WO1992004303A1 - Dispositif de compostage a couvercle transparent - Google Patents

Dispositif de compostage a couvercle transparent Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO1992004303A1
WO1992004303A1 PCT/CA1991/000312 CA9100312W WO9204303A1 WO 1992004303 A1 WO1992004303 A1 WO 1992004303A1 CA 9100312 W CA9100312 W CA 9100312W WO 9204303 A1 WO9204303 A1 WO 9204303A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
enclosure
panel
composter
edges
composting
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/CA1991/000312
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
John E. Warrington
Original Assignee
Green Cone Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Green Cone Inc. filed Critical Green Cone Inc.
Publication of WO1992004303A1 publication Critical patent/WO1992004303A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C05—FERTILISERS; MANUFACTURE THEREOF
    • C05F—ORGANIC FERTILISERS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C05B, C05C, e.g. FERTILISERS FROM WASTE OR REFUSE
    • C05F17/00—Preparation of fertilisers characterised by biological or biochemical treatment steps, e.g. composting or fermentation
    • C05F17/90—Apparatus therefor
    • C05F17/907—Small-scale devices without mechanical means for feeding or discharging material, e.g. garden compost bins
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
    • Y02P20/00—Technologies relating to chemical industry
    • Y02P20/141—Feedstock
    • Y02P20/145—Feedstock the feedstock being materials of biological origin
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
    • Y02W30/00—Technologies for solid waste management
    • Y02W30/40—Bio-organic fraction processing; Production of fertilisers from the organic fraction of waste or refuse

