Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
  • A01G9/00—Cultivation in receptacles, forcing-frames or greenhouses; Edging for beds, lawn or the like
  • A01G9/02—Receptacles, e.g. flower-pots or boxes; Glasses for cultivating flowers
  • A01G9/029—Receptacles for seedlings
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
  • A01G9/00—Cultivation in receptacles, forcing-frames or greenhouses; Edging for beds, lawn or the like
  • A01G9/02—Receptacles, e.g. flower-pots or boxes; Glasses for cultivating flowers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B28—WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE
  • B28B—SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER
  • B28B1/00—Producing shaped prefabricated articles from the material
  • B28B1/24—Producing shaped prefabricated articles from the material by injection moulding
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B28—WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE
  • B28B—SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER
  • B28B11/00—Apparatus or processes for treating or working the shaped or preshaped articles
  • B28B11/24—Apparatus or processes for treating or working the shaped or preshaped articles for curing, setting or hardening
  • B28B11/243—Setting, e.g. drying, dehydrating or firing ceramic articles
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B28—WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE
  • B28B—SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER
  • B28B7/00—Moulds; Cores; Mandrels
  • B28B7/34—Moulds, cores, or mandrels of special material, e.g. destructible materials
  • B28B7/344—Moulds, cores, or mandrels of special material, e.g. destructible materials from absorbent or liquid- or gas-permeable materials, e.g. plaster moulds in general
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F26—DRYING
  • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
  • F26B3/00—Drying solid materials or objects by processes involving the application of heat
  • F26B3/02—Drying solid materials or objects by processes involving the application of heat by convection, i.e. heat being conveyed from a heat source to the materials or objects to be dried by a gas or vapour, e.g. air
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F26—DRYING
  • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
  • F26B3/00—Drying solid materials or objects by processes involving the application of heat
  • F26B3/18—Drying solid materials or objects by processes involving the application of heat by conduction, i.e. the heat is conveyed from the heat source, e.g. gas flame, to the materials or objects to be dried by direct contact
  • F26B3/20—Drying solid materials or objects by processes involving the application of heat by conduction, i.e. the heat is conveyed from the heat source, e.g. gas flame, to the materials or objects to be dried by direct contact the heat source being a heated surface, e.g. a moving belt or conveyor
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F26—DRYING
  • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
  • F26B9/00—Machines or apparatus for drying solid materials or objects at rest or with only local agitation; Domestic airing cupboards
  • F26B9/04—Machines or apparatus for drying solid materials or objects at rest or with only local agitation; Domestic airing cupboards in presses or clamping devices

Definitions

• Biodegradable pot drying plant, manufacturing facility and associated manufacturing method, and biodegradable pot obtained according to the invention are Biodegradable pot drying plant, manufacturing facility and associated manufacturing method, and biodegradable pot obtained according to the invention
• the invention relates to a plant for drying a thin-walled biodegradable pot, of the order of 0.5 to 3 mm, suitable for growing plants, a method and an associated pot.
• Biodegradable pots are generally manufactured in the following manner.
• a mixture of water and organic material such as peat, wood fiber, etc., makes it possible to obtain a liquid paste, which is molded by suction of the paste into molds with a wall of mesh material (in wire cloth, nylon fabric, etc.) and shaped to the shape of the desired pot.
• the molded jars are then demolded and transferred to a drying tray either directly by means of a compressed air blowing device or via a counter-mold for transfer with the aid of a device. blowing with compressed air, then the tray is transferred to a hot air oven for drying the pots.
• the drying time is of the order of a few tens of minutes to two hours, depending on the composition of the dough and the thickness of the walls of the pots in particular. After drying, the pots are stacked for storage and sent to users, including horticulture professionals.
• the invention aims to improve the quality of the surface condition of the walls of the pots, in order to facilitate unstacking of the pots.
• the invention proposes a new plant for drying pots, installation comprising a drying mold whose wall has a shape adapted to a corresponding shape of a wall of a molded pot to dry, and a means for heating the wall of the drying mold at a temperature above 160 ° C.
