RWE has filed a patent for a pelletizing facility and method that allows the manufacture of solid recovered fuel pellets from municipal solid waste without the need for separating parts of the waste beforehand. This enables a higher amount of waste to be used for pellet production. The pellets can be used in the production of hydrogen and/or carbon dioxide enriched syngas through torrefaction and subsequent gas treatment. The method involves steps such as shredding, magnetic field application, drying, eddy current separation, milling, and pressing. The pellets are then subjected to torrefication at temperatures between 250°C and 300°C. GlobalData’s report on RWE gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on RWE, HEV energy management was a key innovation area identified from patents. RWE's grant share as of September 2023 was 42%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Method for processing municipal solid waste into fuel pellets
A recently filed patent (Publication Number: US20230302510A1) describes a method and facility for processing municipal solid waste into solid recovered fuel pellets without the need for sorting out chlorine-containing materials and subsequent torrefication of the pellets. The method involves several steps to transform the waste into fuel pellets that can be used in torrefication.
The method begins by providing municipal solid waste and shredding it to create shredded solid waste. A magnetic field is then applied to remove ferromagnetic particles, followed by drying the shredded waste. Non-ferrous metals are separated using eddy current separation, and further residues are removed using a density classifier. The pre-cleaned material stream is then milled and pressed into solid recovered fuel pellets. These pellets are then used in torrefication, a process that involves subjecting the pellets to temperatures between 250°C and 300°C.
In one specific claim, the moisture content of the shredded solid waste is adjusted to 5 to 10 wt.-% during the drying process. Another claim describes a drying method that utilizes a kiln heated by air guided through a washing column connected to a heat pump for energy recovery.
The patent also includes a facility for implementing the method. The facility includes a shredder, metal removal units, a dryer, a density classifier, a mill, and a pellet press. These elements are arranged and connected in a specific order to process the solid waste and generate fuel pellets. Additionally, the facility includes a torrefaction unit for the substoichiometric oxidization of the pellets generated in the pellet press.
In one specific embodiment of the facility, the dryer comprises a rotating kiln heated by air guided through a washing column connected to a heat pump for energy recovery.
Overall, this patent presents a method and facility for efficiently processing municipal solid waste into solid recovered fuel pellets without the need for sorting out chlorine-containing materials. The method involves various steps, including shredding, magnetic separation, drying, metal separation, milling, and pressing. The resulting fuel pellets can be used in torrefication, and the facility includes specific equipment and arrangements to carry out the process effectively.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
