Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 1931 The design of a plant for the production of insulation board from agricultural wastes and cost data on this process Charles Earl Hartford Iowa State College Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of the Chemical Engineering Commons Recommended Citation Hartford, Charles Earl, "The design of a plant for the production of insulation board from agricultural wastes and cost data on this process " (1931). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 13835. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/13835 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. 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Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overiaps. ProQuest Information and Leaming 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Ariaor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 NOTE TO USERS This reproduction is the best copy availabie. UMI' IHS DBSICK 0* A PLAHT FOR TOE PHOKOCTION OF INSULATION BOAKD FROM AORICULTDRAL WASTES AND COST nm m tois process ^ Charles Earl Hartford r A ISiesla Submitted to the Qradoate Faculty for ISlo Degree of DOCTOR CSF PHILOSOPHY Ueijoir Subject Gheoloal SagL&eerlng Approved Signature was redacted for privacy. Signature was redacted for privacy. Head of Major Signature was redacted for privacy. cd^d^ Iowa State Oolles» 19 3 1 UMI Number: DPI 3267 @ UMI UMI Microform DP13267 Copyright 2005 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 1 ACXNOfflSDGSfflNT Tho writer wishes to gratefully aeknowledge the help of Z)r« 0« R. Sweeney. Dr« Sweeney's ooaneel and guidsnoe wars equally invaluable on the acaall aeale work at ^ea and later when the proeess was applied oonmereially at Dubuque. The writer also wishes to aetmonledge hie indebtedness to Dr* B« W» Riohardson, fellow worker on the small scale process» Laurln Sabatlce, Mr* George Seidel, all the staff nenxbers and researoh woxkers of la&e Ghetaioal Engineering DepartmfflnLt, and to his associates in the Bjalasewood Products Co:i^cnc«tion» all of whom contributed a great deal to this work .\0' % \ 2 Tkmx oy COTTEKraS I. Introdtwtton 0 A* Derelopment of Insulation Board Ibduatry 6 B* Uso of Agrloultural Wastes la litanufaoturo of Insulation Board 7 II. Historioal 8 A* Boriav of Litaratun on Vallboard and Insulation Board . 8 B. Resuma^ of WoriE Done by lova State College •> Bureau of Standards. ..•«••••• 10 C» Coosaeroial Scale work 12 III. Related Work 14 Km Harvesting of Stalks 14 !• lom State CoUegs Wo:ric 14 2. Itoiaevood Products Coxporatlon Woz^ 14 B» Chemloal Vozk. 15 17. mTestieatlonal WMA:. 16 A. DereloiBBent of Process 16 1. Raw Materials 16 &« Cornstalks 16 1*. ileld Coxnatalka 16 2** Broon Coznetelka 16 3*. Sweet Cornstalks 18 4*. Fcip Cornstalks 18 b* Straw. 18 e» otber Raw ttaterialB 10 1*. Paper. 19 a** Newsprint 19 b*. Corrugated Paper. •••••...• 19 e*. lOlkweeds, Artiehoke Tops, and Flax Straw 19 S. Processing Cperati<»ui 19 a. Material Handling. 19 1*. Raw Utaterial 19 a*. Tkttotor (or Team) and Wagon .... 19 b*. Conveyor System 21 o*. Stacking Machine. 21 Z^m Uaterlal in Process. 25 a*« Belt Conreyore. 23 b*. Vans 23 e*« Ptnaps 23 3* • Sflnisbsd Board .•••••*••..•• 24 b» Cutting, Shredding and Refining Operationa . 24 1*. WilliaiBS Dry Shredder * . » • 24 2*. analley Dry Cutter 25 3*. Taylor-^lles Bag Cutter 26 4*. Vox Bale Breaker and Cutter 26 3 TilBLE O; CdlTEINTS (Cont.) 5*. Small«y Wet Cutter. 27 6*. Williams Wet Shredder 27 7*. Claflin 28 8*. Jordan. 29 9*. Bauer HiU SL 10*. Rod Mill ZZ 0. Cooking 33 1*. General Process •• S3 S*. Effect of Degree of Shredding Given Coolcer Charge. 34 3*. Sffeot of Temperature 3S 4*. Ratio of Water to 71^re 35 5*. Spray Lines in Cooker 35 d. Washing 37 1*. Diamond Iron Wo:risa Washer ........ 37 2*. Allis-Chalioars Washer 37 e. Sizing. 38 1*. Rosin Addition 38 2*. Alum Addition 38 3*. Other Sizing Agents 40 f. Forming 40 g. Pressing. 47 1*. EUtztoim Press. 47 2*. Roll Type Press ............. 50 h. Drying. SO 1. Sawing. .................... 54 j. Sanding «... 57 k. Gluing 58 1. Stapling 58 a. wrapping 60 3« Process Control. 61 a. Rav Material 61 b. Pxilp in Prooess 61 0. Finished Product. 63 4. By-products. 68 a* Furfural. 68 b. AdheslTBS 70 c. Sav and Sander Dust .............. 