JPH11130570A - Compost-making apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compost-making apparatus that can product compost of high quality by performing the optimal fermentation of compost raw materials without occurrence of putrefaction due to excessive moisture. SOLUTION: This compost-making apparatus is equipped with the rotary drum 2 that is rotatably supported around the horizontal shaft axis in a closed space and has an air-permeable cylindrical surrounding wall 9, the feeder for feeding the compost material into the rotary drum 2, the outlet for taking out the treated product from the rotary drum 2, the driving means for rotating the rotary drum 2 and the moisture-removing means 60. In this case, the moisture-removing means 60 is provided with the moisture condenser 63 for condensing moisture in the air and the fan 62 for taking out the air from the closed space, allowing the air to pass through the condenser 63 and to return to the closed space.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a compost producing apparatus for producing compost 1 from compost materials such as garbage, animal excrement, and various organic wastes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to produce compost from various compost materials, it is necessary to add appropriate sub-materials (rice hulls, sawdust, rice bran, soil) to the compost material for the purpose of adjusting moisture, improving air permeability, and supplying fermentation bacteria. , Etc.) are mixed, and it is known that the fermentation heat and the condensed water of steam generated with the fermentation heat can be used to complete fermentation while preventing the compost material from spoiling.

[0003]

However, this type of conventional compost manufacturing apparatus is intended to ferment the fertilizer while stirring the compost material in a non-breathable treatment tank with stirring means. Steam due to the heat is condensed on the inner surface of the treatment tank, and the compost material becomes excessive in moisture, which is accompanied by fermentation heat, and the compost material is easily spoiled. In order to solve this problem, there has been considered a processing method in which the inside of the processing tank is directly or indirectly heated by using a heating means in combination to forcibly dry the compost material in a short time. In such a forced heating method, spoilage due to excessive moisture is eliminated, but the fermentation bacteria are also killed, so that the volume reduction effect of the material is obtained, but it is impossible to produce an active compost. .

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a compost producing apparatus which can solve the above-mentioned conventional problems. The rotary drum 2 is provided with a cylindrical peripheral wall 9 which is rotatably supported around a horizontal axis in a closed space and has air permeability, and a material supply unit into the rotary drum 2. 28, a portion 29 for taking out a processed material from the inside of the rotary drum 2, and a rotation driving unit 50 for the rotary drum 2.
And a moisture removing means 60.
Is a condenser 63 for condensing and separating moisture in the air, and a circulation fan 62 for extracting air from the closed space, passing the air through the condenser 63, and returning the air to the closed space again.
And a configuration including

In practicing the present invention having the above-described structure, an outside air inflow portion (vent holes 21 to 23) for allowing outside air to flow into the closed space including the inside of the rotary drum 2 is provided. Is an exhaust pipe 66 branched from an air circulation path on the lower side of the circulation fan 62;
An adjusting mechanism (adjusting valve 65) for adjusting the amount of air exhausted from the circulation system 6 to the outside of the circulation system can be provided.

The adjusting mechanism may be constituted by only one adjusting valve 65 interposed in the exhaust pipe 66. In addition, the ceiling lower side surface 1a of the closed space is inclined, and the suction unit 61a from inside the closed space by the circulation fan 62 of the moisture removing means 60 is removed from the ceiling lower side surface 1a.
Near the upper end of the slope.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a box-shaped casing in which a rotary drum 2 is supported horizontally and horizontally. This rotating drum 2
Has a rotating shaft 7 whose both ends are supported by front and rear side walls 5 and 6 of the casing 1 by bearings 3 and 4, and both ends and a plurality of intermediate portions are concentrically supported by the rotating shaft 7 via radial stays 8. The cylindrical peripheral wall 9 is formed of a plate material (FIG. 1C) in which a number of small holes (for example, small holes having a diameter of about 3 mm) are formed in a uniform distribution. Hereinafter, referred to as punching metal or the like) 11
As shown in FIG. 1B (small holes 10 are not shown), the valleys 12 and the ridges 13 along the length direction of the drum are bent in the circumferential direction of the drum so that the valleys 12 and the peaks 13 are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction of the drum. It is configured as follows.

