WO2008031862A2 - Apparatus and process for the treatment of plant waste to produce growing media - Google Patents

Apparatus and process for the treatment of plant waste to produce growing media Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2008031862A2
WO2008031862A2 PCT/EP2007/059621 EP2007059621W WO2008031862A2 WO 2008031862 A2 WO2008031862 A2 WO 2008031862A2 EP 2007059621 W EP2007059621 W EP 2007059621W WO 2008031862 A2 WO2008031862 A2 WO 2008031862A2
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
matter
plant
housing
outlet
feeding
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2007/059621
Other languages
French (fr)
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WO2008031862A3 (en
Inventor
George Longmuir
Original Assignee
Freeland Horticulture Limited
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Freeland Horticulture Limited filed Critical Freeland Horticulture Limited
Publication of WO2008031862A2 publication Critical patent/WO2008031862A2/en
Publication of WO2008031862A3 publication Critical patent/WO2008031862A3/en

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B02—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING
    • B02C—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN
    • B02C19/00—Other disintegrating devices or methods
    • B02C19/0056—Other disintegrating devices or methods specially adapted for specific materials not otherwise provided for
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F27/00—Mixers with rotary stirring devices in fixed receptacles; Kneaders
    • B01F27/05—Stirrers
    • B01F27/11—Stirrers characterised by the configuration of the stirrers
    • B01F27/19—Stirrers with two or more mixing elements mounted in sequence on the same axis
    • B01F27/192—Stirrers with two or more mixing elements mounted in sequence on the same axis with dissimilar elements
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F27/00—Mixers with rotary stirring devices in fixed receptacles; Kneaders
    • B01F27/60—Mixers with rotary stirring devices in fixed receptacles; Kneaders with stirrers rotating about a horizontal or inclined axis
    • B01F27/72—Mixers with rotary stirring devices in fixed receptacles; Kneaders with stirrers rotating about a horizontal or inclined axis with helices or sections of helices
    • B01F27/721—Mixers with rotary stirring devices in fixed receptacles; Kneaders with stirrers rotating about a horizontal or inclined axis with helices or sections of helices with two or more helices in the same receptacle
    • B01F27/722—Mixers with rotary stirring devices in fixed receptacles; Kneaders with stirrers rotating about a horizontal or inclined axis with helices or sections of helices with two or more helices in the same receptacle the helices closely surrounded by a casing
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F27/00—Mixers with rotary stirring devices in fixed receptacles; Kneaders
    • B01F27/60—Mixers with rotary stirring devices in fixed receptacles; Kneaders with stirrers rotating about a horizontal or inclined axis
    • B01F27/72—Mixers with rotary stirring devices in fixed receptacles; Kneaders with stirrers rotating about a horizontal or inclined axis with helices or sections of helices
    • B01F27/726—Mixers with rotary stirring devices in fixed receptacles; Kneaders with stirrers rotating about a horizontal or inclined axis with helices or sections of helices with two helices with opposite pitch on the same shaft; with two helices on the same axis, driven in opposite directions or at different speeds
    • 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
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C05—FERTILISERS; MANUFACTURE THEREOF
    • C05F—ORGANIC FERTILISERS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C05B, C05C, e.g. FERTILISERS FROM WASTE OR REFUSE
    • C05F9/00—Fertilisers from household or town refuse
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C05—FERTILISERS; MANUFACTURE THEREOF
    • C05F—ORGANIC FERTILISERS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C05B, C05C, e.g. FERTILISERS FROM WASTE OR REFUSE
    • C05F9/00—Fertilisers from household or town refuse
    • C05F9/02—Apparatus for the manufacture
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C05—FERTILISERS; MANUFACTURE THEREOF
    • C05F—ORGANIC FERTILISERS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C05B, C05C, e.g. FERTILISERS FROM WASTE OR REFUSE
    • C05F9/00—Fertilisers from household or town refuse
    • C05F9/04—Biological compost
    • 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
    • Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02A40/00—Adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock or agroalimentary production
    • Y02A40/10—Adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock or agroalimentary production in agriculture
    • Y02A40/20—Fertilizers of biological origin, e.g. guano or fertilizers made from animal corpses
    • 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

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an apparatus and a process for the treatment of plant waste to produce growing media. It also relates to a growing media produced according to the process or by using the apparatus.
