Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AN APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SEPARATING FIBRES FROM PLANTS
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of textiles made from plant
materials and, in
particular, to an apparatus and method for separating fibres from plants for
producing fibres
with the desirable characteristics of cotton for use in the textile or apparel
industries.
BACKGROUND
Plant fibres are used to produce textiles from which a wide variety of fabrics
and
cloths can be manufactured. The demand for plant fibres continue to grow with
a growing
consumer demand for natural materials and products. However, before a plant
fibre can be
used for large-scale textile applications desirable textile-properties must be
met. Examples of
these desirable textile-properties include, but are not limited to:
uniformity, flexibility,
fineness, cohesiveness, tenacity, absorbency, pliability, and amenability to
various textile
processing and/or treatments must be met.
The fibres of plants such as hemp, flax, jute, nettle, ramie and the like, are
known to
have such desirable textile-properties and have been utilized for a wide
variety of different
textiles. For example, grass, rush, hemp, and sisal are used in making rope.
Coir (coconut
fibre) is used in making twine, mats, and sacking. Fibres from pulpwood trees,
cotton, rice,
hemp, and nettle are used in making paper. Flax, jute, hemp, ramie, bamboo,
and even
pineapple fibres are used in clothing. However, the applications of these
fibres are currently
somewhat limited as compared to more typical plant-based fibres, such as
cotton.
One plant which has not been widely utilized for the production of textiles is
the rape
plant, which is a plant in the genus Brassica. The most commonly recognized
variety of the
rape plant is the low erucic acid and low glucosinolate variety known as
canola, rapeseed 00,
or double zero rapeseed. There are many species of rape plants that fall
within the genus
Brassica, all of which are collectively referred to herein as canola plants or
canola.
Canola is one of the world's main oilseed crops. Canola is grown as a source
for two
primary products: canola oil and canola meal. The round canola seeds are
crushed to produce
canola oil and the remainder is processed into a high-protein meal. Canola
plants can also be
used as an input for biodiesel production. Beyond these products, the canola
plant does not
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have widely recognized value. As a result, approximately 40 million tons of
canola stalks are
available after harvesting of the round seeds. The stalks are a by-product
material that is
typically considered waste and it is ploughed back into the soil, burned, or
used as animal
bedding. Commercial application of this canola by-product would, therefore, be
desirable to
.. maximizing the economy of this valuable resource.
PCT/CA2014/050892 entitled Textile Fibres and Textiles From Brassica Plants of
Sevenhuysen et al., the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by
reference,
describes how Brassica fibres may provide at least some of the desirable
textile-properties
described above. Sevenhuysen et al. described one or more retting processes
and fibre-
isolation processes that can produce fibres of a suitable quality for
manufacturing textile
fibres with "cotton-like" characteristics. However, the fibre-isolation
process described by
Sevenhuysen et al. is meticulous and detailed work that may not be amenable to
large-scale
fibre isolation and textile production.
SUMMARY
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to isolating plant fibres from a
pre-
processed plant input.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus that
comprises one
or more separating units that separate a fibre component from other
constituent components
of the pre-processed plant input. The apparatus may also comprise a drying-
unit for drying
and further isolating individual fibres from each other. Optionally, the
apparatus may also
comprise a fluid-recycling system for reducing the overall liquid input and
disposal
requirements of the apparatus. The apparatus may also comprise one or more
conveying
systems for moving inputs and processed intermediate-products through portions
or all of the
apparatus.
A first separation-unit receives the pre-processed plant input. The first
separation-unit
is configured to physically separate a gel component and a fibre component
from a straw
component of the pre-processed plant input. The second separation-unit
substantially
separates and discards the straw component from the gel component and the
fibre component.
The third separation-unit separates the fibre component from some, most or
substantially all
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of the gel component. The fourth separation-unit separates the fibre component
from any
residual gel component through a series of treatment processes.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the pre-processed plant input
is a
product of a non-mechanical process step, for example a retting process that
produces a retted
plant-product from plant straw. The first separation-unit comprises a friction-
based
separation step, a pressure-based separation step or combination thereof to
separate the gel
component and the fibre component from the straw component of the retted plant
product.
The first separation-unit loosens the fibre, gel and stalk components from
each other. All
components may remain in a fluid that flows or is otherwise moved together to
the second
separation-unit. The first separation-unit comprises one or more fluid jets
that provide fluid
to wet the fibre, gel and stalk components and to assist with moving the
intermediate
materials to the second separation-unit. Without being bound by any particular
theory,
wetting the fibre, gel and stalk components may minimize damage caused to the
fibre
component and/or promote movement of all components to the second separation-
unit.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second separation-unit
receives
the fibre, gel and stalk components from the first separation-unit as a stream
of material
carried in the fluid that is flowing through and from the first separation-
unit. Within some
embodiments of the second separation-unit, a conveying system comprises an
endless-loop
belt made from at least one of canvas, plastic or rubber and/or a studded
material. This belt
separates the stalk component from the gel and fibre components, and allows
the stalk
component to be collected separately from the gel and fibre components.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the third separation-unit
receives an
intermediate material that comprises the gel and fibre components from the
second
separation-unit. Within the third separation-unit, the conveying system may
comprise an
endless-loop belt made of a mesh material and one or more liquid jets that
direct one or more
pressurized liquid streams to facilitate separating the fibre component from
the gel
component. The third separation-unit also comprises a compression system that
compresses
the fibre component and the gel component to force the gel component through
the endless
mesh-belt, which separates the fibre component from the gel component. In some
instances,
after passing through the second separation-unit, the separated fibre
component comprises
some residual gel component.