More specifically, the cylindrical peripheral wall 9 is
Each ring 14 is disposed at both ends thereof and at a plurality of intermediate positions and is concentrically supported by the stay 8 on the rotating shaft 7, and is constituted by a small-sized cylindrical body 15 laid between the rings 14. As shown in FIG. 1B, each of the narrow cylindrical bodies 15 is provided with the punched metal 11 or the like as described above.
The valleys 12 and the ridges 13 along the length direction of the drum are bent in the circumferential direction of the drum so as to be alternately continuous in the circumferential direction of the drum. Of course, each narrow cylinder 1
5 can be configured by adding a plurality of punching metals 11 in the circumferential direction.

The rotating shaft 7 of the rotating drum 2 is connected to the stay 8
The small-diameter shaft portions 17a and 17b supported by the bearings 3 and 4 are provided at both ends of the large-diameter cylindrical shaft portion 16 to which are attached.
In addition to the stay 8, stirring blades 18 are protruded radially from the cylindrical shaft portion 16 at appropriate intervals in the axial direction. Each stirring blade 1
As shown in FIG. 3, the pipe member 19 has an inner end fixed to the cylindrical shaft portion 16 and a free end portion closed, and the free end portion of the pipe member 19 projects on both sides in the drum axial direction. And a wing plate 20 fixed so as to perform the operation.

As shown in FIG. 3, of the small-diameter shaft portions 17a and 17b at both ends constituting the rotary shaft 7 of the rotary drum 2,
The small-diameter shaft portion 17a on the front end side is provided with a ventilation hole 21 for communicating the inside of the cylindrical shaft portion 16 with the outside world, and the inside of the cylindrical shaft portion 16 and the pipe member 19 of each stirring blade 18 are provided. Are provided on the peripheral wall of the cylindrical shaft portion 16, and a plurality of ventilation holes 23 are provided on both sides of the pipe member 19 of each stirring blade 18 in the drum axis direction.
The outside air is taken into the rotary drum 2 from the outside of the casing 1 through the ventilation holes 21 and 22 of the rotating shaft 7 and the ventilation hole 23 of the stirring blade 18.

FIG. 1C shows the outer periphery of both ends of the cylindrical peripheral wall 9 of the rotary drum 2 so as to close both ends of the cylindrical peripheral wall 9.
The air-permeable fixed end plates 24 and 25 made of perforated metal 11 shown in FIG. The fixed end plates 24, 25 are supported by the front and rear side walls 5, 6 via brackets 24a, 25a so as to secure an appropriate space between the front and rear side walls 5, 6 of the casing 1. On the rotating drum 2 side, as shown in detail in FIG. 3, a flat annular surface 14a perpendicular to the drum axis of a ring 14 disposed at both ends of the cylindrical peripheral wall 9 of the rotating drum 2 is slid. The annular elastic sealing members 26 and 27 in contact with each other are mounted concentrically with the rotating drum 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, a material supply portion 28 into the rotary drum 2 is provided on the front side wall 5 of the casing 1.
The rear wall 6 of the casing 1 is provided with a processed material take-out portion 29 from the rotary drum 2. The material supply unit 28 includes a chute 30 fixed to the front wall 5 of the casing 1 above the rotary shaft 7 of the rotary drum 2, and a lid 31 that opens and closes an inlet at an upper end of the chute 30. The inner end opening 30a of the chute 30 (FIG. 3)
) Penetrates the fixed end plate 24 and is arranged close to the front end of the cylindrical peripheral wall 9 of the rotary drum 2. The processed material take-out unit 29 opens and closes the opening 32 formed below the rotating shaft 7 of the rotary drum 2 and between the rear wall 6 of the casing 1 and the fixed end plate 25. Door body 33 attached to the rear side wall 6 as described above.

On the inside of the cylindrical peripheral wall 9 of the rotary drum 2,
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of agitating and feeding projections 34 are additionally provided. The protruding body 34 is formed of a peripheral wall having a substantially right-angled triangular shape when the cylindrical peripheral wall 9 of the rotary drum 2 is developed, and is substantially parallel to the drum axis when the rotary drum 2 rotates in the forward direction. Side wall 34a
When the rotary drum 2 rotates in the opposite direction, the compost material in the rotary drum 2 is processed by the inclined side wall 34b inclined with respect to the drum axis when the compost material in the rotary drum 2 is lifted and agitated in the reverse direction. The transfer operation to the take-out unit 29 is performed. The agitating and feeding protruding body 34 has a substantially right-angled triangular cover plate 35 on the center side of the rotating drum of the peripheral wall so that the compost material does not clog and solidify in the substantially right-angled triangular space surrounded by the peripheral wall. It is desirable to close with. Furthermore, this projecting body 34 is made of a plate material having air permeability,
For example, it is effective to prevent the formation of dew condensation by using a punching metal, but when the cover plate 35 is also made of a punching metal or the like, the portion of the cylindrical peripheral wall 9 covered with the protrusion 34 is attached to the protrusion 34. It is desirable to provide an opening for discharging the granular compost material that has entered inside to the outside.

