EP0113721A1

EP0113721A1 - Artificial wood from fruit kernels or nut shells; artificial marble

Info

Publication number: EP0113721A1
Application number: EP82903462A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Panagiotis Stavrakelis
Original assignee: STAVRAKELIS Alex
Current assignee: STAVRAKELIS Alex
Priority date: 1982-05-12
Filing date: 1982-11-05
Publication date: 1984-07-25
Also published as: GR69554B; WO1984000970A1

Abstract

On fabrique du bois artificiel à partir de noyaux de fruits ou de coquilles de noix en broyant les noyaux ou les coquilles, en tamisant le matériau broyé, en le mélangeant avec un polyester et/ou d'autres liants et en introduisant le produit résultant dans des moules pour obtenir un produit de la forme désirée et qui contient 10 à 15 % en poids de liant. On fabrique de la même façon du marbre artificiel contenant 7 à 10 % en poids de liant à partir d'éclats de marbre naturel.Artificial wood is made from fruit pits or nutshells by crushing the pits or shells, sifting the crushed material, mixing it with polyester and / or other binders and introducing the resulting product into molds to obtain a product of the desired shape and which contains 10 to 15% by weight of binder. Likewise, artificial marble containing 7 to 10% by weight of binder is made from natural marble chips.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

Artificial wood from fruit kernels or nut shells; artificial marble.

I. INTRODOCTlON

In view of the fact that the specified requirements for the manufacture of products destined for numerous appliances in intricate problems on buildings of present day technology they become more every passing day.

In view of the fact that the demand for a lot of appliances in wood constantly goes up, coupled with the universal crisis of energy,has had as a result the leaping price increase with a dire direct effect the increase of inflation and the discouragement of a great number of investors for manufacturingworks on wood and other natural raw material.

In view of the fact that there is a general tendency in using useless sofar materials for the construction of products with improved specifications & especially at a lower price & with a greater span of life.

In view of the fact that there is a necessity in simplifying manufactures with the use of ready made products, with lower manual hands and with a lesser time for the finishing touches, without reducing the durability and the thorough technival behavior.

For this reason it came to my thought that it is possible for me to manufacture an artificial product, with the use of hard fruilr kernels such as those of the olive, peach, cherry, apricot plum, date and palm or fruit shells such as those of the almond, hazel-nut, chestnut, pistachio-nut, or in the long run marble chippings or any other hard minerale which ere what is left from the wastage of the fruit after the extaction of the olive oil, and the morsels of all the other biproducts, which to their greater part are discarded for waste.

Well, after long years of ivestigation, I succeeded by mixing chipped grains from the above kernels or chippings of marble, with various binding materials to manufacture very valuable products which combine in an admirable way money saving with dura bility and with a thoroughly technical requirement.

II. RAW MATERIALS

I. Kernels-shells-marble

The raw materials from the aforementioned kernels and shells is taken, after undergoing the biproduct process (extraction of olive oil,extraction of kernel oil, methylated spirits etc.)

The raw materiel usually comprises besides the kernel chippings and the peels, the pupls on an average between IO% to 30%.

The minor marble chippings are taken from the marble manufacturing works and form the wastes, which are discarded as being minor chips and thrown away as entirely useless. After selecting the sort of grains which we desire, we follow the following manufacturing method, which is likely to differ slightly from one kind of raw material to another.

2. Glues

By way of hinging materials an assortment of mixture are in use with basis the polyesters or other materials devised by me.

These mixtures differ appropriately with the properties we wish to administer to the product under manufacture, for instance a floor tile should have a greater endurance to friction, a fact which a wall tile does not need, or a panel should be elastic or fire resistant etc.

III. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION-METHOD OF MANUFACTURE

I. Objects in moulds a. Cleaning

The kernels undergo a drying process until they fully discard the remains of oil and odour, separation of the kernel chipping from the rest of the foreign matter, washing of the kernel chippings with water with various chemical additives, until the they ere thoroughly cleaned, and soon after dried until they discard any sign of moisture.

b. Grinding

From this stage starts the processing of the cleaned kernels and shells or the marbles ths later not being necessary to under go as a raw materiel the cleaning process.

Well, the raw material is grindod in a pulveriser-crusher and the grains after passing through a sieve are being separated in equel sizes, for our having the possibility of selecting the granulometric gradation we desire for the particular product we wish to manufacture each time.

C. Admitture

Soon after the grains are admixtured with polyester or other binding materials into a mixing machine anf from there they are channelled to the moulds (matrix), where they will take the final form which we desire.