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In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the fourth separation-unit
receives an
intermediate material that comprises the separated fibre component and some
residual gel
component. The fourth separation-unit may comprise a portion of the conveying
system of
an endless-loop belt made of steel-mesh to move the fibre and gel components
received from
the third separation-unit through a series of chemical-based treatment
processes of the fourth
separation-unit. Alternatively, the chemical-based treatment processes may all
occur in a
single container. Each treatment process of the fourth separation-unit exposes
the fibres and
residual gel material to a chemical treatment for removing the residual gel
component or
other plant materials from the surfaces of each individual fibre within the
fibre component.
Between each chemical treatment, and after the last treatment, the fibre
component is rinsed
with water. At this point in the apparatus, the separated fibres are referred
to as
individualized fibres.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a drying-unit receives the
individualized fibres from the fourth separation-unit 40 into two handling-
parts. The two
handling-parts are arranged in a sequence with an input end at the beginning
of the series and
a final-product end at the end of the series. The first handling-part allows
the fibres to be
layered. The second handling-part dries the layered fibres. At this point in
the apparatus, the
dried individualized-fibres are suitable for further processing to produce a
textile product.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a fluid-recycling system
receives the
gel component from the third separation-unit. Within the fluid-recycling
system the gel
component is suspended in water. The liquid recycling system is used to
recover and recycle
any processing fluids that are used within one or more processing sections or
steps and that
may include some or most or all of the gel component that is separated from
the retted-plant
input and the fibre component by the apparatus. The liquid recycling system
separates some
or most or all of the gel component from the processing fluid so that the
processing fluid can
be recycled back into the apparatus and used at one or more different
processing sections.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method of separating a
fibre
component of a pre-processed plant-straw input from a stalk component and a
gel component.
The method comprises the steps of: physically separating the stalk component
from the fibre
component and the gel component by applying friction and/or pressurized fluid
to the pre-
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processed plant-straw product; and separating the gel component from the fibre
component
by compressing the gel component through a mesh material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features of the present disclosure will become more apparent
in the
following detailed description in which reference is made to the appended
drawings:
FIG. 1 is a side-elevation view schematic that shows one embodiment of an
apparatus
according to the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a side-elevation view schematic that shows one embodiment of an
apparatus
according to the present disclosure;
FIG. 3 is a side-elevation view schematic that shows another embodiment of an
apparatus
according to the present disclosure;
FIG. 4 is a side-elevation view schematic that shows one embodiment of a first
separation-
unit according to the present disclosure;
FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of a second separation-unit according to the
present
disclosure, wherein FIG. 5A shows a side-elevation view schematic of the
second separation-
unit and FIG. 5B shows an upper surface of a conveying belt for use with the
second
separation-unit;
FIG. 6 is a side-elevation view schematic that shows one embodiment of a third
separation-
unit according to the present disclosure;
FIG. 7 is a side-elevation view schematic that shows a partial cut-away of one
embodiment
of a portion of a fourth separation-unit according to the present disclosure;
FIG. 8 is a schematic that shows one embodiment of a drying unit according to
the present
disclosure, wherein FIG. 8A shows a side-elevation partial cut-away view and
FIG. 8B shows
a top-plan view of a portion of the drying unit;
FIG. 9 is an isometric view schematic that shows one embodiment of a liquid
recycler system
for use with the apparatus according to the present disclosure;
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FIG. 10 is a logic-flowchart that shows one embodiment of a process for
separating fibres
from an input according to the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus and a method for
separating constituent components of plant straw from each other for isolating
fibres that can
then be used to make textiles and cloths.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus that
receives a pre-
processed plant-straw product as an input from which several constituent
components may be
separated, including a fibre component, a gel component and a stalk component.
As used
herein, the term " straw" refers to the plant material that is left behind
after other components
of the plant have been harvested. As used herein, the terms "fibre component",
"bast-fibre"
and "fibre" all refer to a component of the straw that is useful in making
textiles. As used
herein, the terms "gel component" and "gum" both refer to a heterogeneous
plant material
that may include lignins, pectins and other plant-based gums. As used herein,
the terms "stalk
component" and "stalk" refer to a component of the straw that is left over
after the fibre
component and the gel component are separated from the straw. As used herein,
the term
"about" refers to an approximately +1-10% variation from a given value. It is
to be
understood that such a variation is always included in any given value
provided herein,
whether or not it is specifically referred to.
The apparatus comprises one or more separation units for separating the fibre
component from the other constituent components of the pre-processed plant-
straw product.
Furthermore, the apparatus may comprise a system for processing and
recirculating liquids
that are used in the one or more separation units to reduce liquid-input
requirements of the
apparatus.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method for separating
fibres
from plant straw. The method may comprise the steps of collecting plant straw,
pre-
processing the plant straw to produce a pre-processed plant-straw input and
separating fibres
from the pre-processed plant-straw input by either water jets, friction,
compression or
combinations thereof The method may further comprise a step of collecting and
recirculating liquids to reduce the liquid input requirements of the method.
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Fibres that are separated by embodiments of the present disclosure may be
further
processed to produce textiles with the desirable qualities of uniformity,
flexibility, fineness,
cohesiveness, tenacity, absorbency, pliability, and amenability to various
textile processing
and/or treatments.
