Attempt to explain pyrolysis technologies with agricultural machinery :-)
Not only in the last few weeks have I been asked again and again what the difference is between a MIDI system and a simple batch system that only costs a tenth. "Both systems still doing pyrolysis, don't they?" is the frequently asked question. The answer, according to the Radio Yerevan joke, should be "In principle, yes, but ..."
Here I would like to make a comparison with agriculture and hope that the differences are easier to explain. Here I would like to make a comparison with agriculture and hope that the differences are easier to explain.
All machines only do "farming", don't they?
The "Steam Engine"
The simple batch pyrolysis plants, which are sometimes even heated with wood logs, are comparable to the old steam engines, where the threshing plant was driven by a drive belt.
They made the grain harvest much easier for the farmer and were the beginning of industrial farm work.
The "Lanz Bulldog"
This diesel tractor, which was started with a hand crank, was a significant further development. Now various tools, such as a plow or harrow, could be pulled across the field. The tractor operator, a human being, was responsible for steering the tractor, whose great skill was to drive across the field line by line.
This state of the art can be compared with the indirectly flue gas heated rotary kilns, which are now in continuous operation.
The nearby village heard the roaring boom-boom-boom of the single-cylinder diesel engine and saw the black clouds coming out of the top of the exhaust. Some still love it today ...
This state of the art can be compared with the indirectly flue gas heated rotary kilns, which are now in continuous operation.
The "state of the art tractor"
Most of today's tractors (like Fendt oder Claas) have appropriate suspensions so that tools for plowing, sowing, mowing, drying, transporting and splitting wood can be changed quickly and relatively easily.
But it is always only one operation that can be carried out with one tractor. If you want to carry out several work steps, then several tractors are needed.
Similarly, today's pyrolysis systems are designed for one primary task:
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Now we could open the discussion here with diesel or gasoline engine. I see the rotary kiln pyrolysis as diesel tractors. The screw pyrolysis reactor would then be a gasoline engine...
Yes, there are also petrol engines that run for several 100,000 kilometers, but modern diesel engines are more robust and durable, aren't they?
And the electric tractor is perhaps a larger laboratory oven? We will see in the near future...
The "farm machines"
In addition to air-conditioned driver's cabs, the latest generation of agricultural machinery also has satellite-based navigation systems, which are neatly arranged row by row to optimize time and energy consumption. However, in addition to many sensors, this also requires a professional control system... In the near future, these machines will probably be allowed to work in the field without any driver.
And this is where we slowly come to the early MIDI systems. These are designed with many sensors for fully automatic unmanned operation.
The "farming systems"
And then there are machines that can prepare the soil, sow or plant and fertilize directly in a single pass. They are therefore a complex combination of individual tools in a coordinated system.
And that brings us to the MIDI system:
In addition, we have also included further options in the MIDI modular system in order to work even more efficiently in the future and to enable an AI to control the highly complex system in such a way that it generates the greatest profit.
Summary
Of course, I can still work a field with a nostalgically chugging Lanz, but is this really efficient and, above all, is it economical enough for an investor?
I hope that I have been able to illustrate the price differences in the area of pyrolysis systems using examples from the agricultural sector.
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1 年Happy new year Dirk! Love that analogy between tractors and pyrolysis systems. However, I would like to see more detailed benefits of your MIDI-system as the three features you described really can be accomplished even by low tech pyrolysis systems. I mean, just looking at your drawing, modularity and mobility come to my mind. You don't talk about electrical heating. You don't talk about product quality. You don't talk about thermal efficiency. You don't show a video proof of an installation. You don't talk about CO2 footprint. Should I help you market your technology? It would be a pleasure.
Materials and Bioeconomy Research Leader
1 年This is a useful analogy. Thanks.
"Biotech Engineer & Entrepreneur"
1 年Thanks for sharing Dirk Gerlach Also, happy new year
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1 年This article underscores environmental sustainability's parallel importance in advanced pyrolysis systems and modern agricultural practices. Much like the latest tractors and farming equipment designed to minimise environmental impact, MIDI pyrolysis systems often incorporate technology to reduce emissions and manage byproducts responsibly. Advanced pyrolysis systems can contribute to sustainability goals by efficiently converting waste into useful products, just as precision agriculture helps in sustainable land use and crop production.