ES2532546B1 - Dosing and purification system of the broth used in a washing and treatment drain of harvested products - Google Patents

Abstract

Dosing and purification system for the broth used in a washing and treatment drain for harvested products, such as fruits and the like, where an automaton adds phytosanitary, phytosanitary, fungicidal and / or fungistatic products to the water flowing through the drain, as well as, water purification products, forming a broth that cleans and treats the harvested products, at the exit of the drain, the broth is purified by a filter and circulated again through the drain, where the purification of the broth is carried out continuously and independent of the operation of the drain, and the addition of purification products to the water is a function of the ph value of the broth that circulates through the drain, keeping the pH of the broth constant at a value at which the harvested products are not damaged.

Description

5

10

fifteen

twenty

25

30

35

40

Four. Five

fifty

55

60

65

DESCRIPTION

Dosing and purification system of the broth used in a washing and treatment drain of harvested products

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a dosing and purification system for the broth that is used in a washing drain and treatment of harvested products, such as fruits, vegetables and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As is known, after harvest, agricultural products such as fruits, vegetables and the like are stored for later sale. To maintain these products, with the highest possible quality, during storage until they are marketed, it is common to subject them to post-harvest treatments.

Basically, these post-harvest treatments consist of using a drain where the harvested products are washed and treated to remove the dirt that accompanies them from the field and treat them with chemical products, such as phytosanitary products, phyto-fortifiers, fungicides and / or fungistatics that preserve the appearance of fungi or bacteria, with a view to maintaining, during storage and marketing, certain quality patterns in terms of appearance, texture, taste, etc.

As can be understood, this post-harvest treatment to which the aforementioned agricultural products are subjected implies high water consumption and, sometimes, the use of chemical substances that may be harmful to the environment. For this reason, there are purification systems for the broth used in drencher where the aforementioned post-harvest treatment is carried out.

For example, patent document ES 2357822, published on May 3, 2011, shows a recovery system for the treatment of harvested products that is based on reusing the broth from the drain, comprising a homogenization tank of the broth from which said broth is pumped into a filter press in which the filtering and dehydration of the broth takes place. The broth is sent to a clarification tank where a disinfectant is injected for the removal of spores. Once disinfected, the broth is recirculated back to the drain, after injection of phytosanitary products.

Likewise, it is known patent document ES 2389341, published on October 25, 2012, which discloses improvements to the system shown by patent document ES 2357822, and is based on applying to the dirty broth, while still in the drain, an element that acts as an adjuvant in the filtration that will occur in the filter press, said adjuvant being perlite. Similarly, after passing through the filter press, the broth is recirculated to the dencher.

These solutions have the disadvantage that although it is possible to clean the dirty broth resulting from the cleaning and treatment of the harvested products, the filtered dirt is compacted and solid waste is generated that implies an additional residual treatment process.

Another significant disadvantage is that it is required to work with two different broths. A first broth that circulates through the drain cleaning and treating the harvested products, while a second broth, soiled by its previous passage through the drain, is cleaned by circulating through the broth recovery system. Thus, the broths are exchanged successively, that is, the second, already clean, broth is introduced into the drain and the first broth, which drags the dirt from the harvested products, is circulated through the broth recovery system.

Similarly, patent document WO 2011/070183, published on June 16, 2011, shows a device and method of applying fungicides of maximum efficiency and constant zero discharge, which uses a broth for the treatment of fruits u vegetables transported on a pallet before storing them. The broth receives an automated and controlled dosage of fungicidal / fungistatic / phyto-fortifying agents, keeping their concentrations constant in said broth, together with the continuous addition of biocide for hygienic maintenance of the broth. The broth from the treatment passes through a means of filtering or separating solids. Thus, it is purifying and reusing the same broth over and over again without pouring it into the sewer.

The main problem of the drainage systems of the drainage broths is the amount of organic matter that is not eliminated by filtration, and that in zero discharge systems, such as that proposed by WO 2011/070183, is compensated with the addition of more biocide, for example, peracetic acid which causes the concentration to rise, burns appearing on the treated fruit.

5

10

fifteen

twenty

25

30

35

40

Four. Five

fifty

55

60

65

Therefore, it is necessary to design a system that allows to carry out more effectively the purification and filtering of the broth used in a washing drain and treatment of harvested products, as well as, which can be easily adapted to any drain without requiring any modification of the same, that avoids the use of labor and that is respectful with the environment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is established and characterized in the independent claims, while the dependent claims describe other features thereof.

