CA1076806A - Reconstituted peat - Google Patents
Reconstituted peatInfo
- Publication number
- CA1076806A CA1076806A CA239,593A CA239593A CA1076806A CA 1076806 A CA1076806 A CA 1076806A CA 239593 A CA239593 A CA 239593A CA 1076806 A CA1076806 A CA 1076806A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- peat
- reconstituted
- product
- perforate
- moss
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C05—FERTILISERS; MANUFACTURE THEREOF
- C05F—ORGANIC FERTILISERS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C05B, C05C, e.g. FERTILISERS FROM WASTE OR REFUSE
- C05F11/00—Other organic fertilisers
- C05F11/02—Other organic fertilisers from peat, brown coal, and similar vegetable deposits
Landscapes
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Organic Chemistry (AREA)
- Cultivation Of Plants (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Peat reconstituted by extruding and cutting to produce a cohesive, moldable mass that is smooth in texture and having a specific gravity slightly greater than 1. A
method of producing the reconstituted past is also described.
The method comprises removing sticks and other relatively large contaminants from peat moss dug from a peat bog and cutting and extruding the product to produce the reconstituted peat. An apparatus suitable for producing the reconstituted peat moss comprises an auger having an inlet end and an outlet end. Means to feed the peat moss to the auger at the inlet end. A first extrusion plate positioned at the outlet end. A cutter abutting the extrusion plate so that the peat moss is cut as it leaves the first extrusion plate. A blade on the second side of the cutter, remote from the first extrusion plate. A second extrusion plate abuts the blades on the second side of the cutter plate. As the peat moss enters the second extrusion plate, it is cut by the second cutter.
- i -
Peat reconstituted by extruding and cutting to produce a cohesive, moldable mass that is smooth in texture and having a specific gravity slightly greater than 1. A
method of producing the reconstituted past is also described.
The method comprises removing sticks and other relatively large contaminants from peat moss dug from a peat bog and cutting and extruding the product to produce the reconstituted peat. An apparatus suitable for producing the reconstituted peat moss comprises an auger having an inlet end and an outlet end. Means to feed the peat moss to the auger at the inlet end. A first extrusion plate positioned at the outlet end. A cutter abutting the extrusion plate so that the peat moss is cut as it leaves the first extrusion plate. A blade on the second side of the cutter, remote from the first extrusion plate. A second extrusion plate abuts the blades on the second side of the cutter plate. As the peat moss enters the second extrusion plate, it is cut by the second cutter.
- i -
Description
68~6 This invention relates to a reconstituted peat product, to a method of producing that product and to an apparatus useful in the production of the product.
Peat is used as a fuel in certain countries and finds fairly wide application as a soil conditioner in argriculture. An important use of peat is described and claimed in my Canadian Patent 855 r 929 issued November 17, 1970 which describes and claims a containerized tree seedling which is ready for planting and comprises a tree seedling, an elongated container around the root of the tree seedling and adapted to be in direct contact with surrounding ground when the unit is placed in the ground. The container is formed of moist clay-like mud which has been squeezed about the roots and has oozed within and around the roots. The mud is capable of absorbing moisture from the ground. The unit includes means for normally maintaining the container in a semi-rigid state for handling and planting purposes.
These latter means are such as not to interfere with the container absorbing moisture from the ground or the growing ^ ;
of the seedling.
The clay-like composition is desirably a mixture -of clay and peat moss moistened with water. Preferred compositions include one part clay, two or three parts of :
peat moss and one part of water. ;
Desirably, the outer layer of the container used is dryed and hardened to rigidify it. This procedure is analogous to case hardening in metallurgy. The peat moss used to produce the unit described and claimed in the above Canadian patent is normally available, commercial peat moss.
~ 68~6 `
Excellent results have been achieved using the seedling units of the above patent but there are some dis-advantages. First, popular acceptance of the unit has been slow because of the use of clay in the unit. It must be emphasized that the use of clay is almost invariably not a disadvantage but in forestry prog:rams on some dry sites it has been observed that if a seedling grown from a unit as described and claimed in the above Canadian patent dies then its death is frequently attributed to the use of clay around the roots. In fact, the almost unvarying reason for the death of the seedling is poor planting procedure by not tamping properly and allowing drying out of the roots.
Experiments comparing the survival, growth and cost of trees grown from units as described and claimed in Canadian Patent 855,929 and other, competitive procedures, has demon-strated the superiority of containerized tree seedling units according to the above patent. However, the units of Canadian Patent 855,929 do have the disadvantages (a) that with extensive drying hardening takes place to an extent that can make root egress difficult (b) the clay present in the units adds extra weight because of its high specific gravity and can restrict oxygen availability to the seedling's roots,- and (c) moisture present in the units can be retained in the units because of a colloidal bond of the water to the clay. This last feature means that some water must be transported with the units and yet will not be available to the seedlings because it is bonded to the clay too strongly.
The clay in the composition described and claimed in the above patent is present to provide cohesion to the mixture. Both during and after formation of the unit it is . , - - . , -:. . .. -.: : .. -. : . :
~07~
highly desirable that the unit be cohesive. Furthermore, it is desirable that the unit be made from a composition that is slippy when wet in order to facilitate proper coating and surrounding of the roots of the seedling and the formation of the container without damage to the roots with the use of low pressure, for example, by hand.