  • the raw material is primarily general organic plant waste. However, other waste wood may also be processed using the apparatus.
  • growing media is meant any material that promotes plant growth.
  • compost One type of growing media is compost generally created from a mixture of various organic substances such as dead leaves, food scraps and manure which are allowed to decay over time. Although many substances, such as leaves and manure, decay rapidly to form compost, there is a large amount of plant waste and vegetation, including twigs, branches and other possibly oversize or drier garden matter which, although does eventually compost, takes too long to do so in the present commercial environment. Consequently, much of this matter finds its way into landfill sites together with other, non-compostable general rubbish and is wasted.
  • plant or green waste is the primary source of material for processing according to the invention
  • other waste organic materials also provide a viable source of raw material. Therefore, any waste wood, even wood that has been previously painted or otherwise treated, may be processed into a growing media using the process and apparatus of the invention.
  • Reference to plant waste throughout the specification should therefore be taken to include organic and/or biodegradeable waste of this nature.
  • the present invention therefore provides a process and an apparatus that seeks to achieve the aims described above. It also provides a growing media made according to the process and/or by using the apparatus of the invention.
  • a process for the treatment of plant waste matter to produce growing media including the steps of feeding plant waste matter through an apparatus comprising a pair of counter-rotating, mutually meshing conveying screws disposed within a housing having an inlet and an outlet, each screw having a first portion for conveying the matter in a first longitudinal direction from the inlet towards the outlet and, a second portion for conveying said matter in said opposite direction back towards the first portion so that matter being conveyed in opposite directions is temporarily held within the housing and is fiberized before being allowed to pass out of the housing through the outlet.
  • fiberizing is meant that the raw material is pulled apart or separated into individual or multiple fibres by splitting or tearing the material, as opposed to chopping or cutting it up.
  • the process includes the step of passing the plant matter through a magnetic field to remove any ferrous metallic materials therefrom and prior to feeding the plant matter through said apparatus.
  • the process includes the step of wetting the plant waste matter prior to feeding it through said apparatus.
  • the step of wetting the plant waste matter may include placing it into a water bath in which it may be allowed to soak for a predetermined period of time prior to conveying said wetted plant matter into said apparatus. Wetting the waste matter improves the fiberization process as it acts as a lubricant which causes effective splitting and tearing apart of the material fibres.
  • the step of placing matter in a water bath may include the step of allowing non- plant matter contained within the plant matter to sink to the bottom of said water bath for removal prior to feeding said wetted plant matter into said apparatus.
  • the process advantageously comprises the step of rotating the screws at a predetermined rate.
  • a preferred rate is between 700 and 900rpm.
  • an apparatus for the treatment of plant waste matter to produce growing media comprising a pair of counter-rotating, mutually meshing conveying screws disposed within a housing having an inlet and an outlet, each screw having a first portion for conveying the matter in a first longitudinal direction from the inlet towards the outlet and, a second portion for conveying said matter in said opposite direction back towards the first portion so that matter being conveyed in opposite directions is temporarily held within the housing and fiberized before being allowed to pass out of the housing through the outlet.
  • the first and second sections comprise helical threads.
  • the first and second helical threads may ideally have the same pitch.
  • the first and second helical threads advantageously extend in opposite directions around their respective screws so that, as the screw rotates, the material is pushed in said first direction by said first portion and, then in the opposite direction by the second portion. Material is therefore held between the two portions of each screw.
  • the first helical thread may extend further along the screw in a longitudinal direction than the second helical thread.
  • the second helical thread conveniently extends along the screw for a lower number of turns than the first helical thread.
  • each screw comprises an intermediate section, between the first and second portions, to facilitate the fiberization of matter temporarily held within the housing.
