KR20090042387A - Food waste dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

A food waste drying machine is provided to maintain air tightness of a main body sufficiently and to remove all bad smell components effectively generated from food waste. A food waste drying machine includes a receiving tank(40), a heating unit(60) and a deodorizing unit. A receiving part(41) is formed in a main body(30), a receiving container is located inside the receiving part. An annular seal part(52) is attached on a lower part of a cover(20). A protective net(56) in which a plurality of through-holes is formed, is formed inside the annular seal part. A deodorization device comprises a deodorization unit(86) and a photocatalyst filter(80). An exhaust fan(88) is attached on a discharge pipe driven by a motor(90).

Description

Food waste dryer

The present invention relates to a food waste drying apparatus, and more particularly, to a food waste drying apparatus that greatly improves the ability to dry food waste and a deodorizing ability to remove odor generated during drying.

Various kinds of food waste are generated in homes and restaurants, and when it is incinerated or landfilled, environmental pollution problems occur. Also, the collection of food waste is not easy. In particular, in Korea, food waste mainly contains soup and stew, so that the food waste contains a lot of water, which makes the collection and disposal more inconvenient.

Various types of food waste drying devices have been developed at home and abroad for the convenience and efficiency of the collection and disposal of such food waste. For example, JP 2005

-218974, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-238133, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0706919, Korean Publication 2006-

0004601.

The food waste drying apparatus typically includes a heating device such as a main body of a lid-opening structure, a storage container seated in the main body and containing food waste, and a heater for drying food waste in the storage container.

Food waste drying apparatus having the configuration as described above is currently selling some products, but each product includes the following problems.

The airflow generated when drying food waste includes odors. In the conventional case, a condensate is removed by condensing the airflow as a means of removing the odor, or a deodorizer is attached to remove the odor.

As an example of the deodorizing device, Patent No. 10-0706919 discloses a technique related to the deodorizing device 1 as shown in FIG. The deodorizer 1 comprises an annular tube 5 having an inlet 7 and an outlet 9, a rod-shaped heater 2 positioned across the center of the annular tube and acting to heat the catalyst, and the surface It consists of a deodorizing plate 3 coated with a zeolite or alumina support and a catalyst layer made of a metal catalyst and arranged in a spiral form around the heater. The malodorous component of the air stream becomes a non-odorous component by an oxidation reaction with the aid of a catalyst on the deodorizing plate. The arrangement of the deodorizing plate in a spiral form is intended to increase the residence time of the air stream so that all of the odor components of the air stream are oxidized and removed as much as possible. Deodorizer 1 is attached with a temperature sensor 6 for controlling the temperature inside the annular tube to be maintained at about 350 ℃ for the activation of the catalyst, and the heat insulating material 8 for heat insulation is coated on the outside of the annular tube.

Such a deodorizing device can achieve deodorization at a relatively low cost, but there is a problem in that it does not adsorb and remove all of the various odorous components generated from the actual food waste. Therefore, when using the food waste drying apparatus indoors, due to the undeodorized odor component is connected to a separate discharge pipe is the situation to discharge to the outdoors.

In addition, in the conventional food waste drying apparatus, the main body of the lid opening and closing structure is usually attached to the packing at a predetermined position of the lid and the packing part is in close contact with the main body to maintain airtightness.

However, such a conventional airtightness maintaining method is not enough airtight. If the lid is not sufficiently airtight the body in which the food waste container is located, some odorous components leak to the outside of the body, causing problems, as well as problems in the thermal efficiency of the drying apparatus itself. In addition, the configuration of the device is complicated, and it is complicated to use care so that foreign matter is not inserted into the packing part.

An object of the present invention is to provide a food waste drying apparatus that solves the above problems in the food waste drying apparatus.

That is, the first object of the present invention is to provide a food waste drying apparatus having a structure capable of sufficiently maintaining the airtightness of the main body.

It is a second object of the present invention to provide a deodorizing apparatus capable of effectively removing all offensive constituents generated from food waste in a food waste drying apparatus.

The present invention is a food waste drying apparatus comprising a main body having a lid opening and closing structure, a storage container in which food waste is placed, and a heating device for heating and drying food waste in the storage container, and a deodorizing device for removing odor. Applies to

First, to achieve the first object of the present invention provides a food waste drying apparatus is attached to the annular seal extending to the upper portion of the housing to the lid of the main body. This annular seal may be provided with conventional sealing means in which a packing is attached to the lid. The annular seal is formed of a silicone material that withstands high temperatures.