Optionally, the plant may be a canola plant. However, a pre-processed straw
from
other plants may be used when the straw components of those plants include
bast fibres in the
outer layers of the branches or stems and gel components. Some embodiments in
the present
disclosure relate to an apparatus and a method for separating fibres from the
straw of plants
other than canola, such as flax, ramie, kenaf, jut, nettle, okra and hemp.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the pre-processed
plant-
straw product is a retted straw that is used as an input. Retting is a process
whereby
chemicals or more specifically enzymes partially degrade or disassociate
tissues within the
plant straw. For example, retting is useful for separating fibres that are
found within the
sclerenchyma of plant straw, also known as bast fibre, which is a layer of
tissue that
surrounds the phloem tissue and the xylem tissue in the plant straw. As will
be appreciated
by one skilled in the art, the pre-processed plant-straw product may also be
prepared by
means other than retting so that the pre-processed plant-straw product can be
used as an input
for embodiments of the present disclosure.
Sevenhuysen et al. describe one or more retting processes that produce a
retted
product that is a suitable input for embodiments of the present disclosure.
The term "retted
product" refers to the plant material that may be heterogenous in that it
contains the retted
plant straw's constituent components. As used to herein, the term "fully-
retted product" and
"input" refers to all of the fibre component having been separated from other
plant
components without any or with minimal damage to the content, structure or
integrity of
fibres in the fibre component during a retting or similar process.
The person skilled in the art will appreciate that the separating that occurs
during the
retting process does not produce fibres that are readily useful for producing
textiles and
further processing or treatments are required for this purpose. For example,
the fully-retted
product contains the fibre component and the gel component within distinct
structures that
are sometimes referred to as bundles or fibre bundles. The bundles may be
adhered to parts
of the stalk component. This adhesion is thought to occur because the fibres
are attached
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through various mechanisms, including the plant materials called lignin and
pectin that create
fibre bundles, the plant materials called gums that create waterproof
barriers, the plant
materials called cellulose that create stalk nodes and branches in the straw.
A fully-retted
product may have bundles of fibre component and gel component that can be
fully separated
from the stalk component with mechanical action that is designed to maintain
the content,
structure or integrity of fibres within the fibre component.
The gel component may comprise, but is not limited to: pectin, lignin, other
polysaccharides and calcium ions. The fibre component is made up of individual
fibres that
may be suitable for further processing to produce textiles once they are
further separated from
the gel component and the stalk component.
FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the present disclosure that relates to an
apparatus
100 that comprises at least one of the following processing units: a first
separation-unit 10, a
second separation-unit 20 and a third separation-unit 30, a fourth separation-
unit 40, a drying-
unit 50 and an optional fluid-recycling system 60. The apparatus 100 may
further comprise a
conveying system 90 that conveys materials (inputs, intermediate products or
final products)
into, through and from the processing units of the apparatus 100. In some
embodiments of the
present disclosure, the conveying system 90 can comprise one or more endless
loop belts that
conduct any materials thereupon in a given direction within or between one or
more
processing units. Optionally, the materials upon the one or more belts of the
conveying
system 90 may receive a treatment while upon the one or more belts. In a
further option, the
one or more belts of the conveying system 90 themselves may contribute towards
a treatment
of the materials thereupon. For example, one or more of the belts of the
conveying system 90
may facilitate separation of different components of the material thereupon.
Additional to the
conveying system 90 or alternative thereto, the inputs, intermediate products
and final
products can move into, through and out of the apparatus 100 while flowing
under gravity
while entrained in a fluid. In some embodiments of the present disclosure
there may also be
bulk movements of intermediate products between or from one or more of the
processing
units.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the apparatus 100 may have an
input
end 100A and an output end 100B with the first, second, third, fourth
separation-units 10, 20,
30, 40 and the drying unit 50 arranged therebetween. In some embodiments of
the present
disclosure the first, second third, fourth separation-units and the fifth
drying unit, 10, 20, 30,
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40 and 50 are arranged in series between the input and output ends 100A, 100B.
FIG. 2 shows one embodiment of the apparatus 100 that is supported upon a
frame
110. The frame 110 supports the first separation-unit 10 above the second
separation-unit 20,
which is supported above the third separation-unit 30. Materials within the
apparatus 10 may
move therewithin by gravity (or fluid pressure) acting upon a fluid in which
the materials are
entrained, floating within or simply being moved by. The first separation-unit
10 receives a
pre-processed plant-straw product, which is also referred to herein as the
input (shown as the
curved arrow in FIG. 4). In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the
input is a fully-
retted product. The first separation-unit 10 separates a gel component and a
fibre component
from a stalk component of the input by reducing the adherence of the gel and
fibre
component to the stalk component. The input may be placed on a first belt 91
of the
conveying system 90 for conveying the input into the first separation-unit 10
in a first
direction. The arrangement of the input may influence the fibre product yield
and quality in
the drying unit 50. Stalks should be placed on belt 91 in parallel to the
rollers of separation-
unit 10 and with gaps between stalks that prevents two or more stalks from
passing between
the rollers at the same time. Alternatively, the input may be placed directly
into the first
separation-unit 10 by a belt (not shown) that is part of a hopper system 120
(shown as
dashed-line box in FIG. 2), where the hopper system 120 temporarily holds the
input and one
or more belts place a desired amount of the input and in a desired orientation
on the belt 91.
As shown in FIG. 4, the first separation-unit 10 comprises either or both of
at least
two opposed rollers 12 and one or more liquid jets 14. The at least two
rollers 12 may be
horizontally positioned. The at least two rollers 12 are positioned to come
into contact with
the input as it passes between the at least two rollers 12. In some
embodiments of the present
disclosure, the at least two rollers 12 comprise a first roller 12A and a
second roller 12B. The
first and second rollers 12A, 12B each have a substantially contiguous
externally facing
surface that is covered in bristles or other textured points that extend away
from the
externally facing surface. The bristles extend between about 0.5 inches and
about 2.0 inches
away from the externally facing surface. The first and second rollers 12A, 12B
rotate about
their respective longitudinal axes. The bristles may be covered in a cloth.