In attempting to determine ways of avoiding the problems with the containerized unit of Canadian Patent 855,929 on certain forest sites the present invention has evolved. In particular the present invention provides a reconstituted peat that is cohesive and does not require to be mixed with clay to impart cohesiveness.
Commercial peat moss, such as used in producing the seedling units described and claim~d in Canadian Patent æ55,929, is collected from a peat bog in one of two ways.
First a dry upper layer of the peat may be sucked from the peat bog by a vacuum apparatus. Another layer is then left to dry. The process tends to leave large sticks behind but collects the smaller sticks with the moss. Further, the process requires good weather to allow drying of the exposed, upper layer. Secondly, the moss may be collected by a water treatment process in which the bog is flooded and the water suspension of peat pumped from a well dug in the center of the flooding. The suspension is pumped through pipes to a system where its water content can be reduced.
Both the above methods are expensive and in each--the water process and the vacuum process--the product is passed through a drying step that includes passing it through a furnace. The peat is subjected to considerable heat and small peat fibres and the like present in the peat iO76B~
may be burned. Further, small sticks present become stiff on drying which is undesirable when forming small containers.
Thus the dried product must be screened several times to remove the sticks.
Commercial peat has little cohesiveness when wet.
It forms a crumbling mass which binds and does not slip or hold together when formed. It does not readily absorb water after the drying step. It is because of these properties that the process of Canadian Patent 855,929 incorporates clay into the peat moss.
The present invention is a peat product--which may be termed reconstituted peat--that has novel and surprising properties. In particular the product is a highly cohesive, moist, clay-like substance that can be quickly and easily formed at low pressures. Once formed it will retain its shape and can be moved by hand without damage to its form or shape which is in contrast to conventional commercial peat.
It is lighter when suitably dried and hardened than the product of the above Canadian patent and it is therefore ; 20 easier for the planter to pack. The product does not lose moisture as readily as the product of the patent, princi-pally because of the absence of clay. Furthermore, the moisture is readily available to the roots of the seedling because of less colloidal bond of the water to clay particles.
The reconstituted peat product may be used to encompass the roots of seedlings as described in Canadian Patent 855,929. However, it has been found desirable to mix the product with a granular mineral. The great cohesive-ness of the reconstituted peat moss enables it to hold to-gether the granular mineral to produce a seedling container ~'7~ 6 with extremely desirable properties. The reconstituted peat moss has a tendency to shrink upon losing moisture.
If the product is kept moist and placed in moist ground this not a disadvantage. However, it is generally more convenient to incorporate the mineral, for example expanded perlite or expanded vermiculite, preferably the former, to impart structural stability, lightness and also to help absorption of water if the product loses some of its initial water.
Moisture can be reabsorbed into the mixture of ! reconstituted peat and granular mineral very readily so that even after the product is dried it will pick up moisture from being in contact with moist ground or from rain more readily than the mixes described and claimed in the above patent.
The product of the present invention, especially when combined with a granular mineral, is porous and pro-vides excellent oxygen availability to seedlings encased within it.
According to its broadest aspect the present invention is peat reconstituted by extruding and cutting to produce a cohesive, moldable mass that is smooth in texture -and has a specific gravity slightly greater than 1.
In particular the product is produced by removing large contaminants from peat moss from a peat bog then subjecting the peat moss to an extruding and cutting action to produce the reconstituted product. It should be empha-sizèd that the peat from the bog need only have large sticks removed, for example sticks greater than 1/~ inch in dia-meter, but there is no other treatment of the moss necessary.
~1)7~8~6 It may simply be dug from a bog either by hand or by, for example, a backhoe.
In a preferred embodiment the reconstituted peat is produced by extruding the peat through a perforate member having a plurality of apertures alld having a knife member cutting the peat as it leaves the perforate member.
In a further aspect the invention is a method of producing a reconstituted peat that comprises removing sticks and other relatively large contaminants from peat moss dug from a peat bog and cutting and extruding the product to produce the above reconstituted peat.
The invention also extends to an apparatus suit-able for producing reconstituted peat moss from peat moss ~`
dug from a peat bog, the apparatus comprising an auger , having an inlet end and an outlet end, means to feed thepeat moss to the auger at the inlet end, a first extrusion plate positioned at the outlet end, a cutter abutting the extrusion plate so that the peat moss is cut as it leaves the first extrusion plate, a blade on the second side of the -cutter, remote from the first extrusion plate, and a second extrusion plate abutting the blades on the second side of the cutter plates whereby, as the peat moss enters the second extrusion plate, it is cut hy the second cutter.
Aspects of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a section through an apparatus useful in producing the product according to the present invention;
and Figures 2 to 4 illustrate details of the apparatus of Figure 1.
~7~8`~6 The drawings illustrate an apparatus suitable for producing reconstituted peat moss from peat moss dug from a peat bog comprising a auger 2 positioned within a channel 4.
The channel 4 has an inlet 6 and an outlet 8. There is a hopper 10 at the inlet end of the auger 6 to permit feeding of peat moss from a peat bog to the auger 2.
