FR3061712A1 - MODULAR DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUSLY COMPOSING BIODEGRADABLE WASTE. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a modular device for composting biodegradable waste without the need to transfer the mature compost already produced. It consists of a composting silo (1), a ripening pen (2) surmounted by a co-product appendix (3), and two growing boards, formed by the vertical interlocking of different modules ( 5). The device is designed to facilitate the dismantling and reassembly of the elements that compose it near a volume of biodegradable waste already formed to ensure the transformation into compost and humus, without interrupting the receipt of new biodegradable waste . The device according to the invention is particularly intended for the field of waste treatment by local composting.

Description

Holder (s): MOREAU SEBASTIEN, CORNILLON MAXIME BENOIT, VIOLLEAU DAVID.

O Extension request (s):

® Agent (s): MOREAU SEBASTIEN.

® MODULAR DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUSLY COMPOSING BIODEGRADABLE WASTE.

FR 3 061 712 - A1 (57) The invention relates to a modular device allowing the composting of biodegradable waste without the need to transfer the mature compost already produced.

It consists of a composting silo (1), a maturing enclosure (2) surmounted by a co-product annex (3), and two culture boards, formed by the vertical interlocking of different modules ( 5). The device is designed to facilitate the disassembly and reassembly of the elements that compose it near a volume of biodegradable waste already formed in order to guarantee its transformation into compost and then into humus, without interrupting the reception of new biodegradable waste .

The device according to the invention is particularly intended for the field of waste treatment by proximity composting.

i

The present invention relates to the field of waste treatment by composting. Said invention provides a modular device for continuously composting biodegradable waste without the need to transfer the mature compost already produced.

It is known that biodegradable waste can be composted in heaps or in composters of various capacities in the form of silos. The most common method of local composting promotes the biological activity of decomposing microorganisms. It is based on a regular supply, from the top of a composter, of biodegradable waste and a co-product (biodegradable dry matter that is structuring and rich in carbon, for example from wood branched with waste from the lower layers, in order to guarantee optimal decomposition. of organic matter by microorganisms. This method of composting is often recommended in the context of collective composting, of a district, of a public establishment or private habitat,

However, a full composter cannot receive biodegradable waste for the time necessary for the maturation of the compost it contains. Said maturation must indeed take place for several months in a confined space, to optimize the process. Most often, a shared composting facility therefore comprises a series of individual composters, some of which are reserved for the maturation of the compost and in which the user cannot deposit new biodegradable waste.

Several models of large capacity composers, usable in shared composting, have been proposed to try to overcome this drawback according to different principles. For example :

by accelerating the decomposition of biodegradable waste before the maturation phase (rotary composers, document WO09158692),

- by dividing the composter into independent modules (modular composers, document W008056146),

- by facilitating the transfer of the compost during maturation (partition composter, documents FR2980471 and W010022939), by facilitating the extraction of ripe compost (composters with sliding hatches or removable partitions).

In the current state of the art, these devices do not however solve the main problem represented by the allocation of a composter or a significant part of it, at the key stage of maturation of the compost, at detriment of processing includes that a new waste new incoming biodegradable waste. However, a user wishes, for example, to deposit biodegradable materials while the composters made available to him within the framework of a shared composting installation are full. In urban areas in particular, where composting directly in heaps is not recommended due to stray animals and the high density of dwellings, the volume of biodegradable waste that a shared composting facility can receive and treat annually is generally limited by the number of composters available to her. Before being able to deposit and compost new biodegradable waste, users must therefore transfer the ripe or maturing compost.

The object of the present invention is to solve the problem encountered in the prior art by proposing to confine the immature compost in an enclosure independent of the main composting silo, without the need to transfer said compost beforehand. The invention allows said silos and enclosures to be integrated into a composting device also comprising an annex for co-products and two culture boards, easily removable and reassemblable on a free soil surface in order to directly use the compost produced for the cultivation of plants, at the same location of said composting device.

To this end, the invention proposes a modular composting device consisting of a composting silo, a maturing enclosure topped by an annex for co-products and two culture boards making it possible to continuously compost biodegradable waste, without the need to transfer the mature compost already produced.

The silo is intended to receive biodegradable waste. It is designed to be quickly dismantled and reconstituted near biodegradable waste, which will remain on site to continue its maturation in compost. It consists of one or more identical modules that fit vertically and a roof. Each module consists of a front wall, a rear wall and two side walls. Said walls are provided with openings at their base or at their top which form, after interlocking of the modules and vertical alignment of the walls, openings ensuring the ventilation of the silo and serving as a means of gripping the modules. Optionally, the walls of the modules are provided with removable or non-gripping members. According to a variant, the walls can be provided with removable or non-movable or non-movable plates, able to at least partially close off the jaws.