Suitable examples
of the cloth include but are not limited to: polyester, rayon, microfiber, a
cellulosic fabric or
combinations thereof In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first
and second
rollers 12A, 12B rotate at different speeds and/or in different directions.
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When the input passes through and into contact with the first and second
rollers 12A,
12B, the cloth, the differential rotational speed of the first and second
rollers 12A, 12B or the
combination of both substantially loosen and/or separate the stalk component
from the gel
component and the fibre component of the input (shown as the straight arrow in
FIG. 4). In
some instances, the separated stalk component may also include a portion of
the gel
component adhered to or otherwise associated with the separated stalk
component. Through
one or more of a physical act of rubbing, wiping or stripping, the first and
second rollers 12A,
12B physically separate the stalk component from the gel component and the
fibre
component. Optionally, the cloth may be selected to provide an optimized co-
efficient of
.. friction for the externally facing surface of the first and second rollers
12A, 12B that contacts
the input. The individual rotational speed of the first and second rollers
12A, 12B may also
be selected to optimize the frictional engagement of the input to increase the
physical
separation of the stalk component from the gel component and the fibre
component.
Additionally or alternatively, the first separation-unit 10 comprises the one
or more
jets 14 positioned above and below the rollers 12A and 12B. The jets 14 direct
pressurized
processing fluids at the input while passing between the rollers 12A and 12B.
The pressure
of the processing fluidsmay range from between about 1 psi to about 10 psi. In
some
embodiments of the present disclosure the pressure of the processing-fluid is
ejected from the
one or more jets 14 at a pressure of about 3 psi. The volume and pressure of
the processing
fluids applied to the input that is passing between rollers 12A and 12B is
sufficiently high to
physically separate the stalk component from the gel component and the fibre
component.
Preferably the pressure of the processing fluids is not so great as to cause
significant damage
to the structural integrity of the individual fibres within the fibre
component. In some
embodiments of the present disclosure, the processing fluidsmay be a liquid
that is obtained
from the fluid-recycling system 60 or it may be obtained from other sources.
In some
embodiments of the present disclosure, the processing fluids is a liquid that
is primarily water
or it may be entirely water. In other embodiments of the present disclosure,
the processing
fluidsmay be another inert fluid.
FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of the second separation-unit 20 that receives an
intermediate product of the first separation-unit 10, which comprises a
mixture of the stalk
component, the gel component and the fibre component (shown as the straight
arrow in FIG.
5A). The fibre component is often still adhered to the majority or all of the
gel component.
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The flow of fluids associated with the stalk, fibre and gel components from
the first
separation-unit 10 may move some or substantially all of this material on to a
second belt 92
which is part of the conveying system 90. Some, most or substantially all of
the fibre
component and the gel component remain within the flow that continues under
gravity (or
further pressure provided by the one or more jets 14) to the third separation-
unit 30 below
(see larger curved arrow in FIG. 5A). The stalk component, however, remains
upon the
second belt 92. As described further below, the second belt 92 separates the
stalk component
from any of fibre and gel components that have not already flowed onto the
third separation-
unit 30 below.
The second belt 92 has a first end 92A and a second end 92B. The second belt
92
may be made of rubber, plastic, canvas, metal-links or other materials than
can convey the
material received from the first separation-unit 10 towards a stalk container
24 (see smaller
curved arrow in FIG. 5A). An upper surface 92A of the second belt 92 receives
the material
from the first separation-unit 10 and, optionally, may include one or more
protrusions 94 that
provide textured portions of the second belt 92 (see FIG. 5B). In operation,
the upper surface
92A moves in a direction from the first end 92A to the second end 92B. The one
or more
protrusions 94 may all be raised the same height above the upper surface 92A
of the second
belt 92, or they may be different heights. In some embodiments of present
disclosure, one or
more of the protrusions 94 may be raised between about 0.1 inches to about 2
inches above
the upper surface 92A of the second belt 92. In some embodiments of the
present disclosure,
one or more of the protrusions 94 may be raised between about 0.25 and about
0.5 inches
above the upper surface 92A of the second belt 92. In some embodiments of the
present
disclosure, one or more of the protrusions 94 may be raised between about 0.25
inches above
the upper surface 92A of the second belt 92. Optionally, the upper surface 92A
of second
belt 92 is ribbed, studded, folded or otherwise textured to enhance separation
of the stalk
component from the gel and fibre components. The stalk component may be moved
to the
stalk container 24 by the second belt 92. The second end 92B of the second
belt 92, which is
shown in FIG. 5A as being the end that is closest to the stalk container 24
can be elevated as
compared to the first end 92A. This elevation may allow substantially some or
all fluids -
and the fibre component and gel component therein ¨ to flow downwardly towards
and off
the first end 92A. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second
belt 92 is a
studded canvas belt. In some embodiments a stalk comb 26 can be positioned
upon a portion
of the frame 110 between the second end 92B and the stalk container 24. The
stalk comb 26
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can catch or remove some or substantially all of any stalk that doesn't fall
off the belt 92 into
the stalk container 34.
FIG. 6 shows one embodiment of the third separation-unit 30 that receives an
intermediate product from the second separation-unit 20 (shown by the vertical
arrow in Fig.
6) due to the flow of fluids from the second separation-unit 20. This
intermediate product
comprises the gel component and the fibre component and it is preferably
substantially free
of the stalk component. The third separation-unit 30 comprises a third belt 93
that is at least
partially comprised of a mesh. The third belt 93 has a first end 93A and a
second end 93B.