At its outlet end the auger 2 is provided with a boss 12 having a circular perimeter and a boss 14 having a polygonal cross section. Boss 14 is of square cross section in the illustrated embodiment. An extruder plate 16 is positioned adjacent the end of the auger 2. As indicated in Figure 3 the extruder plate 16 has a central, circular opening 18 and crescent shaped openings 20 extending through the plate. A cutter plate 22 is positioned on and driven by the rotation of the polygonal boss 14. As indicated in Figure 4, the cutter plate 22 comprises a body 24 having cutting edges 26 and, on its face remote from the cutting edges 26, blades 28 positioned in channels 29. The plate 22 is provided with a central, hollow boss 30 whose circular perimeter fits within opening 18 in the extruder plate 16 and whose circular interior fits around the boss 12 on auger 2. The plate 22 has a central opening 32 of polygonal cross section to engage on the correspondingly shaped boss 14 on the auger 2.
A further plate 16 is located in front of the cutter plate 22 and is located by the interior of the outlet 8 of channel 4. It will be noted from the drawings that the exterior of the circular boss 30 on cutter plate 22 corresponds in size to the circular hole 18 in plate 16 and acts as a bearing for auger 2 by its engagement on the boss 12. The - , . : , , .
~1~7~8~)6 plates 16 are interchangeable. They are prevented from turning by locks (not shown).
At its outlet end 8 the channel 4 is provided on its exterior with a thread 34 to receive an internally threaded collar 36 which abuts the exterior of the second plate 16 and holds the plates 16 and the cutter plate 22 within the channel 4.
The auger 2 is located at its outlet end 8 by the boss 12 fitting within the interior of boss 30 on plate 22.
The exterior of plate 22 contacts the interior of the channel 4. Adjacent its inlet 6 the channel 4 is provided with a bearing 38. A protruding portion 40 of the auger 2 is fitted with a pulley 42 to receive a V-belt drive from a suitable motor. In a useful embodiment of the invention the motor (which is not shown in the drawings) can be a 20-horse power electric motor running the auger at 100 to 300 revolutions per minute.
Although not illustrated in the drawings, the channel 4 may be fitted with helical grooves to prevent backfeed of the material within the channel 4. The use of such grooves is well known in extruders.
The apparatus illustrated may be varied in a number of ways. In particular the crescent shaped openings 20 in plate 16 may be replaced by a plurality of circular holes extenaing through the plate 16. However, the crescent shaped openings 20 as illustrated in the drawings have proven desirable.
A conveyor belt may be used as a convenient means of feeding peat moss dug from a peat bog into the hopper 10.
The peat moss Erom the bog has large sticks separated from .: . . .. .
6~6 it, for example, sticks with a diameter greater than 1/4-inch, and this separation may be done by hand. The material is then placed on a conveyor and thus loaded into the hopper 10. From the hopper 10 the peat moss is forced along the auger channel 4 by the auger 2, through the first perforate plate 16. As it leaves the first perforate plate 16 the cutting edges 2~ on plate 22 cut the extruded product. The thus treated peat moss is then passed through the second perforate plate 16. As it enters the opening 20 in the second perforate plate 16 the product is cut by the blades 28 in the second side of the cutter plate 22.
The product that emerges from the outlet 8 is cohesive, moldable, smooth in texture and generally speaking has a specific gravity slightly greater than 1. Twigs contained in the fed peat moss have been cut and crushed during the cutting and extruding operation. Furthermore, the small pieces that have been produced by cutting of the sticks and roots have never been dried out, they retain their natural high moisture content and are pliable so they do not cause a problem in forming a seedling unit. The small fibrous pieces produced by cutting and crushing the y roots remain and are believed to assist in imparting co-hesiveness to the product.
As indicated above the reconstituted peat moss may be mixed with granular mineral products, especially perlite, to produce a substance ideal for containerized seedlings.
To incorporate the granular mineral simple hand mixing is sufficient but, generally speaking, on an indus-trial scale it is desirable to use a ribbon mixer. The ., , . ,........... .. : ~
~07~i8~36 granular mineral and the reconstituted peat are placed in the mixer in the desired proportions. These proportions may vary within the range of one part mineral, particularly perlite, to three parts of reconstituted peat to two parts of mineral to one ~art reconstituted peat. In view of the relatively fragile nature of expanded vermiculite and expanded perlite it is desirable that $he introduction of the minerals be accompanied with gentle mixing. It is not desirable to brea~ the particles of the expanded mineral.
If desired, a small proportion of commercial peat may be added. The commercial peat is dry and can thus be `~ used to adjust the proportions of water. Water may also be added if needed to soften the mixture for forming. A
useful commercial product can, indeed, comprise one third reconstituted peat, one third of ordinary commercial peat and one third expanded perlite. If weight and absence of skrinkage are not important a mixture of about equal parts of reconstituted peat and commercial peat can be used to form a seedling container unit.
The mixture of reconstituted peat and perlite has extremely desirable properties in the containerizing of seedlings. A particular advantage is that once formed as described in Canadian Patent 855,929 the product can with-stand quite heavy rain without crumbling. Furthermore the product drains easily. Thus, the containerized unit may be placed in plastic containers, about one hundred to a container, and stored outside.