Said plates prevent the intrusion of unwanted animals into the silo without impeding the ventilation of the silo or the gripping of the modules that compose it. The walls of each module are mounted on a frame made of uprights and crosspieces.

The angles formed by the junction of two walls include reinforcing means so that each module can withstand significant overloads and strong internal and external pressures. The uprights are of a height equal to the maximum height of the walls and are offset upwards so that they protrude from the top of the walls, which ensures the stability of the nesting of the modules forming the silo. The roof of the silo has a fixed part and a mobile part formed mainly by a hatch provided with gripping members, removable or not. The internal face of the roof is provided with stops which secure it to the uprights of the module located immediately below.

The maturation enclosure may or may not be adjacent to the silo and consists of at least one module identical to the modules forming the silo. It is intended to delimit a heap of maturing compost and serves as a support for the annex to co-products.

The co-products annex consists of a roof and one or more modules identical to the modules forming the silo, at least one of which has a floor. It is intended to receive composting co-products. It is placed above the maturing enclosure. The roof of the co-product annex has a fixed part and a mobile part formed mainly by a hatch provided with gripping members, removable or not. The internal face of the roof is provided with stops which secure it to the uprights of the module located immediately below.

The cultivation boards may or may not be adjacent to the silo and the maturation enclosure topped by the co-products annex. Said cultivation boards are envisaged here, not as possible outlets for the compost produced, but as intrinsic components of the composting device and necessary for the completion of the degradation process of biodegradable waste. They serve as a support for the development and reproduction of organisms whose biological activities favor the final transformation of compost into humus, and to the organisms associated with them.

Each board is delimited by at least one module identical to the modules forming the silo, placed directly on the ground and used here to retain the humus in formation.

The invention will be well understood and other aspects and advantages will appear clearly on reading the description which follows, given by way of example with respect to the appended figures in which:

Figure 1 shows a top view of the composting device. The axes of the sectional views shown in Figures IA and IB are indicated.

Figures IA and IB show two sectional views of the composting device, the maturing enclosure, according to the invention, supports the annex to co-products independently of the silo intended to continuously receive biodegradable waste.

- Figure 2 shows a sectional view in median profile of an example of a traditional shared composting installation consisting, according to the prior art, of a solid bulk container for the storage of co-products and of a composter assigned to the depot biodegradable waste and their maturation in compost.

- Figure 3 shows a view of the front facade of the composting device, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 presents a top view of the proposed composting device, according to an embodiment of the invention, in order to detail the original method of use recommended for said composting device. The arrows in the center of the figure indicate the orientation of the views used to represent the composting device during operation, in Figures 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D.

Figure 1 shows a top view of the composting device proposed by the present invention. Two culture boards (4), each delimited by a module (5) are shown near the silo (1), and the maturation enclosure (2) surmounted by the co-products annex (3); said boards are not visible in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2 and 3. The angles situated at the junctions of the walls (10) forming each module are reinforced by means of uprights (11) and oblique links 12.

FIG. 1A presents a sectional view in median profile of the composting device, along the axis AA ′ of FIG. 1. The silo (1) contains a certain volume of fresh biodegradable waste (Vi). The maturing enclosure (2) contains a certain volume of compost during maturation (V ₂ ). Said maturing enclosure (2) is surmounted by the co-product annex (3) containing a volume of composting co-products (V3). The silo 1, the maturation enclosure (2) and the co-product annex (3) are partly made up of identical modules (5). The modules (5) have openings (6) serving as ventilation orifices and gripping members (not visible here, see the openings (6) shown in FIG. 3, according to one embodiment of the invention). The silo (1) and the co-products annex (3) are surmounted by two identical roofs (7) opening by means of a hatch (13). The floor (16) of the co-product annex (3) and the fixed parts of the roofs (7) are supported by crosspieces. It is understood that said composting device makes it possible to permanently fill the silo (1) with biodegradable waste, whatever the state of maturation of the volume of compost (V ₂ >, insofar as said silo is dismantled, moved and reassembled on a free surface before the volume of biodegradable waste (VI) it contains reaches a maximum recommended height or, advantageously, at the end of a predefined period of use.

(5) to the base silo (1) remains however sure place so of form a new maturing enclosure (2). The figure IB presents a view in frontal cut of disposed tif of composting, according to Axis B-B ' of the figure 1, allowing to see in particular the protruding amounts ( 11) and the points attaching links obliques 1 (12) strengthening the angles trained by the junction walls (10 ) forming the modules (5). The figure 2 shows a sectional view of middle profile

a prior art shared composting facility.

