1. A process for producing at least one product by microbial fermentation of a blended gaseous substrate comprising CO and H2, the process comprising:
a) passing a first gas stream and a second gas stream to a blending zone operated at conditions to provide the blended gaseous substrate, where the first gas stream comprises CO and the second gas stream comprises H2; and
b) passing the blended gaseous substrate from the blending zone to a bioreactor comprising a culture of at least one microorganism, the bioreactor operated at conditions to ferment the gaseous substrate to a product selected from the group consisting of alcohols, acids and mixtures thereof.
2. The process of claim 1 where the first gas stream further comprises CO2 and the first gas stream is first passed to a separation zone operated at conditions to separate at least a portion of the CO2 and produce a CO enriched first gas stream and passing the enriched first gas stream to the blending zone.
3. The process of claim 1 where the first gas stream comprises at least 60% CO by volume.
4. The process of claim 1 where the first gas stream further comprises less than 5% H2 by volume.
5. The process of claim 4 where the first gas stream comprises less than 1% H2.
6. The process of claim 1 where the second gas stream comprises about 55% H2.
7. The process of claim 1 where the first gas stream comprises an intermittent stream.
8. The process of claim 7 where the intermittent stream is a waste stream from a steel decarburization process.
9. The process of claim 1 where the second stream is a product stream obtained from a process selected from the group consisting of gasification of organic matter, reforming of hydrocarbons, steel coke production and mixtures thereof.
10. The process of claim 1 where the blended gaseous substrate has a CO:H2 molar ratio from about 20:1 to about 1:2.
11. The process of claim 1 where the product is selected from the group consisting of ethanol, acetate and mixtures thereof.
12. The process of claim 1 where the at least one microorganism is selected from the group consisting of Clostridium, Moorella and Carboxydothermus.
13. The process of claim 12 where the at least one more microorganism is selected from the group consisting of Clostridium autoethanogenum, Clostridium ljungdahli, Clostridium ragsdalei, Clostridium drakei, Clostridium carboxydivorans and Clostridium scatologenes.
14. A process for producing at least one product by microbial fermentation of a blended gaseous substrate comprising CO and H2, the process comprising:
a) passing a waste stream comprising CO from a steel manufacturing process and a synthesis gas stream comprising CO and H2 to a blending zone operated at conditions to blend the streams and produce a blended gaseous substrate having a CO:H2 molar ratio from about 20:1 to about 1:2; and
b) passing the blended gaseous substrate from the blending zone to a bioreactor comprising a culture of at least one microorganism, the bioreactor operated at conditions to ferment the gaseous substrate to a product selected from the group consisting of alcohols, acids and mixtures thereof.
15. The process of claim 14 where the product is selected from the group consisting of ethanol, acetate and mixtures thereof.
16. The process of claim 14 where the at least one microorganism is selected from the group consisting of Clostridium, Moorella and Carboxydothermus.
17. The process of claim 16 where the at least one microorganism is selected from the group consisting of Clostridium autoethanogenum, Clostridium ljungdahli, Clostridium ragsdalei, Clostridium drakei, Clostridium carboxydivorans and Clostridium scatologenes.
18. A process for producing at least one product by microbial fermentation of a blended gaseous substrate comprising CO and H2, the process comprising:
a) passing a waste stream comprising CO from a steel decarburization process and a waste stream from a steel coke oven comprising H2 to a blending zone operated at conditions to blend the streams and produce a blended gaseous substrate having a CO:H2 molar ratio from about 20:1 to about 1:2; and
b) passing the blended gaseous substrate from the blending zone to a bioreactor comprising a culture of at least one microorganism, the bioreactor operated at conditions to ferment the gaseous substrate to a product selected from the group consisting of alcohols, acids and mixtures thereof.
19. The process of claim 18 where the steel coke oven waste stream comprises about 55% H2 by volume.
20. The process of claim 18 where the product is selected from the group consisting of ethanol, acetate and mixtures thereof.
21. The process of claim 14 where the at least one microorganism is selected from the group consisting of Clostridium, Moorella and Carboxydothermus.
22. The process of claim 16 where the at least one more microorganism is selected from the group consisting of Clostridium autoethanogenum, Clostridium ljungdahli, Clostridium ragsdalei, Clostridium drakei, Clostridium carboxydivorans and Clostridium scatologenes.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An intermediate card for manufacturing nonwovens of fibrous material comprising a drawing-in means (2), at least one main cylinder (4), several fiber take-off means (6a, 6b) for taking over at least two card webs from the main cylinder (4), each fiber take-off means (6a, 6b) transfers the card webs taken off from the fiber take-off means onto vacuum transfer sections (15a, 15b, 15c, 15d) circumferentially offset with respect to each other and being part of a permeable conveying surface (15) curved in a circular cylindrical manner and having a circumferential speed adapted to the transfer speed of the card webs at the transfer sections (15a, 15b, 15c, 15d), and only one conveyor belt (16) onto which the card webs are directly transferred by the transfer sections (15a, 15b, 15c, 15d).
2. The intermediate card according to claim 1, characterized in that the permeable conveying surface (15) is formed on a rotating screening drum (14).
3. The intermediate card according to claim 2, characterized in that the conveyor belt is permeable and the conveying surface (15) of the screening drum (14) transfers the taken-over card webs onto the permeable conveyor belt (16) at a transfer site (17) at which evacuation of the screening drum (14) is one of interrupted and reversed to blowing air from the screening drum (14).