The mesh defines holes therethrough of a specific gauge from between about 150
microns
( m) to about 250 p.m. In some embodiments of the present disclosure the holes
have a
median gauge of about 177 p.m. In some embodiments of the present disclosure,
the third
belt 93 may be an endless loop that has an upper level 93C and a lower level
93D. The upper
and lower levels 93A, 93B may be substantially horizontal and parallel. The
upper and lower
levels 93A, 93B may be supported by and separated by at least two rollers that
are positioned
at opposite ends of the third belt 93. In operation, the upper layer 93C moves
from the first
end 93A towards the second end 93B.
As the gel component and the fibre component move upon the third belt 93 a
further
one or more jets 141 may apply processing fluids, such as water or otherwise,
to rinse the gel
component and the fibre component. The further jets 141 may be positioned
between the first
end 93A and the second end 93B and the further jets 141 are configured to
direct the
processing fluidsat the material upon the upper layer 93C.
The third separation-unit 30 also comprises at least one set of substantially
opposed
rollers 32 that are positioned above and below the upper layer 93C. In some
embodiments of
the present disclosure, the substantially opposed rollers 32 comprise an upper
roller 32A and
a lower roller 32B. As the fibre component and the gel component pass between
the upper
and lower rollers 32A, 32B, the fibre component and the gel component pass
through a pinch
point where they directly contact both of the upper and lower rollers 32A,
32B. At this pinch
point, at least some of the gel component is compressed and pushed through the
holes defined
by the third belt 93. The one or more further jets 141 direct pressurized
processing fluidsat or
near the pinch point to facilitate pushing at least some of the gel component
through the
second belt 93. The pushed gel component and some or most or all of the
processing
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fluidsthat is directed at the pinch point is collected in one or more
collection trays 62 that are
positioned between the upper and lower levels 93C, 93D. As will be discussed
further below,
the fluids within the one or more collection trays 62 may be transported
within the fluid-
recycling system 60 for further processing and further use within the
apparatus 10. While
FIG. 6 only shows one collection tray 62 the person skilled in the art will
understand that
more collection trays 62 can be present at different positions between the
first end 93A and
the second end 93B and between the upper and lower layer 93C, 93D.
Because some or most or all of the fibres within the fibre component are
larger than
the holes in the third belt 93, the fibre component remains on an upper
surface of the upper
level 93C. As the fibre component reaches the end of the upper level 93A, in
the area where
the upper level 93A passes around one of the rollers and transitions in to the
lower level 93B,
some or most or all of the fibre component falls off of the third belt 93 into
one or more fibre
collection trays 28 (shown as the curved arrow in FIG. 6). Any portions of the
fibre
component that do not fall of the third belt 93 are washed off the lower level
93B by
pressurized processing fluids that are directed at the upper level 93A, for
example by the fluid
delivered from the further jets 141. The portion of the fibre component that
is washed off the
lower level 93B is collected by further collection trays 28. FIG. 2 shows one
embodiment of
a further collection tray 28 and FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of a further
collection tray
28A. As shown, the further collection tray 28A may extend a greater distance
between the
first end 93A and the second end 93B and it may include a ramp 29 that
collects the
processing fluids and the fibre component therein that drop off the third belt
93 at a position
other than proximal the second end 93B.
FIG. 7 is a drawing of one embodiment of the fourth separation-unit 40 that
receives
the fibre component from the further collection trays 28 (or 28A as the case
may be) of the
third separation-unit 30. In some instances, the fibre component may still
have some residual
gel adhered thereto, which causes a portion or all of the individual fibres
within the fibre
component to adhere to each other. To facilitate removal of some or most or
all of this
residual gel and to separate the individual fibres from each other, the fibre
component is
moved to the fourth separation-unit 40.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the fourth separation-unit 40
may
comprise between about 1 and 10 separate treatment processes that treat the
fibre in batches.
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For example, some embodiments of the present disclosure may have multiple
fibre-cleaning
sections arranged in series. The fourth separation-unit 40 may comprise one or
more
containers 42 with one or more filters 44 positioned therein and each
treatment processes
occur within container 42. For example, the one or more containers 42 may be
vertically
.. oriented, cylinders made of steel, plastic, other synthetic materials and
the one or more filters
44 may be made of cloth, plastic, stainless steel or combinations thereof The
containers 42
can receive different treatment liquids from holding tanks 46 via one or more
conduits 48.
The cylindrical container 42 can move to agitate the fibre component and
treatment liquids
horizontally, vertically or both for a period of time referred to herein as a
treatment cycle.
After the treatment cycle, is complete the treatment liquids are drained from
the cylindrical
container 42 and the fibres remain within the cylindrical container 42 and
they are rinsed with
water. After rinsing is complete, the rinse water is drained and the fibres
remain within the
cylindrical container 42. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the
fibres can then
be moved to another container 42 for a further treatment process or one
container 42 can be
used for all treatment processes, as described further herein below.
In some embodiments the present disclosure, seven treatment processes A, B, C,
D, E,
F and G may be arranged in series. In each treatment process, the fibre is
agitated within the
treatment fluid for a sufficiently long time to obtain a cleaning effect or a
surface
modification or both. The fibre may then be rinsed with water between the
treatment
processes. The fibre component that exits treatment process G is not rinsed.
