JP2004338989A - Recycling method of used paper diaper - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recycling method of a used diaper without an offensive odor and infection of disease-causing germs and excellent in the aspects of energy and global environment, especially an optimum recycling method of used paper diapers in hospitals, homes for the aged, care facilities for the aged, etc., where the used paper diapers are generated in large scale. <P>SOLUTION: In this method, used paper diapers are undergone fermentation treatment in a fermentation vessel installed at their generated site, then they are heated to a temperature not lower than 80°C to inactivate the germs and they are sent by an air draft to accumulate, then they are separated into fermented ones and non-fermented ones and the former is used as a compost and the latter as a solid fuel. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for recycling used disposable diapers, and more particularly, to a method for reusing used disposable diapers as compost and / or solid fuel.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Disposable diapers using superabsorbent resin as the absorbent material are widely used for infants or elderly people, due to the excellent water absorption performance of superabsorbent resin, and are used in large quantities, but these disposable diapers are used after use. Unlike cloth diapers, they are not washed and reused as diapers, but are discarded.
[0003]
For example, in Tokyo and the like, disposable diapers used for infants or the elderly at home are collected from combustible garbage after removing feces and incinerated.
[0004]
In hospitals, nursing homes and nursing homes, used disposable diapers are incinerated as specially-managed industrial waste. However, there are problems such as the possibility of infection due to the presence of pathogenic bacteria, and it is difficult to handle them at present.
[0005]
Also, incineration of used disposable diapers is not desirable from another aspect. In other words, a large amount of disposable diapers, for example, the production volume of adult disposable diapers in 2001 was about 2,23,000 sheets, and about 129,000 tons of disposable diapers were simply incinerated or landfilled. It should be avoided from the global environment.
[0006]
Under such circumstances, various proposals have been made regarding a method of treating used paper diapers.
For example, in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent No. 3029427), a used paper diaper using a polymer material such as a water-absorbing polymer and polyethylene is cut into small pieces, and the fermentation apparatus is provided with a stirring means having cutter blades. It is disclosed that fermentation is performed while maintaining the mixture at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time while stirring and mixing, and a polymer material such as polyethylene having no water absorption is removed and composted.
[0007]
Further, Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-59134) discloses a water-resistant and biodegradable cardboard container in which a fermentation promoter is arranged in a state activated when wet with water, in a kitchen, a hospital room, or the like. When used for organic waste, at the stage when an appropriate amount of organic waste is contained in the container, the container in which the waste is placed is put into a fermentation treatment apparatus, and is heated and fermented to be composted. Is disclosed.
[0008]
Further, in Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-24918), a used sanitary article such as a used paper diaper is carbonized at a temperature of 310 to 450 ° C., and the obtained carbide is deodorized, a soil improving agent, It is disclosed that it is used as a blast furnace reducing agent and a raw material fuel for cement production.
[0009]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent No. 3029427 (Claim 1)
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-2002-59134 (Claim 1 and paragraph number 0022)
[Patent Document 3]
JP 2003-24918 A (Claims 1 and 3)
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The inventors have solved the above-mentioned problems of the disposal or reuse of used disposable diapers, that is, problems such as malodor and infection with pathogenic bacteria, and are excellent in energy and global environment. Recycling of used disposable diapers, which is optimal for treating large amounts of used disposable diapers in nursing homes, nursing homes, etc., specifically, while using used disposable diapers as compost and thermal recycling, The study was undertaken to provide a method for reusing used disposable diapers that could reduce the disposal work at hospitals, nursing homes, nursing homes, etc., and also reduce disposal costs.
[0011]
As a result, the inventors fermented the used disposable diapers at a source such as a hospital or a nursing care facility and heated the temperature to 80 ° C. or higher to inactivate the pathogenic bacteria, which was a specially controlled industrial waste. The inventors have found that the above problem can be solved by using used disposable diapers as industrial waste or specially managed general waste, and have completed the present invention.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
That is, the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention
After performing fermentation treatment in a fermenter installed at the source of used disposable diapers, the used disposable diapers heated to a temperature of 80 ° C or higher to inactivate pathogenic bacteria are transported and accumulated using airflow, and accumulated fermentation treatment This is a method for recycling used disposable diapers, which comprises separating used disposable diapers into fermented products and non-fermented products, and using the fermented products as compost.
