Fuel comprises small wood pieces containing an additive based on fatty acid, grain and/or starch

(11) CH

697 166 A5

<img file="CH697166A5_D0001.tif" />

SWISS CONFEDERATION

FEDERAL INSTITUTE OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (51) Int. Cl .: C10L C10L

5/44 (2006.01)

9/10 (2006.01)

Invention patent for Switzerland and Liechtenstein

Swiss-Liechtenstein Patent Protection Treaty of 22 December 1978 (12) PATENT DOCUMENT

<td>(21) Application number:</td><td>00513/07</td><td>(73) Owner: Thomas Peer, Franz Plattner Strasse 7 6170 Ziri in Tyrol (AT)</td>

<td>(22) Date of filing:</td><td>30/03/2007</td><td></td>

<td>(30) Priority:</td><td>16.01.2007 EP 07000823.0 05.02.2007 EP 07002467.4</td><td>(72) Inventor: Thomas Peer, 6170 Ziri in Tyrol (AT)</td>

<td>(24) Patent granted:</td><td>30/05/2008</td><td></td>

<td>(45) Patent publication published:</td><td>30/05/2008</td><td>(74) Representatives: Patent Attorneys Schaad, Baiass, Menzl &amp; Partner AG, Dufourstrasse 101 8034 Zurich (CH)</td>

(54) Fuel based on small wood parts.

(57) The invention relates to a fuel which is formed from small wood parts and contains a fatty acid-based and / or grain-based additive and / or starch-based additive. As a result of this addition of the additive, the fuel does not store any water and remains easily flammable. In addition, there is no danger to people working with this fuel due to particulate matter.

Description: The invention relates to a fuel which has small wood parts, and to a method for producing this fuel, wherein the wood small parts can be pressed into shaped pieces.

Fuels are needed today in many industries and private households. Fossil fuels such as oil or gas are increasingly in demand by the industrialized nations, whose numbers are constantly growing in the context of globalization. For this reason, the price of fossil fuels continues to rise, increasing the importance of alternative energy sources. As a renewable raw material, wood plays a major role in the question of alternative fuels. In order to bring wood into a usable form of fuel, small wood parts, either produced as waste products in wood processing plants or produced especially for this application, are pressed into molds. The most commonly used form, so-called pellets or briquettes have prevailed. The calorific value of these pellets or briquettes is currently approximately 4.9 kWh / kg, which value depends on the wood used.

A disadvantage of these pressed pellets or briquettes is the fact that they easily absorb and store water, whereby the flammability of the fuel is reduced. In order to avoid such water retention, the pressed molds must be transported in a water-holding package and stored in a dry room, which makes their handling difficult and increases the price of the fuel.

Another disadvantage of these pressed forms is the contamination of the environment in the form of dust and particulate matter and the associated health hazards of people working with it. For this reason, these pressed molds must be stored in a suitable place.

It is an object of the invention to provide a fuel in the form of pressed wood hardware and a method for producing such a fuel whose calorific value is increased, which stores no water, the environment in which it is stored, not contaminated and the does not represent a health hazard for the people working with him.

This object is achieved by the features of claim 1 and claim 13.

Preferred embodiments and modifications of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

A suitable additive may be palmitic acid or stearic acid. A mixture of these two fatty acids may also be used.

In addition, besides the above-mentioned palmitic acid or stearic acid, lauric acid, myristic acid and oleic acid may also be contained.

Furthermore, palm oil can be used as an additive, which consists of palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, myristic acid and linoleic acid.

As an alternative to the fatty acid-based additive, cereals of any kind or strength can also be used. These fatty acid-based additives, cereals or starch, can be used both neat and as a mixture.

Other non-exhaustive examples of additives are vegetable oils and fats such as rapeseed oil, rapeseed methyl ester, sunflower oil, linseed oil, tree oil, coconut oil or fat, palm oil cores, soybean oil and grain and starch of these crops such as wheat, rice, corn, rye, barley, Oat or millet. Starch could still be made from beans, peas or potatoes. In general, proteinaceous plants are also useful.

In addition to the vegetable oils and fats and animal oils and fats are conceivable.

For this purpose, monoculture, ie compounds which carry a carboxyl group and consist of a different length and structured, but almost exclusively unbranched hydrocarbon chain could be used.

Worth mentioning here are the facts that the substances are naturally renewable raw materials, with which the fuel remains an alternative and ecologically sound fuel, and the geometric dimensions of the fuel remain the same, while the calorific value to about 7, 8 kWh / kg increased. Thus, with a constant storage area, the stored energy can be increased.

Pellets or briquettes are also a popular substitute for charcoal. If the fuel according to the invention is used for this purpose, the grill can be provided with impurities without contamination of hands or clothing and easily ignited.

In the following, the processes for the preparation of the fuel and preferred compositions of the additive based on fatty acid are explained in more detail. Raw material or raw material for the pressed molds are small pieces of wood, preferably sawdust or wood chips, which are produced in many industries as waste or residual products. These wood small parts are pressed under strong pressure into molds, preferably pellets or briquettes. According to the invention, either the starting material, ie the wood small parts, or the pressed finished mold can be treated with the additive. In this treatment, the fuel in its basic or final form by a bath with the

Additive over 62 degrees Celsius, preferably at 70 degrees Celsius, are conducted. Alternatively, the additive can be sprayed onto the fuel in the temperature range mentioned.

A preferred composition of the additive consists of at most 1% by weight of lauric acid, at most 3% by weight of myristic acid, between 50 and 60% by weight of palmitic acid, between 40 and 50% by weight of stearic acid and traces of oleic acid or of a maximum of 1 volume % Lauric acid, at most 3% by volume myristic acid, between 50 and 60% by volume palmitic acid, between 40 and 50% by volume stearic acid and traces of oleic acid.

Furthermore, common palm oil can be used as additive, which consists of the following proportions in% by weight:

Myristic acid 2%, palmitic acid 42%, stearic acid 5%, oleic acid 41% and linoleic acid 10%.

As mentioned above, other vegetable oils or fats, cereals or starch can be considered as an additive. The mixing ratios can be chosen arbitrarily, but should not fall below 2% in the finished composition. % Is weight%.

If the additives are in liquid form at room temperature, the wood small parts can be treated in a cold bath. The spray-on process can also be carried out cold in this case.

The cereals or starches are mixed with the small wood parts and pressed together with these in the desired shape. For better formation and stability of the shapes, it is preferable to crush the grain beforehand and to use it in shot form.

Alternatively, the molds can then be further treated with vegetable oils or fats. In this way, any mixing ratio between solid and liquid additives with the wood small parts can be achieved, but this does not preclude the use of the additives individually.