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EP-4735560-A1 - PRODUCTION METHODS

EP4735560A1EP 4735560 A1EP4735560 A1EP 4735560A1EP-4735560-A1

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to methods of chemical extraction and biomass fuel production.

Inventors

  • MOUNTFORT, Raymond Dudley
  • YEATMAN, Grant

Assignees

  • Foresta Group Holdings Limited (formerly Leaf Resources Limited)

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240628

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A method for chemical extraction and biomass fuel production using a resinous wood, said method including the steps: (i) treating the resinous wood with an agent that comprises, consists or consists essentially of a terpene to thereby extract rosin and/or terpene fractions from the resinous wood; and (ii) processing the treated resinous wood to thereby produce a biomass fuel.
  2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the period of time between the step of treating the resinous wood with the agent and processing the treated resinous wood is no more than about 15 minutes, no more than about 10 minutes or no more than about 5 minutes.
  3. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein processing the treated resinous wood includes the step of grinding and/or milling the treated resinous wood to form a particulate form thereof.
  4. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the particulate form of the treated resinous wood has a dimension of between about 0.1 cm to about 0.6 cm.
  5. 5. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein the grinding step includes dry grinding and/or wet grinding.
  6. 6. The method of claim 4 or 5, wherein processing the treated resinous wood further includes the step of drying the particulate form of the treated resinous wood.
  7. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the drying step reduces the moisture content of the particulate form of the treated resinous wood to less than about 30%, less than about 20% or less than about 10% by weight thereof.
  8. 8. The method of claim 6 or 7, further including the step of compressing the particulate form of the treated resinous wood to form a compressed form thereof.
  9. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the compressed form of the treated resinous wood is or comprises a pellet or a briquette.
  10. 10. The method of claim 8 or 9, further including the step of heat treating the compressed form of the treated resinous wood at a temperature of between about 100°C and about 200°C or between about 200°C and about 350°C.
  11. 11. The method of claim 6 or 7, further including the step of heat treating the particulate form of the treated resinous wood at a temperature of between about 100°C and about 200°C or between about 200°C and about 350°C.
  12. 12. The method of claim 11, further including the step of compressing the particulate form of the treated resinous wood to form a compressed form thereof.
  13. 13. The method of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the biomass fuel is a white pellet, a white briquette, a torrefied pellet or a torrefied briquette.
  14. 14. The method of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the biomass fuel is substantially free of contaminants.
  15. 15. The method of any one of claims 1 to 14, further including the initial step of at least partly subdividing or desizing the resinous wood prior to step (i).
  16. 16. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15, further including the initial step of at least partly removing a bark portion and/or a root portion from the resinous wood.
  17. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the bark portion and/or the root portion is at least partly utilised to generate energy for use in one or both of the treating and processing steps of (i) and (ii).
  18. 18. The method of any one of claims 1 to 17, further including the initial step of separating a wood source into the resinous wood and a residual wood portion.
  19. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the residual wood portion is not treated with the agent.
  20. 20. The method of claim 18 or claim 19, further including the step of treating the residual wood portion to extract a further terpene fraction therefrom.

Description

Production Methods Cross-reference to related applications The present application claims priority from Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2023902101 filed on 30 June 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical field The present disclosure generally relates to methods of chemical extraction and biomass fuel production. Background One of the most pressing issues for future generations is the development of a sustainable society. Fossil fuels that are currently used for both energy production have finite availability. As such, there is an increasing need to maximise production and use of sustainable and renewable energy sources. Biomass fuels are a renewable resource and advantageously do not emit net CO2 to the atmosphere. However, biomass fuels can still contribute to potential environmental problems through emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Typically, monoterpenes dominate these emissions during the biomass fuel production process. Accordingly, improved methods for sustainable biomass fuel production are required. Summary The present disclosure predicated, in part, on the identification of sustainable methods of chemical extraction and biomass fuel production. In particular, these methods provide for responsible utilisation of a biomass to reduce waste therefrom and efficiently utilise energy produced from the method. The present disclosure provides a method for chemical extraction and biomass fuel production using a resinous wood, said method including the steps: (i) treating the resinous wood with an agent that comprises, consists or consists essentially of a terpene to thereby extract rosin and/or terpene fractions from the resinous wood; and (ii) processing the treated resinous wood to thereby produce a biomass fuel. The period of time between the step of treating the resinous wood with the agent and processing the treated resinous wood may be no more than about 15 minutes, no more than about 10 minutes or no more than about 5 minutes. Processing the treated resinous wood may include the step of grinding and/or milling the treated resinous wood to form a particulate form thereof. The particulate form of the treated resinous wood may have a dimension of between about 0.1 cm to about 0.6 cm. The grinding step may include dry grinding and/or wet grinding. Processing the treated resinous wood may further include the step of drying the particulate form of the treated resinous wood. The drying step may reduce the moisture content of the particulate form of the treated resinous wood to less than about 30%, less than about 20% or less than about 10% by weight thereof. Processing the treated resinous wood may further include the step of compressing the particulate form of the treated resinous wood to form a compressed form thereof. The compressed form of the treated resinous wood may be or comprise a pellet or a briquette. Processing the treated resinous wood may further include the step of heat treating the compressed form of the treated resinous wood at a temperature of between about 100°C and about 200°C or between about 200°C and about 350°C. Processing the treated resinous wood may further include the step of heat treating the particulate form of the treated resinous wood at a temperature of between about 100°C and about 200°C or between about 200°C and about 350°C. Processing the treated resinous wood may further include the step of compressing the particulate form of the treated resinous wood to form a compressed form thereof. The biomass fuel may be a white pellet, a white briquette, a torrefied pellet or a torrefied briquette. The biomass fuel may be substantially free of contaminants. Processing the treated resinous wood or the treatment step of (i) may further include the initial step of at least partly subdividing or desizing the resinous wood, such as prior to step (i). The treatment step of (i) may further include the step of separating the rosin fraction and the terpene fraction extracted from the resinous wood. Processing the treated resinous wood may further include the initial step of at least partly removing a bark portion and/or a root portion from the resinous wood. The bark portion and/or the root portion may be at least partly utilised to generate energy for use in one or both of the treating and processing steps of (i) and (ii). Processing the treated resinous wood may further include the initial step of separating a wood source into the resinous wood and a residual wood portion. The residual wood portion may not be treated with the agent. Suitably, the present method further includes the step of treating the residual wood portion to extract a further terpene fraction therefrom. The treating step may comprise heat treating the residual wood portion or the wood substrate under conditions to generate a gaseous stream comprising the further terpene fraction. Moreover, the treating step may comprise heat treating t