The pulp of the grains and the binding material which has been channelled to the mould, will freeze under pressure in a mill, or with no compression, on a prefixed time period, corresponding to the compound of the binding material, the temperature, and with all other environmental and space conditions,

e. Final elaboration

The finished articles are cooled at the temperature of the environment or under artificial cooling,and afterwards, if this would be necessary are glazed and cut to the desired dimensions.

II. Plastering pulp

Besides articles procured in moulds, it is possible to have the mixture used in the form of pulp (in bulk) for the coating of wall, floors etc both on internal and external house surfaces After the speeding of the pulp and its cooling, it is possible to have its surface abraded by means of an abrading agent, with a coating of dye or varnish, without the need of Using any other polish or oiling etc.

III. Paper

Owing to the woody structure of the kernels and/or the shells, one of the applience of this invention is the manufacture of paper.

To this effect, the raw material is ground in a mill end rendered to powder, soon after it is boiled in a furnace with the addition of a minor quantity of subsidiary materials. The pulp formed passes through a paper manutacturing machine which turns it out to a high quality paper from fruit kernels and shells,

IV. MANUFACTURING CHARACTERS IV. MANUFACTURING CHARACTERS

The compound of the binding materials depends on the properties and the characters we wish to give at a final stage to any parti cular product, I could mention by way of indication as a binding material a particular glue which has an appropriate firm: SYNOLITE 573-67-7000 EX SYDRES SYNOLITE 544-68-0050 EX SYDRES

In any case I could mention and some other materials such as for instance quartz powder for rendering to it self-extinguishing properties, or chalk for giving to it a better surface, or cemen mortar or asbestos etc. for giving to it other desired propertie

The additive percentage of the binding material to the mixture also varies and depends on the filler sort, the size of the grains and the way the tiles or the articles are being elaborated.

Generally speaking, in order to succeed in apobtaingin a satis factory compound of grains as the raw material, I make use of the following percentage on the weight of the final product:

- IO-I5% binding glue when the raw material is a wooden product

- 7-IO% binding glue when the raw material is marble or other one. The hardening could be effected at the temperature of the envi tonment after several hours, or for time saving in a few minutes at the temperature of I20°C.

I could also reduce the reactionary time by adding an accelerator. In any case I can use other materisls as well such as polyester glues which are used unheated in which case the products could be quickly hardened in the temperature of the environment, I have experimented an a multitude of appliances, and I am in the position to render diverse properties to the manufacted articles corresponding to the sort and to the quality of the binding material as also the manner of the manufacturing process.

For this reason the foregoing ways should be considered to be recommendations liable to replacement with any other adequate manner which will give to us an identical or similar result, in all cases the manufacture of artificial wood from the following: - Kernels of olives, peaches, apricots, cherries, plums, grapes, dates and palms

- Shells of almonds, hazel-nuts, chestnuts, pistachionuts

- Artificial marble from natural marble chppings

V. BENEFlTS-UTILITIES

With the foregoing method under development, I was able to manu¬facture parts from artificial marble or artificial wood and these benefits were confirmed from laboratory studies held with the Public Works Investigating Centre of Athens end from the ETERNIT Laboratory of Brussels, Belgium,

I. They have no absorptivity of moisture even at their cutting parts. This has been proved with a set of experiments which were made and the storage of the testing pieces in a damp envitonment at IOO%,

2_. Compared with products of a similar sort, they have a low coefficient of heat conductivity, dependent on the density end the size of the grains, as also of the binding material. This is of an exceptionally high significance, because with a combined function they could substitute other more costly insolating materials. 3. They have exceptional mechanical properties and are harder than the wood and of the manutal marble respectively. 4. They form a binding material undiluted, resistent to sea water to ailphatic hydrocarbons, to oils and to acids. Therefor they constitute an excellent material for the manufacture of floorings vehicles, or vessels, for the transportation of livestock and of special containers etc.

5. It is flame retardant and with certain admixture self-extinguishing. In case of fire, they produce an insignificant quantity of deleterious gases.

6. They have a very good span of life and they could be perforated, cut or glued in a facile way and quickly. They are resisten to weather conditions and without any change of their properties,

7. They easily take the form of the mould which we desire to form and whatever colour we desire them to have, therefor their appliances are numerous.

8. They need no coating and no elaboration whsteever after the articles have been prepored(oil, painting, polishing etc). 9. They present a perfect esthetic surface and they could form an excellent decorative material.