[0013]
The invention described in claim 2 of the present invention
A method for recycling used paper diapers, wherein the fermentation treatment according to claim 1 is carried out on a crushed or cut used paper diaper or while crushing used paper diapers. is there.
[0014]
Further, the invention described in claim 3 of the present invention is:
A method for recycling used disposable diapers, characterized in that the separated non-fermented product according to claim 1 or 2 is solidified and used as a solid fuel.
[0015]
Further, the invention described in claim 4 of the present invention is:
A method for recycling used disposable diapers, wherein the separated fermented product according to claim 1 or 2 is added to and mixed with livestock dung and subjected to fermentation treatment again to obtain compost.
[0016]
Further, the invention described in claim 5 of the present invention
An airflow used for transport according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the airflow is used for loading on a vehicle used for transport and unloading, and a method for recycling used paper diapers, wherein is there.
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
In the present invention, first, a fermentation treatment of a used disposable diaper as disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is performed in a source of the used disposable diaper, for example, a fermentation tank installed in a hospital or a nursing care facility, and the fermentation is performed. The treated used diaper is heated to a temperature of 80 ° C. or higher to inactivate pathogenic bacteria.
[0018]
As the fermenter to be installed, a known fermenter including a fermenter disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used. For example, when the amount of used disposable diapers per day is up to about 100 kg, the content is When the fermenter with a volume of 600 L is generated up to about 200 kg, a fermenter with an internal volume of 1200 L is used.
[0019]
The fermentation is carried out in the presence of a fermentation bacterium such as a Bacillus aerobic bacterium and a fermentation promoter such as sawdust and charcoal, at a temperature of 30 to 45 ° C and a pH of 6.5 to 8.0 adjusted by a pH adjuster. This is performed within a range of 5 for at least 4 hours, usually 1 to 4 days, while stirring the used paper diaper that has been ground or cut to increase the fermentation efficiency.
At this time, garbage generated in a kitchen, such as a hospital or a nursing home, can also be treated.
[0020]
The grinding or cutting of the used disposable diaper may be performed by providing a grinding or cutting device separately from the fermentation tank, but is handled by providing a cutting blade for grinding or cutting on the inner wall of the fermentation tank or the stirring blade. .
[0021]
In the fermentation of used disposable diapers, any stirring device can be used as long as the stirring is uniform.However, in order to promote the fermentation evenly and reliably, the used disposable diapers are fermented in a fermenter. It is preferable to rotate and stir so as to gather inside from both sides of the tank. In particular, it is possible to rotate forward and reverse, intermittent stop time, reverse rotation for a fraction of the main rotation, and use the stirring blade The thing which can change a relative position environment of a paper diaper remarkably is preferable.
[0022]
Since the fermentation proceeds while generating heat, it is not always necessary to add a heater for heating to the fermenter, but in consideration of controlling the fermentation reaction and performing inactivation of the pathogenic bacteria described below in the fermenter, It is preferable to provide a heating device and a temperature control device.
[0023]
Since the used disposable diapers release and reduce the volume of water as the fermentation progresses, in order to discharge the released water, the fermenter has an exhaust port with a filter that has a deodorizing and sterilizing effect. Is provided.
[0024]
Used disposable diapers that have been subjected to fermentation treatment continue to be the source of inactivation of pathogenic bacteria and processing of used disposable diapers that are specially controlled industrial waste into industrial waste or specially controlled general waste. The inactivation of the pathogenic bacteria is performed by heat sterilization, and specifically, is performed by heating a used disposable diaper that has been subjected to a fermentation treatment to a temperature of 80 ° C or higher. The heating temperature is usually 80 ° C. to 120 ° C., the heating time is 2 to 4 hours, and specifically, conditions are determined according to the assumed pathogenic bacteria.
[0025]
Used disposable diapers that have undergone fermentation and inactivation of pathogenic bacteria at the source are industrial waste or specially controlled general waste. However, in the present invention, in order to ensure the safety of workers involved in the transport operation and to eliminate the anxiety of the workers, the transport is performed in the present invention. In the end, it is preferable to perform the operation by airflow without using manual operation.
