Abstract: The present invention discloses a method for the production of low ash activated charcoal from a carbon-containing raw material such as peat, in which method a damp mass of raw material is subjected to a hydrothermal carbonization process, in which the mass is heated to a temperature of 150 to 350 C and the process pressure increased to 10 to 40 bar, and the carbonized material obtained from the hydrothermal carbonization process is activated by heating it to a temperature above 400° C. The present invention further relates to the use of carbonized material obtained from the hydrothermal carbonization process for the production of activated charcoal.

Abstract: The invention for utilizing thermal energy of gases generated in a BtL plant. A feature of the invention is that the thermal energy of discharge gas streams generated in the BtL plant is used for driving various compressor machineries and/or electricity generation, whereby the plant can operate as a stand-alone facility.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for utilizing distillation fractions obtained from distillation of tall oil in a BtL plant. The essential feature of the method allows utilization of tall oil obtained from cellulose plants that is processed into different fractions and passed to different points of the BtL process for producing biofuels and utilizing the same in the gasification step and/or energy generation for the BtL process.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for producing a fuel by gasification in a high-temperature gasifier such as a dust gasifier. An essential feature of the invention is that in the method the dust gasifier is operated by way of co-feeding along with peat dust another kind of biomass dust such as ground wood-based biomass, soil biomass and/or some other similar biomass.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for heating the drying air of a biomass dryer, such as the drying air used in a wire belt conveyor. An essential feature of the invention is that the heating of the drying air takes place with the help of a water-glycol mixture or other equivalent nonfreezing medium flowing in an intermediate circuit, whereby a plant producing biodiesel obtains thermal energy for drying from another nearby-located industrial plant such as a pulp or paper mill.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for producing horticultural or fuel peat, in which the peat is removed from a bog, the removed peat is transferred from the bog to a drying field a distance away, in which the moved peat is dried, mainly by exploiting direct solar energy, so that the peat dries due to the effect of the solar radiation and the wind, after drying, the peat is moved from the drying location to further use or storage. The drying field is a special surfaced field, essentially impermeable to water, created for drying, and the peat is spread on the field as a thin 1-15 cm layer of a high-consistency mass, with a solids content of 8-30%.

Abstract: A method and reactor for processing fuels with a wide particle size distribution, particularly for flame combustion. The fuel is blown tangentially with the aid of an airflow into a swirl chamber containing a burning mass, thus creating a vortex, from the center of which a flow of material is led out of the swirl chamber. The vortex created by the feed of the fuel-air mixture and the diameter of the outlet flow are arranged to create a selective delay for coarse particles, so that the size of the particles is reduced, through mechanical treatment caused by evaporation, pyrolysis, and collision, to become smaller than the desired limit value, before they escape from the swirl chamber. The temperature of the cylindrical jacket of the swirl chamber is held below the melting point of the ash.

Abstract: An arrangement for converting a conventional oil boiler to a boiler with moist, granular and solid fuel, utilizes a fuel combustion gas dryer connected to the combustion gas line of the boiler, and a solid fuel combustion device to replace the oil burner. The combustion gas dryer is a so-called circulating fluidized bed (CFB) dryer together with a particle separator and a combustion gas center tap has been fitted into the oil boiler, through which center tap hot combustion gas has been set to be mixed with combustion gases of the normal outlet in the desired proportion in order to regulate the temperature of the drying gas of the dryer. The combustion devices may include a cyclone burner.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process and an apparatus for the removal of sparingly-soluble gaseous substances, especially sulfur-containing substances from waste gases with the aid of microorganisms. The waste gas containing the sparingly-soluble gas is directed (24) in the form of small gas bubbles into a suspension (16) of degrading microorganisms. A gas which has been pre-cleaned in this way is preferably led to another bioreactor (10), where microorganisms degrade the contaminant. The invention also relates to a new microorganism which is capable of degrading carbon disulfide and hydrogen sulfide.

Abstract: A wastewater tank intended for use in a small sewage treatment plant. A spiral pipe is coiled around the exterior casing of the tank and is structurally secured to that casing, so that the pipe imparts structural stiffness to the tank. For example, the casing and pipe may be of a thermoplastic material and are thermoplastically welded together so that the pipe is structurally attached to the casing. Wastewater passes in turn through the multiple treatment spaces in the tank, to undergo pre-sedimentation, flocculation, and clarification.

Abstract: A method and mixer for mixing peat and sludge into a homogenous mass, in which method the peat and sludge is mixed by pressurizing the pre-mixed mass for some time, when the sludge is absorbed by and bound in the peat. The mixer in accordance with the invention includes a silo (1) and a screw conveyor (4) located beneath it, from which the mass is squeezed out through a nozzle (10).