  • the intermediate section advantageously comprises a plurality of paddles extending in a longitudinal direction along the axes of the screws.
  • the paddles are helical threads similar to the first and second helical threads of the first and second portions but with an entirely different pitch angle.
  • the pitch angle of the paddles is substantially greater than the pitch angle of the first and second portions.
  • a system for the treatment of plant waste matter including the apparatus according to the invention together with a water bath for soaking the plant matter prior to feeding said matter into said apparatus.
  • the system may include means for generating a magnetic field to attract and thereby remove metallic materials from the plant waste matter prior to feeding it into said apparatus.
  • FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view through the apparatus of the present invention.
  • FIGURE 2 is a flowchart showing the steps involved in the complete process.
  • FIGURE 3 (a) is a simplified side view of the rotatably mounted shaft carrying spokes to evenly distribute material from the hopper onto the conveyor prior to feeding into the housing;
  • FIGURE 3(b) is a front view of the apparatus shown in Figure 3(a); and FIGURE 4 is a side view of the chute and single rotating screw to deliver material to the inlet of the housing 2.
  • Figure 1 a simplified cross- sectional view of an apparatus 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention and includes a housing 2 containing two mutually meshing counter-rotating screws 3,4 including shafts 3a,4a.
  • the screws 3,4 are each mounted on bearings (not shown) within the housing 2 to enable their rotation relative to the housing 2 about axes "A" and "B” (see Figure 1), respectively.
  • the housing 2 has an inlet 5 and an outlet 6 for the passage of waste plant matter therethrough. For ease of illustration, both the inlet 5 and outlet 6 are shown located in the plane of the page in Figure 1.
  • the optimum and preferred position of the inlet 5 and outlet 6 is extending at right-angles to the plane of the page, the inlet 5 being above the counter rotating screws 3,4 so that matter fed through it drops between them and, the outlet 6 being below the counter rotating screws 3,4 so that the processed matter drops out of the housing 2 into a collection vessel such as a bag etc.
  • Each screw 3,4 has a first portion 7 comprising a helical thread of constant pitch that extends in a longitudinal direction along the screw 3,4.
  • the helical threads on each screw 3,4 are wound in opposite directions so that, as the screws 3,4 rotate in opposite directions both helical threads convey matter dropped through the inlet 5 in an axial direction towards the outlet 6.
  • the helical thread of the first portion 7 extends for approximately three turns along the length of each screw 3,4.
  • each screw 3,4 there is a second portion 8 which also comprises a helical thread but which are wound in an opposite direction to the helical thread 7 of the first portion 8 so that the conveying direction is reversed, i.e. matter which has been conveyed in a first direction from the inlet 5 towards the outlet 6 by the first portion 7 is conveyed in a second, opposite, direction from the outlet 6 towards the inlet 5 by the second section 8.
  • the conveying direction is reversed, i.e. matter which has been conveyed in a first direction from the inlet 5 towards the outlet 6 by the first portion 7 is conveyed in a second, opposite, direction from the outlet 6 towards the inlet 5 by the second section 8.
  • the screws 3,4 may be provided with an intermediate section 9 between the first and second sections 7,8.
  • the intermediate section 9 serves to enhance the friction between matter travelling in opposite directions between the first and second portions 7,8 and therefore facilitates fiberization.
  • the intermediate section 9 may be paddle-like elements extending in a longitudinal direction along a portion of the length of the screw 3,4. Preferably, these elements extend in a helical direction, similar to the helical threads of the first and second portions 7,8, but have a much greater pitch than either of the threads forming the first and second portions 7,8.
  • the paddles on each screw are arranged so that they intermesh as the screws rotate.
  • the screws are rotated at a predetermined speed of rotation depending on the exact consistency of the required processed matter. It is envisaged that the speed of rotation may be in the region of between 700 and 900rpm, although it is possible that the screws may also be rotated at some other speed. It will be appreciated that heat is generated during the fiberization process.
