Biomass hydrothermal decomposition apparatus, temperature control method thereof, and organic raw material production system using biomass material
View Patent ↗A biomass hydrothermal decomposition apparatus that feeds a solid biomass material 11 from one side of an apparatus body 42 , feeds hot water 15 from the other side, to hydrothermally decompose the biomass material 11 while bringing the biomass material 11 into counter contact with the hot water 15 , dissolves hot-water soluble fractions in hot water, discharges the hot water to outside from the one side of the apparatus body 42 as a hot-water effluent 16 , and discharges a biomass solid (a hot water insoluble) 17 to outside from the other side. The biomass hydrothermal decomposition apparatus includes an effective reaction region A formed from the other side to the one side of the apparatus body 42 , in which a feeding temperature of the hot water 15 (for example, 200° C.) is maintained for a predetermined period of time to cause hydrothermal decomposition, and a temperature drop region B in which a temperature is rapidly dropped to a temperature (for example, 140° C.) at which the hot-water soluble fractions are not excessively decomposed (for example, from 200° C. to 140° C.), immediately after it is out of the effective reaction region A.
1. A temperature control method of a biomass hydrothermal decomposition apparatus, the method comprising:
using a biomass hydrothermal decomposition apparatus that feeds a solid biomass material including cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin from one side of an apparatus body;
feeding pressurized hot water from the other side of the apparatus body, to hydrothermally decompose the biomass material while bringing the biomass material into counter contact with the pressurized hot water;
dissolving hot-water soluble fractions in the pressurized hot water;
discharging the pressurized hot water to outside from the one side of the apparatus body;
discharging the biomass material to outside from the other side of the apparatus body;
preparing a temperature adjusting apparatus provided between the other side and the one side of the apparatus body, the temperature adjusting apparatus including:
a plurality of heating-medium feeding units for maintaining a feeding temperature of the pressurized hot water and
a plurality of cooling-medium feeding units provided downstream of the plurality of heating-medium feeding units, for cooling the temperature of the pressurized hot water:
maintaining the feeding temperature of the pressurized hot water with the plurality of heating-medium feeding units and providing an effective reaction region where the feeding temperature of the pressurized hot water is maintained, so as to hydrothermally decompose the biomass material in the effective reaction region and dissolve hemicellulose and lignin components into the pressurized hot water; and
cooling the pressurized hot water with the plurality of cooling-medium feeding units so as to provide at least two regions,
wherein at the cooling the pressurized hot water,
a first temperature drop region of the at least two regions, where a temperature of the pressurized hot water is lower than that of the effective reaction region, is provided downstream of the effective reaction region, and
a second temperature drop region of the at least two regions, where a temperature of the pressurized hot water is lower than that of the first temperature drop region, is provided downstream of first temperature drop region,
wherein in the first temperature drop region, dissolving of a hemicellulose component which changes to a sugar is suppressed,
wherein in the second temperature drop region, dissolving of the hemicellulose component is further suppressed,
wherein
the feeding temperature of the pressurized hot water is a predetermined temperature that is higher than 180° C. and equal to or lower than 240° C.,
the first temperature drop region is a temperature range that is lower than the feeding temperature and equal to or higher than 180° C., and
the second temperature drop region is a temperature range that is lower than 180° C. and equal to or higher than 140° C.