EP0375629A1 - Method and apparatus for processing cotton bales for removing fungi and micro-organisms therefrom - Google Patents

Method and apparatus for processing cotton bales for removing fungi and micro-organisms therefrom Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0375629A1
EP0375629A1 EP89830501A EP89830501A EP0375629A1 EP 0375629 A1 EP0375629 A1 EP 0375629A1 EP 89830501 A EP89830501 A EP 89830501A EP 89830501 A EP89830501 A EP 89830501A EP 0375629 A1 EP0375629 A1 EP 0375629A1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
bales
tunnel
cotton
processing
processed
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.)
Granted
Application number
EP89830501A
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German (de)
French (fr)
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EP0375629B1 (en
Inventor
Edoardo Polli
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Individual
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Individual
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Publication date
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Priority to AT89830501T priority Critical patent/ATE86681T1/en
Publication of EP0375629A1 publication Critical patent/EP0375629A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0375629B1 publication Critical patent/EP0375629B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D01—NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
    • D01G—PRELIMINARY TREATMENT OF FIBRES, e.g. FOR SPINNING
    • D01G99/00—Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
    • H05B6/00—Heating by electric, magnetic or electromagnetic fields
    • H05B6/64—Heating using microwaves
    • H05B6/78—Arrangements for continuous movement of material
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
    • H05B2206/00—Aspects relating to heating by electric, magnetic, or electromagnetic fields covered by group H05B6/00
    • H05B2206/04—Heating using microwaves
    • H05B2206/045—Microwave disinfection, sterilization, destruction of waste...

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus which have been specifically designed for processing cotton bales to remove fungi and micro-­organisms therefrom.
  • the main object of the present invention is to solve the above mentioned problem by providing a method for processing cotton bales to safely remove therefrom fungi and micro-organisms.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide such a method which processes high amounts of cotton with a very high hour yield and a perfect removal of fungi and micro-organisms,without negatively affect­ing the textile properties of the processed cotton.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide such a method which affords the possibility of processing pressed cotton bales of conventional shapes and size.
  • Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for carrying out the inventive method which apparatus is very simple construction-­wise and can be made starting from easily available component and materials.
  • a method for processing cotton bales for removing fungi and micro-organisms there­from comprises the steps of continuously conveying pressed cotton bales to a processing tunnel,microwave radiating said bales in said tunnel with set frequency and power microwaves and discharging processed bales from said tunnel.
  • the pressed cotton bales can be subjected,in said tunnel,to a combined processing by microwaves and cooling air to cool the outer surfaces of said cotton bales.
  • the apparatus for carrying out the above defined method comprises a loading platform consist­ing of an endless conveyor belt thereon the pressed cotton bales are successively arranged.
  • This conveyor belt conveys the pressed cotton bales to a processing tunnel therein there are arrang­ed,according to any suitable set arrangement,a plurality of microwave generating units for microwave radiating the individual cotton bales conveyed to the tunnel,­the cotton bales processed by microwave power and optionally by cooling air being discharged from the tun­nel by means of a discharging conveyor belt.
  • the invention is based on the discovery that as cotton fibres,in bale form,are processed by micro­waves,the textile properties of the fibres are not affected,while polluting substances such as fungi and micro-organism are destroyed.
  • microwave generating units For carrying out the inventive method,several types of microwave generating units have been test­ed and it has been found that optimum results could be obtained by using microwave generating units adapted to provide microwave beams having a frequency of 2,450 MHz with powers from 0.3 to 20 Kw.
  • this apparatus1 comprises three main components,­i.e a loading conveyor belt 2, a processing tunnel 3 and an unloading conveyor assembly 4.
  • the loading conveyor assembly supported thirty cotton bales and operated as a supply and microwave dampening system.
  • the cotton bales loading system consisted of a bearing frame of stainless steel with a size of 15,000 x 2,000 x 1,100 mm.
  • the tunnel 3 consisted of an inner conveyor slat belt,indicated in the drawing at the reference number 10,with polythetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) supporting members,not shown,of the reinforced low loss type,in order to prevent said supporting members from excessively heating.
  • PTFE polythetrafluoroethylene
  • the tunnel supporting structure was made of AISI 304 stainless steel and defined a multimode microwave heating chamber.This tunnel or oven also comprised a forced air cooling assembly.
  • the microwave generating assembly which is the core of the method and apparatus according to the present invention,comprised,in this embodiment,­ten microwave generating units of the MW 1540/03 type,­the microwaves having a frequency of 2,450 MHz and a microwave power varying from 300 to 1,100 Watts,with ten additional microwave generating units of the MW 1540/01 type having a fixed microwave power of 1,200 Watts,and supplied from the mains at a voltage of 220V,50Hz.
  • the apparatus also included an unloading conveyor slat belt having substantially the same characteristics as the loading belt.
  • the overall size of the system was of 42,500 x 2,400 x 2,700 mm;in particular the length was of 42,500 mm,the width of 2,400 mm and the useful height at the inlet of the tunnel of 800 mm;the tunnel was lined by a thermally insulating mat and means for automatically adjusting the microwave power were provided,as well as several inspection doors.
  • the processed bales consisted of pressed cotton bales and two bales types,different in volume,density and weight were processed.
  • the first cotton bale type had a volume of 0.553 m3,a net weight of 185 Kg and a density of 334.5 Kg/m3;whereas the second type had a volume of 0.705 m3,a net weight of 220 kg and a density of 312 Kg/m3.
  • the moisture of both types was of about 6%.
  • bale types are conventional cotton bales,which can be directly processed as supplied by the bale supplyer.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Preliminary Treatment Of Fibers (AREA)
  • Mushroom Cultivation (AREA)