The annular seal serves to increase the thermal efficiency of the device by shielding the upper portion of the container in which the food waste is contained, not only preventing the odor component from leaking into the gap between the main body and the lid, but also preventing heat radiation. It can also refine the design of the device.

In addition, the present invention provides a deodorizing device composed of a deodorizing unit filled with activated carbon therein to achieve the second object to remove the odor generated during the drying of food waste. This deodorizing unit is for absorbing and removing the malodorous components of the air stream. The air flow of the food waste drying apparatus necessarily contains water, and activated carbon is known to be capable of adsorbing odorous substances even when water is present. The deodorizing unit therefore deodorizes the air stream containing the malodorous component very effectively.

Preferably, a photocatalyst filter is provided upstream of the deodorizing unit.

Photocatalyst filters produce active radicals, which are known to be converted into highly reactive compounds OH radicals (0H *) by air or moisture, and OH * is known to react with harmful gases and reduce them to water and carbon dioxide. It is also known to have a deodorizing function by reacting with components. Therefore, when the photocatalyst filter is provided upstream of the deodorizer, the amount of the odor component to be adsorbed in the deodorizer is reduced by removing the odor component by the oxidation reaction in the discharged air stream. Therefore, it is possible to effectively use the life and deodorization capacity of the deodorizer.

Deodorizer according to the present invention can be prepared in the form of a kit. In other words, the unit is configured to connect activated carbon-filled units and photocatalyst filters to the downstream side of the food waste drying apparatus, and wires are arranged to operate the photocatalyst filters. Is connected to a power source so that the deodorizer can operate. When configured in this way, it is easy to manage the food waste drying apparatus because only need to replace and repair the deodorizer.

In addition, it is preferable that an auxiliary deodorizing unit filled with a sheet-like carbon filter having activated carbon attached to a surface of the activated carbon deodorizing unit upstream or downstream is disposed. These auxiliary units themselves have an auxiliary deodorizing effect and serve to remove fine dust that may be included in the apparatus or discharge airflow downstream of the auxiliary unit.

The size of the activated carbon filled in the deodorizing unit is preferably in the range of 1 to 10 mm.

Odors from food waste include hydrogen sulfide with egg rotting, mercaptans with vegetable rotting, for example methyl mercaptan (CH ₃ SH), and amines similar to fish odors. Generates. In general, the airflow of the food waste drying apparatus is a case where the above malodorous components are mixed gas, and almost all of the malodorous components are removed while passing through the multi-stage drying unit according to the present invention. That is, there is a sensory test method that can be easily carried out as a measuring method for measuring the odor, the sensory test method according to the present invention did not occur to the extent that can be detected in the air flow discharged from the deodorizer according to the present invention.

As such, when all of the odor components of the exhaust are removed by the deodorizing device, not only a separate discharge pipe connected to the sewer is required to discharge the odor components to the outside as in the prior art, but it can also be used anywhere in the room. Its use is very convenient.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the food waste drying apparatus according to the present invention and Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the drying apparatus shown in FIG.

Food waste drying apparatus 10 according to the present invention is composed of a main body 30 constituting the lower portion of the device and a lid 20 coupled to the main body in a hinge 28 manner. The upper part of the lid 20 is arranged with a control unit 22 for the operation of the device 10, one side is arranged a case opening device 24 for opening or closing the lid. Ventilation holes 26 and 32 are formed outside the body of the lid 20 and the main body 20 so that fresh air can enter the body of the lid 20 and the main body 20.

An accommodating part 41 is formed inside the main body 30, and an accommodating container 40 in which food waste is contained is located in the accommodating part 41. A storage container 40 in which food waste is contained is located. A stirring blade 42 for agitating food waste is attached to the lower portion of the storage container, and the stirring blade is attached to the shaft 48 to which the driving force of the motor (worm motor) 50 is transmitted to perform a rotational movement.

In addition, the deodorizing device (80,86) according to the present invention is arranged on one side inside the main body 10, the discharge pipe 92 is opened to the outside of the main body 10 downstream of the deodorizing device and the motor in the discharge pipe 92 An exhaust fan 88 driven by 90 is attached to forcibly suck air flow and discharge it to the outside of the discharge pipe 92. The deodorizer will be described later in more detail.