4. The intermediate card according to claim 3, characterized in that a run of the conveyor belt (16) is subject to a vacuum at the transfer site (17) located between the screening drum (14) and the conveyor belt (16).
5. The intermediate card according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveyor belt (16) is a permeable endlessly circulating conveyor belt (16) which loops about a rotating screening drum (14) defining the transfer sections (15a, 15b, 15c, 15d) of the conveying surface (15), and the permeable conveying surface (15) is formed in common by the conveyor belt (16) and the screening drum (14) supporting the conveyor belt (16).
6. The intermediate card according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveyor belt (16) is pivoted about an axis coaxial to an axis of the screening drum (14) such that a site of transfer (20) of the nonwoven from the conveyor belt (16) is height-adjustble.
7. The intermediate card according to claim 1, characterized in that the fiber take-off means (6a, 6b, 6c) include at least one doffer roller (8a, 8b, 8c) in engagement with the main cylinder (4).
8. The intermediate card according to claim 7, characterized in that each doffer roller (8a, 8b, 8c, 8d) is in engagement with at least one of one succeeding stuffing roller (10a, 10b, 10c) and a take-off roller (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d).
9. The intermediate card according to claim 1, characterized in that the fiber take-off means (6a, 6b, 6c) include at least one tangling roller (3c, 3d) in engagement with the main cylinder (4), which transfers the card web onto at least one doffer roller (8a, 8b; 8c, 8d).
10. The intermediate card according to claim 1, characterized in that the drawing-in means (2) includes at least one tangling roller (3a, 3b) rotating in the same direction as the main cylinder (4).
11. The intermediate card as defined in claim 1 wherein there is only a single permeable conveying surface (15) located between the take-off means (6a, 6b) and the conveyor belt (16).
12. The intermediate card according to claim 11, characterized in that the permeable conveying surface (15) is formed on a rotating screening drum (14).
13. The intermediate card according to claim 12, characterized in that the conveyor belt is permeable and the conveying surface (15) of the screening drum (14) transfers the taken-over card webs onto the permeable conveyor belt (16) at a transfer site (17) at which evacuation of the screening drum (14) is one of interrupted and reversed to blowing air from the screening drum (14).
14. The intermediate card according to claim 13, characterized in that a run of the conveying belt (16) is subject to a vacuum at the transfer site (17) located between the screening drum (14) and the conveyor belt (16).
15. The intermediate card according to claim 11, characterized in that the conveyor belt is a permeable endlessly circulating conveyor belt (16) which loops about a rotating screening drum (14) defining the transfer sections (15a, 15b, 15c, 15d) of the conveying surface (15), and the permeable conveying surface (15) is formed in common by the conveyor belt (16) and the screening drum (14) supporting the conveyor belt (16).
16. The intermediate card according to claim 11, characterized in that the conveyor belt (16) is pivoted about an axis coaxial to an axis of the screening drum (14) such that a site of transfer (20) of the nonwoven from the conveyor belt (16) is height-adjustable.
17. A method of manufacturing a nonwoven of fibrous material comprising the steps of feeding fibrous material by drawing-in of an intermediate card, combing the fibrous material on a main cylinder (4) of the immediate card, taking-off at least two card webs from the main cylinder (4), transferring the taken-off card webs onto vacuum transfer sections circumferentially offset with respect to each other which are part of a permeable conveying surface (15) curved in a circular cylindrical manner and having a circumferential speed adapted to the transfer speed of the card webs at the transfer sections (15a, 15b, 15c, 15d), and directly transferring the card webs from the transfer sections (15a, 15b, 15c, 15d) to only one conveyor belt (16).
18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that the conveying surface (15) is by a rotating screening drum (14) from which the taken-off card webs are transferred, and the conveyor belt (16) is permeable.
19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that the permeable conveyor belt (16) loops about the rotating vacuum screening drum (14).
20. The method according claim 18 characterized in that each card web is taken off the main cylinder (4) directly by one of a doffer roller (8a, 8b; 8c, 8d) and a tangling roller (3c, 3d) with a succeeding doffer roller (8a, 8b; 8c, 8d).
21. The method according to claim 18 characterized in that each card web is taken off the main cylinder (4) directly by one of a doffer roller (8a, 8b; 8c, 8d) and a tangling roller (3c, 3d) in the absence of a succeeding doffer roller (8a, 8b; 8c, 8d).
22. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that each card web of a doffer roller (8a, 8b, 8c, 8d) is transferred onto the conveying surface (15) via a take-off roller (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d) with a stuffing roller (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d).
23. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that each card web of a doffer roller (8a, 8b, 8c, 8d) is transferred onto the conveying surface (15) via a take-off roller (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d) in the absence of a stuffing roller (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d).
24. The method according to claim 17 characterized in that each card web is taken off the main cylinder (4) directly by one of a doffer roller (8a, 8b; 8c, 8d) and a tangling roller (3c, 3d) with a succeeding doffer roller (8a, 8b; 8c, 8d).
25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that each card web taken over from the main cylinder (4) by a tangling roller (3c, 3d) is shared between at least two doffer rollers (8a, 8b, 8c, 8d).
26. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that each card web of a doffer roller (8a, 8b, 8c, 8d) is transferred onto the conveying surface (15) via a take-off roller (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d) with or without a stuffing roller (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d).