VI. APPLIANCES

Due to the foregoing properties of the novel artificial products which constitute an invention of nine and are dispayed for the first time the world over, it is quite possible to obtain most satisfactory and money saving solutions to a very great number of appliances. For instance we can manufacture the followings:

I. Large size panels

2. Parquetry 3. Tiles and slabs for wall and floors

4. Blocks and paving stones for gardens and pevements

5. Corrugated and heat insolsting and water tight sheetings

6. Coatings of cold storage chambers, isothermic chambers and studios

7. Containers for liquids, powders etc.

8. Doors, windows, frames etc.

9. Furniture, benches and stools

I0.Containers for television sots, stereos, lound speakers etc.

II.Switches, plugs and other electrical equipment

12.Ceramic slabs of sundry widths and dimensions

I3.Tubes, angles and other profiles

I4.Decorative parts in automobiles, panels etc

I5.Boards of all kinds

I6.Pre-fabricated houses and trailers

I7.Boats

I8. Decorative in relief surfaces for both indoors and outdoor spaces I9.Church altars 20.Beehives 2I.Pillars

22.Toys, gift articles etc. 23.Plaster coatings as well as a wide assortment of other articles offering to them benefits but also dropping the cost of their manufacture, which today for reasons which I mentioned above is much too high. VII. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Subsequent to the decisiveness of my invention following ten years of experiments, the fixation of the appropriate admixtures in each particular case, and the formation of suitable testing pieces, it was my desire to confirm scientifically the properties and the benefits of this novel invention of mine. To this effect I applied to the accredited laboratories of REDCO and ETERNIT in Brussels and Bayer, as well as to the Public Works Research Center of Athens.

These laboratories placed the testing of tiles of my invention which I forwarded to them to laboratory controlling tests, and they full confirmed the above reported properties of the novel artificial wood and the artificial marble, with their reported appliances.

Their kernel is organic. Its destruction in burning at a temperature of I000°C is 96.7% and the diagram of diffraction of the XR does not show any crystalline structure in the body. The nucleus are formed from fine celluloid fibers (neurines), lignin and oil. They form a peculiar hardness.

In one of Mr ROBIN's trial tests at the REDCO laboratory, the olive kernels were milled, and a place was found for the lot, for lowing sifting through I00 mesh,(of a diameter less than 0,I50mm) which were used for the manufacture of fiber cement according to the method of the Fiber Value Test(QAMA). The addition of the olive kernel powder reduces the density of the compound, which on normal conditions is I,60GR/CM³.

Tests were also carried out on moulded panels, and the results of the physical and mechanical tests fully confirmed the aforesaid properties, although the testing piece formed an amateurish application and one sample alone from the variety of applications which could be obtained with divers admixtures.

The panels also were subjected to accelerate weathering tests with UV(lamda 300NN) radiation with one Seather-O-Matic Braive(Cycle: I02 minutes of XENON light and 18 minutes XENON light and spraying with distilled water for 200 hours.

The observations made after I00 and 200 hours, showed no other than a slight discoloration(from a drker tint) which stood homogeneous.

At the Public Works Sesearch Center of Athens many testing piece of the novel products were inspected for all possible strains an the results obtained confirmed the foregoing properties.

Particularly in the effect caused by a flame, a flame of SULSEN lamp was set vertical on the surface of a testing piece of

25XI0X3cm for 5 minutes.

After withdrawal of the flame, a slight blackening of the surface was observed. The test was resumed for a second time with similer conditions and findings.

In continuation the flame was set at the tip of the testing piece for 3 minutes, when the testing piece started to burn in flames. But after the withdrawal of the BULSEN lamp the flame of the testing piece went out entirely and the testing piece stopped burning.

The absorption of water subsequent to a 24hour immersion in water presented a percentage of 0,240% of the testing piece weight.

The endurance to acids, alkalis is satisfactory. After dipping in a solution of hydrochroric acid of 5% for 24hours, we obtained an increase of weight of 0,265% and in a solution of caustic potasiura of 556 an increase of 0,348%.

The endurance to friction as per DIN 52I08 was found to be 0-4.5 GR/50 CM² of surface.

Tests on saline nephosis and to the interchange of temperature showed that the product in ten round cycles does not present any blisters,scaling, cracks or other abnormalities.

With the conviction that with this invention of mine, the best possible exploitation will be made of products useless sofar, to the bonefit of our National and also Universal Economy, I remain willing to offer any supplementary information if the case may be.

Claims

"What I said to claim is:" I. The production of ligneous products of fruits kernels or shells, as well as products of artificial marble as they mentioned at the description of the invention.

2. The elaboration of raw material, the mixture of binding materials, the mechanical equipments and the method of production, which are requested for the industrialisation of the above products.