System and methods for treatment of biomass products or residues and resulting composition

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and methods for treatment of biomass products or residues to obtain valuable adhesives and composite materials. Certain embodiments require no purification of a biomass product or residue to produce an adhesive. Certain embodiments include a treatment of post extraction algae residue configured to produce an adhesive. Advantageously, such use of post extraction algae residue adds value to alternative energy produced by extracting oil from algae.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for producing an adhesive from biomass products or residues, comprising the steps of:
 a. processing the biomass product or residue; and   b. mixing the biomass product or residue with a solution configured to denature proteins in the biomass product or residue.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said processing step is comprised of:
 a. cultivating the biomass product or residue in an environment;   b. harvesting the biomass product or residue from the environment; and   c. extracting oil from the biomass product or residue, thereby generating a byproduct of the biomass product or residue.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising a step of grinding the biomass product or residue into ground post extraction algae residue before said mixing step. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising a step of heating the adhesive at a temperature condition between 20° C. and 70° C. for a reaction time of between 30 minutes and 3 hours. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising a step of adjusting at least one parameter selected from the group of temperature condition, reaction time, and concentration of solution to regulate a level of denaturation of proteins in the adhesive. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising a step of removing insoluble solids from the adhesive, wherein said removing step includes at least filtering or centrifuging the adhesive. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising a step of adding a preservative configured to provide mold resistance. 
     
     
         8 . An adhesive prepared by from biomass product comprising the steps of:
 a. processing biomass product to produce a residue; and   b. mixing the residue with a solution configured to denature proteins in the residue to create adhesive.   
     
     
         9 . The adhesive of  claim 8 , wherein the processing step is comprised of:
 a. cultivating the biomass product or residue in an environment;   b. harvesting the biomass product or residue from the environment; and   c. extracting oil from the biomass product or residue, thereby generating a byproduct of the biomass product or residue.   
     
     
         10 . The adhesive of  claim 8 , further comprising a step of grinding the residue into ground post extraction algae residue before said mixing step. 
     
     
         11 . The adhesive of  claim 8 , further comprising a step of heating the adhesive at a temperature condition between 20° C. and 70° C. for a reaction time of between 30 minutes and 3 hours. 
     
     
         12 . The adhesive of  claim 8 , further comprising a step of adjusting at least one parameter selected from the group of temperature condition, reaction time, and concentration of solution to regulate the level of denaturation of proteins in the adhesive. 
     
     
         13 . The adhesive of  claim 8 , further comprising a step of removing insoluble solids from the adhesive, wherein the removing step includes at least filtering or centrifuging the adhesive. 
     
     
         14 . The adhesive of  claim 8 , further comprising a step of adding a second adhesive to the adhesive mixture. 
     
     
         15 . The adhesive of  claim 8 , further comprising a step of adding a preservative configured to provide mold resistance. 
     
     
         16 . A method for producing an adhesive, comprising the steps of:
 a. processing biomass product to produce a residue; and   b. grinding the residue into a flour to create an adhesive.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the processing step is comprised of
 a. cultivating the biomass product or residue in an environment;   b. harvesting the biomass product or residue from the environment; and   c. extracting oil from the biomass product or residue, thereby generating a byproduct of the biomass product or residue.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising the step of mixing the residue with a solution configured to denature proteins. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising the steps of:
 a. adding a second adhesive to the adhesive; and   b. combining the adhesive and second adhesive with a preservative configured to provide mold resistance.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising the steps of:
 a. heating the adhesive at a temperature condition between 20° C. and 70° C. for a reaction time of between 30 minutes and 3 hours; and   b. removing insoluble solids from the adhesive, wherein the removing step includes at least filtering or centrifuging the adhesive.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising a step of adding a preservative configured to provide mold resistance.