When stored in this way water can be added to the product very simply. In view of the excellent water absorp-tion of the product according to the invention, it is not :
, . - .~. , : : : ~: - , .. :
. : .. . , , .:
1~7~3~6 necessary to plant the seedlings when the soil is especially dry, for example in a drought. Instead the seedlings may be held in storage and watered easily. Furthermore, it is not necessary to store the plants inside or at reduced temper-ature. They may be stored outside and watered with a sprayof waterO This is considered an especially important advantage and greatly reduces the hazards of tree planting.
As a further aid a fertili~er, fox example that available under the trade mark OSMOCOTE, a slow release fertilizer, may be incorporated into the mix in any desired amount, for example, up to 5% by volume.
The reconstituted peat of the present invention thus represents a considerable improvement in the contain-erized seedling art. The product is easily able to retain any shape to which it is molded when wet. After drying it is readily able to absorb water, has considerable strength, even when rewetted, and is thus able to resist breakdown or crumbling by, for example, rain.
In use the composition of reconstituted peat and mineral may be formed into a unit as described in Canadian Patent 855,929. Desirably the unit, once formed, is dryed as described in that patent, namely by subjecting the formed con~ainer to heat or drying sufficiently to dry the exterior but without allowing the drying to penetrate deep enough to effect the moisture within the container around the roots to the damaged seedling. A forced air feed with the air at 70F is desirable.
A particular advantage of the composition that includes a granular mineral, for example perlite, is that a cylinder of the composition may be formed and oven-dried to ., .
.:
~ .
~ ~76~ 6 substantially zero water content. This drying restricts the amount of water that can be reabsorbed to about 400~ moisture based on the dry weight of the container. If the container has not been completely dried out, then the absorption of excessive amounts of water, for example above about 600%
water based on the dry weight of the product, can cause the product to be excessively muddy, to deform easily and fall off the roots of the seedling. However, the formed dried container has extremely good strength, providing excellent aeration, good rigidity and control of moisture absorption up to about 400% by weight at saturation.
Such a dried container can be drilled to form a substantially central hole. A small seedling, for example, a seedling grown in straw in a greenhouse, can then be inserted into the drilled hole in the dried container. The container can then be rewetted, up to its maximum of about ~00% in a short time. Standing the container in cold water will effect a reasonably rapid absorption of water.
A particular advantage of the dried container containing a seedling grown in straw is that the dried material can be punched into reasonably soft ground. The container then rapidly absorbs water to provide a source of water for the seedling. Furthermore, if desired, the container may be moistened just before planting and is still sufficiently strong that it can be punched into wet ground.
The absorption of water can be facilitated by dishing the top of the unit to enable it to hold water, which can then absorb throughout the unit. It is envisaged that containers of this type, that is formed from completely dried compo-sitions with a small seedling inserted into a bore formed in . ~
- 12 ~
. , ~076806 it, could easily be dropped from an airplane and would have sufficient strength to penetrate a soft forest soil.
However, even if the unit would not penetrate forest soil it must be emphasized that the composition of reconstituted peat and mineral, (especially per]ite) is an ideal growing medium, particularly when it includes a fertilizer, so that even if the container shattered it would form a small mound of soil in which the seedling cou:Ld easily grow and form roots which would eventually extend into the forest soil.
The advantage of this dried, rigid container aspect of the present invention is that the seedlings can be grown in greenhouses, for example, in straw, over the winter. This permits an earlier planting date and, in particular, allows a full summer growth of the seedlings before adverse weather is encountered. Futhermore, it is far less likely that there will be drought conditions in the spring when the container is put into the ground.
A further advantage of the dried composition of reconstituted peat and granular mineral, preferably perlite, is that a small diameter, elongated cylinder of the com-position may be formed then dried substantially completely.
A small bore may then be formed in the cylinder large enough to hold a seed. Because of the small size of the cylinders large numbers of seedlings can be grown from seed in a greenhouse. The cylinder can stand the persistent wetting required for the growth from seed. When desired, the cylinder can be inserted into a bore formed in a larger, ^~
dried container of the same composition and be ready for transplanting. This procedure avoids the need to remove the straw coating from seedling roots.
-:
107~80~;
It can thus be seen that the reconstituted peat according to the present invention provides a number of considerable advantages in the growing of seedlings in reforestation schemes.
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.... .
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' :'.'', ",
Peat is used as a fuel in certain countries and finds fairly wide application as a soil conditioner in argriculture. An important use of peat is described and claimed in my Canadian Patent 855 r 929 issued November 17, 1970 which describes and claims a containerized tree seedling which is ready for planting and comprises a tree seedling, an elongated container around the root of the tree seedling and adapted to be in direct contact with surrounding ground when the unit is placed in the ground. The container is formed of moist clay-like mud which has been squeezed about the roots and has oozed within and around the roots. The mud is capable of absorbing moisture from the ground. The unit includes means for normally maintaining the container in a semi-rigid state for handling and planting purposes.
These latter means are such as not to interfere with the container absorbing moisture from the ground or the growing ^ ;
of the seedling.
The clay-like composition is desirably a mixture -of clay and peat moss moistened with water. Preferred compositions include one part clay, two or three parts of :
peat moss and one part of water. ;
Desirably, the outer layer of the container used is dryed and hardened to rigidify it. This procedure is analogous to case hardening in metallurgy. The peat moss used to produce the unit described and claimed in the above Canadian patent is normally available, commercial peat moss.
