Patents by Inventor Masaki Tsuzawa

Masaki Tsuzawa 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: 20220315437
    Abstract: A system for processing a waste lithium-ion battery includes: a first aqueous solution generator that includes a first elution tank storing water, and that immerses an active material taken out from the waste lithium-ion battery in the water in the first elution tank and subjects the active material to carbon dioxide bubbling in the first elution tank to generate an aqueous solution of pH 5.5 to 8.5, in which lithium contained in the active material is eluted; a first solid-liquid separator that removes a solid component from the aqueous solution generated by the first aqueous solution generator; a first crystallizer that causes lithium carbonate to be deposited from the aqueous solution, from which the solid component has been removed by the first solid-liquid separator; and a second solid-liquid separator that performs solid-liquid separation on slurry containing the lithium carbonate deposited in the first crystallizer to take out the lithium carbonate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Fuminori ANDO, Hiroaki OSAWA, Shoji TAKADA, Chie NAKAJIMA, Mariko YAMASHITA, Masahiro SUGATA, Koji FUKUMOTO, Masaki TSUZAWA, Ryosuke NAGAI
  • Publication number: 20220140412
    Abstract: A system for and a method of processing a waste lithium-ion battery make it possible to improve heat treatment efficiency and to heat-treat a large-sized waste lithium-ion battery without disassembling the battery. One example of the system for processing a waste lithium-ion battery includes a heater that heat-treats a waste lithium-ion battery at a heating temperature of lower than 400° C. to decompose and remove an electrolyte solution from the waste lithium-ion battery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Fuminori ANDO, Hiroaki OSAWA, Chie NAKAJIMA, Mariko YAMASHITA, Masahiro SUGATA, Koji FUKUMOTO, Masaki TSUZAWA, Ryosuke NAGAI
  • Patent number: 10344342
    Abstract: A method of producing a saccharified solution, in which saccharified slurry is obtained by hydrothermally treating cellulosic biomass slurry in a supercritical state or a subcritical state by a continuous reactor. The method reduces the risk of a pressure reducing valve becoming clogged when the high-temperature and high-pressure slurry is flash-evaporated after being hydrothermally treated. Also provides an apparatus for producing a saccharified solution and a continuous reactor. At the time of hydrothermally treating the cellulosic biomass slurry by the continuous reactor continuously, the slurry is intensely stirred in a front part of the continuous reactor, and stirred in a rear part of the continuous reactor by a stirring device with low propelling force, such that the plug flow in the axial direction is kept while the slurry is being uniformly mixed with respect to the cross section perpendicular to the mixing axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromasa Kusuda, Noriaki Izumi, Hironori Tajiri, Shoji Tsujita, Masaki Tsuzawa
  • Patent number: 9920293
    Abstract: A saccharification-reaction apparatus includes: a reactor which causes a saccharification-reaction of a raw material; and a raw material charging device which charges the raw material into the reactor at a predetermined interval; the reactor includes: a heating steam feeder which increases a temperature of the raw material charged from the charging device to a saccharification-reaction temperature; and a feeding mechanism which sequentially feeds each of the charged raw materials toward an outlet-port in a predetermined short period of time while causing the saccharification-reaction of each raw material under a high temperature and pressure; the raw material charging-device charges into the reactor, the raw material with a suitable bulk density for a saccharification-reaction speed of the reactor; in this manner, the saccharification-reaction apparatus charges the raw material in a hydrolytic saccharification state into the reactor by the raw material charging device; and hydrolytically saccharifying the raw
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi Nishino, Noriaki Izumi, Hironori Tajiri, Hiromasa Kusuda, Masaki Tsuzawa
  • Patent number: 9850550
    Abstract: A saccharide recovering method for recovering saccharides from a saccharified slurry obtained after subjecting a slurry of cellulosic biomass to a hot water treatment and to provide a washing device for washing a saccharified slurry residue suited for conducting such a saccharide recovery method is provided. Saccharified slurry of cellulosic biomass is fed on a conveyor having a net conveyor belt, the saccharified slurry is dehydrated, washing water is sprayed to dissolve saccharides remaining in the residue into the washing liquid. The residue is washed by a plurality of washing water spraying units disposed in series in such a manner that the moving direction of the residue and the moving direction of the washing water are opposite to each other. The washing water having washed the residue is used as washing water for washing water spraying unit in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shoji Tsujita, Noriaki Izumi, Hironori Tajiri, Hiromasa Kusuda, Masaki Tsuzawa
  • Publication number: 20160312319