  • the material is wetted prior to being fed into the apparatus, as shown at Step S2 in Figure 2.
  • the matter is dropped into a water bath and allowed to soak in the water for a period of time.
  • the water bath also removes stones and other foreign objects from the plant matter as these sink to the bottom of the bath and so can be removed easily prior to feeding the wetted matter into the apparatus, as shown by Step S3 in Figure 2.
  • a conveyor system (not shown) is used to convey the wetted matter from the water bath into a hopper (not shown) from which it is fed into the apparatus 1.
  • wetting the material also assists in the process of fiberization as it lubricates the material and causes it to split and tear apart effectively, thereby preventing it from being turned into dust.
  • the plant matter is also passed through an electric field, as shown by Step Sl in Figure 2, so that any magnetic materials are removed therefrom prior to feeding the matter into the apparatus, as shown by Step S3 in Figure 2.
  • matter may be transported past the electric field using a conveyor belt system of a conventional nature.
  • the apparatus includes a hopper 13 (only part of which is shown in the drawing) into which raw material is placed.
  • a conveyor 12 extends from the base of the hopper 13 and conveys material from the hopper 13 to a water bath (not shown).
  • a rotatable shaft 10 having a plurality of spokes or tynes 11 extending radially therefrom may extend across the exit to the hopper 13 just above the conveyor 12 and have its axis of rotation at right angles to the direction of travel of the conveyor 12 (the direction of the conveyor being indicated by arrow A in Figure 3a). As this shaft 10 rotates, the spokes or tynes 11 act so as to feed waste plant material onto the conveyor in an even or uniformly spaced manner.
  • the tynes or spokes 11 are preferably different lengths and extend radially from the shaft 10 at different angles to each other so that they pull material from the hopper 13 onto the conveyor 12 as the conveyor rotates.
  • the material falls from the opposite end of the conveyor 12 into the water bath (not shown). Stones and other heavy non-biodegradeable material sinks to the bottom of the bath where they can be removed from the apparatus without passing into the housing 2.
  • the remaining biodegradeable plant waste is then fed from the water bath into a chute 14 from where it is delivered to the housing 2 along a cylinder 15 by a single helical screw 16 rotatably mounted within the cylinder 15.
  • the rotating screw 16 delivers a constant amount of material from the chute 14 into the housing 2 for processing.
  • the material passes from the cylinder 15 into the housing 2 via outlet 17.
  • the rate of feed of material into the housing 2 can be easily controlled by altering the speed of rotation of the screw 16.

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

Abstract

A process for the treatment of plant waste matter to produce growing media is disclosed. The process includes the steps of feeding plant waste matter through an apparatus comprising a pair of counter-rotating, mutually meshing conveying screws disposed within a housing having an inlet and an outlet, each screw having a first portion for conveying the matter in a first longitudinal direction from the inlet towards the outlet and, a second portion for conveying said matter in said opposite direction back towards the first portion. Matter conveyed in opposite directions is temporarily held within the housing and is fiberized before being allowed to pass out of the housing through the outlet. Apparatus for carrying out the process is also disclosed.

Description

Apparatus and Process for the treatment of Plant Waste to Produce Growing Media
Description The present invention relates to an apparatus and a process for the treatment of plant waste to produce growing media. It also relates to a growing media produced according to the process or by using the apparatus. The raw material is primarily general organic plant waste. However, other waste wood may also be processed using the apparatus. By growing media is meant any material that promotes plant growth.
One type of growing media is compost generally created from a mixture of various organic substances such as dead leaves, food scraps and manure which are allowed to decay over time. Although many substances, such as leaves and manure, decay rapidly to form compost, there is a large amount of plant waste and vegetation, including twigs, branches and other possibly oversize or drier garden matter which, although does eventually compost, takes too long to do so in the present commercial environment. Consequently, much of this matter finds its way into landfill sites together with other, non-compostable general rubbish and is wasted.
