WO2008111805A1

WO2008111805A1 - Apparatus for liquefied fertilizer production using kaolin brick and process of kaolin brick

Info

Publication number: WO2008111805A1
Application number: PCT/KR2008/001416
Authority: WO
Inventors: Seok Tae Lee
Original assignee: Seok Tae Lee
Priority date: 2007-03-13
Filing date: 2008-03-13
Publication date: 2008-09-18
Also published as: KR100798691B1

Abstract

Provided is an apparatus for more effectively manufacturing liquefied fertilizer by culturing / ripening microorganisms and using dried kaolin bricks and excretion. The apparatus includes a fermenting reaction tank (10) having an excretion inlet (11) and a produced-material outlet (12); an air supply unit (20) having an air line (22), the air line (22) including a blower (21) disposed at one end thereof for supplying air into the fermenting reaction tank, and at least one air nozzle (23); kaolin bricks (30) stacked as a single layer or multiple layers in the fermenting reaction tank and having at least one microorganism inlet (31); and a heater (40) for increasing internal temperature of the fermenting reaction tank.

Description

APPARATUS FOR LIQUEFIED FERTILIZER PRODUCTION USING KAOLIN BRICK AND PROCESS OF KAOLIN BRICK

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer using kaolin bricks and a method for manufacturing the kaolin bricks. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method capable of uniformly maintaining dissolved oxygen in a fermenting reaction tank filled with excretion and having kaolin bricks placed therein by finely distributing and diffusing air that a blower forcibly supplies to the fermenting reaction tank, fermenting the excretion in an optimal state by activating resting microorganisms in the kaolin bricks, and performing sterilization using anions and far infrared ray. Background Art

[2] In general, chemical fertilizers or agrichemicals are used for supplying nutritive elements to cultivated land so that cultivated products are well grown without being damaged by blight and harmful insects. This, however, gradually acidifies soil and degrades soil fertility, such that the soil is losing its vital power. The chemical fertilizers or agrichemicals are harmful to a human body and are mainly responsible for environmental contamination.

[3] As recent widespread utilization of organic farming technology leads to gradual replacement of chemical fertilizers with organic fertilizers, small-sized apparatuses for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer have been introduced that can manufacture the liquefied fertilizer by fermenting organisms, including compost, sesame dreg, sawdust, and the like that may be easily collected even in farmhouses.

[4] Such fermented liquefied-fertilizer manufacturing apparatuses generally include an air supply pipe for forcibly supplying external air to a fermenting reaction tank. Through the air supply pipe, oxygen is supplied that is required for microorganism dissolution.

[5] However, air supplied through the air supply pipe must be converted into fine particles, such as bubbles, for smooth dissolution of the excretion stored in the fermenting reaction tank. Also, the air must be uniformly distributed and diffused over an entire area of the fermenting reaction tank for maintenance of dissolved oxygen.

[6] Accordingly, a conventional liquefied-fertilizer manufacturing apparatus including a screen over a fermenting reaction tank having an air supply pipe has been proposed. In this case, air is converted into fine particles having a small diameter and distributed while passing through transmission pores formed in the screen. [7] However, this structure having the screen disposed over the air supply pipe has low efficiency, and poor air dissolution due to a plurality of bubbles being collected on a bottom of a screen body with the transmission pores and converted into one large bubble and went up. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[8] The present invention is directed to an apparatus for manufacturing high-quality liquefied fertilizer using kaolin bricks, by physically uniformly distributing and diffusing air from a blower into a fermenting reaction tank through air lines, emitting far infrared ray and anions into the fermenting reaction tank, placing kaolin bricks inoculated with a great amount of microorganism in the fermenting reaction tank, and bring the kaolin bricks into contact with the air to activate microorganism dissolution even with a relatively small amount of air and rapidly ferment a great amount of excretion; and a method for manufacturing the kaolin bricks. Technical Solution

[9] One aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer using kaolin bricks, the apparatus comprising: a fermenting reaction tank having an excretion inlet and a produced material (liquefied fertilizer) outlet; an air supply unit having an air line, the air line including a blower disposed at one end thereof for supplying air into the fermenting reaction tank, and at least one air nozzle; kaolin bricks stacked as a single layer or multiple layers in the fermenting reaction tank and having at least one microorganism inlet; and a heater for increasing internal temperature of the fermenting reaction tank.

[10] The apparatus may further comprise a temperature sensor 51 for detecting the internal temperature of the fermenting reaction tank; and a controller 50 for controlling the heater 40 according to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

[11] Another aspect of the present invention provides a kaolin brick placed in the apparatus for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer. The kaolin brick uses kaolin emitting far infrared ray and anions and is manufactured by a forming step S 1 of mixing kaolin with water to make mortar, and forming the brick having at least one microorganism inlet using a forming frame; a baking step S2 of baking the formed brick in a charcoal kiln at temperature of 1100 to 135O⁰C; a culturing and ripening step S3 of culturing the microorganisms through the microorganism inlet at 60 to 8O⁰C, and ripening the same for 5 to 7 hours; and a resting step S4 of drying the brick in a shady environment containing oxygen so that the microorganisms in the brick rests.