[0026]
Conveying by air flow means loading the used fermented disposable diapers in the fermenter in the fermentation tank into the transport vehicle, and centrally processing the fermented used disposable diapers loaded on the transport vehicle, etc. Is a method in which a used paper diaper that has been subjected to a fermentation treatment is placed on a high-pressure gas flow generated by a compressor or a reduced-pressure gas flow generated by a vacuum pump.
In this case, it is possible to stack the transporting vehicles as a dedicated vehicle, or to pack them in a container such as a bag and transport them.
[0027]
Fermented used disposable diapers accumulated in a centralized treatment facility such as a recycling center are separated into fermented products and non-fermented products.
Here, a fermented product is a fermented product of garbage used in combination with human feces contained in a used disposable diaper, and a non-fermented product is a fiber such as polypropylene or polyethylene used in a disposable diaper. It is a woven fabric made of non-woven fabric, pulp, polypropylene film, urethane film or synthetic fiber used, and is a packaging material made of synthetic resin such as styrofoam mixed into garbage.
[0028]
The fermented material is a powder having a low moisture content and almost in a dry state due to the heating treatment, and the non-fermented material is a crushed or cut film or cloth-like material. Is easier to separate.
[0029]
The superabsorbent resin used in disposable diapers is a non-fermented product, but depending on its particle size, it is mixed into the fermented product by the above separation, but the superabsorbent resin is used as a fermented product as compost. When used, it does not pose a problem because it functions as a water retention agent in the soil, and it is preferable that compost is mixed with a superabsorbent resin.
[0030]
The separated fermented material can be used as compost, but in order to obtain a better compost, it is necessary to mix livestock dung etc., ferment it again and mature and mature it, which also serves as processing of livestock dung This is preferable.
[0031]
Furthermore, the fermented product of the used disposable diaper treated as described above is used for adjusting moisture and adjusting the carbon / nitrogen content ratio when fermenting compost using cow dung, pig dung, chicken dung, etc. as livestock dung. It is also useful.
[0032]
Fermentation conditions vary depending on the type of feces, water content, feed given, and the like, but fermentation is performed at a fermentation temperature of 60 ° C to 75 ° C, and fermentation is preferably performed until the fermentation is sufficiently completed.
[0033]
The compost thus prepared can be used for breeding various plants, but considering its birth, it is most preferably used for flower cultivation.
[0034]
The separated non-fermented product is mainly composed of a synthetic resin, and can be solidified into pellets by heating to a temperature of 160 ° C. or higher using an extruder or the like and applying pressure.
The pelletized non-fermented product is sold as a solid fuel to a factory or the like, and can be used as a heat source such as hot water or steam, or for power generation.
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the processing work of used disposable diapers in hospitals, nursing homes, etc. can be reduced, the processing cost can be reduced, the safety of the processing work is ensured, and the workload of workers engaged in medical care and nursing care is increased. Is significantly reduced.
[0036]
In addition, since the used disposable diapers are reused as solid fuel as high-quality compost, energy that has been discarded up to now can be utilized, and the load on existing incineration equipment can be significantly reduced.

Claims (5)

After performing fermentation treatment in a fermenter installed at the source of used disposable diapers, the used disposable diapers heated to a temperature of 80 ° C or higher to inactivate pathogenic bacteria are transported and accumulated using airflow, and accumulated fermentation treatment A method of recycling used disposable diapers, comprising separating used disposable diapers into fermented products and non-fermented products, and using the fermented products as compost. The fermentation treatment,
The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is applied to a crushed or cut used disposable diaper, or applied while crushing a used disposable diaper. The fractionated non-fermented product is
The method for recycling used disposable diapers according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the disposable diapers are solidified and used as a solid fuel. The separated fermented product is
The method for recycling used disposable diapers according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the waste diapers are added to and mixed with livestock dung and subjected to fermentation treatment again to obtain compost. The air flow used for the transport is
The method for recycling used paper diapers according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the method is used for loading and unloading a vehicle used for transportation.