~ 68~6 `
Excellent results have been achieved using the seedling units of the above patent but there are some dis-advantages. First, popular acceptance of the unit has been slow because of the use of clay in the unit. It must be emphasized that the use of clay is almost invariably not a disadvantage but in forestry prog:rams on some dry sites it has been observed that if a seedling grown from a unit as described and claimed in the above Canadian patent dies then its death is frequently attributed to the use of clay around the roots. In fact, the almost unvarying reason for the death of the seedling is poor planting procedure by not tamping properly and allowing drying out of the roots.
Experiments comparing the survival, growth and cost of trees grown from units as described and claimed in Canadian Patent 855,929 and other, competitive procedures, has demon-strated the superiority of containerized tree seedling units according to the above patent. However, the units of Canadian Patent 855,929 do have the disadvantages (a) that with extensive drying hardening takes place to an extent that can make root egress difficult (b) the clay present in the units adds extra weight because of its high specific gravity and can restrict oxygen availability to the seedling's roots,- and (c) moisture present in the units can be retained in the units because of a colloidal bond of the water to the clay. This last feature means that some water must be transported with the units and yet will not be available to the seedlings because it is bonded to the clay too strongly.
The clay in the composition described and claimed in the above patent is present to provide cohesion to the mixture. Both during and after formation of the unit it is . , - - . , -:. . .. -.: : .. -. : . :
~07~
highly desirable that the unit be cohesive. Furthermore, it is desirable that the unit be made from a composition that is slippy when wet in order to facilitate proper coating and surrounding of the roots of the seedling and the formation of the container without damage to the roots with the use of low pressure, for example, by hand.
In attempting to determine ways of avoiding the problems with the containerized unit of Canadian Patent 855,929 on certain forest sites the present invention has evolved. In particular the present invention provides a reconstituted peat that is cohesive and does not require to be mixed with clay to impart cohesiveness.
Commercial peat moss, such as used in producing the seedling units described and claim~d in Canadian Patent æ55,929, is collected from a peat bog in one of two ways.
First a dry upper layer of the peat may be sucked from the peat bog by a vacuum apparatus. Another layer is then left to dry. The process tends to leave large sticks behind but collects the smaller sticks with the moss. Further, the process requires good weather to allow drying of the exposed, upper layer. Secondly, the moss may be collected by a water treatment process in which the bog is flooded and the water suspension of peat pumped from a well dug in the center of the flooding. The suspension is pumped through pipes to a system where its water content can be reduced.
Both the above methods are expensive and in each--the water process and the vacuum process--the product is passed through a drying step that includes passing it through a furnace. The peat is subjected to considerable heat and small peat fibres and the like present in the peat iO76B~
may be burned. Further, small sticks present become stiff on drying which is undesirable when forming small containers.
Thus the dried product must be screened several times to remove the sticks.
Commercial peat has little cohesiveness when wet.
It forms a crumbling mass which binds and does not slip or hold together when formed. It does not readily absorb water after the drying step. It is because of these properties that the process of Canadian Patent 855,929 incorporates clay into the peat moss.
The present invention is a peat product--which may be termed reconstituted peat--that has novel and surprising properties. In particular the product is a highly cohesive, moist, clay-like substance that can be quickly and easily formed at low pressures. Once formed it will retain its shape and can be moved by hand without damage to its form or shape which is in contrast to conventional commercial peat.
It is lighter when suitably dried and hardened than the product of the above Canadian patent and it is therefore ; 20 easier for the planter to pack. The product does not lose moisture as readily as the product of the patent, princi-pally because of the absence of clay. Furthermore, the moisture is readily available to the roots of the seedling because of less colloidal bond of the water to clay particles.
The reconstituted peat product may be used to encompass the roots of seedlings as described in Canadian Patent 855,929. However, it has been found desirable to mix the product with a granular mineral. The great cohesive-ness of the reconstituted peat moss enables it to hold to-gether the granular mineral to produce a seedling container ~'7~ 6 with extremely desirable properties. The reconstituted peat moss has a tendency to shrink upon losing moisture.
If the product is kept moist and placed in moist ground this not a disadvantage. However, it is generally more convenient to incorporate the mineral, for example expanded perlite or expanded vermiculite, preferably the former, to impart structural stability, lightness and also to help absorption of water if the product loses some of its initial water.
Moisture can be reabsorbed into the mixture of ! reconstituted peat and granular mineral very readily so that even after the product is dried it will pick up moisture from being in contact with moist ground or from rain more readily than the mixes described and claimed in the above patent.
The product of the present invention, especially when combined with a granular mineral, is porous and pro-vides excellent oxygen availability to seedlings encased within it.
According to its broadest aspect the present invention is peat reconstituted by extruding and cutting to produce a cohesive, moldable mass that is smooth in texture -and has a specific gravity slightly greater than 1.
In particular the product is produced by removing large contaminants from peat moss from a peat bog then subjecting the peat moss to an extruding and cutting action to produce the reconstituted product. It should be empha-sizèd that the peat from the bog need only have large sticks removed, for example sticks greater than 1/~ inch in dia-meter, but there is no other treatment of the moss necessary.
~1)7~8~6 It may simply be dug from a bog either by hand or by, for example, a backhoe.
In a preferred embodiment the reconstituted peat is produced by extruding the peat through a perforate member having a plurality of apertures alld having a knife member cutting the peat as it leaves the perforate member.
