Hig h e ffi cien cy

si mu ltan eous
gri ndi ng an d dryi ng o f
mine ra ls a nd sl udges
Presentation for:
15th Annual Conference on Markets for Industrial
Minerals Oct. 22, 2003
David Dungate, V-P Marketing
Dr. Sundar Narayan, V-P Research
First American Scientific Corporation, Delta, BC
Pre sen ta ti on O utl ine
• Introduction to First American
Scientific Corp. and the
KDS Micronex™ Grinder-Dryer
• Description of KDS Grinder-Dryer
• Pure Grinding Applications
Glass, Limestone, Gypsum, Gold Ore
• Grinding AND Drying Applications
Zeolite, Glacial Clay, Coal and Paper
Sludge
• Summary
Abo ut F irst Am erican

• Founded in 1995, First American

Scientific Corporation (FASC) is
industrial equipment manufacturer and
provider of innovative systems that
increase profitability and reduce the
environmental impact of materials
processing.

• The KDS Micronex™, FASC’s patented

grinder-dryer, efficiently and
economically processes a wide variety of
raw materials and wastes into fine, dry
powders.
Intr oduc tio n to the
KD S M ic ronex™ T echnol ogy
• KDS stands for Kinetic
Disintegration System. The KDS
Micronex™ is an high volume
grinder that dries WITHOUT
needing any heat input.
• No heat is needed because the
forces causing size reduction also
dry the material.
• KDS Technology uses LESS total
energy than conventional drying
and grinding combined.
Ta rget Ap pl icatio ns

• Soft roc k m inera ls int o fe rt ilize rs and

ind ustrial fe edstoc ks
– limestone, zeolite, phosphate rock, gypsum,
and clay
• Specialty app li cation s
– glass, metallic mineral ores
• Biom ass was te into f uel and f ertil iz er
– paper sludge, manures, biosolids, wood
waste and crop residues
• Ag ric ult ural an d foo d was te proc essi ng
int o animal f ee ds
– food processing waste, oyster shell, fish
bones, bread waste, seaweed
Descri ption of the
KD S M ic ronex™ T echnol ogy
Materials that CANNOT be processed
include:

• Plastics
• Rubber (unless cryogenically cooled)
• Metals (metallic ores okay)
• Municipal Solid Waste (because it
contains the above materials)
Benefits of the KDS Micronex™

 Simplifying on-site grinding and drying

operations into a single compact, and
easy-to-operate system that has low
initial and operating costs
 Creating high-quality, dry, virtually
pathogen-free powders that have value
as industrial feedstocks, fuels, fertilizers
and animal feeds.
 Reducing transportation and disposal
costs by reducing moisture
The KDS MICRONEXTM Process Flow

Raw material is dropped into

the throat of the mill
The KDS MICRONEXTM Process Flow

An air-lock gate reduces dust

and eliminates blow-back
The KDS MICRONEXTM Process Flow

Material moves to the Torus and

is subjected to repeated
violent collisions with the
spinning rotor and strike plates
The KDS MICRONEXTM Process Flow

 Material is fractured and

pathogen destruction occurs
 Water vapor and water
droplets are released during
the fracturing process
 The KDS MICRONEXTM Process Flow

The classifier allows finished

product to pass through to the
Cyclone cyclone and forces oversize
particles to be reprocessed
 The KDS MICRONEXTM Process Flow
Moisture

 Air containing moisture is

separated and removed from
the system.
 Processed solid material is
output from the bottom of
the cyclone
Product
KD S M ICRON EX™
Phys ic al Char ac teris tic s

• 18’ (h) x 14’ (l) x 7’ (w)

• Footprint 1000 sq. ft.
• Weight 9000 lbs.
• Motors 250, 45, 2, 2, 2 HP
• Electrical 480V, 800 Amp
• High grade steel with some stainless
components
KD S M ic ronex™
Tes ting Site
KD S M ic ronex™
Pr oc ess Pr oces s Re sult s

Input

Output
KDS Micronex™ Applications
Container Glass

• KDS Micronex™ is the only

machine known to us that can
produce sub-micron glass powder,
in bulk quantities.

