp an abnormal easily and real-time in the filling time of pressurization.

In the reaction step, as shown in FIG. 8, the pressure cylinder 7 is driven to the lower side at a high pressure to lower the pressure piston 6 (S13), and is required for reacting the biomass fine particles 11. The biomass fine particles 11 are pressurized in a predetermined pressure range P ₂ (second pressure stage). Further, the heating medium is circulated through the cooling medium passage 4 of the reaction vessel 2 to heat the biomass fine particles 11 within a predetermined temperature range (S14). Predetermined pressure range P ₂ is the pressure range and temperature range that induces hemicellulose of the biomass fine body in a pyrolysis or thermal curing reaction of lignin as described above. Preferably, the pressure range P2 is ₈ to 25 MPa, and the temperature range is 115 to 230 ° C. The biomass fine particles 11 in the reaction vessel 2 hold the above-described pressurization and heating state for a certain period of time. For example, when the cylinder diameter is 50 mm, the holding time is 10 to 20 minutes, and when it is 150 mm, the holding time is 30 to 60 minutes.
Next, a discharging process is performed. Since the discharging process has been described with reference to FIGS.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, in the filling step, the pressure piston 6 is first operated at the first low pressure stage to pressurize the biomass fine particles 11, and then the pressure piston 6 is reacted in the reaction step. The pressure of 6 is increased and the heat medium is caused to flow through the cooling medium passage 4 in conjunction with the pressure to obtain the semi-carbonized or semi-pre-carbonized solid substance in the reaction vessel 2 in a substantially hermetically sealed state. Heating while pressurizing in the temperature range and pressure range (second pressure stage), holding for a predetermined time, cooling the cooling medium passage 4 from the heating medium to the refrigerant while maintaining the pressurized state, and finally In the discharging step, the pressure piston 6 is lowered at a low pressure, and the bio-coke molded body 19 is extruded and discharged to produce bio-coke. In this way, by controlling the pressurization hydraulic mechanism 8, the discharge hydraulic mechanism 10 and the cooling medium circulation mechanism in conjunction with each other by the control device 100, it is possible to efficiently produce bio-coke in a short time. .

  By using the bio-coke production apparatus according to this embodiment, it is possible to efficiently produce high-hardness and high-density bio-coke that can be used as an alternative to coal coke. In addition, the bio-coke produced in the present embodiment can be used as a heat source / reducing agent in a cupola furnace, a blast furnace, etc. in casting production or iron production, and also as a fired fuel such as boiler fuel for power generation and slaked lime. It can also be used for fuel demand, and can be used as a material material by utilizing characteristics such as higher compressive strength.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bio-coke manufacturing apparatus 2 Reaction container 4 Cooling medium passage 6 Pressurization piston (pressurization body)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 7 Pressurization cylinder 8, 10 Hydraulic mechanism 9 Bottom cover part 11 Biomass fine granule 20 Position sensor 30 Cooling medium circuit 75 Pressure detection sensor 100 Control apparatus

Claims (6)

Bio-coke after pressure molding while heating in the temperature range and pressure range to obtain semi-carbonized or semi-pre-carbonized solids in the densely packed biomass granules in a bottomed cylindrical reaction vessel In the bio-coke production method for producing a molded body,
The biomass fine granule is pressurized in the pressure range by a pressurizing body inserted from the upper part of the reaction vessel and heated and held in the temperature range by a heating means, and then the reaction is switched from the heating means to the cooling means. Cool the molded body produced in the container,
Lowering the pressure of the pressure body to open the bottom of the reaction vessel, lowering the pressure body to extrude and discharge the molded body from the opened bottom,
When the molded body is discharged, the position of the pressure body is detected, and when the pressure body does not reach the lowermost end, it is determined that the molded body is discharged, and the cooling means is switched to the heating means. The bio-coke manufacturing method characterized by the above-mentioned. The heating means and the cooling means are cooling medium circulating means for heating or cooling the biomass fine particles by passing a heating medium or a refrigerant through a cooling medium passage formed on the outer periphery of the reaction vessel,
The bio-coke manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the molded body is clogged, the refrigerant that has been passed through the cooling medium passage is switched to the heating medium.   After switching to the heating means, when it is detected that the pressurized body has reached the lowest end, the bottom of the reaction vessel is closed and the next biomass fine particle is charged while maintaining the heating means. The bio-coke manufacturing method according to claim 1. A bottomed cylindrical reaction vessel filled with biomass fine particles, a pressure body for pressurizing the biomass fine particles in the reaction vessel, a heating means for heating the biomass fine particles, and the biomass fine particles Cooling means for cooling a molded body obtained by pressure molding while heating in a temperature range and a pressure range to obtain a semi-carbonized or semi-carbonized solid body by the heating means and the pressure body in a substantially dense state In a bio-coke production apparatus comprising:
Position detecting means for detecting a height direction position of the pressing body;
A control device that performs pressure control of the pressurizing body, switching control of the heating means and the cooling means, and opening and closing control of the bottom of the reaction vessel,
The controller opens the bottom of the reaction container when discharging the molded body in the reaction container, and when the opening is opened, the position detecting means detects that the pressurizing body has not reached the lowest end. In this case, the bio-coke producing apparatus is characterized in that it is determined that the compact is discharged and the control is switched from the cooling means to the heating means.   The heating means and the cooling means are cooling medium circulating means for heating or cooling the biomass fine particles by passing a heating medium or a refrigerant through a cooling medium passage formed on the outer periphery of the reaction vessel. The bio-coke production apparatus according to claim 4, wherein   After switching from the cooling means to the heating means, the control device performs control to close the bottom of the reaction vessel when the position detecting means detects that the pressurizing body has reached the lowest end. The bio-coke producing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein filling of the biomass fine particles is started.

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