The lid 20 is attached with an annular sealing portion 52 extending from the lower side of the lid to cover the upper portion of the storage container 40. Inside the annular seal 52, a guard net 56, in which a plurality of holes are formed, is also attached to extend from the lower side of the lid, and a heater 60 is positioned inside the guard net 56. In the embodiment shown, the heater is an annular heater.

In the lid 20, an inlet pipe 62 for supplying fresh air into the annular seal portion 52 and an exhaust pipe 68 for discharging the air flow in the upper portion of the storage container 40 are located. An intake fan 66 driven by a motor 64 is attached to the inlet pipe 62 so that fresh air supplied into the lid through the ventilation hole 26 formed on the outer side of the body of the lid 20 is inlet pipe 62. It is supplied to the upper portion through the receiving container 40). The exhaust pipe 68 has its downstream side connected to the upstream side of the deodorizer 80, 86. The exhaust pipe 68 is typically formed of a suitable metal material, but some of the exhaust pipes, especially the portion of the exhaust pipe 68 'passing through the boundary between the lid 20 and the main body 30, are formed of a silicone material that can withstand high temperatures and is flexible. Opening the lid does not interfere with the airflow at all.

4 is a perspective view of a partially cut away view of the food waste drying apparatus lid 20 according to the present invention, as seen from the bottom view of the lid in the opened state.

 As described above, the underside of the lid 20 is attached with an annular seal 52 extending therefrom. The annular sealing portion 52 is preferably formed of a silicon material that withstands high temperature and has a suitable strength. A guard net 56 is also formed inside the annular seal 52 so as to extend from the bottom of the lid, and a plurality of through holes 58 are formed in the guard net 56. The guard net 56 is for preventing food waste from sticking to the top while being agitated by the stirring blade 42 to be attached to the heater 60 or to enter the exhaust pipe 68.

The annular seal 52 serves to increase the thermal efficiency of the device by preventing the leakage of odor components by preventing the leakage of odor components by shielding the upper portion of the storage container 40 in which food waste is contained. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the lower end of the annular seal 52 is formed on the bottom surface of the lid 20 in a position and length that can be in close contact with the outer side of the upper container 40, but the annular seal 52 is formed. ) The lower end may be formed on the bottom of the lid 20 in a position and length such that the lower end extends into the inner container 40 so that the outer surface of the annular sealing portion 52 is in close contact with the inner surface of the outer container 40.

Deodorizer according to the present invention, as shown in Figure 3, is composed of a deodorizing unit 86 filled with activated carbon therein and a photocatalyst filter 80 arranged upstream. Preferably the deodorizer is configured in the form of a kit. In this kit, a wire for supplying power to the photocatalyst filter 80 is separately connected. Therefore, if the kit is connected downstream of the exhaust stream and the wires are connected to a power source (preferably a separate power source is installed inside the food waste drying apparatus), the deodorizer will operate simply.

The deodorizing unit 86 adsorbs and removes the malodorous components of the air stream. The size of the activated carbon to be filled may range from 1 to 10 mm, but in the illustrated embodiment, 3 mm of activated carbon was used. The airflow discharged from the lower portion of the deodorizing unit 86 flows to the discharge pipe 92 to which the exhaust fan 88 driven by the motor 90 is attached.

The deodorizing unit 86 may have any shape suitable for filling activated carbon, but as shown in FIG. 3, the cylindrical body portion and both sides of the body portion have a truncated cone so that the activated carbon has a cylindrical body portion. Filled and airflow is preferably formed to be able to enter and exit the activated carbon filling through the truncated cone portion.

The deodorizing unit 86 adsorbs and removes the malodorous components of the air stream. The size of the activated carbon to be filled may range from 1 to 10 mm, but in the illustrated embodiment, 3 mm of activated carbon was used. The airflow discharged from the lower portion of the deodorizing unit 86 flows to the discharge pipe 92 to which the exhaust fan 88 driven by the motor 90 is attached.

Operation of the food waste drying apparatus 10 according to the present invention is as follows.