At the lower position of the rotary drum 2 in the casing 1, there is provided a leaking fallen object collecting means 40 for collecting a powdery material or water leaking from the cylindrical peripheral wall 9 or the like. The leaked fallen object collecting means 40 includes a drawer-shaped tray 41 arranged in parallel in the drum axis direction and each of which is supported so as to be able to be pulled out of the casing 1. Guide plate 42 for guiding the fallen and fallen objects from the container, and a water-permeable bottom plate 41a made of a net or punched metal of the drawer tray 41.
Gutter 43 for collecting water and the like dropped from (see FIG. 3)
And a drain pipe 4 for discharging water and the like collected by the gutter 43 to the outside of the casing 1 via a water trap 44.
5 is comprised. Reference numeral 46 shown in FIG. 1A denotes an opening / closing door body which is opened and closed when each of the drawer-like trays 41 is pulled out and inserted, and is provided on the left and right side wall portions of the casing 1.
Reference numerals 47 and 48 shown in FIG. 2 denote opening and closing doors which are opened and closed when cleaning the gutter 43, and are provided on the front and rear side walls 5 and 6 of the casing 1.

In FIG. 1A, reference numeral 50 denotes a rotary driving means for the rotary drum 2, which comprises a motor 51 supported by the casing 1 and a transmission means 52 for interlocking the motor 51 and the rotary drum 2 in an interlocked manner. The transmission means 52
The gear 53 is provided concentrically at one end of the cylindrical peripheral wall 9 of the rotary drum 2 (see FIG. 3), the gear 54 attached to the output shaft of the motor 51, and the gear 53. And an endless chain 55 hung on the tooth wheel 54. Of course, although not shown, a take-up mechanism for adjusting the tension of the endless chain 55 is additionally provided as necessary. Further, the motor 51 is disposed in the casing 1,
It can be arranged outside the casing 1.

When the rotating drum 2 has a large diameter, the teeth 53 on which the endless chain 55 engages do not need to be continuous over the entire circumference. An arc-shaped plate having an appropriate length is attached every other time, and an arc-shaped chain guide plate fitted between the links of the endless chain 55 is attached between the toothed arc-shaped plates.

As shown in FIG. 1, the compost manufacturing apparatus is provided with a water removing means 60. This water removing means 60
As shown in FIG. 4, the intake pipe 61 and the intake pipe 61
Fan 62 connected to the circulating fan and the circulating fan 6
Condenser (condenser) 63 connected to the air supply side of 2
An air supply pipe 64 connected to the condenser 63; and a regulating valve 6 branched from between the circulation fan 62 and the condenser 63.
And an exhaust pipe 66 provided with the exhaust pipe 5.
The space surrounding the rotating drum 2 in the casing 1 (hereinafter, referred to as a space)
The air supply pipe 64 is provided below the rotary drum 2 in the casing 1 and above the inclined guide plate 42 of the leaked fallen object collecting means 40. That is, it is arranged to supply air to the lower part of the drum peripheral space. Further, the water removing means 60 can be housed and disposed at an appropriate place in the casing 1 as shown in FIG. 1, but when the adjustment valve 65 is manually operated, as shown in FIG. It is necessary to arrange it outside or adjust it from outside the casing 1 through an opening provided with a door. Of course, as the regulating valve 65, an electromagnetic valve can be used for automatic control. Note that the condenser 63 is provided with a casing 1 using air cooling, water cooling, or another refrigerant.
It cools air sucked from inside and separates water by condensation.

