JP7171106B1 - SOIL IMPROVEMENT MATERIAL, MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF, AND SOIL IMPROVEMENT METHOD USING THE SAME - Google Patents

Abstract

Kind Code: A1 The present invention provides a novel method for producing a soil conditioner and a novel soil conditioner that can constitute a recycling-oriented society. SOLUTION: The present invention comprises a step of crushing a biodegradable product, and a step of pelletizing the crushed biodegradable product, wherein the biodegradable product is a hydrophilic biodegradable industrial product. The present invention relates to a method for producing a soil improvement material. The present invention also relates to a soil conditioner containing 80% by mass or more of hydrophilic biodegradable fibers. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies https://prtimes. jp/main/html/rd/p/000000001.000083355. html [Publications, etc.] https://www. kenja. tv/president/detjx4zb. html [Publications, etc.] https://hedge. guide/news/cresava-fundinno-252. html [Publications, etc.] https://prtimes. jp/main/html/rd/p/000000002.000083355. html [Publications, etc.] https://japan-indepth. jp/? p=62887 [Publications, etc.] https://www. sankei. com/article/20211204-ZTMBGOHYXZM35L3I7CJSAQ62VQ/ [Publications, etc.] https://weekly-economist. mainichi. jp/articles/20211221/se1/00m/020/065000c [Publications, etc.] https://forbesjapan. com/articles/detail/45473 [Publications, etc.] https://dime. jp/genre/1371292/ [Publications, etc.] https://prtimes. jp/main/html/rd/p/000000003.000083355. html [Publications, etc.] https://japan. cnet. com/article/35179150/ [Publications, etc.] https://www. youtube. com/watch? v=GkSZgq2pF9g [Publications, etc.] https://www. youtube. com/watch? v=9udIU5tNCzk [Publications, etc.] https://www3. nhk. or. jp/nhkworld/en/ondemand/video/2074129/ [Publications, etc.] https://www. youtube. com/watch? v=EQAn-TZHSCY [Publications, etc.] https://www. youtube. com/watch? v=Xo-JrD2KHG0

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a soil conditioner, a method for producing the same, and a method for improving soil using the same.

As one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), "Responsible Consumption and Production" is upheld, and the mass consumption society is being reconsidered.

In contrast, the fashion industry, for example, has a merchandising plan that anticipates trends and only makes items that it knows will sell. Mass consumption and mass disposal are occurring.

In fact, it is said that the amount of discarded clothes in Japan exceeds 1 million tons per year, and nearly 100 million tons of clothes are discarded per year in the world. Approximately 70% of them are created by the companies that produce them, and many samples and excess inventories that are made to mass-produce clothes that sell according to trends are discarded. Manufactured clothes reach consumers in large quantities and are consumed, but unnecessary clothes are produced in large quantities and become waste as a result.

Under such circumstances, recycling technologies for various products have been developed. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique of molding, burning, etc. organic waste and utilizing it as a soil conditioner. Discloses fiber recycling technology.

Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique for reusing so-called paper cups as pulp soil.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-248442 JP 2016-93772 A

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel soil conditioner, a method for producing the same, and a method for improving soil using the same, which can constitute a recycling-oriented society.

The inventors have found that the above problems can be solved by the present invention having the following aspects.
<<Aspect 1>>
A method for producing a soil conditioner, comprising a step of crushing a biodegradable product, and a step of pelletizing the crushed biodegradable product, wherein the biodegradable product is a hydrophilic biodegradable industrial product.
<<Aspect 2>>
A method according to aspect 1, wherein the biodegradable product is clothing.
<<Aspect 3>>
3. The method of aspect 2, wherein the garment comprises at least 80% by weight of biodegradable fiber.
<<Aspect 4>>
4. The method of aspect 3, wherein the biodegradable fiber is Japanese paper.
<<Aspect 5>>
5. The method of any one of aspects 1-4, further comprising mixing the biodegradable product with an enzyme.
<<Aspect 6>>
6. The method of any one of aspects 1-5, further comprising mixing the biodegradable product with manure and composting the manure.
<<Aspect 7>>
A method of producing an agricultural product, comprising producing in soil improved by the method according to any one of aspects 1-6.
<<Aspect 8>>
A method for improving soil, comprising the step of placing or mixing the soil conditioner produced by the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 6 in soil.
<<Aspect 9>>
A pellet-shaped soil conditioner or artificial soil containing 80% by mass or more of hydrophilic biodegradable fibers.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, an industrial product can be converted into a soil improving material, and the soil can be improved with this soil improving material to produce vegetables and the like. As a result, the method of the present invention is very useful because it enables a recycling-based society to be constructed.