Advantageous Effects

[12] In the apparatus for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer using kaolin bricks according to the present invention, the air nozzles in the fermenting reaction tank are evenly distributed through the air lines so that air is uniformly sprayed and diffused and aerobic microorganisms in the kaolin bricks are brought into sufficient contact with the uniformly diffused and distributed air. Thus, microorganism dissolution is activated in an optimal state, resulting in high-quality liquefied fertilizer. Furthermore, the excretion is rapidly dissolved with a small amount of air, thus reducing cost and time.

[13] In addition, the excretion brought into contact with the kaolin is sterilized and exhausted by far infrared ray and anion, such that damage of cultivated products due to harmful bacteria is minimized and a produced material is rapidly exhausted using high pressure by the blower. Brief Description of the Drawings

[14] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[15] FIG. 1 is a partially enlarged perspective view illustrating an apparatus for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer using kaolin bricks according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[16] FIG. 2 is a side-sectional view illustrating operation of an apparatus for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer using kaolin bricks according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

[17] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of manufacturing kaolin bricks according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Mode for the Invention

[18] Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing kaolin bricks and an apparatus for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer using kaolin bricks according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[19] FIG. 1 is a partially enlarged perspective view illustrating an apparatus for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer using kaolin bricks according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side- sectional view illustrating operation of an apparatus for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer using kaolin bricks according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of manufacturing kaolin bricks according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[20] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer according to the present invention includes a fermenting reaction tank 10 having an upper excretion inlet 11 and a lower outlet 12 for exhausting a fermented produced material (i.e., liquefied fertilizer). The fermenting reaction tank 10 has a bottom (S) that is slanted toward the outlet 12 for smooth exhaust of the produced material. Here, the excretion is liquefied excretion that is fermented one or more times through reaction with chaff or tree chips inoculated with microorganisms.

[21] An air supply unit 20 for supplying air into the fermenting reaction tank 10 includes a blower 21 disposed external to the fermenting reaction tank 10, air lines 22 connected with the blower 21, and at least one air nozzle 23 formed in the air lines 22.

[22] The air lines 22 from the blower 21 are connected to be placed on a bottom surface of the fermenting reaction tank 10. The air lines 22 may be arranged in a plurality of rows in a transverse or longitudinal direction or branched in two to four directions so that the air is sprayed in a state where the air is uniformly supplied over the entire bottom surface. The air lines 22 placed on the bottom surface include a plurality of air nozzles 23 arranged at uniform intervals so that the air from the blower 21 is uniformly emitted and diffused in the fermenting reaction tank 10.

[23] In this case, a hole of the air nozzle 23 may have a diameter of 0.3 to 0.8mm so that the air is sprayed as fine particles, such as fine air drops. Of course, the hole diameter of the air nozzle 23 may be adjusted within a range of 0.3 to 0.8mm in consideration of an output capacity of the blower 21 or the length of the air line 22.

[24] Meanwhile, a plurality of kaolin bricks 30 each having at least one microorganism inlet 31 are disposed on the bottom of the fermenting reaction tank 10. In this case, the kaolin bricks 30 are disposed around the air nozzles 23.

[25] Two or more layers of the kaolin bricks 30 are possibly arranged crosswise to be distributed more widely and uniformly within the fermenting reaction tank 10, as shown in FIG. 1. In this case, the two or more layers of stacked bricks 30 must be fully sank into excretion supplied via excretion inlet 11. Accordingly, it can be seen that the volume of the excretion kept in the fermenting reaction tank 10 depends on the height of the stacked bricks 30.

[26] Kaolin that is a main material of the kaolin bricks 30 is mud resulting from rock and stone dissolved due to chemical action of, for example, water or carbonic acid. The kaolin contains primary minerals such as kaolinite AlO2SiO2H0 and halloysite AlOSiO4H0. It can be seen that the kaolin emits a far infrared ray and anion. When aerobic microorganisms are brought into contact with the kaolin as in the present invention, they are activated by a suitable environment.

[27] A method for manufacturing kaolin bricks 30 will now be described with reference to FIG. 3.

[28] The method for manufacturing kaolin bricks according to the present invention includes a brick forming step S 1 of mixing kaolin with water to make mortar having proper viscosity, and forming the mortar into a brick having a desired shape using a forming frame (e.g., a mold or a wooden pattern) having a predetermined shape. In forming the brick, at least one microorganism inlet 31 may be formed in the brick 30 by the forming frame.

[29] The method for manufacturing kaolin bricks according to the present invention further includes a baking step S2 of baking the formed kaolin brick 30 in a charcoal kiln at temperature of 1100 to 135O⁰C. The baked kaolin has numerous invisible fine pores, which are suitable for breeding or culturing aerobic microorganisms.

[30] The method for manufacturing kaolin bricks according to the present invention further includes, after the baking step S2, a culturing and ripening step S3 of inoculating the kaolin bricks 30 with microorganisms through the microorganism inlet, culturing the microorganisms at 60 to 8O⁰C, and ripening the same for 5 to 7 hours; and a resting step S4 of drying the kaolin bricks 30 in a shady environment containing oxygen.