As shown in FIGS. 1A, 2 and 4, between the ceiling 1A of the casing 1 and the rotating drum 2, water droplets condensed on the lower surface 1a of the casing ceiling 1A are covered with the cylindrical peripheral wall of the rotating drum 2. A water drop receiving cover 70 for preventing the liquid from dropping onto the pipe 9 is provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the water drop receiving cover 70 is formed by bending a plate 72 having a large number of small holes 71 along the cylindrical peripheral wall 9 of the rotary drum 2 so as to form both lower sides and right and left side walls of the casing 1. A gap 73 for allowing the received water to flow down is formed between the small holes 71. A peripheral wall 71a is formed in each small hole 71 so as to rise upward (opposite to the side where the rotary drum 2 is located). This prevents water drops dropped on the cover 70 from dropping onto the rotating drum 2 from the small holes 71. In addition, instead of the space 73, a gutter portion is formed on both lower sides of the cover 70, and the gutter portion
It may be configured to guide the received water to a predetermined location.

An example of a method of using the compost manufacturing apparatus having the above-described configuration will be described. A suitable amount of auxiliary material is required according to the properties of the compost material such as garbage to be used, and the chute 30 of the material supply unit 28 is used. The compost material is charged into the rotating drum 2, and the compost material is similarly charged from above. Thereafter, the motor 51 of the rotation driving means 50 of the rotating drum 2 is operated, and the rotating drum 2 is rotated.
Is rotated in the forward direction, and the compost material and the auxiliary material in the rotary drum 2 are sufficiently stirred and mixed by the stay 8, the stirring blade 18, and the side wall 34a of the stirring and feeding protrusion 34. If the material cannot be distributed substantially evenly over the entire length of the rotary drum 2 due to the properties of the material during the stirring and mixing, the rotary drum 2 is rotated in the opposite direction and rotated by the inclined side wall portion 34 b of the stirring and feeding protrusion 34. The material in the drum 2 can be transferred from the material supply unit 28 to the processed material take-out unit 29.

The material can be supplied up to about 60 to 70% of the volume of the rotary drum 2. When the material is continuously supplied, the rotary drum 2 is continuously moved in the material stirring direction (during the time). When the material is supplied intermittently by rotating the drum 2 in the forward direction, the rotating drum 2 can be driven to rotate in the forward direction a set number of times (or for a set time) only during the material supply.

When a required amount of material is supplied into the rotating drum 2 and the material is sufficiently stirred and mixed by the rotation of the rotating drum 2, the rotating drum 2 is stopped and the material in the rotating drum 2 is removed. Wait for fermentation. Of course, when the water content is lower than the fermentation conditions due to the nature of the material, the material before being supplied into the rotary drum 2 or the material in the rotary drum 2 is replenished by an appropriate method. The water removing means 60 is operated from the time when the material in the rotating drum 2 starts to ferment (after the lapse of a set time) or from the time when the stirring and mixing of the material by the rotation of the rotating drum 2 is completed. That is, the air in the space around the drum is sucked from the upper part of the space by the suction pipe 61 by operating the air intake fan 62 and passed through the condenser 63, and then returned to the lower part of the space around the drum by the air supply pipe 64 again. Then, the air in the casing 1 is circulated. Of course, at this time, since the adjustment valve 65 of the exhaust pipe 66 is closed, the amount of intake air from the inside of the casing 1 and the amount of air supply into the casing 1 by the moisture removing means 60 are substantially equal. Outside air hardly flows into the casing 1 (the inside of the rotating drum 2) through the inside of the rotating shaft 7.

When the fermentation of the material in the rotary drum 2 proceeds, the moisture in the material evaporates due to the fermentation heat, and the moisture in the air in the casing 1 increases. It is cooled and separated by the condenser 63 and discharged out of the circulation system. When the moisture removal by the condenser 63 of the moisture removing means 60 is not sufficient, the moisture in the air in the space around the drum is cooled on the inner wall surface of the casing 1 and causes a dew condensation phenomenon. Water droplets condensed on the lower side surface 1a of the casing ceiling 1A are dripped, but most of them are received by the water droplet receiving cover 70 covering the upper side of the rotary drum 2, and the collected fallen fallen objects on the lower side of the rotary drum 2 are collected. Guided to means 40.