71 7. Design of Plant and Data cm Cost of Producing Board. 72 A. Looatlon of Plant 72 B« Size of Faotory 75 C. General Layout. 75 D. Rosin and Alum. 79 E. Fonaittg, Pressing, and Drying 80 7. Cost Data 83 yi« Modified Prooass 87 lABIE OF COHTEHTS (Coat.) VII* SuBBary and Conolixslona 89 Till* Literature Cited. 90 4 TABLES « Yield Using Field Cozti Coniatallcs as Bair ttoterial . • 17 - Yield Using Tarloue Mixturoa of Il'leld and Broom Com ComstallcB as Ratr Itetexial 17 - Yield Uaing Fifty Percent OomstaUca - Fifty Percent Wheat Straw as Raw Material. 20 - Sunsaary of Double Claflin Teats SO * Yield Per Digester Shxedded Stalks Yersus vniole Stalks 36 - Dirt Content of Pulp and Wash Water 39 - Strength of Fourdrinier Wire of Various Mesh. • 44 - Lifis of Foxxalng Machine Wire 45 - Cost of Hauling Cornstalks. 74 - Cost of Building and SquiimeDt tor Insulation Board Fact03py* 84 - Cost of Pxoduoing Insulation Board. as 5 ILLUSTRATIOiS - Corastalk Intalatina Board F^toxy I>ajrout 2S - Board Foraing Ifedhiae • 42 - Mothod of Joining Fonnlng Ifctehlns Wires. 46 - Xutstown Press 48 - Soil 1|]rpe l^ss ••••• 51 - Goe Sxgrer. 63 •> Finished Boards Trim, and Cross Cut Saws 56 - Sluing Squipnent 59 - TransTerse Strength Tester ....... 64 - Modulus of Buptxire Chart ........( 65 - Veight Chart 66 - Thermal Conduotivity Tester 67 - Inpset ^estin^r Ifaehine .... 69 - System for Utilising Blow-off Steam. 78 - Aim Ceding ISaehine. 81 6 ZHTROBUCTIQN A* Development of Insulation Board Industry* Synthetic lumber in the foxm of various typee of eall board has been on the maxiCBt for many years* Sxan^les of this olass of material are, IJpson Board, BeaTer Board, and Rooklath, the latter consisting of a gypstBs plaster core oorered on both sides by paper. However, about fifteen ysars ago a new type of board, known as "insulation board" made its appearance. This board was made 1/2 inch thick instead of the usual 3/16 or 1/4 inch of the wall boards* !niB new type of board claimed as its advantaess, insulating value as well as sufficient structural strength to give rigidity and strength to structures where it was used. It was early found to be an excellent material for a plaster base, the plaster adhering firmly and lowing less tendency to crack then when applied to wood lath* The greater ease of application was also an import­ ant factor in its favor. Ihe uses of the board as a plaster base and in the place of wood sheathing grew rapidly and many new uses were found such as for factory roofs to prevent moisture in the air from condensing and dripping from the ceilings, refrigerator lining, and for lOie building of many amall, lightly built structures* The increasing popularity of the board is attested to by the fact that since 1915 the number of factories making it has increased from one, having a daily output of 100,000 square feet, to twelve, having a combined daily output of 2,7S0,000 square feet* B* Uaa of A£priouIturaI Wastas in Manufaotura of Insulation Board. Work dona In the Cbemloal Binglnaerlng Departineat at lova Stata Collaga under the direction of Or. 0. R. Svaaney indicated that a satisfactory insulation board oould be mada tscm cornstalks, straw, milkweads, artichoke tops, tobacco stems, and other agricultural waste products. Straw is now being successfully used as a raw material in the manufacture of an insulation board made at St. Jaeeph» Missouri, nhila cornstalks are used at Dubuque, Iowa* 8 HISTORICAL A* Review of Literature on Wall Board and luaulation Board. Probably the first use of a nail board was made by 13ie Japanese in 600 A* D* (1) This vail board vas simply a hsavy paper and «ras used in tba walls of houses* In 1772 a process was patented in En^and for maJcing a wall board by i^uing a number of sheets of paper together, drying in an oren, and then dipping in oil* (2) fhis proeess is typical of the early processes used to nalos wall board, that is, individual sheets of paper wero cemented together with various materials such as ^ue, sodium silicate, asphalt, and tar, until the desired thiclcness was attained* The board was then dried, and sometimes treated with oil* In 1890 the process of forming boards by means of several cylinders was introduced* Eadi cylinder foimed one thickness of the board and added it to the layer formed by the preceeding cylinder.