FI95237B - Process and device for composting waste - Google Patents

Abstract

A process and a device for composting waste, in which premixed waste mixtures (a + b) are composted in special containers in which advantageous conditions for composting are maintained. The containers are bucket- shaped; when the composting, premixed waste mixture (a + b) is transferred to the first bucket (A) in the bucket line, and during the composting process, the mixture (a + b) is transferred from buckets at the beginning (A, B ...) to buckets (C, D ...) at the end of the line in the order from the previous bucket to the following bucket by means of the swinging motion of the buckets. <IMAGE>

Description

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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMPOSITION OF WASTE

The invention relates to a composting method and device for the treatment of organic waste, which is suitable as a small unit for the composting of household waste and as a large unit for the centralized composting of various household, refinery, agricultural and industrial waste.

Composting is the decomposition of organic waste into soil through microbiological action. In nature, composting of waste usually takes place slowly on the surface of the earth by decay at ambient temperatures. In addition to microbes and fungi, the process also involves more advanced organisms such as oystercatchers, tails, mites and beetles. The process is called surface composting. A sufficiently large pile of waste heats up, i.e. "burns" rapidly at different temperatures as the microbes disperse the waste. Due to the high temperature, more advanced organisms cannot participate in the process. The process is called hot composting. In hot composting, the temperature can rise up to 80 ° C for a short time. This so-called the thermophilic phase lasts for a few weeks, after which the temperature of the pulp slowly drops in a couple of months to match the ambient temperature.

This slow composting is called post-ripening, in which case e.g. substances harmful to plants. During post-ripening, the compost mass increases the number of organisms that thrive at low temperatures, ie the process is mainly similar to surface composting. Today, hot composting methods are known e.g. tank, auma and drum composting.

Known composting methods and equipment have several drawbacks. The main disadvantage of tank composting is the heavy manual mixing of the waste and its transfer to post-composting. In open composting, turning and mixing the pulp with bucket loaders is inefficient and consumes energy.

Heat loss due to rain, wind and cold prolongs the process time many times compared to closed conditions. In addition, open composting causes numerous environmental nuisances, including sewage runoff, pests and odors, as well as mold dust released by mechanical turning into the environment. High-power drum composts are expensive compared to their power, so large amounts of waste are mainly handled in openings, despite the disadvantages of 2,952,337.

The method and device according to the invention provide a decisive improvement over the above drawbacks. To achieve this, the method and the device according to the invention are characterized by what is set forth in the characterizing part of claim 1.

The invention has several advantages over current methods and devices. The turning of the mass takes place perfectly, because the most compacted mass at the bottom remains at the top in every turn. At the same time, the mass can be monitored and admixtures added as needed. The buckets are tight at the bottom, so leachate cannot contaminate the soil. By placing the buckets in the same thermally insulated space, the mass of the first bucket also heats the masses after ripening. It is easy to increase the size or power of the bucket composter afterwards by installing more buckets to continue the queue. Manual bucket composers avoid the heavy manual steps of turning, mixing and transferring the pulp to the post-composter. In farm use, the bucket composter replaces expensive dry or slurry manure. The bucket composter does not need electrical energy, as all work is done with the help of a tractor. This is an advantage that increases operational safety. A bucket composter is simpler and cheaper than, for example, a drum composter of similar power. The bucket composter is mechanically safe to use because it does not have screw conveyors etc. broken parts from foreign objects.

‘The bucket composter can be placed on the ground, so no expensive composting field is needed. In addition, the process is easy to automate when needed. The unlimited size and expandability of the bucket composter enables the so-called decentralized composting, in which case it can be house-, village-, municipality- or district-specific. This solution avoids the disadvantages caused by large centralized composting plants, such as the long transport distances of waste and soil and the consequent environmental damage. The invention can also be applied to the construction of a composting toilet.

In the following, the invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a schematic side view and section of the composter.

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Figure 2 is a schematic top view of the composter.

Figure 3 shows a schematic illustration of the composter queue fill the bucket-side end view.

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Figure 4 is a schematic side view and sectional view of a property-specific composter for food waste.

Figure 5 is a schematic side view of a farm composter.

Figure 6 shows a schematic maatilakompostoria filling side end view.

