Patents by Inventor Jan Vyskocil

Jan Vyskocil 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).

  • Patent number: 9956539
    Abstract: Within the scope of hydrothermal carbonization, biomass is converted to bio-coal and other products. Because biomass occurs at irregular intervals at different locations and also, in part, only individual method steps are required at different locations, however, an apparatus for treatment of biomass is integrated into a variable, mobile container, and mobile containers adapted to the individual steps of the method are provided, which can be transported in compact manner and can be adapted, in terms of size, in the setup situation. This arrangement allows effective equipping of the individual containers, which can be expanded into a setup situation on location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: AVA-CO2 Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Jan Vyskocil, Stepan Kusche
  • Patent number: 9816191
    Abstract: Known phosphorus recovery methods from liquid phases proceed from the presence of ammonia or nitrate, and phosphate, in the liquid phase. Wastewater that is supposed to be freed of nitrate and phosphate pollution in sewage treatment facilities can be used as the liquid phase. In electrochemical methods, a magnesium electrode is used as a sacrificial anode, and ammonium and phosphate together are bound to the magnesium to form struvite, which in turn can be used in agriculture as a fertilizer, in useful manner. In an alternative method of procedure, first, only phosphates are removed from a liquid phase that occurs from the filtration of products of hydrothermal carbonization. A magnesium electrode is used as the cathode, so that the resulting magnesium phosphate does not go into solution and first must be precipitated, but rather is removed from the electrolysis cell directly with the cathode, after the reaction occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: AVA-CO2 Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Jan Vyskocil, Stepan Kusche, François Badoux
  • Patent number: 9637383
    Abstract: Known methods for hydrothermal carbonization are very time intensive, as the carbonization reaction only proceeds gradually in the biomass used therefor. This is because of the different reaction conditions prevailing in different parts of the biomass. These also cause an inhomogeneous reaction product. To accelerate the method and to improve the result, the biomass is swirled inside the available reaction space with the aid of blower nozzles, which blow in the steam at a high speed so that the biomass is swirled. This ensures that the carbonization reaction can proceed uniformly and promptly after the biomass is introduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Orfist AG
    Inventors: Jan Vyskocil, Peter Achermann, Francois Badoux
  • Publication number: 20170007980
    Abstract: A process for the production of high-quality activated carbons from carbonized, self-regenerating, carbon-containing biomasses selects the carbonized biomasses from HTC carbon from fruit stones and HTC carbon from nut shells. The carbonized biomasses together with potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide or a mixture of both hydroxides as activator are subjected to a heat treatment at temperatures at which the activator exists in the form of a melt. The activator and the carbonized biomasses are present in a weight ratio of 0.5:1 to 6:1 at the beginning of the heat treatment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2016
    Publication date: January 12, 2017
    Applicant: AVA-CO2 Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Jan VYSKOCIL, Olga SAHIN, Mei Yun LAI, Andrea KRUSE
  • Patent number: 9416030
    Abstract: Within the scope of hydrothermal carbonization of biomass, not only the main product, coal, but also the platform chemical 5-hydroxymethyl furfural, as well as furfural and levulinic acid, are formed. These are extracted from the process water of the carbonization reaction. However, in this connection, the problem exists that humic substances deposit on the container walls of the extraction column and can only be removed again by means of great cleaning effort. Furthermore, oligomers clearly worsen the purity of the product. This problem is solved by a filtration cascade through which the process water passes before extraction. In this connection, first the impurities mentioned are removed in a first filtration stage, and the remaining products and educts are separated from one another in a second filtration stage. Only the products are passed to extraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: AVA-CO2 Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Jan Vyskocil, Stephan Koehler, François Badoux
  • Publication number: 20160060141
    Abstract: Within the scope of hydrothermal carbonization of biomass, not only the main product, coal, but also the platform chemical 5-hydroxymethyl furfural, as well as furfural and levulinic acid, are formed. These are extracted from the process water of the carbonization reaction. However, in this connection, the problem exists that humic substances deposit on the container walls of the extraction column and can only be removed again by means of great cleaning effort. Furthermore, oligomers clearly worsen the purity of the product. This problem is solved by a filtration cascade through which the process water passes before extraction. In this connection, first the impurities mentioned are removed in a first filtration stage, and the remaining products and educts are separated from one another in a second filtration stage. Only the products are passed to extraction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2014
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: AVA-CO2 SCHWEIZ AG
    Inventors: Jan VYSKOCIL, Stephan KOEHLER, François BADOUX
  • Publication number: 20160038913
    Abstract: A process for the production of high-quality activated carbons from carbonized, self-regenerating, carbon-containing biomasses selects the carbonized biomasses from HTC carbon from fruit stones and HTC carbon from nut shells. The carbonized biomasses together with potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide or a mixture of both hydroxides as activator are subjected to a heat treatment at temperatures at which the activator exists in the form of a melt. The activator and the carbonized biomasses are present in a weight ratio of 0.5:1 to 6:1 at the beginning of the heat treatment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Applicant: AVA-CO2 SCHWEIZ AG