In this configuration, the volume (V ₂ ) of biodegradable waste, identical to that of FIG. 1, is located above the volume (V ₂ ) of compost during maturation, in a composter (8) in the form of a silo. The volume of co-products (V ₃ ) is here stored in a solid bulk container (9). Compared to the composting device shown in Figure 1, the space available for bringing new waste is much smaller here, while the footprints of the two installations are identical. Once full, the composter (8) will not be able to receive new biodegradable waste until the volumes (Vi) and (V ₂ ) have fully matured. In addition, if no outlet is provided for the compost thus formed, it risks accumulating in a heap after extraction from the composter, while in the case of the device presented in FIG. 1, the compost which is produced directly feeds culture boards (4), in which it gradually turns into humus.

FIG. 3 presents a view of the front facade of the proposed composting device, according to an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the modules (5) forming the silo (1), the ripening enclosure (2) and the co-product annex (3) are produced by assembling boards of pine wood heat-treated to the core, just as roofs (7). The silo (1) and the maturing enclosure (2) are placed side by side. Two culture plates 4, not visible here, are adjacent to the maturation enclosure (2) and to the silo (1).

Each of the four walls (10) constituting a module (5) is provided at its base with two openings (6) in the shape of a half-moon, closed by means of pivoting mesh plates fixed on the internal face of the wall. Each angle formed by the junction of two walls is reinforced by an upright (11) and a link (12) (not visible here, see Figures 1 and IB) placed in an oblique position in the upper part of the angle, said upright and links are both made of pine wood heat treated to the core. The uprights (11) protrude relative to the upper part of the walls in order to reinforce the stability of the interlocking of modules forming on the one hand the silo (1) and on the other hand, the assembly consisting of the enclosure of maturation (2) and the annex to co-products (3). The size of the hatch (13) of each roof (7) is calculated so that said hatch (13) is supported by wooden crosspieces placed under the internal edge of the peripheral edge (14) of the fixed part of the roof (7). The hatch (13) is equipped with a wooden handle in the shape of a half-moon. A metal chain (15), the ends of which are fixed to the internal faces of the hatch (13) and of the edge (14), connects these two elements of each roof (7) together. Stops (17) located in the outer corners of the internal face of the border (14) make it possible to maintain each roof (7) on the uprights of the module located immediately below. One of the modules (5) which constitutes the annex to co-products (3) is equipped with a floor (16) (not visible here, see Figures IA and IB), manufactured by assembling boards of heat-treated pine wood at the heart and fixed above the openings (6). Optionally, the external and internal faces of the walls of the modules (5) and of the roofs (7) can be used directly as expression supports, or as supports for fixing expression supports (posters, information panels , documentation pockets, etc.).

FIG. 4 presents a top view of the proposed composting device, according to an embodiment of the invention, in order to detail a preferred mode of use for said device. To facilitate understanding of the method described below, said device is represented at four different times of its use, the whole process described taking place for example for two years and on the same location. Said method makes it possible to continuously compost a stream of incoming biodegradable waste while optimizing the conditions for maturation and use of the compost produced by said composting device.

The composting device, object of the present invention, is assembled for example according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, advantageously installed on a level ground, outdoors and directly on the ground. In the example which follows (FIG. 4A), the maturation enclosure (2) is initially formed from the module (18), in which biodegradable waste continues to mature in compost. The maturing enclosure (2) is immediately to the left of the silo (1). Said silo (1) is initially formed by the nesting, from the bottom up, of the modules (19), (21) and (20). In the example given, the co-products annex (3), formed by the module (22) and the module (23) (equipped with a floor), was previously filled with composting co-products (dry leaves, fragmented ramial wood and other structuring dry materials rich in carbon and of vegetable origin).

The user deposits his biodegradable waste in the silo (1) over a given period of time (for example six months). According to one variant, the biodegradable waste deposits will be carried out until reaching a maximum height recommended for filling the silo (advantageously less than half the height of the silo (1)). Each time biodegradable waste is deposited in the silo (1), the user must spread the biodegradable waste in a thin layer, which will advantageously extend over a surface corresponding to the maximum interior area of the silo (1). The user draws from the co-product annex (3) a volume of co-products equivalent to half the volume of biodegradable waste previously deposited and spreads it in the silo (1) in the same way as biodegradable waste. Biodegradable waste and composting by-products are superficially mixed both with each other and with the layer of decaying biodegradable waste located just below. The user replaces the hatches (13) of the roofs (7A) and (7B) after use so as to maintain a certain degree of humidity in the silo (1) and the annex to co-products (3).