FIG. 1 is an actual photograph of the soil conditioner produced in Examples.

<<Manufacturing method of soil improvement material>>
The method for producing a soil conditioner of the present invention includes a step of crushing a biodegradable product and a step of pelletizing the crushed biodegradable product. Here, the biodegradable product is a hydrophilic biodegradable industrial product.

When the soil conditioner manufactured in this manner is placed in or mixed with soil, it decomposes and returns to the soil after a certain period of time. Therefore, even if the industrial products used by the method of the present invention are produced in large quantities, they do not become waste because they are decomposed in the soil. Here, since the industrial product used in the present invention is hydrophilic and can contain water, it can improve and/or maintain the moisture content of the soil when placed or mixed in the soil, and can be used for vegetable production. can be effectively used to Moreover, since the soil conditioner obtained by the method of the present invention is pelletized, it can be applied to farmland in large quantities by a tractor. According to the study by the present inventors, one ton of biodegradable products could be decomposed in one to two months per 1 ant (about 1000 m ² ) of farmland.

<Biodegradable products>
The biodegradable product used in the present invention is a hydrophilic biodegradable industrial product. Hydrophilic biodegradable industrial products refer to industrial products that are substantially composed only of hydrophilic biodegradable materials. need not be hydrophilic and need not be a biodegradable material.

For example, biodegradable products are preferably composed only of biodegradable materials, but it is sufficient if most of them are composed of biodegradable materials. For example, the biodegradable product may contain 80% by mass or more, 85% by mass or more, 90% by mass or more, 95% by mass or more, 98% by mass or more, or 99% by mass or more of the biodegradable material as described above. preferable. Of the biodegradable product, the portion that is not a biodegradable material is preferably a material that does not adversely affect the soil in which crops are grown.

The industrial products may be all products that can be industrially manufactured from hydrophilic biodegradable materials, such as clothes, tableware, containers, furniture, building materials, toys, and books.

The biodegradable material is not particularly limited as long as it is decomposed by soil microorganisms in a natural environment. For example, biodegradable materials can include both synthetic and natural biodegradable polymers.

As used herein, the term “hydrophilic” refers to the ability of a product to store water. , including when it is possible to hold For example, hydrophilicity may be the property of maintaining the moisture content of the soil when mixed with the soil for a little longer than the soil without the product. However, it is preferred that the biodegradable product be water absorbent rather than water repellent.

The industrial products may be all products that can be industrially manufactured from hydrophilic biodegradable materials, such as clothes, tableware, containers, furniture, building materials, toys, and books.

In particular, the biodegradable product used in the method of the invention is clothing. Consumers who consider fashion trends generally purchase new clothes according to trends and dispose of clothes that are out of fashion. However, it is against the intention of the fashion industry for such consumers to continue to wear out-of-fashion clothes in consideration of environmental aspects. On the other hand, the method of the present invention can protect the global environment even if consumers continue to purchase new clothes in a short period of time, and it is also beneficial to the fashion industry where consumers purchase new clothes in a short period of time. Become.

The biodegradable material is not particularly limited as long as it is decomposed by soil microorganisms in a natural environment. For example, biodegradable materials can include both synthetic and natural biodegradable polymers.

Synthetic biodegradable polymers include polylactic acid, polycaprolactone, polybutylene succinate, polyethylene succinate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyglycolic acid, poly(caprolactone/butylene succinate), poly(butylene succinate/adipate), poly (ethylene terephthalate/succinate), poly(tetramethylene adipate/terephthalate), and the like.