• Powdered glass can be used as a

replacement for silica fume
cement an brick manufacture or
as a filler for various other
coatings.
KDS Micronex™ Applications
Container Glass

Material Feed Power Particle

Rate (kW)
Size, d
(kg/hr) (microns)

Broken 543 150 15 % < 1

Bottles 100 % < 45
KDS Micronex™ Applications
Limestone

• American limestone producer in

Washington State uses KDS Micronex™
machine for limestone milling.

• Powdered Limestone is used in cement

manufacturing and flue gas
desulfurization (FGD).

• Client reports that the KDS Micronex is

competitive with other size reduction
methods.
KDS Micronex™ Applications
Limestone

FASC Client's Production Figures

Material Production Power Particle
Rate (kW) Size
(kg/hr) (microns)

Limestone 3620 150 <75

KDS Micronex™ Applications
Limestone

Parameter Horizontal KDS

Ball Mill for Micronex
Limestone for
Limestone
Power 35 kWhr/ton 35
Consumption kWhr/ton
KDS Micronex™ Applications
Gypsum

Gypsum plant in California used

KDS Micronex for gypsum grinding.

Material Production Power Particle

Rate (kW) Size
(kg/hr) (microns)

Gypsum 2265 112 75 (est)

KDS Micronex™ Applications
Gold Ore

• Patented process mechanically

separates gold and avoids the use of
toxic chemicals.

• Gold stays in KDS chamber when gold

ore (quartzite) is ground to 30 microns.

• Waste rock is conveyed out of KDS.

• Research under way to improve
operating efficiencies
 KDS Micronex™ Applications
Zeolite, Glacial Clay, Coal

Material Feed Feed Power Prodn Out Particle

Rate MC (kW) Rate MC dia.
(kg/hr) (%) (%) (micron)
(kg/hr)

Zeolite 1116 13 130 1067 9 32

Glacial Clay 1025 10 120 930 <1 45
Coal 2100 23 150 1582 8 63

Zeolite is used in fast drying concrete mixtures

Glacial Clay is used in cosmetics, face creams.
KDS Micronex™ Applications
Paper Sludge

• Two kinds of Paper Sludge –

Primary/Secondary (P/S) Sludge
and De-inking Sludge

• P/S Sludge comes from wastewater

from paper pulp-making. Has
bacteria. MC = 80 %

• Deinking sludge results from

recycled paper manufacturing. It is
25% clay (kaolin). MC = 50 %
KDS Micronex™ Applications
Paper Sludge Comparison

• Both kinds contain burnable fiber,

but are too wet to burn on grate or
in dust burners.

• Both can be directly applied as

fertilizer, but this can lead to
respiratory problems and water
pollution.

• Paper Sludge is usually landfilled at

$17-35/mT + $0.1/mT/km
transportation cost.
KDS Micronex™ Applications
Paper Sludge Comparison

• Drying sludge reduces landfill costs.

• Dried paper sludge can be used to
make sound-absorbing material,
cattle-bedding.

• Dried paper sludge is burnable in

grate or dust burner.
 KDS Micronex™ Applications
Glacial Clay

Material Feed Feed Power Prodn Out Drying

Rate MC (kW) Rate MC Energy
(kg/hr) (%) (kg/hr) (%) (kJ/kg)

Deinking 1204 51 110 797 26 975

Sludge

975 kJ/kg is only 42 % of the latent heat of water!

Drum Dryer would need 3700 kJ/kg of water.
KDS Micronex™ Applications
Oyster Shells

• FASC has processed Oyster Shells

with excellent results.

• Fine, bone-dry powder is produced.

• Up to 3 TPH of possible.
KDS Micronex™ Applications
Summary
 Sub-micron glass powder can be
made cheaply in large quantities
 Limestone and gypsum can
effectively be ground to solution
grade
 KDS dries deinking sludge with 74 %
LESS energy than drum dryers
 Chemical-free gold extraction
system being commercialized
KDS Micronex™ Summary
 The KDS Micronex™ provides a simple,
compact, low cost and easy-to-operate
solution for fine grinding and drying.

 Proven applications include sludge drying,

grinding glass and soft-rock minerals and
preparing biomass fuels for power
production.

 The machine can quickly pay for itself, by

creating high-value end-products, reducing
processing and disposal costs.
For more information contact:

First American Scientific Corp.

Tel: +1-604-940-6220
Fax: +1-604-940-6221
Toll Free: 1-800-561-8656
Email: help@fasc.net
Web: www.fasc.net

Reduction System