As the fermentation of the material in the rotary drum 2 progresses, the temperature in the refrigerator increases. This internal temperature is equal to the set value (for example, 6
(About 0 ° C.) or the time required to reach this situation is measured and set by learning, and when the set time has elapsed, the motor 51 of the rotary drive unit 50 is operated to set the rotary drum 2. The material is rotated in the forward direction by the number of times or the set time to agitate the material in the rotating drum 2.

On the other hand, as the fermentation of the material in the rotating drum 2 progresses, carbon dioxide gas is generated. Since the increase in the carbon dioxide concentration promotes the activity of the anaerobic fermentation bacterium in the initial stage of fermentation, it is desirable to circulate the air in the casing 1 in order to remove only moisture without exchanging with the outside air. Therefore,
Although the regulating valve 65 of the exhaust pipe 66 of the water removing means 60 is closed as described above, if the fermentation proceeds and the carbon dioxide concentration in the chamber becomes too high, the activity of the aerobic fermentation bacteria after the middle stage of the fermentation is hindered. Therefore, when the temperature in the refrigerator becomes higher than the set temperature, or when the concentration of carbon dioxide in the refrigerator becomes higher than the set value, or the time until these conditions are reached, it is set by learning and measuring. When the set time has elapsed, the regulating valve 65 in the exhaust pipe 66 of the moisture removing means 60 is opened to discharge a part of the circulating air out of the circulation system. As a result, the amount of air returned into the casing 1 decreases, and the outside air is reduced by that amount to the rotating shaft 7 (small diameter shaft portion 17a) of the rotating drum 2.
Vent hole 21, inside cylindrical shaft 16, cylindrical shaft 16
Through the ventilation holes 22) and the ventilation holes 23 of the stirring blades 18 to naturally flow into the rotary drum 2, thereby suppressing an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the refrigerator. That is, by adjusting the opening degree of the adjustment valve 65, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the refrigerator can be positively adjusted so that fermentation of the material proceeds satisfactorily. The timing of opening the adjustment valve 65 is the same as the timing of rotating the rotary drum 2 in the forward direction by the set number of times or the set time by the rotation driving means 50 to agitate the material in the rotary drum 2 as described above. You can also

The temperature inside the refrigerator temporarily drops due to the stirring of the material by the rotation of the rotary drum 2, but the temperature inside the refrigerator rises as the fermentation proceeds again. Then, when the temperature in the refrigerator rises above the set temperature again, or the time until this condition is reached is measured and set by learning, and when the set time has elapsed, the stirring of the material by the rotation drive of the rotary drum 2 is performed again. Is performed. On the other hand, since the concentration of carbon dioxide in the storage decreases due to the inflow of outside air due to the opening movement of the adjustment valve 65, when the concentration of carbon dioxide decreases enough to prevent good fermentation, the adjustment valve 65 is closed again to enter the storage. Of the outside air can be prevented.

By repeating the above operation, the rotating drum 2
The primary fermentation of the material inside is completed, and the temperature in the refrigerator does not rise even after a lapse of time. In addition, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the storage also becomes lower than a certain value. After that, the material is left for a considerable time (1 to 3 months), and the material is agitated by rotating the rotary drum 2 about once a month as needed, whereby a fully-ripened compost can be obtained. Of course, when the primary fermentation is completed as described above, the use of the compost production device is terminated, and the subsequent maturation can be performed by appropriate equipment outside the refrigerator.

When taking out the processed product (primary fermented product (semi-finished product) or fully matured compost) from the rotating drum 2,
With the opening / closing door body 33 of the processed material take-out part 29 opened and the opening part 32 opened, the motor 51 of the rotary drive means 50 is operated, and the rotary drum 2 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction, and the inside of the rotary drum 2 is rotated. The processed material in the rotary drum 2 can be transferred to the processed material take-out part 29 by the inclined side wall portion 34b of the agitating and feeding protrusion 34, and can be sent out of the refrigerator through the opened opening 32. .

The material storage space in the rotary drum 2 is formed by a cylindrical peripheral wall 9 of the rotary drum 2 and fixed end plates 24 and 25 closing both ends thereof. 1C), the material in the rotating drum 2 is prevented from adhering to these surfaces via the moisture contained therein to cause a dew condensation phenomenon. When the material is supplied to the rotary drum 2 or when the rotary drum 2 is driven to rotate, part of the granular material leaks from the small holes 10 of the cylindrical peripheral wall 9 and the punching metal 11 constituting the fixed end plates 24 and 25. Will be. Thus, the small holes 10 of the cylindrical peripheral wall 9 and the fixed end plates 24 and 25 are formed.
The granular material and excess water leaking out of the rotary drum 2 are collected by a leak fallen object collecting means 40 below the rotary drum 2.