Abstract

The method comprises the step of continuously processing the cotton bales (7) by microwaves of set frequency and power.
The apparatus (1) substantially comprises a micro­wave processing tunnel (3) supplied with cotton bales by a conveyor belt (2) and including microwave generat­ing units (9) for processing the bales,a processed bale removing conveyor belt (4) being moreover provided for removing from the tunnel the processed cotton bales.

Description

    BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  • The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus which have been specifically designed for processing cotton bales to remove fungi and micro-­organisms therefrom.
  • As is known cotton fields are generally arranged in very moist and hot regions and,because of this,fungi and micro-organisms are inevitably present in the cotton.
  • Since cotton is generally used for making fabrics as well as cotton-wool and the like materials which must have very high purity properties,it is actually necessary to process cotton in such a way as to remove therefrom all of the polluting substances,such as the above mentioned fungi and micro-organisms.
    • SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
  • Thus, the main object of the present invention is to solve the above mentioned problem by providing a method for processing cotton bales to safely remove therefrom fungi and micro-organisms.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide such a method which processes high amounts of cotton with a very high hour yield and a perfect removal of fungi and micro-organisms,without negatively affect­ing the textile properties of the processed cotton.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide such a method which affords the possibility of processing pressed cotton bales of conventional shapes and size.
  • Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for carrying out the inventive method which apparatus is very simple construction-­wise and can be made starting from easily available component and materials.
  • According to one aspect of the present inven­tion,the above mentioned objects as well as yet other objects,which will become more apparent hereinafter,­are achieved by a method for processing cotton bales for removing fungi and micro-organisms there­from,characterized in that said method comprises the steps of continuously conveying pressed cotton bales to a processing tunnel,microwave radiating said bales in said tunnel with set frequency and power microwaves and discharging processed bales from said tunnel.
  • According to a further aspect of the invention the pressed cotton bales can be subjected,in said tunnel,to a combined processing by microwaves and cooling air to cool the outer surfaces of said cotton bales.
  • The apparatus for carrying out the above defined method comprises a loading platform consist­ing of an endless conveyor belt thereon the pressed cotton bales are successively arranged.
  • This conveyor belt conveys the pressed cotton bales to a processing tunnel therein there are arrang­ed,according to any suitable set arrangement,a plurality of microwave generating units for microwave radiating the individual cotton bales conveyed to the tunnel,­the cotton bales processed by microwave power and optionally by cooling air being discharged from the tun­nel by means of a discharging conveyor belt.
    • BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
  • Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the accompanying indicative but not limitative drawings,where:
    • figure 1 is a partial cross-section front view illustrating the apparatus for carrying out the cotton bale processing method according to the invention;
    • figure 2 is a top plan view of the subject apparatus;
    • figure 3 shows a pressed cotton bale which can be processed by the method and apparatus according to the invention.
    DESCRIPTlON OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
  • The invention is based on the discovery that as cotton fibres,in bale form,are processed by micro­waves,the textile properties of the fibres are not affected,while polluting substances such as fungi and micro-organism are destroyed.
  • For carrying out the inventive method,several types of microwave generating units have been test­ed and it has been found that optimum results could be obtained by using microwave generating units adapted to provide microwave beams having a frequency of 2,450 MHz with powers from 0.3 to 20 Kw.
  • With reference to figure 1,therein there is illustrated a possible embodiment of an apparatus for carrying out the method according to the inven­tion,this apparatus1comprises three main components,­i.e a loading conveyor belt 2,a processing tunnel 3 and an unloading conveyor assembly 4.
  • The pressed cotton bales,in particular,are conveyed successively one by one,or in parallel rows,­by means of the loading conveyor belt 8,in the direction of the arrow,to the inlet of the cotton bale processing tunnel 3,inside of which there are arrang­ed a plurality of microwave generating units,indicated at the reference number 9,which are so arranged as to cover a broad radiating region,that is the conveying path of the cotton bales.