First, the lid 20 is opened using the opening and closing device 24 and the food waste is put into the storage container 40 and the apparatus 10 is operated by the controller 22 while the lid 20 is covered again. In the operation of the device, the food waste in the receiving container 40 is agitated by the agitator blades 42 driven by the motor 50 to mix the food waste, and at the same time supplied through the inlet pipe 62 by the intake fan 66 The air is supplied to the upper portion of the storage container 40 while being heated by the heater 60. The heater 60 not only heats the introduced air but also heats the upper portion of the storage container 40. Food waste is dried by the heater 60 while stirring. The air stream containing the moisture according to the drying of the food waste (see the arrow in FIG. 2) is deodorized while passing through the deodorizing apparatus 80, 86 through the exhaust pipe 68, and then the apparatus 10 through the discharge pipe 92. It is discharged to the outside. The exhaust fan 88 attached to the discharge pipe 92 forcibly sucks the airflow so as to be discharged to the outside of the discharge pipe 92. The vent hole 26 formed in the lid 2 supplies fresh air to the inlet pipe 62, and the device 10 itself is caused by external air flowing into the vent holes 24 and 32 formed in the lid and the main body. Is cooled. Finally, when the food waste is sufficiently dried (a warning sound is generated or indicated on the indicator of the controller), the lid 20 is opened again and the dried food waste is discharged.

The temperature inside the storage container 40 was maintained at about 150 ℃. A separate temperature sensor may be attached at an appropriate position of the lid 20 on the upper part of the storage container 40 or inside the annular sealing part 52 to control the temperature inside the storage container 40, but the intake fan 66 and the exhaust gas are exhausted. By controlling the rotational speed of the motors (64, 90) for driving the fan 88 and at the same time by controlling the amount of heat generated by the heater it is possible to control the internal temperature of the storage box 40 to about 150 ℃ without a separate temperature sensor. Each of the motors 50, 64, 90 and the heaters 60, 82 is automatically controlled by the controller 22 in which the control program is embedded.

The food waste drying apparatus 10 equipped with the annular seal portion and the deodorizer according to the present invention was not only able to dry food waste very thermally, but also could not detect odors in the discharged air stream. In particular, the conventional device was able to detect the odor even when a small amount of food waste processing, and when the amount is increased, the odor was too hard to endure, but in the case of the device according to the present invention even if a large amount of food waste is treated It was found that the airflow was undetectable.

On the other hand, since the inner temperature of the storage container is about 150 ℃ about accidentally opening the lid of the device may cause a safety accident. Therefore, the opening and closing device of the lid 24 is a double locking device, it is preferable to prevent the safety accident so that the lid can be opened only when the double locking device is released.

The present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but those skilled in the art can devise various modifications.

In the illustrated embodiment, it relates to a food waste drying apparatus of a non-circulating piping system in which the air flow in the upper part of the storage container is not recycled but is simply sent to a deodorizing device, as described in Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0706919 and Korean Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-0004601. Likewise, the present invention also provides a circulating pipe for reheating the exhaust air by a heating device and resupplying it to the upper part of the container, and a bypass pipe connected to the circulating pipe for sending a part of the air stream to the deodorizer. This can be applied as it is.

As described above, the present invention can be applied to a food waste drying apparatus having any structure including a main body, a storage container in which food waste is contained, a heating device for drying food waste in the storage container, and a deodorizer for removing odor.

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1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional deodorizer.

2 is a perspective view of a food waste drying apparatus according to the present invention.

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a food waste drying apparatus according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the lid with an annular seal according to the present invention.

Claims (6)

It consists of a main body of the lid opening and closing structure, a storage container which is placed in the main body and contains food waste, a heating device for heating and drying the food waste in the storage container, and a deodorizing device for removing odor. In the food waste drying apparatus that the air flow in the storage container is sent to the deodorizer by the exhaust pipe to be deodorized and discharged to the outside of the main body, Food waste drying apparatus, characterized in that attached to the bottom of the lid annular seal extending to the upper portion of the receiving container. The food waste drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the annular sealing portion is formed of a silicon material which can withstand high temperatures. The food waste drying apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the deodorizing device comprises a deodorizing unit filled with activated carbon and a photocatalyst filter arranged upstream of the deodorizing unit. 4. The food waste drying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the deodorizing device comprises a kit type deodorizing device. 4. The food waste drying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sheet type carbon filter is arranged upstream or downstream of the deodorizing unit. The food waste drying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the activated carbon has a size in the range of 1 to 10 mm.

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