That is, the powdery and granular material that has leaked and dropped is collected in the drawer-shaped tray 41 by the inclined guide plate 42 of the leaked and fallen object collecting means 40, and water is passed through the bottom plate 41a (see FIG. 3), and is discharged from the gutter 43 to the outside of the casing 1 via the water trap 44 and the drain pipe 45. The drawer-like tray 41 in which the granular material is collected can be cleaned by opening the door 46 and pulling it out of the casing 1.

In addition, maintenance and inspection of each part in the casing 1
An openable and closable opening for adjustment and the like and an openable and closable opening for sampling a material from the inside of the rotating drum 2 can be provided at an appropriate position in the casing 1 as necessary. Further, sensors for detecting the temperature and the concentration of carbon dioxide in a closed space (including the inside of the rotating drum 2) in which the rotating drum 2 is provided are provided. The compost production process can be automated by automatically controlling 60. In this case, a sensor is provided to detect the temperature or carbon dioxide concentration of the circulating system in the moisture removing means 60, for example, the circulating air in the intake pipe 61, and the temperature or carbon dioxide concentration in the closed space is indirectly measured. Can be detected.

The return position of the air after removing the moisture by the air supply pipe 64 of the moisture removing means 60 may be inside the rotary drum 2. In other words, the cylindrical peripheral wall 9 of the rotary drum 2
Since the air-permeable member has air permeability, the closed space in which the air is drawn out by the circulation fan 62 of the water removing means 60 and the air after the water removal is returned includes the inside of the rotary drum 2. When the air is returned from the air supply pipe 64 into the rotary drum 2 in this manner, the air supply pipe 64 may be connected to the air hole 21 provided in the small hole shaft portion 17a of the rotary shaft 7 via a rotary joint. Needless to say, an outside air inflow portion through which outside air flows into the closed space when the adjustment valve 65 is opened must be separately provided.

The structure for imparting air permeability to the cylindrical peripheral wall 9 of the rotary drum 2, the material supply section 28, the processed article take-out section 29, and the rotation driving means 50 of the rotary drum 2 are limited to those of the above-described embodiment. Not done. For example, when the capacity of the rotary drum 2 is small, the rotary drive unit 50 may be configured as a manual type having no power source such as a motor. If the water removal from the circulating air by the water removing means 60 is sufficiently performed so that the dew condensation on the lower side surface 1a of the casing ceiling 1A is eliminated, the water droplet receiving cover 7 is provided.
0 is unnecessary.

As an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the amount of air discharged from the exhaust pipe 66 of the moisture removing means 60 to the outside of the circulation system, one adjusting valve 65 interposed in the exhaust pipe 66 is used, as shown in FIG. As described above, the second adjustment valve 67 is interposed in the air circulation path on the lower side of the branch point of the exhaust pipe 66, and the amount of air returned to the space around the drum can be positively adjusted by the second adjustment valve 67. It can also be configured as follows. Of course, in this case, if the opening of both the regulating valves 65 and 67 is reduced, an excessive load acts on the circulation fan 62, so that the exhaust gas is discharged from the exhaust pipe 66 so that such a situation does not occur. The two regulating valves 65 and 67 are interlocked so that the sum of the amount of air to be returned and the amount of air returned into the closed space containing the rotary drum is always substantially equal. It is preferable to interpose a one-way regulating valve.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lower surface 1a of the casing ceiling 1A is lowered to eliminate or minimize the dew condensation on the lower surface 1a of the ceiling 1A of the casing 1 forming a closed space in which the rotary drum is housed. It can be made of a material that is hardly dew-condensed, for example, a suitable heat insulating material 80, and furthermore, the lower surface 1a of the casing ceiling 1A is inclined in a mountain shape as shown by a virtual line, or the entire surface is inclined in one direction. , A suction part 61a of a suction pipe 61 of the moisture removing means 60
Can be arranged near the upper end of the lower surface 1a of the casing ceiling to generate an upward airflow along the lower surface 1a of the inclined ceiling. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 64a denotes an air supply section of the air supply pipe 64 arranged at the lowest part of the space around the drum.