In the present climate of environmental awareness and a desire to recycle, it has become desirable to provide a way in which all plant matter, including the matter referred to in the previous paragraph, can be turned into a useful growing media without having to wait many years for it to decay and form a useful compost.
Although plant or green waste is the primary source of material for processing according to the invention, it is also envisaged that other waste organic materials also provide a viable source of raw material. Therefore, any waste wood, even wood that has been previously painted or otherwise treated, may be processed into a growing media using the process and apparatus of the invention. Reference to plant waste throughout the specification should therefore be taken to include organic and/or biodegradeable waste of this nature. The present invention therefore provides a process and an apparatus that seeks to achieve the aims described above. It also provides a growing media made according to the process and/or by using the apparatus of the invention.
The mechanical treatment of plant matter waste to produce a viable growing media has been attempted in the past. Many of these processes fail because they do not produce a material of a suitable consistency or, because they turn the raw material into a useless fine dust.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for the treatment of plant waste matter to produce growing media, the process including the steps of feeding plant waste matter through an apparatus comprising a pair of counter-rotating, mutually meshing conveying screws disposed within a housing having an inlet and an outlet, each screw having a first portion for conveying the matter in a first longitudinal direction from the inlet towards the outlet and, a second portion for conveying said matter in said opposite direction back towards the first portion so that matter being conveyed in opposite directions is temporarily held within the housing and is fiberized before being allowed to pass out of the housing through the outlet. By fiberizing is meant that the raw material is pulled apart or separated into individual or multiple fibres by splitting or tearing the material, as opposed to chopping or cutting it up.
In one embodiment, the process includes the step of passing the plant matter through a magnetic field to remove any ferrous metallic materials therefrom and prior to feeding the plant matter through said apparatus.
Preferably, the process includes the step of wetting the plant waste matter prior to feeding it through said apparatus. The step of wetting the plant waste matter may include placing it into a water bath in which it may be allowed to soak for a predetermined period of time prior to conveying said wetted plant matter into said apparatus. Wetting the waste matter improves the fiberization process as it acts as a lubricant which causes effective splitting and tearing apart of the material fibres. The step of placing matter in a water bath may include the step of allowing non- plant matter contained within the plant matter to sink to the bottom of said water bath for removal prior to feeding said wetted plant matter into said apparatus.
The process advantageously comprises the step of rotating the screws at a predetermined rate. A preferred rate is between 700 and 900rpm.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for the treatment of plant waste matter to produce growing media, said apparatus comprising a pair of counter-rotating, mutually meshing conveying screws disposed within a housing having an inlet and an outlet, each screw having a first portion for conveying the matter in a first longitudinal direction from the inlet towards the outlet and, a second portion for conveying said matter in said opposite direction back towards the first portion so that matter being conveyed in opposite directions is temporarily held within the housing and fiberized before being allowed to pass out of the housing through the outlet.
In a preferred embodiment, the first and second sections comprise helical threads. The first and second helical threads may ideally have the same pitch. The first and second helical threads advantageously extend in opposite directions around their respective screws so that, as the screw rotates, the material is pushed in said first direction by said first portion and, then in the opposite direction by the second portion. Material is therefore held between the two portions of each screw.
The first helical thread may extend further along the screw in a longitudinal direction than the second helical thread.
The second helical thread conveniently extends along the screw for a lower number of turns than the first helical thread.
In a preferred embodiment, each screw comprises an intermediate section, between the first and second portions, to facilitate the fiberization of matter temporarily held within the housing. The intermediate section advantageously comprises a plurality of paddles extending in a longitudinal direction along the axes of the screws. Preferably, the paddles are helical threads similar to the first and second helical threads of the first and second portions but with an entirely different pitch angle. In a preferred embodiment, the pitch angle of the paddles is substantially greater than the pitch angle of the first and second portions.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for the treatment of plant waste matter including the apparatus according to the invention together with a water bath for soaking the plant matter prior to feeding said matter into said apparatus.