In view of the foregoing, the present invention relates to a dosing and purification system for the broth used in a washing drain and treatment of harvested products, such as fruits and the like.

In the system, an automaton adds to the water that circulates through the drain phytosanitary products, phyto-fortifiers, fungicides and / or fungistatics, as well as, water purification products, for example, regulators or ph controllers, forming a broth that cleans and treats to the harvested products as it circulates through the drain. The addition of water purification products is a function of the ph value in the broth that circulates through the drain.

Conditioning the addition of the water purification products according to the ph value that the broth contains at all times, and not, depending on the replacement of water in the drain inlet to the drain as in the known systems, allows to keep constant the pH of the broth at a value at which the harvested products that are treated in the drencher are not damaged, and that increases the effectiveness of the phytosanitary, phyto-fortifying, fungicidal and / or fungistatic products applied to said harvested products.

Subsequently, the broth, at the exit of the drain, is purified in a filter and circulated again through the drain. The purification of the broth in the filter is carried out continuously and independently of the operation of the drain. In other words, the same broth will keep dripping through the drain and filter continuously. According to the broth, it is soiled in the drain, when it is showered on the harvested products, it is purified in its passage through the filter and circulated again through the drain as a closed cycle. This will occur while the drain is in operation, or not, that is, whether or not there are harvested products to be treated inside.

The control of the quantity to be applied of the water purification product based on the ph value existing at all times in the broth that circulates through the drain, as well as, the continuous purification of the dirty broth that leaves the drain carried out in the drain filter, manages to clean and treat harvested products with greater efficiency and effectiveness than known systems, since it is possible to carry out harvested products, such as burns, to harvested products that are treated, while extending the shelf life of the broth , water consumption is limited and the environment is respected.

The proposed system can be adapted to any drain, without requiring modifications to it, as stated, working continuously without the need for the drain to be in operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The present specification is complemented with an illustrative figure of the preferred and never limiting example of the invention.

Figure 1 represents a scheme of the dosing and purification system of the broths used in a washing drain and treatment of harvested products.

DETAILED EXHIBITION OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, the present invention relates to a dosing and purification system for the broth used in a washing drain and treatment of harvested products, such as fruits and the like.

As Figure 1 shows, when the system is started up, automatically, the phytosanitary, phyto-fortifying, fungicidal and / or fungistatic products (2) are added to the water that will be transferred through the drain (1), depending on the type of treatment that you want to give to the harvested products, as well as, water purification products (3), forming the broth that will clean and treat the harvested products (not seen in the figure) when circulating through the drain (1).

5

10

fifteen

twenty

25

30

35

40

Four. Five

fifty

55

60

65

Preferably, the amount of phytosanitary products, phyto-fortifiers, fungicides and / or fungistatics (2) added to the water is controlled by the automata (5) depending on the amount of water entering the drain (1). The amount of water entering the dencher (1) is provided to the automaton (5) by a flowmeter (4) arranged in the inlet pipe to said drain (1).

As for the quantity of water purification products (3), the automaton (5) adds it according to the ph value of the broth that circulates through the drain (1). Said value of ph is sensed and continuously sent to the automaton (5) by a peach meter (8) arranged inside the drain (1). In this way, it is guaranteed to keep a pH value constant in the broth that avoids damaging the harvested products treated.

In other words, the value of ph for which no damage is produced to the harvested products is loaded in the automata (5) previously, once the system is in operation, the automaton (5) will condition the addition of water purification products (3) that the pH value sensed in the broth remains constant and does not exceed the previously loaded ph value.

Likewise, it is preferred that the automata (5) control the entry of the broth (water with phytosanitary products, phyto-fortifiers, fungicides and / or fungistatics, and water purification products) to the drain (1) depending on the volume of broth existing in the drain (1), according to the level of broth sensed by a controller (6) arranged inside the drain (1). In this way, the quantity of the broth that is extracted from the drain (1) with the harvested products treated is also restored to the system.

On the other hand, the broth, after having gone through the drain (1), cleaning and treating the harvested products, is purified in a filter (7) and circulated again through the drain (1). Preferably, the filter (7) is a sand filter.

The filter (7) is arranged at the outlet of the drain (1) and the purification of the broth is carried out continuously and independently of the operation of the drain (1). In other words, the purification of the broth is carried out continuously and in parallel to the cleaning and treatment of the harvested products that is carried out, at the same time, inside the drain (1). That is, the dirty broth leaves the drain (1), dragging the dirt or impurities from the harvested products treated, the latter are trapped in the filter (7) and the purified broth is directed to circulate again through the drain (1) .