For treatment process A, the cylindrical container 42 contains water as the
treatment
liquid TLA. The fibres are placed in the water and the fibre-water mixture is
continuously
agitated and heated to about 92 C. The treatment cycle during which the fibre-
water mixture
is exposed to the maximum temperature has a duration of between about 1 minute
and about
20 minutes. Some treatment cycles of the treatment process A have a median
duration of
about 3 minutes. After which, the hot water is drained and the fibre component
is cooled to
about 40 C or lower. Without being bound by any particular theory, the
treatment process A
may decrease the adhesion of the other components to the fibre surfaces.
For treatment process B, the cylindrical container 42 contains a treatment
liquid TLB
that is a mixture of water, anionic surfactants, alkaline builders, water
softening agents such
as those that are present in most commercially-available laundry detergents
(collectively the
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"detergent-like components"). The detergent-like components are present within
the TLB in
a concentration that ranges between about 1% wt/wt to about 5% wt/wt of In
some
embodiments of the present disclosure the concentration of the detergent-like
components
within the TLB is about 2% (wt/wt). The treatment cycle during which the
fibres are exposed
to the TLB has a duration of between about between 2 minutes and about 30
minutes. Some
treatment cycles of the treatment process B have a duration of about 7
minutes. Without
being bound by any particular theory, the treatment process B may remove plant
materials
that adhere to the fibre surfaces by a hydrophilic mechanism.
For treatment process C, the cylindrical container 42 contains a treatment
liquid TLC
that is a mixture of water and an oil component. The oil component can be
selected from one
or more of vegetable oil, mineral oil or a synthetic oil. The oil component
can have a
concentration within the treatment liquid C that ranges from 40% wt/wt to 60%
wt/wt. In
some embodiments of the present disclosure the concentration of the oil
component within
the TLC is about 50% (wt/wt). The treatment cycle during which the fibres are
exposed to
the treatment liquid TLC has a duration of between about 5 minutes and about
30 minutes.
Some treatment cycles of the treatment process C have a duration of about 14
minutes. After
the treatment process C is completed and the treatment liquid TLC is
substantially drained,
some pressure is applied to the fibres to remove some or all of the remaining
treatment liquid
TLC was adhered to the fibre surfaces and this remaining treatment fluid TLC
is drained.
.. Without being bound by any particular theory, the treatment process C may
remove some or
all of the plant materials that adhere to the fibre surfaces via a lipophilic
mechanism.
For treatment process D, the cylindrical container 42 contains a treatment
liquid TLD
that is a mixture of water, one or more surfactants, a hydrotrope, and one or
more salts, such
as those types of components that found in commercially available kitchen
soaps (collectively
the "soap-like components"). The soap-like components are present in the TLD
within a
concentration that ranges from about 0.5% wt/wt to about 5% wt/wt. In some
embodiments
of the present disclosure the concentration of the soap-like components within
the TLD is
about 2.5% (wt/wt). The treatment cycle during which fires are exposed to the
TLD has a
duration of between about 2 and about 30 minutes. In some embodiments of the
present
disclosure the duration of the treatment cycle with the TLD is about 7
minutes. Without
being bound by any particular theory, the treatment process D may remove plant
materials
that adhere to the fibre surfaces due to either or both of a hydrophilic
mechanism and a
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lipophylic mechanism.
For treatment process E, the cylindrical container 42 contains a treatment
liquid TLE
that is a mixture of water and live yeast culture, with an initial
concentration yeast in the
water is within a range of about 0.01% wt/wt to about 1% wt/wt. In some
embodiments of the
present disclosure the concentration of the yeast has an initial median
concentration of about
0.1% (wt/wt). In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the TLE may
additionally or
alternatively to the yeast culture, contain a mixture of water and an amylase
enzyme or one or
more others enzyme with a similar function (collectively the enzyme
component). The
enzyme component can be present in the TLE within a concentration that ranges
from about
0.05% wt/wt to about 2% wt/wt. In some embodiments of the present disclosure
the
concentration of the enzyme component is about 0.5% (wt/wt). The treatment
cycle during
which time for exposure of the fibres to the TLE depends on the weight of
fibre being treated,
the concentration of the yeast and water mixture, and the temperature of the
mixture. For
example exposing the fibres to a high concentration of yeast at 30 C for
between about 1
minutes to about 5 minutes may suffice whereas exposing the fibres to a low
concentration of
yeast at 20 C may require about an hour. Without being bound by any
particular theory, the
treatment process E may reduce a chemical reactivity of the surface of the
fibres.
For treatment process F, the cylindrical container 42 contains a treatment
liquid TLF
that is a mixture of water and protein. In some embodiments of the present
disclosure, the
protein or exudate of the protein can alter the chemical reactivity of the
surface of the fibres.
Some examples of the proteins include, but are not limited to: albumin,
ovalbumin, muco-
proteins and globulins, the denatured state of these proteins, synthetic
proteins, manufactured
protein and combinations thereof The concentrations of protein in the TLF
ranges from about
1% to about 50%. In some embodiments of the present disclosure the
concentration of
protein in the TLF is about 20%. The treatment cycle for treatment process F
has a duration
of about 1 minute to about 5 minutes. Without being bound by any particular
theory,
treatment process F may reduce the chemical reactivity of fibre surfaces.
For treatment process G, the cylindrical container 42 contains a treatment
liquid TLG
that is a mixture of water, one or more detergents and one or more industrial
fabric softeners.
The detergent may have a concentration that ranges from about 0.5% wt/wt to
about 3%
wt/wt. In some embodiments of the present disclosure the concentration of the
detergent is
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about 1.5% (wt/wt). The industrial fabric softener may have a concentration
that ranges from
about 0.5% wt/wt to 3% wt/wt. In some embodiments of the present disclosure
the
concentration of the industrial fabric softener is about 1.5% (wt/wt). The
treatment cycle
during which the fibres are exposed to the detergent and the industrial fabric
softener has a
duration of between about 2 and about 30 minutes. In some embodiments of the
present
disclosure the treatment cycle of treatment process G is about 7 minutes.