    Abstract: A method of producing a saccharified solution, in which saccharified slurry is obtained by hydrothermally treating cellulosic biomass slurry in a supercritical state or a subcritical state by a continuous reactor. The method reduces the risk of a pressure reducing valve becoming clogged when the high-temperature and high-pressure slurry is flash-evaporated after being hydrothermally treated. Also provides an apparatus for producing a saccharified solution and a continuous reactor. At the time of hydrothermally treating the cellulosic biomass slurry by the continuous reactor continuously, the slurry is intensely stirred in a front part of the continuous reactor, and stirred in a rear part of the continuous reactor by a stirring device with low propelling force, such that the plug flow in the axial direction is kept while the slurry is being uniformly mixed with respect to the cross section perpendicular to the mixing axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Publication date: October 27, 2016
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromasa KUSUDA, Noriaki IZUMI, Hironori TAJIRI, Shoji TSUJITA, Masaki TSUZAWA
  • Publication number: 20160108355
    Abstract: A saccharification-reaction apparatus includes: a reactor which causes a saccharification-reaction of a raw material; and a raw material charging device which charges the raw material into the reactor at a predetermined interval; the reactor includes: a heating steam feeder which increases a temperature of the raw material charged from the charging device to a saccharification-reaction temperature; and a feeding mechanism which sequentially feeds each of the charged raw materials toward an outlet-port in a predetermined short period of time while causing the saccharification-reaction of each raw material under a high temperature and pressure; the raw material charging-device charges into the reactor, the raw material with a suitable bulk density for a saccharification-reaction speed of the reactor; in this manner, the saccharification-reaction apparatus charges the raw material in a hydrolytic saccharification state into the reactor by the raw material charging device; and hydrolytically saccharifying the raw
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2013
    Publication date: April 21, 2016
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi NISHINO, Noriaki IZUMI, Hironori TAJIRI, Hiromasa KUSUDA, Masaki TSUZAWA
  • Publication number: 20150354018
    Abstract: A method for producing a concentrated saccharified solution using lignocellulosic biomass as a source material. The method includes filtering a saccharified solution obtained by hydrolysis of cellulosic biomass through a membrane separator having a separation membrane having a molecular cutoff ranging from 1000 or more and 7000 or less, and feeding it to a reverse osmosis membrane device to concentrate the same. By such treatment, the saccharides having small molecular weights contained in the saccharified solution are transferred to the filtrate, and the lignin and its decomposition product having large molecular weights are drained as a concentrated solution from the membrane separator. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent loss of saccharides contained in the saccharified solution, and to easily prevent occurrence of fouling in the reverse osmosis membrane used in concentration of the saccharified solution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2013
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Inventors: Takashi NISHINO, Noriaki IZUMI, Hironori TAJIRI, Hiromasa KUSUDA, Masaki TSUZAWA
  • Publication number: 20150329925
    Abstract: A saccharide recovering method for recovering saccharides from a saccharified slurry obtained after subjecting a slurry of cellulosic biomass to a hot water treatment and to provide a washing device for washing a saccharified slurry residue suited for conducting such a saccharide recovery method is provided. Saccharified slurry of cellulosic biomass is fed on a conveyor having a net conveyor belt, the saccharified slurry is dehydrated, washing water is sprayed to dissolve saccharides remaining in the residue into the washing liquid. The residue is washed by a plurality of washing water spraying units disposed in series in such a manner that the moving direction of the residue and the moving direction of the washing water are opposite to each other. The washing water having washed the residue is used as washing water for washing water spraying unit in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the conveyor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2013
    Publication date: November 19, 2015
    Inventors: Shoji TSUJITA, Noriaki IZUMI, Hironori TAJIRI, Hiromasa KUSUDA, Masaki TSUZAWA
  • Patent number: 8505746
    Abstract: A dope solution for membrane production comprising polyethersulfone having high strength, high water permeability, a high rejecting ability and excellent contamination resistance, a separation membrane, and a process for producing the separation membrane are provided. The dope solution for membrane production contains a polyethersulfone and a solvent for thermally induced phase separation selected from the group consisting of 3-pyridinemethanol, 4-methyl-1,3-dioxolane-2-one, 4-benzylpiperidine, trimethyl phosphate, 1,3-dioxolane-2-one and mixtures thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaki Tsuzawa, Hideto Matsuyama
  • Publication number: 20100294713
    Abstract: [Problem] A dope solution for membrane production comprising polyethersulfone having high strength, high water permeability, a high rejecting ability and excellent contamination resistance, a separation membrane, and a process for producing the separation membrane are provided. [Means for Resolution] A dope solution for membrane production comprising polyethersulfone, and a solvent for thermally induced phase separation, in which a member selected from the group consisting of 3-pyridinemethanol, 4-methyl-1,3-dioxolane-2-one, 4-benzylpiperidine, trimethyl phosphate, 1,3-dioxolane-2-one and mixtures thereof is used as the solvent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Publication date: November 25, 2010
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaki Tsuzawa, Hideto Matsuyama