    Inventors: Jan VYSKOCIL, Olga SAHIN, Mei Yun LAI, Andrea KRUSE
  • Patent number: 9238583
    Abstract: Known methods for hydrothermal carbonization are very time-intensive, as the carbonization reaction only proceeds gradually in the biomass used therefore. This is because of the different reaction conditions prevailing in different parts of the biomass. These also cause an inhomogeneous reaction product. The object of the invention is both to accelerate the method and to improve the result. This is achieved by swirling the biomass inside the available reaction space with the aid of blower nozzles, which blow in the steam at a high speed so that the biomass is swirled. This ensures that the carbonization reaction can proceed uniformly and promptly after the biomass is introduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: Orfist AG
    Inventors: Jan Vyskocil, Peter Achermann, Francois Badoux
  • Publication number: 20150368104
    Abstract: Known methods for hydrothermal carbonization are very time intensive, as the carbonization reaction only proceeds gradually in the biomass used therefor. This is because of the different reaction conditions prevailing in different parts of the biomass. These also cause an inhomogeneous reaction product. To accelerate the method and to improve the result, the biomass is swirled inside the available reaction space with the aid of blower nozzles, which blow in the steam at a high speed so that the biomass is swirled. This ensures that the carbonization reaction can proceed uniformly and promptly after the biomass is introduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Publication date: December 24, 2015
    Applicant: Orfist AG
    Inventors: Jan VYSKOCIL, Peter ACHERMANN, Francois BADOUX
  • Publication number: 20150299874
    Abstract: Known phosphorus recovery methods from liquid phases proceed from the presence of ammonia or nitrate, and phosphate, in the liquid phase. Wastewater that is supposed to be freed of nitrate and phosphate pollution in sewage treatment facilities can be used as the liquid phase. In electrochemical methods, a magnesium electrode is used as a sacrificial anode, and ammonium and phosphate together are bound to the magnesium to form struvite, which in turn can be used in agriculture as a fertilizer, in useful manner. In an alternative method of procedure, first, only phosphates are removed from a liquid phase that occurs from the filtration of products of hydrothermal carbonization. A magnesium electrode is used as the cathode, so that the resulting magnesium phosphate does not go into solution and first must be precipitated, but rather is removed from the electrolysis cell directly with the cathode, after the reaction occurs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2015
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Applicant: AVA-CO2 SCHWEIZ AG
    Inventors: Jan VYSKOCIL, Stepan KUSCHE, François BADOUX
  • Publication number: 20150266001
    Abstract: Within the scope of hydrothermal carbonization, biomass is converted to bio-coal and other products. Because biomass occurs at irregular intervals at different locations and also, in part, only individual method steps are required at different locations, however, an apparatus for treatment of biomass is integrated into a variable, mobile container, and mobile containers adapted to the individual steps of the method are provided, which can be transported in compact manner and can be adapted, in terms of size, in the setup situation. This arrangement allows effective equipping of the individual containers, which can be expanded into a setup situation on location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Applicant: AVA-CO2 SCHWEIZ AG
    Inventors: Jan VYSKOCIL, Stepan KUSCHE
  • Publication number: 20150259209
    Abstract: It is the goal of a hydrothermal carbonization reaction to obtain the best possible yield of specific substances, for example the greatest possible carbon yield. However, biomass of very different types and grades is fed into the process, so that the reaction can take place very differently within each individual batch. Influencing the process is generally problematical, because the process proceeds in closed manner. For this reason, it is proposed to assign a sensor or an analysis device for the total organic carbon for the dissolved organic carbon, or for fractions of the total organic carbon. An adaptation of the process parameters can then be undertaken manually or by way of a process controller, as a function of the sensor's measurement results.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Publication date: September 17, 2015
    Applicant: AVA-CO2 SCHWEIZ AG
    Inventor: Jan VYSKOCIL
  • Publication number: 20150209692
    Abstract: Hydrothermal carbonization allows the production of charcoal from biomass. However, this biomass can at the beginning of the carbonization process contain constituents which are not suitable for carbonization. Apart from large contaminants such as broken glass, etc., these constituents are, in particular, sand and clay, with the clay not being able to be removed by simple filtration methods because of its fineness. The invention therefore provides for process water to be taken from the reaction space and subjected to purification in a sedimentation filter after the carbonization reaction has commenced and the clay is no longer held in the biomass. The process water is then sprayed back into the reaction space in order to keep the biomass/process water mixture in motion and avoid sedimentation of the clay at the bottom of the reaction space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2013
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Applicant: AVA-CO2 SCHWEIZ AG
    Inventor: Jan Vyskocil
  • Publication number: 20140023580
    Abstract: Known methods for hydrothermal carbonization are very time-intensive, as the carbonization reaction only proceeds gradually in the biomass used therefor. This is because of the different reaction conditions prevailing in different parts of the biomass. These also cause an inhomogeneous reaction product. The object of the invention is both to accelerate the method and to improve the result. This is achieved by swirling the biomass inside the available reaction space with the aid of blower nozzles, which blow in the steam at a high speed so that the biomass is swirled. This ensures that the carbonization reaction can proceed uniformly and promptly after the biomass is introduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2012
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: ORFIST AG
    Inventors: Jan Vyskocil, Peter Achermann