ίο

At the end of the filling period of the silo (1) or according to a variant, when the maximum recommended filling height is reached, a displacement of the composting device, called "rotation" is implemented by the user (Figure 4 and 4A). The roof (7A) of the silo (1) is removed. The module located at the top of the silo (1) (here the module 20) is placed on the ground, just in front of the module located at the base of the silo (1) (here the module 19), so that the axis formed by the alignment of the left side walls of these two modules (19 and 20) is perpendicular to the axis formed by the alignment of the front walls of the module forming the maturation enclosure and of the module located at the base of the silo (1 ) (modules (18) and 19). The module (20) newly placed on the ground replaces any module (5) which could have already occupied this surface, for example to delimit a culture board (4). The modules constituting the co-products annex (3) (here the modules (22) and (23)) and the roof (7B) of the co-products annex (3) are temporarily removed in order to free the module (18) forming the maturing enclosure (2). Said module (18) then the intermediate module of the old silo (1) (here the module 21) are transferred and stacked on the module (20) which was located at the top of the old silo (1) to form the new silo (1) (Figure 4B). The roof (7A) is replaced on the silo (1). The modules ((22) and (23)) of the co-product annex (3) are reversed (the volume of co-products having in principle decreased in the annex) and transferred to the module (19) which was the basis of the old silo (1). Said module forms the new maturation enclosure (2), while the roof (7B) is replaced on the modules ((22) and (23)) forming the annex to co-products (3). The area formerly delimited by the maturing enclosure (2) (where the module (18) was) constitutes after adding a module (5) a culture board (4) enriched with ripe or semi-ripe compost in which of the annual vegetable or ornamental plantations can be directly carried out (figure 4). The revegetation of the culture board (4) completes the decomposition process of biodegradable waste by the transformation of compost into humus and the mineralization of organic compounds. The silo (1) can immediately receive new biodegradable waste on its new location until the next rotation (Figure 4 which is carried out according to the same principle, for example, by moving the composting device each quarter of a turn in a square pattern. After each rotation, a new module culture board constituting the previous one,

The enclosure is created by the movement of the maturation replacement by a module (5) previously assigned to the delimitation of another culture board (Figure 4). The co-products annex (3) can be regularly replenished with co-products, for example once a year, when the module equipped with a floor immediately above the maturation enclosure (2) during a rotation

Every two years approximately from its entry into service, the composting device regains its initial orientation, the modules (5) which compose it being nested in the initial configuration shown in FIG. 4A. The implementation of the composting device proposed in the context of the present invention and according to the method given in example, therefore allows:

To continuously deposit a stream of biodegradable waste entering the silo regardless of the volume of compost placed in ripening.

Create optimal containment conditions (humidity, ventilation) to obtain rapid maturation of the compost by cold composting in a thin layer, within

Maturing enclosure

Gradually enrich the soil on which the composting device is moved by regularly adding organic matter and gradually moistening the compost. During a two-year cycle, the parcel of soil initially located under the silo (1) is thus covered with biodegradable waste for six months, then left to stand for six months (when placing the maturation enclosure ( 2) directly above said surface) before being cultivated for one year. The composting device “turns” on a soil which gradually rises over the years into a mound of soil rich in organic matter. According to a variant, all or part of said mound can be extracted and used for various uses (above-ground crops, potting, sowing soil in boxes, etc.), which leads to leveling of the soil and a gradual return to the level of initial elevation.

- For the decomposers, to quickly recolonize the silo (1) after each rotation, these being in fact attracted to the new biodegradable waste deposition site instead of being dispersed by the extraction of the compost, as in a composter of the prior art. In this respect the openings (6), at the base of the modules (5) are also designed to facilitate the circulation of the microfauna from and to the silo (1), the maturation enclosure (2) and the surrounding environment (figure 3).

Limit the mixing of biodegradable waste and eliminate the tedious overturning of the compost during maturation, recommended according to the prior art, which reduces the arduousness of composting, preserves the communities of organisms that frequent the composting device and allows '' further exploit their ecological potential.

Accelerate over time the decomposition of biodegradable waste. Indeed, composting on a soil made biologically rich due to the presence of compost and humus in the same place is known to facilitate the degradation of organic matter taking into account the presence of microorganisms decomposers in high concentration in the first horizons of the ground.

Easily move the composting device and easily adapt its capacity for processing biodegradable waste, for example by adding additional modules to the silo (1) or the maturation enclosure (2).

