Projects
Biomass & Bioenergy
Biomass is the largest source of renewable energy in the world. The main sources are wood and wood wastes, agricultural crops and residues, municipal solid waste, food processing waste, and algae and aquatic plants. Pre-treatment, including size reduction of solids, is necessary. Energy efficient size reduction to the required particle size is essential.
Food & Pharmaceutical
Operating flexibility, including the ability to grind and process simultaneously, and the compact size of the Szego Mill relative to its throughput make it attractive for many food and related applications.
Mineral Processing
Softer minerals (having Mohs hardness up to about 5) are suitable for wet or dry grinding in the Szego Mill. Harder minerals such as quartz may be ground, but wear on the grinding surfaces is high. Efficient size reduction for talc, mica, limestone, and quartz has been demonstrated in pilot mill work with the Szego Mill.
Coal and Slurry Fuels
The Szego Mill excels in simultaneous grinding, beneficiation and production of coal-slurry fuels. A patent was granted for simultaneous grinding and beneficiation of coal with oil and water in the Szego Mill. In the mill, ash is liberated from coal and enters the water phase, and coal is reduced in size and forms agglomerates in the oil phase. The oil phase is then separated from the water phase, resulting in a stable coal slurry fuel.
Metal Powders
Fine metal powders are high value products that may be produced with the Szego Mill by wet or paste grinding in a “locked cycle”, with product recycled to the mill inlet until the desired fineness is achieved. Softer metals such as aluminum and copper may be ground. Cooling may be necessary for paste grinding, for which the mill can be equipped with a cooling jacket.
Mechanical Pulping
The Szego Mill has been used to refine thermally and chemically softened wood chips and thermally treated hemp into mechanical pulp for papermaking. Paper quality is good and energy consumption is lower than for disk refiners.