Definitions

  • This invention relates to composting apparatus, and more particularly to a composter for the decomposition of vegetable materials such as garden wastes, grass cuttings, leaves etc.
  • a composter To be successful, a composter must be appropriately sized to accommodate the volume of garden waste which is to be composted. It is of course desirable that any composter be kept to as small a size as practical, for aesthetic and for space availability and convenience reasons. In order that a composter be of small size but capable of handling relatively large volumes of garden waste, it needs to have a relatively fast rate of throughput. This means that it must be capable of accelerating the rate of microbiological degradation of the waste materials, to reduce them to low-volume compost in a short period of time. At the same time, it must be kept as a low cost item.
  • the present invention meets these requirements by providing a composter which is solar heated, in a manner which can provide the optimum or close to optimum temperatures therein for the microbial activity to convert the garden wastes to compost.
  • a composter which is solar heated, in a manner which can provide the optimum or close to optimum temperatures therein for the microbial activity to convert the garden wastes to compost.
  • This is accomplished by the provision of a top panel for the composting enclosure which is transparent to solarradiation, and is disposed at an angle to the horizontal. It is disposed so that the slanted top panel faces towards the incident sunlight. In this way, an accelerated rate of composting is achieved, with consequential increases in throughput and utilization of large volumes of garden wastes.
  • a composter for microbiological decomposition of biodegradable waste comprising: an enclosure defined by upstanding side walls; a bottom adapted for communication with outside earth; access means providing access to the interior of said enclosure; and a top wall comprised of a solar radiation transmissive panel, said panel having a surface disposed at an angle of from 5-45° to the horizontal when said side walls are arranged in their upstanding position.
  • the enclosure of the composter is square or rectangular as viewed in horizontal cross section and is adapted to be placed in a shallow hole in the ground, such that the bottom of the enclosure is disposed a few inches below ground surface.
  • the solar radiation transmissive top panel is suitably of clear, transparent plastic material such as acrylic plastic. The slanted top of the solar transmissive top panel allows for the most efficient utilization of sunlight incident thereon, so that the interior of the enclosure where the composting process takes place can reach the optimum temperature for fast microbial degradation of the vegetable waste, e.g. 50-60°C.
  • aeration means is provided for the enclosure, whereby outside air can be supplied to the composting medium, to speed the process of composting.
  • the preferred apparatus according to the present invention is provided with air inlets near the bottom of the enclosure, providing for a flow of air from outside to the interior of the enclosure, and an air outlet near the top of the enclosure. Because of the heat generated within the enclosure, a relatively slow moving convection current of air is thereby provided through the enclosure, which speeds up the aerobic fermentation process to accelerate the rate of production of compost.
  • Such air inlet means are conveniently provided by apertures in the bottom ends of ribs outstanding from the side, front and rear walls of the enclosure, and the air outlet means is conveniently provided by small spaces in the top wall surrounding the solar transmissive panel.
  • the solar transmissive panel which is also conveniently removable to serve as a top loading opening, is preferably made to be a loose, non-sealing fit with the rest of the enclosure.
  • the enclosure is of square or rectangular cross section, with upwardly converging side walls, front wall and back wall to form a truncated pyramidal shape of the enclosure as a whole.
  • a shape of enclosure provides significant advantages.
  • the vegetable waste such as grass cuttings
  • it naturally forms a pyramidal shape of mass conforming to and contacting the inner walls of the container.
  • the volume of the vegetable contents shrinks, but the same shape thereof is maintained, conforming to the shape of the interior of the enclosure, but spacing itself away from the interior walls thereof.
  • air space is developed between the interior of the walls and the mass of composting material, facilitating the convection airflow from the air inlets to the top air outlet, thereby further enhancing the rate of the composting process.
  • the apparatus according to the invention is also conveniently provided with a large access opening, in the form of a removable front wall. This allows the gardener access to the interior of the apparatus for agitating the contents, eg with a gardening spade or fork, and for removing the compost when eventually formed.
  • the whole apparatus is conveniently manufactured and supplied to the householder as a kit of parts, in a flat box or other container, with simple assembling and securing means to allow its construction by the householder in a simple and efficient manner.
  • the composter according to the invention When the composter according to the invention has been assembled, it is placed in a pre-dug shallow pit in the earth, so that its side walls project from 2-6 inches below the surface of the earth.
  • the top, solar transmissive panel makes an angle of 5-45°, preferably 10-20°, to the horizontal, and the device is oriented so that the slanted top panel is presented towards the sun for maximum solar radiation to be incident thereon.
  • the device can be provided with a depending wire or plastic mesh screen skirt, or wire or plastic mesh bottom wall to hinder the access of small rodents into the interior of the enclosure.
  • a typical composter according to the present invention is manufactured from sturdy, weather resistant materials such as galvanized or painted metals, plastics eg. high density polyethylene, etc. Economy and ease of manufacture commonly dictate the choice of materials.
  • the domestic gardener finds it convenient to use it during the summer months only, when the gardening activity is at its maximum.
  • a unit conveniently stands about 3-5 feet tall, and has a square bottom of which each side is about 2-4 feet long.
  • the apparatus can be loaded periodically with vegetable waste, complete generation of compost from one addition of material being unnecessary prior to the addition of further amounts.
  • the highly active microbes present in the composting material accelerate the start of the composting process on the newly added material.