Figure 1 schematically shows the essential structures of the composter seen from the side and in section. The body 1 of the composter is made, for example, of steel tube beams. The bucket (A, B ...) comprises a curved front plate 2a, a back plate 2b and end plates 2c and 2d. The bucket is filled and emptied from above, so it is open at the top. Attached to the upper part of the rear plate 2b is a shaft 3 which is mounted at its ends. The buckets of the composter are placed close to each other and they rotate mechanically on their axis 3 by at least 90 °. The premixing of the waste a and the admixtures b does not have to be particularly efficient, since each turning movement of the buckets also mixes the masses. The buckets in Figure 1 (A, B ...) are turned by hydraulic jacks 4a and 4b. The hoists are attached at their lower ends by joints 5 to the frame 1 and at their upper ends by joints 6 to the side plate 2c and 2d of the bucket. The hoists do not ‘turn the buckets completely upright, so the tough mass may stick to the back plate 2b. A vibrator, for example, can be used as an aid. The compostable and premixed waste mass (a + b) is transferred to the first bucket A of the bucket queue. The mass burns most strongly in the first bucket and post-ripens when cooled in the following ones. During the composting process, the pulp (a + b) is transferred from the initial buckets (A, B ...) to the final. head buckets (C, D ...) in order from the previous bucket to the next by the bucket turning movement. As the bucket turns, the compost mass rolls into the next bucket, at least partially mixing. The mass turns completely around, because the mass that was at the bottom rolls last and stays on top. This is repeated with each turn, so the northernmost compacted mass is properly aerated. The transfer from one bucket to another takes place at different intervals and will be described in connection with the examples. The amount of pulp 4,95237 decreases by 50-80% as the process progresses, but buckets should not be made in multiple sizes. The buckets are kept full by spacers. In a working process, the turning of the buckets is started from the last bucket by removing the oldest mass (mold) ab. For example, in Figure 1, it is bucket D. The rotation proceeds in order to bucket A. Finally, the emptied bucket A can be filled with a new premixed mass (a + b) of waste (a) and mixture (b). Figure 1 shows the different positions for turning the buckets. Buckets A and D are in the basic or filling position. Bucket B is partially inverted and bucket C is inverted to its empty position. The seal 7 prevents the mass from flowing between the buckets, Fig. 1 and 2. The seal 7 is e.g. a flexible rubber tube attached to the upper edge of the plate 2a. It is pressed against the shaft 3 in the lower position of the bucket. Plates 8a and 8b prevent the pulp from flowing over the edges of the next bucket, Figure 2. The composting process is monitored and regulated during the turning movement of the buckets. For example, water is added to too dry a mass or a dry mixture is added to a too wet mass. For year-round use, the composter with buckets must be thermally insulated. Industrial thermal insulation can be used as insulation. It is usually not advisable to insulate the bottom of the composter due to the small heat loss. Figures 1, 2 and 3 do not show thermal insulation.

Figure 4 shows a bucket composter for food waste treatment with two turning buckets according to the invention with a capacity of about 500 liters. The size of the bucket cannot be significantly larger, as the height and width of the composter must remain within the user's dimensions. However, the limited size of the buckets is not a disadvantage as they can be added as needed. Buckets A and B are pivoted by rotating the gear wheel 12 by means of a rod 13 and a rotating crank 14. The turning mechanism of bucket B is not shown for clarity. The composter includes an alloy bucket A1 hatch 10a, a waste filling hatch 10b, a soil discharge hatch 10c and a service hatch 10d. The buckets are thermally insulated from below with rigid insulation lOe, as are all hatches. When the bucket is turned up, it rises from the space 11 in the insulation lOe. The bucket descends back to the space il when turned down. The insulation lOe ensures that the heat needed by the process is retained even in winter. In the soil storage Cl, the mass ab post-ripens and remains unfrozen even in winter. The lid 10f is fastened to the frame with quick latches and is lifted off before turning the buckets. The alloy bucket AI is

Il; ia.l appendix 1.1 i Jt »5 95237 with the structure according to the invention. The structure facilitates the addition of the admixture b, since it can be dropped, for example, onto the waste a dropped by hand into the bucket A. The alloy bucket A1 is turned upwards by the crank 14 after the surface of the alloy (b) has lowered. The composter shown in Figure 4 is sufficient for an apartment building of about 30 to 40 families.

Figures 5 and 6 show a bucket composter for the treatment of farm manure with 6 turning buckets according to the invention. The composter is placed, for example, in barn 16. The manure is composted into soil in about 6 weeks, but needs at least 2 months of post-ripening to remove contaminants. A mold cavity C2 has been made on the other edge of the barn for post-ripening of the soil.

The cover elements are divided into two parts 15a and 15b, which are raised to the upper position before the containers are turned, e.g. by hydraulic sticks. The manure a and the admixture b can be premixed, e.g. with a manure spreader 18. The bucket tractor 17 fills the bucket A and transfers the soil ab to the c2. The hydraulics of the tractor 17 are also used to turn the buckets.

In particular, it should be noted that the bucket composter according to the invention can always be built to the required size. As a large unit, it is suitable not only for examples but also for centralized composting of municipal waste, eg in landfills. Current composting methods require a large open field or an expensive drum composter. The bucket composter, like the drum composter, should only be used for waste sanitation, ie the residence time is about a week. The pulp can then be opened to post-ripen, as the need for oxygen and thus also the need for inversion is low.

In small sites, it is advisable to make the bucket composter manual, but in large sites it is necessary to mechanize and automate the functions. Already known techniques can be used for pre-treatment of wastes and alloys and for soil screening.

By placing the bucket composter in a warm greenhouse, the heat, carbon dioxide and soil produced by the composting are utilized. In addition, the room protects the composting process from rain and wind as well as pests. Furthermore, it should be noted that the invention is not limited to the examples shown in the descriptions and drawings, but can be modified within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (6)

6 95237 A method for composting waste, in which the premixed waste masses (a + b) are composted in special containers which maintain conditions favorable to composting in the wind, characterized in that - the containers are bucket-like, whereby the compostable premixed waste mass (a + b) is transferred to to the first bucket (A) and during the composting process the mass (a ^) is transferred from the upstream buckets (A, B ...) to the downstream buckets (C, D ..) in order from the previous bucket to the next by the bucket turning movement. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that - buckets are added to the queue if necessary. Method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that - the composting process is monitored and regulated in connection with the turning movement of the buckets. Method according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized in that. - a covered and thermally insulated bucket string is used. Apparatus for carrying out the method according to claim 1, characterized in that the apparatus comprises - buckets (A, B ....) of at least 90 pivoting pivots arranged on each of its shafts (3), each t bucket being provided with a pivoting mechanism (4a, 4b), 12, 13, 14) to empty it into the next bucket. Apparatus according to Claim 5, characterized in that - the bucket string is provided with a cover and is thermally insulated 1 95237