The system may include means for generating a magnetic field to attract and thereby remove metallic materials from the plant waste matter prior to feeding it into said apparatus.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a growing media made from waste plant matter made according to the process of the invention.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a growing media made from waste plant matter using the apparatus according to the invention.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view through the apparatus of the present invention and,
FIGURE 2 is a flowchart showing the steps involved in the complete process.
FIGURE 3 (a) is a simplified side view of the rotatably mounted shaft carrying spokes to evenly distribute material from the hopper onto the conveyor prior to feeding into the housing;
FIGURE 3(b) is a front view of the apparatus shown in Figure 3(a); and FIGURE 4 is a side view of the chute and single rotating screw to deliver material to the inlet of the housing 2.
Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figure 1 a simplified cross- sectional view of an apparatus 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention and includes a housing 2 containing two mutually meshing counter-rotating screws 3,4 including shafts 3a,4a. The screws 3,4 are each mounted on bearings (not shown) within the housing 2 to enable their rotation relative to the housing 2 about axes "A" and "B" (see Figure 1), respectively. The housing 2 has an inlet 5 and an outlet 6 for the passage of waste plant matter therethrough. For ease of illustration, both the inlet 5 and outlet 6 are shown located in the plane of the page in Figure 1. However, the optimum and preferred position of the inlet 5 and outlet 6 is extending at right-angles to the plane of the page, the inlet 5 being above the counter rotating screws 3,4 so that matter fed through it drops between them and, the outlet 6 being below the counter rotating screws 3,4 so that the processed matter drops out of the housing 2 into a collection vessel such as a bag etc.
Each screw 3,4 has a first portion 7 comprising a helical thread of constant pitch that extends in a longitudinal direction along the screw 3,4. The helical threads on each screw 3,4 are wound in opposite directions so that, as the screws 3,4 rotate in opposite directions both helical threads convey matter dropped through the inlet 5 in an axial direction towards the outlet 6. As can be seen from Figure 1, the helical thread of the first portion 7 extends for approximately three turns along the length of each screw 3,4.
As the opposite end of each screw 3,4 there is a second portion 8 which also comprises a helical thread but which are wound in an opposite direction to the helical thread 7 of the first portion 8 so that the conveying direction is reversed, i.e. matter which has been conveyed in a first direction from the inlet 5 towards the outlet 6 by the first portion 7 is conveyed in a second, opposite, direction from the outlet 6 towards the inlet 5 by the second section 8. As a result of the continuous feed of matter into the inlet 5, there is a pressure build-up in the housing 2 due to matter meeting within the housing between the first and second portions 7,8. The friction and pressure build up within the housing 2 causes matter contained therein between the first and second portions 7,8 to fiberize, i.e. the effect of matter rubbing against itself or being compressed against itself results in it being ripped, broken and/or cracked apart, as opposed to being ground or chopped up by blades or other cutting implement. This is an important aspect of the invention, as it is this fiberization of the plant matter that produces material of the required consistency and enables it to be used as a viable growing media. Although the direction of conveyance of matter is reversed during its passage through the housing 2, by the second portion 8, it will be appreciated that a net force in a direction towards the outlet 6 remains so that fiberized material is eventually dispensed through the outlet 6. The Applicant's have found that matter broken up in this way is of the desired consistency and quality for it to be an excellent growing media.
The screws 3,4 may be provided with an intermediate section 9 between the first and second sections 7,8. The intermediate section 9 serves to enhance the friction between matter travelling in opposite directions between the first and second portions 7,8 and therefore facilitates fiberization. The intermediate section 9 may be paddle-like elements extending in a longitudinal direction along a portion of the length of the screw 3,4. Preferably, these elements extend in a helical direction, similar to the helical threads of the first and second portions 7,8, but have a much greater pitch than either of the threads forming the first and second portions 7,8. The paddles on each screw are arranged so that they intermesh as the screws rotate.
In one embodiment, there may be a gap 11 between the end of the first portion 7 and the beginning of the intermediate portion 9. Similarly, there may also be a gap 12 between the end of the intermediate portion 9 and the beginning of the second portion 8, i.e. there are no helical threads in the region of these gaps 11, 12.