  • In an actually made prototype system,the loading conveyor assembly supported thirty cotton bales and operated as a supply and microwave dampening system.
  • More specifically,the cotton bales loading system consisted of a bearing frame of stainless steel with a size of 15,000 x 2,000 x 1,100 mm.
  • The tunnel 3 consisted of an inner conveyor slat belt,indicated in the drawing at the reference number 10,with polythetrafluoroethylene ( PTFE) supporting members,not shown,of the reinforced low loss type,in order to prevent said supporting members from excessively heating.
  • The tunnel supporting structure was made of AISI 304 stainless steel and defined a multimode microwave heating chamber.This tunnel or oven also comprised a forced air cooling assembly.
  • The microwave generating assembly,which is the core of the method and apparatus according to the present invention,comprised,in this embodiment,­ten microwave generating units of the MW 1540/03 type,­the microwaves having a frequency of 2,450 MHz and a microwave power varying from 300 to 1,100 Watts,with ten additional microwave generating units of the MW 1540/01 type having a fixed microwave power of 1,200 Watts,and supplied from the mains at a voltage of 220V,50Hz.
  • The apparatus also included an unloading conveyor slat belt having substantially the same characteristics as the loading belt.
  • With the disclosed prototype apparatus or system,7,000 kg/day of cotton fibres have been process­ ed,with a corresponding processing speed of 300 Kg/hour.
  • The overall size of the system was of 42,500 x 2,400 x 2,700 mm;in particular the length was of 42,500 mm,the width of 2,400 mm and the useful height at the inlet of the tunnel of 800 mm;the tunnel was lined by a thermally insulating mat and means for automatically adjusting the microwave power were provided,as well as several inspection doors.
  • The processed bales consisted of pressed cotton bales and two bales types,different in volume,density and weight were processed.
  • More specifically,the first cotton bale type had a volume of 0.553 m³,a net weight of 185 Kg and a density of 334.5 Kg/m³;whereas the second type had a volume of 0.705 m³,a net weight of 220 kg and a density of 312 Kg/m³.
  • The moisture of both types was of about 6%.
  • In this connection it should be pointed out that the above indicated bale types are conventional cotton bales,which can be directly processed as supplied by the bale supplyer.
  • While the invention has been disclosed and illustrated with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof,it should be apparent that the disclosed embodiment is susceptible to several modifications and variations all of which will come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1- A method for processing cotton bales for remov­ing fungi and micro-organisms therefrom,characterized in that said method comprises the step of continuously conveying pressed cotton bales to a processing tunnel,­microwave radiating said bales in said tunnel with set frequency and power microwaves and discharging processed bales from said tunnel.
2- A method according to claim 1,characterized in that said method further comprises the step of processing said bales by cooling air.
3- A method according to claim 1,characterized in that said method further comprises the step of processing said bales by microwaves and cooling air simultaneously.
4- A method according to claim 1,characterized in that said frequency of said microwaves is from 500 to 4,500 Mhz.
5- A method according to claim 4,characterized in that said frequency is 2,450 MHz.
6- A method according to claim 1,characterized in that said power of said microwaves is from 10 watts to several hundreds of watts.
7- An apparatus for carrying out the method according to claim 1,characterized in that said apparatus comprises a cotton bale loading assembly to convey cotton bales to be processed to a processing tunnel,­a plurality of microwave generating units in said tunnel and a processed cotton bales unloading assembly for removing processed cotton bales from said tunnel.
8- An apparatus according to claim 7,characterized in that said microwave generating units extend to a spaced relationship through said tunnel.
9- An apparatus according to claim 7,characterized in that at least an air generating unit is arranged in said tunnel.
10-An apparatus according to claim 7,characterized in that said apparatus further comprises,at said tunnel outlet region,a cotton bale cooling assembly.
EP89830501A 1988-12-21 1989-11-17 Method and apparatus for processing cotton bales for removing fungi and micro-organisms therefrom Expired - Lifetime EP0375629B1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AT89830501T ATE86681T1 (en) 1988-12-21 1989-11-17 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATMENT OF COTTON BALES FOR REMOVAL OF FUNGI AND MICROORGANISMS.