Examples of natural biodegradable polymers include carbohydrate-based compounds such as cellulosic materials and starch-based materials, and amino acid-based compounds such as polypeptides and proteins.

Biodegradable materials include, in particular, natural fibers such as cotton, linen, silk, wool, or materials derived therefrom. Among these, the present inventors found that cotton and hemp, especially fibers used as Japanese paper, are particularly suitable for use because they are particularly excellent in biodegradability in soil and have extremely high water absorption.

Here, Japanese paper refers to paper made by making Japanese paper raw materials made of fibers obtained from plants suitable for Japanese paper, such as kozo, mitsumata, hemp, conifers, and bamboo. In particular, when the biodegradable product is clothing, Japanese paper made from Manila hemp has been known for clothing in recent years, and is suitable because of its extremely high biodegradability and water absorbency.

<Crushing process>
In the method of the present invention, the step of crushing the biodegradable product is the step of sizing the biodegradable product for easy placement or mixing with soil. The crushing step may be simply cutting, or it may be a step of pulverizing into granules. Preferably, the crushing step is a step of cutting into small pieces and then pulverizing into granules.

The machine used for crushing can be changed according to the product to be crushed. For example, the crushing step can use a cutting machine such as a shredder, rotary cutter, or slitter cutter, or can use an impact crusher such as a cutter mill, a hammer mill, or a pin mill. In the crushing step, a single-screw or twin-screw shearing pulverizer can be used. In addition, in the crushing process, a secondary fine crushing process can be performed after performing the primary rough crushing process as described above.

In particular, when the biodegradable product to be crushed is relatively hard, a medium-type crusher may be used as the crusher. Media-type pulverizers include container-driven pulverizers and medium-stirring pulverizers. Examples of container-driven pulverizers include tumbling mills, vibration mills, planetary mills, and centrifugal flow mills. Examples of medium-agitation pulverizers include tower-type pulverizers such as tower mills; Stirring tank-type pulverizers such as sand grinders; circulation tank-type pulverizers such as Viscom mill and pearl mill; flow tube-type pulverizers; annular pulverizers such as coball mills;

In the crushing step, when pelletizing the crushed biodegradable product later, the particle size finally obtained can be appropriately selected according to the workability in the case of placing or mixing in soil as it is. For example, after crushing to a size of about 20 mm to 300 mm in a primary crushing process, the size may be reduced to about 2 to 20 mm in a secondary crushing process.

<Pelletization process>
The method of the invention can include the step of pelletizing the comminuted biodegradable product. By pelletizing the crushed biodegradable product, the process of placement or mixing into the soil can be done very efficiently and mechanically on a large scale. Also, since the pelletized biodegradable product can be placed or mixed in the soil in a uniform amount and in large quantities, it is very difficult to carry out the pelletizing process to retain moisture in the soil. It is valid.

Pelletization can be performed after melt-kneading the crushed biodegradable product. Moreover, the pelletizer may be integrated with the crusher used in the crushing process.

Melt-kneading devices include single-screw extruders, twin-screw extruders, kneaders, Banbury mixers, and the like. Moreover, when the biodegradable product contains volatile components such as moisture, it is preferable to attach a devolatilization device to the melt-kneading device.

The temperature during melt-kneading is appropriately set according to the melting temperature of the biodegradable product, and can be, for example, within the range of 90 to 300°C.

Biodegradable products are cut into granular pellets with a diameter of 1 mm to 30 mm or 5 mm to 20 mm by various pelletizers. The pelletizer is not particularly limited, and known methods can be applied. Specifically, an underwater pelletizer that extrudes directly into water from the kneader's die and cuts it, a strand pelletizer that extrudes it from the die as a rod-shaped strand, cools it with water or air cooling to a temperature where it does not stick together, and then cuts it with a rotary blade. Any pelletizer such as a hot cut pelletizer that cuts immediately after extruding into the air can be suitably used. Depending on the type of pelletizer, the pellets have various shapes such as columnar, lens-like, spherical, etc., and any of them can be suitably used.