The screws are rotated at a predetermined speed of rotation depending on the exact consistency of the required processed matter. It is envisaged that the speed of rotation may be in the region of between 700 and 900rpm, although it is possible that the screws may also be rotated at some other speed. It will be appreciated that heat is generated during the fiberization process. To mitigate this and to prevent the plant matter from igniting, the material is wetted prior to being fed into the apparatus, as shown at Step S2 in Figure 2. In a preferred embodiment, the matter is dropped into a water bath and allowed to soak in the water for a period of time. The water bath also removes stones and other foreign objects from the plant matter as these sink to the bottom of the bath and so can be removed easily prior to feeding the wetted matter into the apparatus, as shown by Step S3 in Figure 2. Preferably, a conveyor system (not shown) is used to convey the wetted matter from the water bath into a hopper (not shown) from which it is fed into the apparatus 1. The Applicant's have found that wetting the material also assists in the process of fiberization as it lubricates the material and causes it to split and tear apart effectively, thereby preventing it from being turned into dust.
Preferably, the plant matter is also passed through an electric field, as shown by Step Sl in Figure 2, so that any magnetic materials are removed therefrom prior to feeding the matter into the apparatus, as shown by Step S3 in Figure 2. Again, matter may be transported past the electric field using a conveyor belt system of a conventional nature.
In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, the apparatus includes a hopper 13 (only part of which is shown in the drawing) into which raw material is placed. A conveyor 12 extends from the base of the hopper 13 and conveys material from the hopper 13 to a water bath (not shown). A rotatable shaft 10 having a plurality of spokes or tynes 11 extending radially therefrom may extend across the exit to the hopper 13 just above the conveyor 12 and have its axis of rotation at right angles to the direction of travel of the conveyor 12 (the direction of the conveyor being indicated by arrow A in Figure 3a). As this shaft 10 rotates, the spokes or tynes 11 act so as to feed waste plant material onto the conveyor in an even or uniformly spaced manner. The tynes or spokes 11 are preferably different lengths and extend radially from the shaft 10 at different angles to each other so that they pull material from the hopper 13 onto the conveyor 12 as the conveyor rotates. The material falls from the opposite end of the conveyor 12 into the water bath (not shown). Stones and other heavy non-biodegradeable material sinks to the bottom of the bath where they can be removed from the apparatus without passing into the housing 2. The remaining biodegradeable plant waste is then fed from the water bath into a chute 14 from where it is delivered to the housing 2 along a cylinder 15 by a single helical screw 16 rotatably mounted within the cylinder 15. The rotating screw 16 delivers a constant amount of material from the chute 14 into the housing 2 for processing. The material passes from the cylinder 15 into the housing 2 via outlet 17. The rate of feed of material into the housing 2 can be easily controlled by altering the speed of rotation of the screw 16.
Many modifications and variations of the invention falling within the terms of the appended claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art and the foregoing description should be regarded as a description of the preferred embodiments only.

Claims

Claims
1. A process for the treatment of plant waste matter to produce growing media, the process including the steps of feeding plant waste matter through an apparatus comprising a pair of counter-rotating, mutually meshing conveying screws disposed within a housing having an inlet and an outlet, each screw having a first portion for conveying the matter in a first longitudinal direction from the inlet towards the outlet and, a second portion for conveying said matter in said opposite direction back towards the first portion so that matter being conveyed in opposite directions is temporarily held within the housing and is fiberized before being allowed to pass out of the housing through the outlet.
2. A process according to claim 1, including the step of passing the plant matter through a magnetic field to remove any ferrous metallic materials therefrom prior to feeding the plant matter through said apparatus.
3. A process according to claim 1 or claim 2, including the step of wetting the plant waste matter prior to feeding it through said apparatus.
4. A process according to claim 3, wherein the step of wetting the plant waste matter includes placing it into a water bath.