In a further aspect the invention is a method of producing a reconstituted peat that comprises removing sticks and other relatively large contaminants from peat moss dug from a peat bog and cutting and extruding the product to produce the above reconstituted peat.
The invention also extends to an apparatus suit-able for producing reconstituted peat moss from peat moss ~`
dug from a peat bog, the apparatus comprising an auger , having an inlet end and an outlet end, means to feed thepeat moss to the auger at the inlet end, a first extrusion plate positioned at the outlet end, a cutter abutting the extrusion plate so that the peat moss is cut as it leaves the first extrusion plate, a blade on the second side of the -cutter, remote from the first extrusion plate, and a second extrusion plate abutting the blades on the second side of the cutter plates whereby, as the peat moss enters the second extrusion plate, it is cut hy the second cutter.
Aspects of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a section through an apparatus useful in producing the product according to the present invention;
and Figures 2 to 4 illustrate details of the apparatus of Figure 1.
~7~8`~6 The drawings illustrate an apparatus suitable for producing reconstituted peat moss from peat moss dug from a peat bog comprising a auger 2 positioned within a channel 4.
The channel 4 has an inlet 6 and an outlet 8. There is a hopper 10 at the inlet end of the auger 6 to permit feeding of peat moss from a peat bog to the auger 2.
At its outlet end the auger 2 is provided with a boss 12 having a circular perimeter and a boss 14 having a polygonal cross section. Boss 14 is of square cross section in the illustrated embodiment. An extruder plate 16 is positioned adjacent the end of the auger 2. As indicated in Figure 3 the extruder plate 16 has a central, circular opening 18 and crescent shaped openings 20 extending through the plate. A cutter plate 22 is positioned on and driven by the rotation of the polygonal boss 14. As indicated in Figure 4, the cutter plate 22 comprises a body 24 having cutting edges 26 and, on its face remote from the cutting edges 26, blades 28 positioned in channels 29. The plate 22 is provided with a central, hollow boss 30 whose circular perimeter fits within opening 18 in the extruder plate 16 and whose circular interior fits around the boss 12 on auger 2. The plate 22 has a central opening 32 of polygonal cross section to engage on the correspondingly shaped boss 14 on the auger 2.
A further plate 16 is located in front of the cutter plate 22 and is located by the interior of the outlet 8 of channel 4. It will be noted from the drawings that the exterior of the circular boss 30 on cutter plate 22 corresponds in size to the circular hole 18 in plate 16 and acts as a bearing for auger 2 by its engagement on the boss 12. The - , . : , , .
~1~7~8~)6 plates 16 are interchangeable. They are prevented from turning by locks (not shown).
At its outlet end 8 the channel 4 is provided on its exterior with a thread 34 to receive an internally threaded collar 36 which abuts the exterior of the second plate 16 and holds the plates 16 and the cutter plate 22 within the channel 4.
The auger 2 is located at its outlet end 8 by the boss 12 fitting within the interior of boss 30 on plate 22.
The exterior of plate 22 contacts the interior of the channel 4. Adjacent its inlet 6 the channel 4 is provided with a bearing 38. A protruding portion 40 of the auger 2 is fitted with a pulley 42 to receive a V-belt drive from a suitable motor. In a useful embodiment of the invention the motor (which is not shown in the drawings) can be a 20-horse power electric motor running the auger at 100 to 300 revolutions per minute.
Although not illustrated in the drawings, the channel 4 may be fitted with helical grooves to prevent backfeed of the material within the channel 4. The use of such grooves is well known in extruders.
The apparatus illustrated may be varied in a number of ways. In particular the crescent shaped openings 20 in plate 16 may be replaced by a plurality of circular holes extenaing through the plate 16. However, the crescent shaped openings 20 as illustrated in the drawings have proven desirable.
A conveyor belt may be used as a convenient means of feeding peat moss dug from a peat bog into the hopper 10.
The peat moss Erom the bog has large sticks separated from .: . . .. .
6~6 it, for example, sticks with a diameter greater than 1/4-inch, and this separation may be done by hand. The material is then placed on a conveyor and thus loaded into the hopper 10. From the hopper 10 the peat moss is forced along the auger channel 4 by the auger 2, through the first perforate plate 16. As it leaves the first perforate plate 16 the cutting edges 2~ on plate 22 cut the extruded product. The thus treated peat moss is then passed through the second perforate plate 16. As it enters the opening 20 in the second perforate plate 16 the product is cut by the blades 28 in the second side of the cutter plate 22.
The product that emerges from the outlet 8 is cohesive, moldable, smooth in texture and generally speaking has a specific gravity slightly greater than 1. Twigs contained in the fed peat moss have been cut and crushed during the cutting and extruding operation. Furthermore, the small pieces that have been produced by cutting of the sticks and roots have never been dried out, they retain their natural high moisture content and are pliable so they do not cause a problem in forming a seedling unit. The small fibrous pieces produced by cutting and crushing the y roots remain and are believed to assist in imparting co-hesiveness to the product.
As indicated above the reconstituted peat moss may be mixed with granular mineral products, especially perlite, to produce a substance ideal for containerized seedlings.