A binder may be added to the biodegradable product during pelletizing or after pelletizing. Depending on the type of biodegradable product, it may be difficult to form pellets even if it is heated and pelletized, or the pellets may lose their shape during spraying, making it difficult to spray a large amount by machine. Such problems can be solved by using agents. The binder is preferably biodegradable or volatile, and may be, for example, water, oil such as vegetable oil or animal oil, or gelatin.

<Enzyme mixing process>
The method of the invention can include the step of including an enzyme in the biodegradable product. This allows the biodegradable products placed or mixed in the soil to be able to provide a very high effect on the growth of the crops, and the degradability of the biodegradable products is also high, so that the biodegradable products can be used in the short term. It was found that it can be consumed in the soil at In addition, such enzymes activate the action of soil microorganisms, increase the number of useful bacteria, suppress the growth of harmful bacteria, maintain the balance of soil microorganisms, thereby prevent the generation of harmful gases, and give vitality to the soil. be able to.

The enzyme mixing step can typically be performed by immersing the biodegradable product in an enzyme-containing liquid, particularly an enzyme-containing aqueous solution.

The enzyme mixing step may be performed at any stage prior to the placing or mixing step, for example, the biodegradable product may be immersed in the enzyme-containing liquid as it is before the crushing step, or the crushing step may be performed. After , the crushed biodegradable product may be soaked in an enzyme-containing liquid.

When the biodegradable product is immersed in the enzyme-containing liquid before the crushing step, the biodegradable product can be crushed while being wet with the liquid, and the biodegradable product can be dried by the heat generated during crushing. For example, when clothes are immersed in an enzyme-containing liquid and first coarsely pulverized with a cutter or the like and then secondarily finely pulverized with a cutter mill or the like, about 60% by mass of the liquid is lost during the primary pulverization. 80% by mass or more of the liquid can be lost during the secondary crushing. Thereby, the drying process can be substantially omitted. On the other hand, if necessary, a drying step may be performed to dry the water content of the enzyme-containing aqueous solution.

Enzymes to be used are not particularly limited as long as they are suitable for growing crops, but agricultural enzymes are preferred. Agricultural enzymes are believed to improve the yield and quality of crops by detoxifying soil treated with pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, and the like.

Microorganisms used to make agricultural enzymes can be grown in closed tanks containing nutrients such as sugar, starch, soybeans and corn, and are bio-based chemicals that are safer than chemical fertilizers. Therefore, it can be said that it has a high affinity with the method of the present invention.

Examples of enzymes that can be used include phosphatase, dehydrogenase, sulfatase, protease, and the like. (trademark), Oishi Enzyme (trademark), and the like. These enzymes are commercially available, and those skilled in the art can appropriately select enzymes according to their uses.

Similarly, liquid fertilizers for growing crops may be mixed with biodegradable products in addition to or instead of enzymes. A liquid fertilizer is an aqueous solution containing nutrients, and serves to supply nutrients to crops. Liquid fertilizers are not particularly limited as long as they fulfill such a role, and liquid fertilizers containing various nutritional components can be used. Such nutrients include, for example, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and the like.

<Process of composting>
The method of the present invention may further comprise the step of mixing the crushed biodegradable product, particularly the crushed and pelletized biodegradable product, with manure to compost the manure. Since the biodegradable product used in the present invention is hydrophilic, it can be well blended with excrement, and the biodegradable product obtained by composting the excrement after that retains soil moisture well. It can be used as an organic fertilizer.

The process of composting manure by mixing it with manure is, for example, in livestock barns such as cattle barns, piggeries, stables, etc., using the crushed biodegradable product as bedding for several days to several weeks, collecting it, It can be carried out by further providing a maturation period for compost as necessary. In livestock barns and the like, bedding is mixed with excrement such as animal excreta, so it is possible to obtain a biodegradable product mixed with compost by replacing the bedding at predetermined intervals. In addition, the step of mixing with manure to compost manure can be carried out by simply mixing with animal manure and leaving it for several days to several weeks.

The method of the invention further relates to a method of producing crops in soil in which a biodegradable product as described above is placed or mixed. The soil improved as described above has high water retention, and such soil facilitates the production of crops.