• a drying mold whose wall has a shape adapted to a corresponding shape of a wall of a molded pot to dry
• a means for heating the wall of the drying mold at a temperature above 160 ° C.
• the pots are therefore degraded a little less quickly, and the work of horticulturists who handle them for several weeks is greatly facilitated.
• the drying of the pots in mold avoids the deformation of the pots during the transfer of the pots after molding and before drying, as is the case in the prior art.
• drying at an elevated temperature, greater than 160 ° C. in combination with heating the wall of the mold in contact with the wall of the pot to be dried, allow for faster drying of the pots, which also limits the deformation of the molds. pots during the drying time, deformation due to the gravity and the weight of the wet paste. Fast and fast drying also allows a significant reduction in energy consumption for drying.
• the drying plant may also include means for drawing a fluid such as water and / or water vapor through at least a portion of the wall of the drying mold at a nozzle suction for example.
• a suction nozzle on the wall of the mold is sufficient to suck the fluid.
• a small number of suction nozzles, for example 2 to 10, distributed over the entire wall of the mold allows a more homogeneous suction.
• the suction can be carried out before drying, to drain the pot, to extract as much liquid as possible before drying, in order to limit the drying time, thus to limit the deformation of the pots and to limit the energy consumption. .
• Suction can also be performed during the drying of the pots, to suck up the water vapor produced during drying, but also to suck a little more water contained in the wet pots.
• hot water is easier to evacuate, to suck than cold water; thus, while it is no longer possible to extract water from a cold pot (after molding and before drying) with a given depression, it is still possible to extract hot water from a heated pot having the same hygrometry with the same depression, without spraying the hot water. This further limits the amount of energy to be supplied during drying to vaporize the water contained in the wet pot, and also limits the duration of drying.
• the wall of the drying mold is preferably made of a solid material, or a perforated material such as perforated sheet having a percentage of opening (that is to say the area of the holes divided by the total area of the wall of the drying mold) is less than 25%, that is to say at least two times lower than a percentage of opening corresponding to the mesh of the screened walls of the molding molds.
• the installation may further comprise means for closing the drying mold. This limits the volume of air to be heated during the drying of the pot, and consequently limits the energy required for drying.
• the means for closing the drying mold is a cover.
• the volume of air to be heated is thus limited to the volume of the drying mold.
• the closure means is a counter-drying mold whose wall has a shape adapted to a corresponding shape of a wall of the pot. In this case there is no more air to be heated unnecessarily, only the pot that fills the space between the drying mold and the drying counter-mold is heated.
• the installation may further comprise means for heating the wall of the counter-drying mold at a temperature above 160 ° C, and preferably between 180 to 240 ° C. There is thus a more efficient and faster heating, which acts simultaneously on both sides of the walls of the pot to be dried.
• the installation may further comprise a pressure means for compressing the pot between the counter-drying mold and the drying mold.
• the pot is thus immobilized between the mold and the counter-mold so that, before being dry, it can only take the form imposed by the walls of the mold and counter-mold; and pressing the counter-mold against the mold has a mechanical effect of crushing the asperities of the walls of the wet pots; this further improves the depilability of dry pots.
• pressing the mold against the mold has a spin effect, mechanical drive water before drying, but also during the drying of the pot, which further limits the duration of drying and consumption energy.
• the drying installation according to the invention may further comprise means for injecting an inert gas into the drying mold.
• the inert gas is, for example, carbon dioxide or nitrogen, preferably at a high temperature to maintain the heat of the mold.
• the heat supplied by the heating means is conveyed to the heart of the material of the pot to be dried by the gases, in particular the water vapor produced by evaporation of the water.
• the injection of a gas makes it possible to maintain a vector for efficient transport of heat, while evacuating water vapor; the use of an inert gas limits the risk of burning the heated organic material.
• an installation according to the invention can of course comprise not one but a plurality of drying molds fixed on a tray or a roller.
• the mechanical movement of the molds for example between a molding station and a drying station, is thus facilitated.