  • the rate of degradation achieved by an apparatus according to the present invention is fast enough that from 200-250 kilograms of garden waste can be reduced to compost in the space of three months, so that a single unit is adequate to handle all of the waste material conventionally generated by the average domestic garden during the course of a growing season.
  • FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a composting apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the invention
  • FIGURE 2 is a view of a side panel of the apparatus of Figure 1;
  • FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;
  • FIGURE 4 is a view of the back panel of the apparatus of Figure 1;
  • FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view along the line 5-5 of
  • FIGURE 6 is a detail, in cross section, of the edge securing means of the various panels
  • FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic cross sectional 15 view of the assembled apparatus in use.
  • the composter 10 as illustrated comprises a front panel 12, a pair of similar side panels 14, 16, a back panel 18 and a top lid 20, all arranged and connected together, when lid 20 is closed, to define a composting enclosure.
  • Each panel has a respective, downwardly extending bottom skirt 22 which, when the composter 10 is constructed and mounted in position, protrudes into the earth a distance of about 4 inches, to provide the necessary stability to the unit in an outdoor environment.
  • the composter 10 is open at the bottom, for free communication with earth in which it is mounted.
  • the lid or top wall 20 is of transparent acrylic plastic, to constitute a solar radiation transmissive panel. It has a short depending peripheral skirt 24 which fits loosely and removably over the top edge of the panels. Upwardly extending blips 25 on the top edges 28, 30 of respective side panels 14, 16 bear against the undersurface of lid 20 when it is closed, providing air spaces to constitute an air outlet near the top of the enclosure. A latch 26 is provided to secure the lid 20 releasably to the front panel 12. The lid 20 is wholly removable from the top edges of the panels, to provide a closable loading opening to the enclosure.
  • the front panel 12 and the back panel 18 are trapezoidal in shape, with parallel top and bottom edges and mutually converging side edges.
  • the back panel 18 is taller than the front panel 12.
  • the side panels 14, 16 have a similar shape to that of the back and front panels, except that their top edges 28, 30 make an angle of 16° to their bottom edges.
  • the various panels are appropriately sized to fit together to define an enclosure of truncated pyramidal shape, with the top wall 20 fitted thereon and slanting at an angle of 16° to the horizontal when the unit 10 is mounted upright on the ground.
  • Each of the front panel 12, the side panels 14, 16 and the back panel 18 are provided with ribs 32 extending vertically and mutually parallel up the major portion of the height of the panels.
  • the ribs 32 are formed as rectangular section indentations molded or pressed in the side panels, so that they are open to the interior of the enclosure of the composter 10 along their full lengths. At their bottom extremities 34 they are open to the outside, thus constituting air inlets in the assembled composter 10. They are closed at their top ends.
  • each of the panels 12, 14, 16 and 18 terminate in integral angularly disposed flanges 36, 38 with respective lips 40, 42 out turned therefrom, as best seen in Figure 6.
  • the outer faces of flanges 36, 38 of each panel abut against each other along their longitudinal lengths.
  • a resilient cylindrical split tube 44 is then slid endwise over the flanges 36, 38 and lips 40, 42, to extend substantially the full length thereof and to act as securing means.
  • the connections between the side panels 14, 16 and back panel 18, in addition to the split tube 44, can be supplemented by nuts and bolts or screw fasteners.
  • connection between side panels 14, 16 and front panel 12, in the illustrated embodiment, is solely by means of split tubes 44, so that these can be removed by endwise sliding of the tubes 44 in an upward direction, with the top wall 20 opened, to provide for removal of front panel 12 to provide an access opening.
  • the illustrated apparatus can be supplied to the consumer as a kit of parts comprising substantially flat panels to form the side, front and rear panels, and a plastic transparent cover to form the top, solar radiation transmissive wall, together with the illustrated securing means.
  • a kit is readily packaged and transported as a flat package.
  • the consumer is merely required to dig a shallow hole in the earth at the desired location of installation, and assemble the unit as shown, in the hole, in a simple and expeditious manner.
  • the unit as diagrammatically shown in Figure 7, is loaded periodically with grass cuttings and other garden vegetable waste, through the top opening with transparent top wall or lid 20 removed. Initially a heap 46 of waste material conforming to the sides of the enclosure, and indicated by the broken line is formed. Then the top wall 20 is replaced.
  • top wall 20 warms up the heap 46 of compostible material to allow for maximum activity of the microbes in the heap and derived from the soil in which the unit 10 is seated.
  • Air flow in through bottom extremities 34 of ribs 32 feeds the aerobic activity of the microbes.
  • convection flow of air upwardly through the unit to exit under lid 20 is promoted. This increases aeration of the heap 46 and accelerates the rate of composting.
  • the volume of heap 46 shrinks and moves away from the side walls of the enclosure, to the position indicated by full line 48. Now more air space is provided between the side walls of the unit and the composting material, further enhancing the aeration process under convection and further promoting the composting process.
  • Additional compostible material can be added periodically, through the top opening.
  • the unit was as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of square cross section with a base 2 1/2 feet square, a front wall height of 34 inches, a total internal volume of 308 litres and an angle of 16° for the top wall.
  • the experiment was started in early spring. Wet grass cuttings, with a water content of anywhere from 42-75 parts per hundred parts of dry grass, were used as the compostible material, and added periodically to the composter. Measurements were taken of the composting heap height and volume, the temperature at the centre of the composting heap and the outside air temperature, on a frequent basis. Periodically, the composter contents were removed and weighed. Periodically also, water was added to the composting heap to ensure activity of the microbes.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Biochemistry (AREA)
  • Biotechnology (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Microbiology (AREA)
  • Molecular Biology (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Fertilizers (AREA)
  • Processing Of Solid Wastes (AREA)