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT8823045A IT1227705B (en) 1988-12-21 1988-12-21 PROCEDURE AND EQUIPMENT, PARTICULARLY DESIGNED TO SUBJECT COTTON IN PRESSED BALES TO A STERILIZATION TREATMENT, SUITABLE TO ELIMINATE MUSHROOMS AND MICRO-ORGANISMS, PRESENT IN THE COTTON ITSELF
IT2304588 1988-12-21

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0375629A1 true EP0375629A1 (en) 1990-06-27
EP0375629B1 EP0375629B1 (en) 1993-03-10

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP89830501A Expired - Lifetime EP0375629B1 (en) 1988-12-21 1989-11-17 Method and apparatus for processing cotton bales for removing fungi and micro-organisms therefrom

Country Status (4)

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EP (1) EP0375629B1 (en)
AT (1) ATE86681T1 (en)
DE (1) DE68905315D1 (en)
IT (1) IT1227705B (en)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1053359A1 (en) * 1997-07-16 2000-11-22 Illawarra Technology Corporation Ltd. Microwave processing of compressed wool fiber mass
WO2001083863A1 (en) * 2000-05-01 2001-11-08 Xorella Ag Method for the heat treatment of bales
US6557267B2 (en) 2000-05-01 2003-05-06 Freddy Wanger Method for the heat treatment of bales
CN112219642A (en) * 2020-08-03 2021-01-15 承德楚迈农业科技有限公司 Edible mushroom culture medium microwave sterilization equipment

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1133286B (en) * 1959-10-06 1962-07-12 Fritz Hadwich Dipl Ing Method and device for separating solid and heat-softenable foreign bodies from a fiber pile
CH557435A (en) * 1970-11-12 1974-12-31 Oreal METHOD FOR RAISING THE TEMPERATURE OF TEXTILE FIBERS.
DE3538899A1 (en) * 1985-11-02 1987-05-07 Hauni Werke Koerber & Co Kg Installation for microwave treatment of an article
EP0344729A1 (en) * 1988-06-03 1989-12-06 Maschinenfabrik Rieter Ag Method and apparatus for treating cotton fibres contaminated by honey dew

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1133286B (en) * 1959-10-06 1962-07-12 Fritz Hadwich Dipl Ing Method and device for separating solid and heat-softenable foreign bodies from a fiber pile
CH557435A (en) * 1970-11-12 1974-12-31 Oreal METHOD FOR RAISING THE TEMPERATURE OF TEXTILE FIBERS.
DE3538899A1 (en) * 1985-11-02 1987-05-07 Hauni Werke Koerber & Co Kg Installation for microwave treatment of an article
EP0344729A1 (en) * 1988-06-03 1989-12-06 Maschinenfabrik Rieter Ag Method and apparatus for treating cotton fibres contaminated by honey dew

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1053359A1 (en) * 1997-07-16 2000-11-22 Illawarra Technology Corporation Ltd. Microwave processing of compressed wool fiber mass
EP1053359A4 (en) * 1997-07-16 2000-11-22 Illawarra Tech Corp Ltd Microwave processing of compressed wool fiber mass
WO2001083863A1 (en) * 2000-05-01 2001-11-08 Xorella Ag Method for the heat treatment of bales
US6557267B2 (en) 2000-05-01 2003-05-06 Freddy Wanger Method for the heat treatment of bales
CN112219642A (en) * 2020-08-03 2021-01-15 承德楚迈农业科技有限公司 Edible mushroom culture medium microwave sterilization equipment

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ATE86681T1 (en) 1993-03-15
IT8823045A0 (en) 1988-12-21
EP0375629B1 (en) 1993-03-10
IT1227705B (en) 1991-04-23
DE68905315D1 (en) 1993-04-15

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