Without being
bound by any particular theory, treatment process G may reduce adhesion of one
fibre to
other fibres.
The person skilled in the art will appreciate that the order of treatment
processes A, B,
C, D, E, F and G described may differ, or two or more treatment processes
maybe combined,
or treatment processes may be omitted and these variabilities can result from
the type of fibre
that the apparatus 100 is being used to isolate. The person skilled in the art
will also
appreciate that the treatment process A, B, C, D, E, F and G may occur in
single container 42
or in multiple containers 42.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure a single enzyme-treatment with
an
enzyme, such as pectinase, or an enzyme or an enzyme mixture with a similar
function to
pectinase, may be incorporated into the seven treatment processes A, B, C, D,
E, F and G. In
some embodiments of the present disclosure the enzyme-treatment may replace
one or more
of the seven treatment processes A, B, C, D, E, F and G.
FIG. 8 shows one embodiment of the dryer unit 50, which is also referred to
herein as
the fifth separation-unit. The dryer unit 50 receives individualized fibres
from the fourth
separation-unit 40 by a bulk transfer, such as by hand or tool, or by another
belt (not shown)
of the conveying system 90. The fifth separation-unit 50 may dry the isolated
and collected
fibres in a batch process to produce individualized fibres. The fifth
separation-unit 50 may
comprise a fan 52, a container 54 and a collection filter or bag 56. In
operation, the fibres are
placed inside of the container 54 and the fan 52 moves air through the
container 54 into the
filter 56. Air in the separation-unit 50 moves from the fan 52 to the filter
56 under the
substantially lowest pressure that is required to move the air through the
filter 56. All
components of the fifth separation-unit 50 can be sealed to be airtight except
for the fan 52
and the filter 56. Wet fibres may be placed in container 54 when no air is
moving through an
access hole that can be closed with a sealable and removable lid. Equipment 58
may also be
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positioned within the container 54 such as one or more interacting combs,
brushes and
studded surfaces that can be used to agitate, by lifting and separating, the
wet fibres from
each other. Substantially air-tight gloves 59 can extend through a sidewall of
the container
54 so that a user can agitate the fibres therein with one or more of the tools
58. In some
embodiments of the present disclosure, the collection filter 56 may be made of
woven or non-
woven polyester, a woven or non-woven stainless steel mesh, synthetic
material, of any
material that can function as a filter with the openings that are sized
between about 5 p.m and
about 25 p.m.
Agitating the wet fibres causes the fibres therein to be at least partially
individualized
and at least partially dried. Optionally, the flow of inert gas pushes the at
least partially
individualized and at least partially dried fibres onto a fibre filter for
collection.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the equipment 58 in container
54 may
comprise two or more rotating brushes where the bristles of one brush overlap
with the
neighbouring brush. The brushes rotate in opposite directions. One can brush
pick up wet
fibres from a solid surface and the wet fibres are then passed from one brush
to the next, and
the solid surface, until the fibres are dry. The moving air in container 54
moves the dry fibres
from the brushes to the fibre collection filter 56.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the equipment 58 can comprise a
cone-shaped circular surface one or more projections that extend away from the
surface and
above the surface, and one or more rotating members with filaments that
project away from
the members and below the members. The rotating members move in a plane that
is
substantially parallel to the cone-shaped circular surface. The filaments that
rotate above the
cone-shaped circular surface move between the projections reach this surface.
The one or
more rotating members may be connected to a rotating support member, a central
hub or
other suitable means for supporting and rotating the one or more rotating
members.
The wet fibres are dropped on to the projections at the highest point of the
cone-
shaped surface. The movement of the filaments of the rotating members push the
wet fibres
towards a peripheral edge of the cone-shaped circular surface. Optionally, a
substantially
constant flow of inert gas is directed towards the first surface to help dry
out the wet fibres
while they are being agitated.
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In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the fifth drying-unit 50 may
comprise
a liquid container with an inert fluid that does not react with the material
components of the
fibres. Examples of the inert fluid include, but are not limited to: a fluid-
fluorocarbon and
other natural or synthetic inert fluids, or combinations thereof The
individualised fibres may
be placed in the liquid container, and the fluid and fibres are stirred in a
circular direction.
The inert fluid replaces the water adhering to the fibres which has the effect
of drying the
fibres. The inert fluid adhering to the fibres can then be removed by moving
air.
FIG. 9 shows one embodiment of the fluid-recycling-system 60 that receives
processing fluids from at least the third separation-unit 30. The fluid-
recycling-system 60
collects and recycles processing fluids that are used by the apparatus 100,
specifically the
third separation-unit 30. The fluid-recycling-system 60 comprises one or more
tanks 62 that
are fluidly connected with one or more pumps by one or more fluid conduits.
The processing
of plant straw to produce fibres that are suitable for making textiles
requires relatively large
amounts of processing fluids and particularly liquids. The present disclosure
discusses water
with a portion of the gel component suspended therein as gel particles as an
example of a
suitable processing fluid. It is understood that other processing fluids may
also be produced
and collected and reused in a similar fashion by the fluid-recycling-system
60, as described
herein below.
The use of water during mechanical separation processes may reduce the damage
and
breakage of the individual fibres within the fibre component. The fluid-
recycling-system 60
reduces the water requirements from external sources. In effect, the recycling
system 60 may
improve the economics of the apparatus 100 and decrease the environmental
impact of such
water input and disposal requirements.
