Apparatus and process for treating waste wood

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR TREATING WASTE WOOD TO PRODUCE USABLE WOOD CHIPS, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: A. GRINDING SAID WASTE WOOD TO PRODUCE WOOD CHIPS; B. MAGNETICALLY SEPARATING SAID WOOD CHIPS FROM MAGNETIC MATERIAL INTERMEIXED THEREWITH; C. SEPARATING SAID WOOD CHIPS BY SELECTABLE SIZES INTO OVERSIZE CHIPS, ACCEPTABLE CHIPS AND FINES; D. COMPACTING SAID ACCEPTABLE CHIPS; E. RELEASING SAID COMPACTED ACCEPTABLE CHIPS IN A WATER SPRAY DURING EXPANSION OF SAID CHIPS TO THEREBY FACILITATE ABSORPTION OF MOISTURE INTO SAID CHIPS; AND F. WASHING SAID ACCEPTABLE CHIPS IN A WATER BATH.

Claim 3

A process for treating waste wood to produce usable wood chips, comprising the steps of; a. grinding said waste wood to produce wood chips: b. magnetically separating said wood chips from magnetic material intermixed therewith; c. separating said wood chips by selectable sizes into oversize chips, acceptable chips and fines; d. compacting said acceptable chips; e. releasing said compacted acceptable chips in a water spray during expansion of said chips to thereby facilitate absorption of moisture into said chips; and f. washing said acceptable chips in a water bath.

Claim 4

A process for treating waste wood to produce usable wood chips, comprising the steps of; a. grinding said waste wood to produce wood chips: b. magnetically separating said wood chips from magnetic material intermixed therewith; c. separating said wood chips by selectable sizes into oversize chips, acceptable chips and fines; d. compacting said acceptable chips; e. releasing said compacted acceptable chips in a water spray during expansion of said chips to thereby facilitate absorption of moisture into said chips; and f. washing said acceptable chips in a water bath.

Claim 5

The process specified in claim 1 including before grinding the step of introducing said waste wood to a water float tank wherein said waste wood is substantially separated from debris intermixed therewith which is denser than or suspendable in water.

Claim 6

The process specified in claim 1 incluDing before grinding the step of breaking up waste wood into smaller pieces that can be more easily ground into wood chips.

Claim 7

The process specified in claim 1 including after compacting the step of releasing said compacted acceptable chips in a borax solution spray during expansion of said chips to thereby facilitate absorption of borax solution into said chips.

Claim 8

A waste wood treating apparatus for producing usable wood material from waste wood, comprising: a. a receptacle for said waste wood; b. grinding means for grinding waste wood into wood chips; c. waste wood conveyor means for conveying waste wood from said receptacle to said grinding means; d. a chip separator for separating wood chips by selectable sizes into oversize chips, acceptable chips, and fines; e. a magnetic separator for magnetically separating wood chips from magnetic material intermixed therewith and delivering the magnetically separated wood chips to said chip separator; f. a wood chips conveyor for conveying wood chips from said grinding means to said magnetic separator; g. an oversize chips conveyor for conveying oversize chips from said chip separator to said grinding means for further grinding thereof; h. a chip compactor for compacting acceptable chips and then releasing the compacted acceptable chips; i. acceptable chips conveyor means for conveying acceptable chips from said chip separator to said chip compactor; j. chip moisturizing means for receiving compacted acceptable chips released from said chip compactor and subjecting them to a water spray during expansion of the acceptable chips to thereby facilitate absorption of moisture into the chips; and k. chip cleansing means for receiving moisturized acceptable chips from said chip moisturizing means and washing them in a water bath.

Claim 9

A waste wood treating apparatus for producing usable wood material from waste wood, comprising: a. a receptacle for said waste wood; b. grinding means for grinding waste wood into wood chips; c. waste wood conveyor means for conveying waste wood from said receptacle to said grinding means; d. a chip separator for separating wood chips by selectable sizes into oversize chips, acceptable chips, and fines; e. a magnetic separator for magnetically separating wood chips from magnetic material intermixed therewith and delivering the magnetically separated wood chips to said chip separator; f. a wood chips conveyor for conveying wood chips from said grinding means to said magnetic separator; g. an oversize chips conveyor for conveying oversize chips from said chip separator to said grinding means for further grinding thereof; h. a chip compactor for compacting acceptable chips and then releasing the compacted acceptable chips; i. acceptable chips conveyor means for conveying acceptable chips from said chip separator to said chip compactor; j. chip moisturizing means for receiving compacted acceptable chips released from said chip compactor and subjecting them to a water spray during expansion of the acceptable chips to thereby facilitate absorption of moisture into the chips; and k. chip cleansing means for receiving moisturized acceptable chips from said chip moisturizing means and washing them in a water bath.

Claim 10

The waste wood treating apparatus as specified in claim 5 having a gantry crane extending over the length of said waste wood receptacle and movable across the width thereof, and drop weight means suspended from and movable over the length of said gantry crane for breaking up waste wood in said receptacle.

Claim 11

The waste wood treating apparatus as specified in claim 6 wherein said waste wood conveyor means comprises: a. a plurality of serially positioned endless belt conveyors extending from said waste wood receptacle to said grinding means, each of said conveyors traveling at a higher speed than the conveyor sequentially preceding it; and b. grapple means suspended from and movable over the length of said gantry crane for transferring broken up waste wood from said receptacle to said plurality of conveyors.

Claim 12

The waste wood treating apparatus as specified in claim 5 including a sink-float apparatus comprising: a. a tank for holding water and receiving waste wood, said tank having at least one side which slants downwardly and inwardly toward an opposite side; b. conveyor means extending along said slanted side for conveying sunken debris out of said tank; c. valve means for periodically releasing water and suspended debris from said tank; d. control valve means for introducing water into said tank to maintain the water level in said tank; and e. said sink-float apparatus being located in said waste wood receptacle in position to receive waste wood deposited in said receptacle, and to have waste wood that is separated from heavier intermixed material removed from said sink-float apparatus by said waste wood conveyor means.

Claim 13

The waste wood treating apparatus as specified in claim 5 wherein said chip moisturizing means subjects the acceptable chips to a borax solution spray during expansion of the acceptable chips to thereby facilitate absorption of borax solution into the chips.

Claim 14

The waste wood treating apparatus as specified in claim 5 wherein said chip separator comprises a triple deck chip separator for separating wood chips by selectable sizes into over-size chips, large chips, acceptable chips, and fines.

Claim 15

The waste wood treating apparatus specified in claim 10 including a pin chipper which receives large chips from said triple deck chip separator, reduces the large chips to substantially uniform length acceptable chips, and deposits the acceptable chips on said acceptable chips conveyor means.

Claim 16

The waste wood treating apparatus as specified in claim 5 including: a. a fines separator for separating fines by size into a plurality of grades; and b. fines conveyor means for conveying fines from said chip separator to said fines separator.

Claim 17

That waste wood treating apparatus as specified in claim 5 wherein said acceptable chips conveyor means has directional valve means for selectively directing said acceptable chips to one of a plurality of conduits including a conduit portion of said acceptable chips conveyor means leading to said chip compactor.