Very significantly increase the service life and facilitate the maintenance of the composting device by allowing the wooden planks which constitute the walls (10) of the modules (5) to be in contact with the ground only intermittently (1 year out of two) thanks to the change of position and allocation of the modules during rotations. Thus during a two-year cycle (Figures 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D), a module (5) successively forms the base of the silo (1) (six months on the ground), the maturation enclosure (six months on the ground), the intermediate floor of the silo (1) (six months dry at half height) and the upper floor of the silo (1) (six months dry, under the roof (7A)). Once completely dry, the module (5) can again be brought into contact with the ground. It is the appendix to co-products to note that the module without floor of (module (22)), always located in height, is less subject to deterioration.

Said module can advantageously temporarily replace another possibly damaged module, so that the deposition of biodegradable waste is not interrupted for the time necessary for repair or permanent replacement of the defective module.

The interchangeability of the modules therefore makes them more easily substitutable and simplifies their mass production on an industrial scale. The industrialization of the present invention is also facilitated by the fact that, in the embodiment proposed as an example, only two different lengths of boards are necessary to manufacture the walls of the modules (5), the floor of the module (23) of the co-products annex (3) and the roofs (7A and 7B). At the end of the life cycle, all the elements making up the composting device can be recycled.

- To optimize the productivity of the composting device, by storing the composting byproducts above the maturing compost and by valuing said compost in situ by creating cultivation boards (4). Said boards in fact limit the transport of material and allow the production of plant biomass of interest (food, medicinal, ornamental, etc.) by and for the users of the composting device proposed in the present invention.

The present invention is capable of industrial applications, particularly in the field of waste treatment by proximity composting.

Claims (9)

1. Modular composting device allowing continuous composting of biodegradable waste without the need to transfer the mature compost already produced, and characterized in that it consists of elements (1, 2, 3 and 4), formed by modules (5) fitted vertically. 2. Modular composting device according to the preceding claim characterized in that each module (5) comprises a front wall, a rear wall and side walls, said walls (10) being perforated (6) to allow the aeration of the stored materials. and gripping said modules, means for reinforcing the structure of said modules located in the angles formed by the junction of the walls (10) which compose it, said reinforcing means being made up of vertical uprights (11) projecting from the upper surface of said modules (5) and oblique links (12) so that each module (5) can fit into another module (5), withstand significant overloads and withstand high internal and external pressures. 3. Modular composting device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the modules (5) comprise plates, removable or not, mobile or not, making it possible to at least partially close the openings in the walls (10) of said modules (5 ). 4. Modular composting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the modules (5) are provided with gripping members, removable or not, allowing their handling and their movement. 5. Modular composting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one of the modules (5) is provided with a floor (16) making it possible to support a load of composting by-products. 6. Modular composting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a composting silo (1) for receiving fresh biodegradable waste, said composting silo (1) consisting of several modules (5 ) without floor and fitted vertically, and surmounted by a roof (7A), said roof comprising a fixed roof part (14) under which there are stops (17) which secure said fixed part to the uprights (11) of the module ( 5) located immediately below, and a movable part formed mainly by a hatch (13) provided with gripping members, removable or not. 7. Modular composting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a co-product annex (3) allowing the storage of compost co-products, consisting of at least one module (5) provided with a floor surmounted or not by one or more modules (5) without floor, said co-products annex (3) being surmounted by a roof (7B), said roof comprising a fixed roof part (14) under which there are stops which secure said fixed part to the uprights of the module (5) located immediately below, and a movable part formed mainly by a hatch (13) provided with gripping members, removable or not. 8. Modular composting device according to claim 7, characterized in that it comprises a maturing enclosure (2) allowing the maturation of the compost, said maturing enclosure (2) consisting of at least one module (5) without floor and used to support the annex to co-products (3). 9. Modular composting device according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises two culture boards (4) allowing the humidification of the compost and the cultivation of plants, each delimited by at least one module (5) without floor. 1/7 ώ IX. . θ 2 q _m û ^Η Η m / iiy //? II / ¹ ________________1________________ at ΐ f i 1 1 1 _ AT 1 1 1 A ! - 5 ________________i________________ 1 1 r · / /; ; / / m Φ < □ Û t-4 LU —U I o Μ MT BEFORE 2/7 Next section A-A 'iZ m un LOW 3/7 m ι_π LOW 4/7 HIGH CM M iZ U LOW 5/7 LOW 6/7 ΓΝ VS Ο 4-> ro + - * ο oc 0) Ό + J □ ο 'ro + £ □ TJ ο Q. Ο U 6 months of use Rotation 3 6 months of use Rotation 1 ............ *> - » V ~ l · wU v__J <^ = · sf 0J ΙΛ c 3 P 3 O £ P, E ti ro o. in cm Rotation 3