To incorporate the granular mineral simple hand mixing is sufficient but, generally speaking, on an indus-trial scale it is desirable to use a ribbon mixer. The ., , . ,........... .. : ~
~07~i8~36 granular mineral and the reconstituted peat are placed in the mixer in the desired proportions. These proportions may vary within the range of one part mineral, particularly perlite, to three parts of reconstituted peat to two parts of mineral to one ~art reconstituted peat. In view of the relatively fragile nature of expanded vermiculite and expanded perlite it is desirable that $he introduction of the minerals be accompanied with gentle mixing. It is not desirable to brea~ the particles of the expanded mineral.
If desired, a small proportion of commercial peat may be added. The commercial peat is dry and can thus be `~ used to adjust the proportions of water. Water may also be added if needed to soften the mixture for forming. A
useful commercial product can, indeed, comprise one third reconstituted peat, one third of ordinary commercial peat and one third expanded perlite. If weight and absence of skrinkage are not important a mixture of about equal parts of reconstituted peat and commercial peat can be used to form a seedling container unit.
The mixture of reconstituted peat and perlite has extremely desirable properties in the containerizing of seedlings. A particular advantage is that once formed as described in Canadian Patent 855,929 the product can with-stand quite heavy rain without crumbling. Furthermore the product drains easily. Thus, the containerized unit may be placed in plastic containers, about one hundred to a container, and stored outside.
When stored in this way water can be added to the product very simply. In view of the excellent water absorp-tion of the product according to the invention, it is not :
, . - .~. , : : : ~: - , .. :
. : .. . , , .:
1~7~3~6 necessary to plant the seedlings when the soil is especially dry, for example in a drought. Instead the seedlings may be held in storage and watered easily. Furthermore, it is not necessary to store the plants inside or at reduced temper-ature. They may be stored outside and watered with a sprayof waterO This is considered an especially important advantage and greatly reduces the hazards of tree planting.
As a further aid a fertili~er, fox example that available under the trade mark OSMOCOTE, a slow release fertilizer, may be incorporated into the mix in any desired amount, for example, up to 5% by volume.
The reconstituted peat of the present invention thus represents a considerable improvement in the contain-erized seedling art. The product is easily able to retain any shape to which it is molded when wet. After drying it is readily able to absorb water, has considerable strength, even when rewetted, and is thus able to resist breakdown or crumbling by, for example, rain.
In use the composition of reconstituted peat and mineral may be formed into a unit as described in Canadian Patent 855,929. Desirably the unit, once formed, is dryed as described in that patent, namely by subjecting the formed con~ainer to heat or drying sufficiently to dry the exterior but without allowing the drying to penetrate deep enough to effect the moisture within the container around the roots to the damaged seedling. A forced air feed with the air at 70F is desirable.
A particular advantage of the composition that includes a granular mineral, for example perlite, is that a cylinder of the composition may be formed and oven-dried to ., .
.:
~ .
~ ~76~ 6 substantially zero water content. This drying restricts the amount of water that can be reabsorbed to about 400~ moisture based on the dry weight of the container. If the container has not been completely dried out, then the absorption of excessive amounts of water, for example above about 600%
water based on the dry weight of the product, can cause the product to be excessively muddy, to deform easily and fall off the roots of the seedling. However, the formed dried container has extremely good strength, providing excellent aeration, good rigidity and control of moisture absorption up to about 400% by weight at saturation.
Such a dried container can be drilled to form a substantially central hole. A small seedling, for example, a seedling grown in straw in a greenhouse, can then be inserted into the drilled hole in the dried container. The container can then be rewetted, up to its maximum of about ~00% in a short time. Standing the container in cold water will effect a reasonably rapid absorption of water.
A particular advantage of the dried container containing a seedling grown in straw is that the dried material can be punched into reasonably soft ground. The container then rapidly absorbs water to provide a source of water for the seedling. Furthermore, if desired, the container may be moistened just before planting and is still sufficiently strong that it can be punched into wet ground.
The absorption of water can be facilitated by dishing the top of the unit to enable it to hold water, which can then absorb throughout the unit. It is envisaged that containers of this type, that is formed from completely dried compo-sitions with a small seedling inserted into a bore formed in . ~
- 12 ~
. , ~076806 it, could easily be dropped from an airplane and would have sufficient strength to penetrate a soft forest soil.
However, even if the unit would not penetrate forest soil it must be emphasized that the composition of reconstituted peat and mineral, (especially per]ite) is an ideal growing medium, particularly when it includes a fertilizer, so that even if the container shattered it would form a small mound of soil in which the seedling cou:Ld easily grow and form roots which would eventually extend into the forest soil.
The advantage of this dried, rigid container aspect of the present invention is that the seedlings can be grown in greenhouses, for example, in straw, over the winter. This permits an earlier planting date and, in particular, allows a full summer growth of the seedlings before adverse weather is encountered. Futhermore, it is far less likely that there will be drought conditions in the spring when the container is put into the ground.
A further advantage of the dried composition of reconstituted peat and granular mineral, preferably perlite, is that a small diameter, elongated cylinder of the com-position may be formed then dried substantially completely.
A small bore may then be formed in the cylinder large enough to hold a seed. Because of the small size of the cylinders large numbers of seedlings can be grown from seed in a greenhouse. The cylinder can stand the persistent wetting required for the growth from seed. When desired, the cylinder can be inserted into a bore formed in a larger, ^~
dried container of the same composition and be ready for transplanting. This procedure avoids the need to remove the straw coating from seedling roots.