5. A process according to claim 4, wherein the step of placing said plant matter into the water bath includes the step of leaving it to soak in the water bath for a predetermined period of time prior to feeding said wetted plant matter into said apparatus.
6. A process according to claim 4, wherein the step of placing matter in a water bath includes the step of allowing non-plant matter contained within the plant matter to sink to the bottom of said water bath for removal prior to feeding said wetted plant matter into said apparatus.
7. A process according to any preceding claim comprising the step of rotating the screws at a predetermined rate.
8. A process according to claim 7, wherein the step of rotating the screws at a predetermined rate includes adjusting said rate such that matter is retained within the housing for a predetermined length of time to produce a fiberized product having the desired consistency.
9. A process according to any preceding claim, including the step of feeding the plant waste into the screws at a predetermined rate to cause fiberization of said matter.
10. A process according to any of claims 7 to 9, comprising the step of rotating the screws at a rate of between 700 to 900rpm.
11. Apparatus for the treatment of plant waste matter to produce growing media, said apparatus comprising a pair of counter-rotating, mutually meshing conveying screws disposed within a housing having an inlet and an outlet, each screw having a first portion for conveying the matter in a first longitudinal direction from the inlet towards the outlet and, a second portion for conveying said matter in said opposite direction back towards the first portion so that matter being conveyed in opposite directions is temporarily held within the housing and fiberized before being allowed to pass out of the housing through the outlet.
12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first and second sections comprise helical threads.
13. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first and second helical threads have the same pitch.
14. Apparatus according to claim 112 or claim 13, wherein the first helical thread extends further along the screw in a longitudinal direction than the second helical thread.
15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the second helical thread extends along the screw for a lower number of turns than the first helical thread.
16. Apparatus according to any of claims 9 to 15, wherein each screw comprises an intermediate section, between the first and second portions, to facilitate the fiberization of matter temporarily held within the housing.
17. Apparatus according to claimlό, wherein the intermediate section comprises a plurality of paddles extending in a longitudinal direction along the axes of the screws.
18. Apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the paddles are helical in shape.
19. Apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the pitch angle of the paddles is substantially greater than the pitch angle of the first and second portions.
20. Apparatus according to any of claims 16 to 19, wherein the screw includes a gap between the first portion and the intermediate portion.
21. Apparatus according to claims 16 to 20, wherein the screw includes a gap between the intermediate portion and the second portion.
22. A system for treating plant waste matter including the apparatus according to any of claims 11 to 21 and, a water bath for soaking the plant matter prior to feeding said matter into said apparatus.
23. A system according to claim 22, including means for generating a magnetic field to attract and thereby remove metallic materials from the plant waste matter prior to feeding it into said apparatus.
24. A growing media made from waste plant matter made according to the process defined in any of claims 1 to 10.
25. A growing media made from waste plant matter using the apparatus defined in any of claims 11 to 24.
26. A process substantially as hereinbefore described.
27. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
PCT/EP2007/059621 2006-09-13 2007-09-13 Apparatus and process for the treatment of plant waste to produce growing media WO2008031862A2 (en)

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US3878994A (en) * 1973-11-28 1975-04-22 Urban Wood & Fiber Products In Apparatus and process for treating waste wood
US4088528A (en) * 1975-07-31 1978-05-09 Pierre Berger Method and apparatus for grinding chips into paper pulp
WO1979001001A1 (en) * 1978-04-28 1979-11-29 E Eriksson Intermeshing screw-type refiner
EP0324689A1 (en) * 1988-01-13 1989-07-19 Wogegal Sa Process, product and equipment for manufacturing said product serving as a culture substrate
EP0698681A1 (en) * 1994-08-10 1996-02-28 SORGHO AGRO-INDUSTRIEL ET PAPETIER S.A.I.S. Société Anonyme Process for depithing pith containing plants, in particular sorghum
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WO2014187801A1 (en) * 2013-05-20 2014-11-27 Freeland Horticulture Limited Growing medium

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GB2441748A (en) 2008-03-19
WO2008031862A3 (en) 2008-10-09

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