Abstract

Dispositif de compostage servant à composter les déchets de jardinage et doté d'une paroi supérieure transparente au rayonnement solaire, formant un angle avec l'horizontale compris entre 5 et 45° et orientée vers le rayonnement solaire incident. L'effet de chauffage dû au rayonnement solaire traversant la paroi supérieure permet une accélération de la vitesse de compostage des matières végétales situées dans le dispositif de compostage. L'intérieur dudit dispositif de compostage est aéré par des nervures dont les extrémités inférieures sont ouvertes à l'atmosphère se sorte que des courants de convection d'air se forment en direction du haut et à travers le dispositif de compostage au cours du processus de compostage. Le dispositif peut avantageusement avoir la forme d'une pyramide . On obtient grâce à ce dispositif une vitesse élevée de compostage permettant un temps de passage relativement court dans le dispositif de sorte qu'un dispositif de taille modeste peut recevoir les déchets végétaux d'un jardin moyen pendant une saison entière.
PCT/CA1991/000312 1990-08-31 1991-09-03 Dispositif de compostage a couvercle transparent WO1992004303A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA2,024,449 1990-08-31
CA002024449A CA2024449A1 (fr) 1990-08-31 1990-08-31 Composteur a couvercle transparent

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1992004303A1 true WO1992004303A1 (fr) 1992-03-19

Family

ID=4145873

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/CA1991/000312 WO1992004303A1 (fr) 1990-08-31 1991-09-03 Dispositif de compostage a couvercle transparent

Country Status (3)

Country Link
AU (1) AU8443991A (fr)
CA (1) CA2024449A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO1992004303A1 (fr)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1995006624A1 (fr) * 1993-09-03 1995-03-09 Wuester Heinrich Composteur aere
US5413934A (en) * 1992-08-18 1995-05-09 Fischer; Joergen Compost container
GB2342915A (en) * 1998-10-24 2000-04-26 Warwickshire County Council A compost bin
US6576462B2 (en) * 2001-02-16 2003-06-10 J. Michael Thompson Vermiculture composting device
WO2010140155A3 (fr) * 2009-06-02 2011-08-18 Kishorilal Ramnath Dhoot Lit de vers de terre à structure "tétra" et procédé de compostage de déchets agricoles

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
BE829276A (fr) * 1974-05-20 1975-09-15 Installation de compostage pour dechets menagers et analogues
DE2947297A1 (de) * 1979-11-23 1981-05-27 Erich Berneck Sankt Gallen Döring Komposter fuer hausmuell und gartenabfaelle
US4352888A (en) * 1981-12-23 1982-10-05 Custom Plastics, Inc. Container for holding organic matter during decomposition
DE3430761C1 (de) * 1984-08-21 1986-01-23 Erich Berneck St. Gallen Döring Pyramidenstumpfförmiger Komposter

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
BE829276A (fr) * 1974-05-20 1975-09-15 Installation de compostage pour dechets menagers et analogues
DE2947297A1 (de) * 1979-11-23 1981-05-27 Erich Berneck Sankt Gallen Döring Komposter fuer hausmuell und gartenabfaelle
US4352888A (en) * 1981-12-23 1982-10-05 Custom Plastics, Inc. Container for holding organic matter during decomposition
DE3430761C1 (de) * 1984-08-21 1986-01-23 Erich Berneck St. Gallen Döring Pyramidenstumpfförmiger Komposter

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5413934A (en) * 1992-08-18 1995-05-09 Fischer; Joergen Compost container
WO1995006624A1 (fr) * 1993-09-03 1995-03-09 Wuester Heinrich Composteur aere
US5700689A (en) * 1993-09-03 1997-12-23 Wuester; Heinrich Ventilated composter
GB2342915A (en) * 1998-10-24 2000-04-26 Warwickshire County Council A compost bin
US6576462B2 (en) * 2001-02-16 2003-06-10 J. Michael Thompson Vermiculture composting device
WO2010140155A3 (fr) * 2009-06-02 2011-08-18 Kishorilal Ramnath Dhoot Lit de vers de terre à structure "tétra" et procédé de compostage de déchets agricoles
CN102574749A (zh) * 2009-06-02 2012-07-11 齐沙利拉尔·拉姆纳特·德胡特 Tetra蠕虫床和利用农业废物堆制肥料的工艺
CN102574749B (zh) * 2009-06-02 2014-03-26 齐沙利拉尔·拉姆纳特·德胡特 Tetra蠕虫床和利用农业废物堆制肥料的工艺

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA2024449A1 (fr) 1992-03-01
AU8443991A (en) 1992-03-30

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