[0035]

The compost manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, which can be implemented as described above, uses a rotating drum rotatable about a horizontal axis, so that the compost stored in the rotating drum is used. The material can be completely inverted by rotating the rotary drum about the horizontal axis to be surely agitated, and since the cylindrical peripheral wall of the rotary drum is permeable, heat is generated by fermentation heat. The steam can be quickly released to the outside of the rotating drum, and condensation does not occur at the portion where the compost material comes into contact with the cylindrical peripheral wall of the rotating drum. It is possible to easily produce a highly active compost by fermenting satisfactorily without causing rot due to excessive moisture without heating the material.

Further, according to the structure of the present invention, the air in the closed space containing the rotary drum is forcibly passed through the condenser of the water removing means to condense and separate the water, and then returned to the closed space. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent dew condensation on the peripheral wall surface of the closed space in which the rotary drum is installed and the inside of the rotary drum, and to simply exchange the air in the closed space with the outside air. The fermentation is promoted satisfactorily while preventing the temperature and carbon dioxide concentration of the raised atmosphere from dropping due to the above, and reliably preventing the condensation of the compost material in the rotating drum and, consequently, the decay due to excessive moisture. Can be.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the amount of air discharged from the exhaust pipe to the outside of the circulation system is adjusted to adjust the concentration and temperature of carbon dioxide in the closed space including the inside of the rotary drum. Can be maintained in a preferable state. In this case, according to the configuration of the third aspect, handling can be performed easily and at low cost.

Further, according to the structure of the fourth aspect,
A rising air current is generated along the lower surface of the ceiling of the enclosed space in which the rotating drum is installed, thereby suppressing dew condensation on the lower surface of the ceiling. It is also possible to prevent water droplets that have condensed on the lower surface of the ceiling from dropping on the lower rotating drum (on the air-permeable cylindrical peripheral wall).

[Brief description of the drawings]

1A is a vertical sectional front view of the entire apparatus, FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing a part of a cylindrical peripheral wall of a rotating drum (small holes are not shown), and FIG. 1C is a cylindrical peripheral wall of the rotating drum. It is a top view of the board material which comprises.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view of the entire apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional side view of a main part of the apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional front view showing a block diagram for explaining the water removing means and an outline of the apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a plate member constituting a water droplet receiving cover.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional front view schematically showing a block diagram and an apparatus for explaining a water removing means in another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 casing 2 rotating drum 7 rotating shaft 8 stay 9 cylindrical peripheral wall of rotating drum 10 small hole 11 plate material (such as punching metal) constituting cylindrical peripheral wall 12 trough of cylindrical peripheral wall 13 crest of cylindrical peripheral wall 14 ring 15 Small-width cylindrical body 18 Stirring blade 28 Material supply unit 29 Treated material take-out unit 40 Leakage and fallen object recovery unit 50 Rotary drum rotation drive unit 60 Water removal unit 61 Intake pipe 61a Intake unit 62 Circulation fan 63 Condenser 64 Send Trachea 65 Adjustment valve (adjustment mechanism) 66 Exhaust pipe 67 Second adjustment valve (adjustment mechanism)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A rotating drum rotatably supported in a closed space around a horizontal axis and having a cylindrical peripheral wall having air permeability, a material supply unit into the rotating drum, and the rotating drum And a rotary drive unit for the rotary drum, and a moisture removing unit, the moisture removing unit condensing and separating moisture in the air, and removing air from the closed space. A compost production apparatus comprising: a circulation fan that is drawn out, passes through the condenser, and then returns to the closed space again. 2. An outside air inflow portion for allowing outside air to flow into the closed space including the inside of the rotary drum is provided, and the water removing means is branched from an air circulation path lower than the circulation fan. An exhaust pipe and an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the amount of air discharged from the exhaust pipe to the outside of the circulation system are provided in parallel.
The compost production apparatus according to claim 1. 3. The compost production apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said adjusting mechanism comprises only one adjusting valve interposed in said exhaust pipe. 4. The ceiling lower side surface of the closed space is inclined, and a suction part of the closed space by the circulating fan of the moisture removing means from the inside of the closed space is set near the upper end of the ceiling lower side surface. 3. The compost production apparatus according to any one of 3.