Abstract: A pressurized torrefaction reactor vessel including: a rotatable shaft extending vertically down from a top of the vessel; scraper devices each at a different elevation within the vessel and mounted to the shaft; a tray associated with each one of the scraper devices such that the scraper device is immediately above a tray of the tray assembly; wherein the tray is an open mesh and impermeable to passage of biomass through the tray; each tray includes a discharge opening to transfer biomass from the tray and down to a tray of a lower one of the tray assemblies, and wherein the discharge opening in the lowermost tray assembly transfers the biomass to a pile of the biomass in the vessel, and a bottom discharge port of the vessel through which the torrefied biomass is discharged.

Abstract: A method for torrefaction of biomass using a torrefaction reactor vessel having stacked trays including: feeding the biomass to an upper inlet of the vessel; cascading the biomass down through the trays by passing the biomass through an opening in each of the trays to deposit the biomass on a lower tray; heating the biomass material with an oxygen deprived gas; extracting moisture from below each of the upper trays; as the biomass undergoes torrefaction in the lower trays retaining the gas with the biomass until the biomass falls from the stacked trays to a pile of biomass in the reactor vessel; exhausting gases containing organic compounds through a gas outlet at an elevation between the stacked trays and the pile of biomass, and discharging torrefied biomass from the torrefaction reactor vessel.