• the invention also relates to an installation for manufacturing a thin-walled biodegradable pot for the cultivation of plants, comprising:
• a molding mold one wall of which has a shape adapted to a corresponding shape of the wall of a pot to be manufactured, the wall of the molding mold being made of a mesh material, and a suction means for sucking and plating a liquid paste against the wall of the molding mold,
• a counter-transfer mold whose wall has a shape adapted to a corresponding shape of the wall of a pot to be manufactured
• a pot is molded by suction of dough into the molding mold, and then drained.
• the molded and wet jar is then transferred to the drying mold via the shaped transfer counter mold adapted to the jar.
• the pot does not deform during transfer to the drying mold.
• the wall of the drying mold being made of a solid material or a perforated material having a small opening percentage, the asperities formed on the walls of the pot during molding are attenuated, flattened or even erased.
• the drying is then carried out in the drying mold, at a temperature above 160 ° C, and preferably between 180 and 240 ° C, as explained above.
• the invention also relates to a drying process that can be carried out on an installation as described above, the method comprising the steps of:
• Heating the mold at an elevated temperature allows for thorough drying and fast drying, which reduces the deformations of the molded pot when it is still malleable, and limits the energy consumption required for drying.
• the predefined time for drying is of the order of a few tens of seconds to a few minutes, depending on the composition of the dough to be dried and the thickness of the pot.
• the method may also include a step of aspirating a fluid through the wall of the mold, said suction step being performed before and / or during the drying step.
• the drying time is thus further reduced.
• the method may also comprise a step of positioning and pressing a counter-drying mold against the wall of the pot, for compressing said pot between the mold and the counter-drying mold, the pressing step being carried out during the drying step. The drying time is thus further reduced.
• the invention relates to a biodegradable thin-walled pot adapted for the cultivation of plants, obtained by a process as described above and / or from a drying or manufacturing plant as described above, and an assembly comprising a plant in a pot according to the invention.
• FIG. 1 schematically shows the steps of a method according to the invention
• FIG. 2 schematically shows the main elements of an installation according to the invention
• a plant for manufacturing pots according to the invention on an industrial scale comprises in particular a pot-molding installation, a pot-transfer installation and a pot-drying installation, all three operating in an integrated manner, in a clocked manner.
• An installation is shown very schematically in Figure 2, suitable for the manufacture of only three pots for the sake of clarity of the scheme.
• the movement drive means of the molds are not shown, only represented by arrows the possible movements of the molds.
• the molding installation comprises a plurality of molding molds 11 fixed for example in rows on a plate 12.
• the molding molds have, for example, a cone section 11, a substantially parallelepiped shape, etc.
• a driving means (not shown in Fig. 2) drives the plate (arrow 13) and the molds into a bath 14 of molding paste, and a suction means 15 draws the paste through the walls. molds 11 for pressing a quantity of suitable paste against the wall of the molds 11.
• the transfer device comprises a plurality of counter-molds 21 fixed to a plate 22 in correspondence with the molding molds, a turning means (not shown) for turning the plate 12 (arrow 16), the driving means ( arrow 13) then transferring the molded pots onto or into the counter-molds 21, a pressing means (not shown) for pressing the counter-molds 21 against the molded dough in the molds 11 to drain the molded pots, and means (not shown) for transferring (arrow 23) the pots into or onto the drying molds 31.
• the drying installation comprises a plurality of drying molds 31 fixed in rows on a plate 32, in correspondence with the counter molds 21 of transfer.
• Each drying mold 31 has a shape wall adapted to a corresponding shape of a wall of a molded pot to dry.
• the drying installation also comprises means for heating the wall of the drying mold at a temperature above 160 ° C, and preferably between 180 and 240 ° C.
• the heating means comprises for example:
• Means for regulating an electric current supplied to the resistors and / or a resistivity value of the electric heating resistors, as a function of the desired temperature for the wall of the drying mold.
• the drying plant is preferably completed by means for aspirating a fluid such as water and / or water vapor through at least a portion of the wall of each drying mold.
• the suction means comprises for example:
• a vacuum pump 15 connected by a pipe to one or more connection nozzles fixed to an outer shell of the drying molds, and
• a means for regulating the vacuum generated by the vacuum pump, as a function of the quantity of fluid to be extracted, and the force to be applied to extract the water or the steam from the pot to be dried; .