This cycle of transfer of broth through the drain (1) and the filter (7) is carried out continuously, and if desired, even if they are not cleaning and treating products harvested inside the drain (1), it is say, when it is not in operation. Thus, on each pass through the filter (7), the broth is cleaned more and more, ensuring that the harvested products are treated with a broth free of the dirt collected in previous treatments.

Preferably, the broth is purified in the filter (7) between 3 and 10 times in one hour.

Likewise, it is preferred that the automaton (5) controls the operation of a pump (9) for the transfer of the broth through the filter (7).

As mentioned, the dirt or impurities contained in the broth from the drain (1) are trapped in the filter (7). Filter cleaning (7) is done automatically. The automaton (5) perceives the existence of a pressure difference in the filter (7), sensed by a differential pressure switch (not shown in the figures) arranged in said filter (7).

For this, it is preferred that the automaton (5) controls the operation of a counter-wash pump (10) that performs the cleaning of the filter (7) by introducing, in the opposite direction to the usual one, that is, contrary to the direction of operation of the filter (7), a flow of pressurized water, coming from a reservoir or water supply source (11), which carries all the impurities that were trapped in the filter (7).

When cleaning the filter (7), the wash water is channeled into a drain (12), provided that the phytosanitary products, phyto-fortifiers, fungicides and / or fungistatics (2) used do not contain harmful residues.

On the other hand, if the phytosanitary products, phyto-fortifiers, fungicides and / or fungistatics (2) used contain harmful residues, when cleaning the filter (7), the washing water is channeled to a means of purification and decantation (13 ) for ozone treatment and subsequent discharge into the drain (12).

In this way, it is possible to efficiently purify the broth in the filter (7), removing a significant amount of organic matter, that is, dirt or impurities that I drag in its passage through the drain (1). This ensures that, after purification, the broth enters the drain (1) much cleaner than in the known purification systems, not requiring the excessive addition of water purification products (3) that increase the ph in the broth and cause damage to harvested products. Thanks to this, it is possible to control the

ph of the stock in values that do not appear said damages, and that increases the effectiveness of the phytosanitary products, phyto-fortifiers, fungicides and / or fungistatics applied to said harvested products.

Claims (10)

5 10 fifteen twenty 25 30 35 40 ES 2 532 546 A1 1. - Dosing and purification system for the broth used in a washing and treatment drain harvested products, such as fruits and the like, where an automaton (5) adds to the water flowing through the drain (1) phytosanitary products, phyto-fortifiers, fungicides and / or fungistatics (2) and water purification products (3), forming a broth that cleans and treats the harvested products as it circulates through the drain (1), at the exit of the drain (1), the broth is purified in a filter (7) and circulated again through the drain (1), characterized because the purification of the broth in the filter (7) is carried out continuously and independently of the operation of the drain (1), and the addition of purification products (3) to the water is a function of the ph value of the circulating broth through the drain (1), keeping the pH of the broth constant at a value at which the harvested products are not damaged. 2. - System according to claim 1 wherein the addition of phytosanitary products, phyto-fortifiers, fungicides and / or fungistatics (2) to water is a function of the amount of water entering the drain (1). 3. - System according to claim 1 wherein the automaton (5) controls the entry of the broth into the drain (1) in function of the volume of broth existing in the drain (1), according to the level of broth sensed by a controller (6) arranged inside the drain (1). 4. - System according to claim 1 wherein the ph value of the broth circulating through the drain (1) is continuously sensed by a peachimeter (8) arranged inside the drain (1). 5. - System according to claim 1 wherein the broth is purified in the filter (7) between 3 and 10 times in a hour. 6. - System according to claims 1 or 5 wherein the automaton (5) controls the operation of a pump (9) for the transfer of the broth through the filter (7). 7. - System according to claim 1 wherein the filter (7) is a sand filter. 8. - System according to claim 1 wherein the automaton (5) controls the operation of a pump counter-washing (10) to carry out the cleaning of the filter (7), introducing, in the opposite direction to the usual, a flow of pressurized water from a reservoir or water supply source (11). 9. - System according to claim 8 wherein, when cleaning the filter (7), the wash water is channeled to a drain (12), if the phytosanitary products, phyto-fortifiers, fungicides and / or fungistatics (2) used do not contain harmful residues. 10. - System according to claim 8 wherein, when cleaning the filter (7), the wash water is channeled towards a means of purification and decantation (13) for its treatment with ozone and later spilled in a drain (12), if the phytosanitary products, phyto-fortifiers, fungicides and / or fungistatics (2) used contain harmful residues.