Water may have a portion of the gel component therein as a suspension of gel
particles. In some embodiments, the fluid-recycling-system 60 separates some
or most or all
of the gel component from the water so that the water can be recycled back
into the apparatus
100. The water collected by the fluid-recycling-system 60 is directed to a
separation tank 62
by one or more conduits.
The separation tank 62 introduces air into the suspension by a mixing action.
Without
being bound by any particular theory, the air can attach to the suspended gel-
particles causing
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the gel particles to collect into a layer of floating gel-particles. In some
embodiments of the
present disclosure, the separation tank 62 includes one or more rotatable
blades, wires or
fixtures designed to mix, agitate or froth liquid mixtures that can rotate at
around 1000 to
1800 rpm. Optionally, the rotatable blades are positioned below the surface of
the
suspension, for example between about 2.5 cm to about 7.5 cm below the
surface. When the
rotatable blades are rotating at or near these speeds, they can create a
vortex within the
suspension, which forces the air into the suspension.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, it has been observed that about
98%
of the floating gel-particles are positioned at or near the surface of the
tank 62 after only
about 3 minutes of rotation of the rotating blades. The layer of floating gel-
particles needs
between 2 and 3 minutes to form on top of the liquid and suspension in tank
62. Tank 62 is
configured to maintain a substantially calm-surface. After some time, the
majority of the
floating gel-particles float up and collect upon the substantially calm-
surface of the liquid in
the tank 62.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the layer of floating gel
particles is
then conveyed by the moving liquid in tank 62. The liquid in tank 62 moves
through tank 62
when the liquids from the third separation-unit 30 enter tank 62 at one end of
the tank and
one or more pumps remove the liquids from the opposite end of tank 62. Tank 62
comprises
a separator 64 that can be a skimming floater or a rotating disc, as described
further below.
The skimming floater is in fluid communication with a suction pump 66 that
removes the
floating gel-particles, which may also be referred to herein as gum, from the
surface of the
skim tank 62. The suction pump can attach to a hose that redirects the gum to
a container
outside the tank.
Alternatively, the separator 64 is one or more rotating discs of which the
bottom half
is submerged in the water. The discs can be positioned vertically or slanted
while positioned
in the water. The surface of the discs would attract the floating or suspended
gums, which
may consist of material that attracts gums, such as Teflon, aluminum oxide,
fabrics or
sponges of any suitable type. As the discs rotate they lift gums out of the
water. A boom
comprised of a length of metal, plastic or synthetic material touches the half
of the disc that is
not in the water and wipes, scrapes or rubs the gums off of the discs. The
surface of this
boom may be grooved to allow the gums being removed to flow down the boom and
can
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attach to a hose that redirects the gum to a container outside the tank.
Optionally, the
removed gel-particles may be collected for further use.
Once some or substantially all of the gel-particles are removed from the
suspension,
the gel-particle content of the suspension is substantially decreased. For the
purposes of the
present disclosure, at this point the suspension is a liquid that is
substantially water, which is
referred to herein as recovered water. For example, in using some embodiments
of the
present disclosure, it has been observed about 1% to 3 % (wt/wt) of gel-
particles remain in
the recovered water. The recovered water may then be introduced back into the
apparatus
100 by a pump and one or more of the jets 14, 141 for use in one or more of
the separation
units 10, 20, 30, 40 or at other positon within the apparatus 100.
Substantially decreasing the gel-particle content of the recovered water
avoids
introducing gel particles into the apparatus 100, which is desirable because
reintroduced gel-
particles may interfere with some of the various functions of the apparatus
100. Among other
things, reintroduced gel-particles can interfere with one or more belts or
rollers of the
conveying system 90, one or more rollers of the first and second separation-
units 10, 20 and
possibly one or more of the various components of the third separation-unit
30.
Some embodiment of the present disclosure use one or more jets 14111 at
various points
within the apparatus 100. The jets 14111 can be advantageous in separating the
fibre
component from the stalk component and/or the gel component. In some
embodiments of the
present disclosure, the fluid-recycling-system 60 reduces the loss of
processing fluids and,
therefore, the more jets 14111 may be used without substantially increasing
the processing fluid
input requirements. For example, in some embodiments of the present
disclosure, the
apparatus 100 comprises at least two sets of further jets 14111 that direct a
pressurized
processing fluids at the fibre component and the gel component upon the third
belt 93 before
the opposed rollers 32.
In use, the apparatus 100 performs a method of processing plant straw for
separating
the fibre component from the stalk component and the gel component. The method
comprises at least the steps of collecting plant straw; retting the plant
straw to produce a pre-
processed plant-straw product for use as a process input; separating the stalk
component of
the input from a fibre component and a gel component by friction and spraying
with the
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processing fluid under medium pressure. The method further comprises the steps
of
transferring most of the stalk component away from the fibre component and the
gel
component for drying and later use; separating the gel component from the
fibre component
by compressing the gel component through a mesh and collecting the fibre
component from a
first side of the mesh and collecting a suspension of gel particles in the
processing fluid.
Optionally, the method further comprises the steps of collecting the
processing fluid;
mixing the processing fluid to introduce air therein for causing the suspended
gel particles
within the processing fluid to float; removing and collecting the floating gel-
particles to
produce recovered water. Optionally the recovered water can be used during one
or more of
the steps described above.
FIG. 10 shows a logic-flowchart that depicts another embodiment of the present
disclosure that relates to a method for separating a fibre component from a
retted-straw input.
The dotted lines represent optional process-steps that include a second water
and detergent
recycler for processing larger amounts of fibre.
22