Examples of crops include, but are not limited to, grains such as rice and wheat, vegetables, fruits, and flowers. From the viewpoint of increasing consumption of biodegradable products, the crops may be annual grasses.

《Soil improvement method》
The soil improvement method of the present invention comprises the steps of crushing a biodegradable product and placing or mixing the crushed biodegradable product in soil. As used herein, the term "soil" refers to soil capable of growing crops and microorganisms, and such soil is capable of decomposing the above biodegradable products by microorganisms.

<Arrangement or mixing process>
In the method of the present invention, the step of placing or mixing the biodegradable product in the soil may simply be placing the biodegradable product on the surface of the soil, or simply burying the biodegradable product in the soil. Although it may be, it is preferable to be a step of actively mixing with the soil. Mixing can be done manually or mechanically.

Since the soil conditioner used in the method of the present invention is pelletized, it can be mechanically sprayed onto the soil in large quantities. For example, a tractor with a fertilizer spreader can spread a large amount of soil amendment.

《Soil improvement material or artificial soil》
The present invention also relates to soil amendments or artificial soils that can be used in the methods as described above. For the configuration of the soil conditioner or artificial soil of the present invention, reference can be made to the description of the crushed biodegradable product regarding the above method.

For example, the soil conditioner or artificial soil of the present invention contains 80% by mass or more of hydrophilic biodegradable fibers and is in the form of pellets. The pelletized soil amendment or artificial soil may also contain agricultural enzymes as described above, and such soil amendment or artificial soil may contain hydrophilic biodegradable materials such as cotton, hemp, Japanese paper, etc. It can be obtained by immersing a garment made from a soluble fiber in an enzyme-containing liquid, cutting it, pulverizing it, and pelletizing it with a pelletizer.

The soil modifier or artificial soil can be used by being mixed or placed in soil, but can be used as it is instead of soil such as potted plants without being mixed with soil. Veranda gardens sometimes suffer from soil disposal after cultivation, but this soil conditioner or artificial soil can be thrown away as burnable garbage, so it is very easy to dispose of.

The present invention will be described in more detail with the following examples, but the invention is not limited thereto.

Clothes made of 100% by mass Japanese paper made from Manila hemp were immersed in an enzyme-containing liquid containing agricultural enzymes (Manda Amino Alpha, Manda Fermentation Co., Ltd.) for several hours.

The clothes taken out from the enzyme-containing liquid were dehydrated, coarsely pulverized to about 100 mm to 10 mm by a pulverizer, and further pulverized by a pulverizer (DASE series, Seiho Engineering Co., Ltd.). As a result, biodegradable fibers crushed to 10 mm or less were obtained.

The biodegradable fiber was pelletized by a pelletizer to obtain a pellet-shaped soil conditioner containing Japanese paper and enzymes. The photograph is shown in FIG.

The soil modifier thus obtained was applied to the soil in an amount of about 1 ton/tan (about 1000 m ² ) using a tractor equipped with a fertilizer applicator to produce vegetables such as eggplant, radish, and Chinese cabbage. In all cases, very delicious vegetables were harvested. Moreover, the above soil conditioner disappeared in 1.5 months to 2 months. It should be noted that the soil conditioner produced in the same manner using clothes made of 100% cotton disappeared in 2 to 4 months.

Also, the pellet-shaped soil modifier was used as litter in a livestock barn for one month, and then collected and mixed with soil.

Claims (6)

Soil remediation, comprising the steps of crushing a biodegradable product, pelletizing the crushed biodegradable product, wherein the biodegradable product is clothing containing Japanese paper, which is a hydrophilic biodegradable fiber. How the material is made. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the garment comprises 80% by mass or more of the Japanese paper. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising mixing the biodegradable product with an enzyme. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising mixing the biodegradable product with manure and composting the manure. A method of producing agricultural products, comprising producing in soil improved by using the soil conditioner produced by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A method for improving soil, comprising the step of disposing or mixing the soil conditioner produced by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 in soil.

Images