• the same vacuum pump 15 is used for the drying molds and for the molding molds. Of course, it is also possible to use separate vacuum pumps for these two functions.
• the wall of the drying molds is made of a material resistant to heat, resistant to the pressure difference that can be generated by the suction means, and resistant in time to use in wet environment in particular.
• the wall of the molds is thus made for example of stainless steel, aluminum, etc.
• the wall of the molds is made of a solid material. It may also be made of a perforated material such as perforated sheet having a percentage of opening is less than 25%. In this case, to allow the implementation of the suction means, it is expected to position the molds in an airtight shell for example, connected by a nozzle to the connection pipe of the vacuum pump.
• the drying installation is advantageously completed by a closing means of the molds of drying type mold against which a wall has a shape adapted to a corresponding shape of a wall of the pot.
• the closing means consists of a plate 42 on which a plurality of counter-molds 41 are fixed.
• a heating means (not shown) is provided for heating the wall of the counter-mold for drying at a temperature greater than 160 ° C, and preferably between 180 to 240 ° C; the heating means is for example similar to the heating means of the mold.
• a pressing means is also provided for pressing the counter-mold against the mold to compress the pot between the counter-drying mold and the drying mold.
• the pressure means comprises, for example, means for translational movement of the mold 31 (arrow 34) and pressing the mold 31 on the corresponding counter-mold 41, according to a predefined pressure.
• a preferred method that can be implemented on an installation such as that described above comprises the following steps: an ET1 molding step, an ET2 transfer step and an ET3 drying step.
• the molding molds are dipped in a bath of liquid paste, and the paste is sucked against the wall of the molding molds.
• the molded pots are first drained by a counter-mold and then transferred to the counter-mold.
• the pots are deposited against the transfer mold in the drying molds, the wall of the drying molds being heated to a temperature greater than 160 ° C (ET30), and preferably between 180 and 240 ° C, for a predefined time of the order of a few tens of seconds to a few minutes.
• a step of positioning and heating (ET32) a counter-mold for drying against the pots, and / or
• a step ET4 demolding and stacking is performed at the end of drying. Note that an installation according to the invention was carried out using molding molds and drying molds of the female type (concave), and cons-molds transfer and drying of male type (convex). In this configuration, the pots are molded and dried in molds, and transferred to counter molds. But the opposite can of course be considered.
• the installation according to the invention was tested at different temperatures, and the quality of the pots obtained was tested in order to optimize the manufacture of the pots.
• biochemical stability index An important parameter for characterizing pots is the biochemical stability index. This standardized index makes it possible objectively to quantify the kinetics of degradation of organic materials, and more precisely the quantity of organic matter remaining in the soil (and enriching the soil), at 5-10 years. .
• the calculation of this index takes into account the composition of the material, and in particular its composition of soluble sugar, cellulose and lignin, main components of any organic material and whose proposals condition the biodegradability.
• An index of the order of 1 corresponds to a biological material whose biodegradability is the worst, for example pine bark, known to degrade very slowly.
• an index close to 0 corresponds to a degradant material very quickly, straw for example.
• pots obtained by drying at a temperature above 160 ° C have a biochemical stability index of 0.52, well above the index of biochemical stability of dried pots at lower temperatures. They are therefore less rapidly biodegradable, which gives them better mechanical strength throughout the growing season when they must be handled filled and wet.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Microbiology (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Cultivation Receptacles Or Flower-Pots, Or Pots For Seedlings (AREA)
• Casting Or Compression Moulding Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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ID=48050052

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

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Citations (2)

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• 2012
  • 2012-03-07 FR FR1252049A patent/FR2987718B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2013
  • 2013-03-01 EP EP13714675.9A patent/EP2822375A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2013-03-01 WO PCT/FR2013/050440 patent/WO2013132177A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2013-03-01 US US14/379,349 patent/US20150033624A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2013-03-01 CA CA2865990A patent/CA2865990A1/fr not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (2)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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