Patents by Inventor Donald Wade Harby

Donald Wade Harby has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20090188160
    Abstract: The biomass log fuel has not been commercialized due to difficulties in mass-producing the logs at low cost. The current invention solves this problem by introducing a three-step compaction process: pre-compaction, final compaction, and ejection. While a rotary feeder/compressor is used to perform pre-compaction, a ram driven by a toggle mechanism performs final compaction rapidly and efficiently. A press implementing the three-step compaction is designed and described. This invention should improve the cost-effectiveness of biomass solid fuel or feedstock. Biomass materials such as yard waste, corn stover and switchgrass are compacted at high pressure to form dense “biomass logs” without binder or heat. Biomass logs serve as a solid fuel for heating buildings, and as feedstock for bio-reactors for liquefaction or gasification. Densifying the uncompacted fluffy biomass reduces space needed for storage, decreases the number of vehicles needed to transport biomass, and increases the energy density of fuel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2008
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Inventors: Henry Liu, Yuyi Lin, Donald Wade Harby, Kirk Lawton Haynes