-:
107~80~;
It can thus be seen that the reconstituted peat according to the present invention provides a number of considerable advantages in the growing of seedlings in reforestation schemes.
; , ~
~.
.
: ......
. .
:,........................................................................ .
.... .
. :
.~.
' :'.'', ",
Claims (19)
1. Peat reconstituted by extruding and cutting to produce a cohesive, moldable mass that is smooth in texture and having a specific gravity slightly greater than 1.
2. Reconstituted peat as claimed in claim 1 and having been produced by removing large contaminants from peat moss from a peat bog then subjecting the peat moss to an extruding and cutting action to produce the reconstituted product.
3. Reconstituted peat as claimed in claim 2 in which the contaminants removed are sticks greater than 1/4 inch in diameter.
4. Reconstituted peat as claimed in claim 2 in which the cutting and extruding has been achieved by ex-truding the peat through a perforate member having a plura-lity of apertures and having a knife member cutting the peat as it leaves the perforate member.
5. Reconstituted peat as claimed in claim 2 in which the peat moss has been extruded through a first perforate member having a plurality of apertures, the product has been cut as it emerges from said apertures by a rotating blade that contacts the first perforate member, and the product has been extruded through a second perforate member and cut as it enters the second perforate member by a blade that contacts the second perforate member.
6. Reconstituted peat as claimed in claim 5 in which the blade member abuts the first perforate member on one side and the second perforate member on its other side.
7. Reconstituted peat as claimed in claim 4 in which the peat moss has been fed to the extruder by an auger.
8. Reconstituted peat as claimed in claim 1 in admixture with a mineral able to impart structural stability and resistance to shrinkage to the reconstituted peat product.
9. Reconstituted peat as claimed in claim 8 in which the mineral is coarse grade expanded perlite.
10. Reconstituted peat as claimed in claim 8 in which the mineral is expanded vermiculite.
11. Reconstituted peat as claimed in claim 9 in which the ratio of perlite to reconstituted peat is in the range of 1 part perlite to 3 parts reconstituted peat to 2 parts perlite to 1 part reconstituted peat.
12. Reconstituted peat as claimed in claim 9 further including a proportion of dried, natural peat.
13. Reconstituted peat as claimed in claim 12 in which the proportions of reconstituted peat: mineral: dried natural peat are 1:1:1.
14. Reconstituted peat as claimed in claim 9 also including about 5% by volume of slow release fertilizer.
15. A method of producing a reconstituted peat that comprises removing sticks and other relatively large contaminants from peat moss dug from a peat bog and cutting and extruding the product to produce a reconstituted peat smooth in texture, cohesive, moldable and having a specific gravity slightly greater than 1.
16. A method as claimed in claim 15 in which the sticks removed are any sticks greater than 1/4 inch in diameter.
17. A method as claimed in claim 15 in which the peat moss is extruded through a perforate plate and cut with a blade member immediately it leaves the perforate plate, and in which the product then passes through a second perforate plate and is cut as it enters the second perforate plate.
18. Reconstituted peat as claimed in claim 8 molded into a cohesive body to form a planting unit, sub-stantially completely dried, and formed with an opening to receive a seedling or seed.
19. Reconstituted peat as claimed in claim 18, formed with a dished top around said opening.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA239,593A CA1076806A (en) | 1975-11-13 | 1975-11-13 | Reconstituted peat |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA239,593A CA1076806A (en) | 1975-11-13 | 1975-11-13 | Reconstituted peat |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1076806A true CA1076806A (en) | 1980-05-06 |
Family
ID=4104514
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA239,593A Expired CA1076806A (en) | 1975-11-13 | 1975-11-13 | Reconstituted peat |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1076806A (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1987004589A2 (en) * | 1986-01-31 | 1987-08-13 | Ceretech Limited | Container system for growing plants |
| RU2468064C1 (en) * | 2011-09-12 | 2012-11-27 | Общество с ограниченной ответственностью "ВИС Девелопмент" | Method for obtaining organic hydrophobic component from peat |
| WO2023042036A1 (en) * | 2021-09-17 | 2023-03-23 | Precision Planting Llc | Agricultural sample packaging system for extruding a soil sample |
-
1975
- 1975-11-13 CA CA239,593A patent/CA1076806A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1987004589A2 (en) * | 1986-01-31 | 1987-08-13 | Ceretech Limited | Container system for growing plants |
| EP0235937A2 (en) * | 1986-01-31 | 1987-09-09 | Ceretech Limited | Container system for growing plants |
| WO1987004589A3 (en) * | 1986-01-31 | 1987-09-24 | Ceretech Ltd | Container system for growing plants |
| EP0235937A3 (en) * | 1986-01-31 | 1987-10-21 | Ceretech Limited | Container system for growing plants |
| RU2468064C1 (en) * | 2011-09-12 | 2012-11-27 | Общество с ограниченной ответственностью "ВИС Девелопмент" | Method for obtaining organic hydrophobic component from peat |
| WO2023042036A1 (en) * | 2021-09-17 | 2023-03-23 | Precision Planting Llc | Agricultural sample packaging system for extruding a soil sample |
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