[31] The drying process in the resting step S4 eliminates moisture from the kaolin brick

30 to make the cultured and ripened aerobic microorganisms dormant.

[32] Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer further includes a heater 40 for increasing temperature in the fermenting reaction tank 10 and maintaining internal temperature of the fermenting reaction tank 10 in a range of 35 to 4O⁰C that is suitable for activating the aerobic microorganisms. The apparatus may further include a controller 50 for automatically controlling ON/OFF of the heater 40.

[33] Of course, a temperature sensor 51 is disposed at a proper location in the fermenting reaction tank 10 and electrically connected to the controller 50, such that the controller 50 automatically maintains the proper internal temperature of the fermenting reaction tank 10.

[34] In this case, the heater 40 must be isolated from the liquefied excretion containing moisture. Accordingly, the heater 40 is coated with or encapsulated by magnesia. The magnesia can prevent the heater 40 from being brought into contact with the excretion and electrically conducted, and sufficiently transfer heat generated by the heater 40 to the excretion without loss, because of its excellent isolation and heat transfer efficiency.

[35] The controller 50 may control the heater 40, automatically control ON/OFF of the blower 21 through condition setup such as time setup, or automatically control an inlet valve 11a installed in the inlet 11 of the fermenting reaction tank 10 and an exhaust valve 12a installed in the outlet 12 to control excretion input and produced material exhaust.

[36] In the apparatus for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer configured as above according to the present invention, the air supplied through the air lines 22 is diffused and sprayed as fine particles through the air nozzles 23, resulting in uniform dissolved oxygen within the fermenting reaction tank 10.

[37] Further, bubbles resulting from the evenly diffused and distributed air are brought into contact with the kaolin bricks 30 to activate dormant aerobic microorganisms cultured and ripened on the kaolin bricks 30. This active dissolution effectively ferments the excretion. In this case, temperature suitable for activity of the aerobic microorganisms is maintained by the heater 40 and the controller 50 in the fermenting reaction tank 10. Thus, the apparatus of the present invention can maintain optimal conditions and states for liquefied fertilization of the excretion.

[38] Meanwhile, in utilizing the apparatus for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer according to the present invention, the fermenting reaction tank 10 may be highly pressured artificially by the blower 21. When the produced material is exhausted to the outlet 12, high pressure in the fermenting reaction tank 10 more rapidly and smoothly exhausts the produced material (i.e., the liquefied fertilizer).

[39] The liquefied fertilizer produced by the apparatus for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer according to the present invention was subjected to the following test:

[40]

[41] (Test Examples)

[42] Using the liquefied fertilizer exhausted by the apparatus for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer according to the present invention, general bacteria, bacillus, streptomyces, lactobacillus, yeast, and mold bacteria are isolated and cultured in respective known media. The number of the general bacteria, bacillus, streptomyces, lactobacillus, yeast, and mold bacteria was measured. A typical active mineral solution for water purification was used as a comparative object.

[43]

[44] (Test Condition)

[45] Respective isolation media and grown temperatures for measuring the general bacteria, bacillus, streptomyces, lactobacillus, yeast, and mold bacteria are shown in Table 1 and all of them were aerobically cultured.

[46] [Table 1]

[47]

[48] [49] (Isolation Culture Method) [50] The liquefied fertilizer sample of Ig obtained by the present invention was put into sterile water of 10ml and was subjected to vortex for five minutes.

[51] Thereafter, sterile water of 9ml was continuously diluted with diluted solution of ImI from 10¹ to 10¹⁰, and respective media were smeared with 10¹⁰, 10¹, 10³, 10⁵, 10⁷, 10 diluted solutions of ImI and cultured for 24 to 48 hours in a temperature condition of Table 1.

[52] [53] (Test Result) [54] The number of microorganisms in the respective media cultured by the isolation method is shown in Table 2:

[55] [Table 2] [56]

[57] [58] Table 2 shows that the liquefied fertilizer obtained by the apparatus for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer according to the present invention contains a great amount of bacteria useful for soil and crop growth.

[59] That is, the bacillus of 6.0 x 10 cfu/g forms spore and gets dormant in an environment unsuitable for breeding (e.g., over-dry, oligotrophy, high temperature, harmful component, etc.) to hold its life, and accordingly has strong vital power. Endospore is exhausted to the exterior in a bad environment and germinated when a growth condition becomes better. The endospore is well bred even in a undernourishment condition, and secretes antibiotics (i.e., bacitracin, bacilycin, bulbiformin, and fengymycin) to suppress bacterias, such as damping-off, Sclerotium cepivorum, and the like.

[60] Also, enzyme is produced to promote organism dissolution, and organic acid is produced and chelate-combined with cations of a slightly soluble phosphorus compound in soil to make phosphate ions in an available form, and a biological active material (e.g., vitamin, nucleic acid, amino acid, etc.) is secreted to promote crop growth and increase disease tolerance. A high proliferation rate suppresses bacteria growth by exhausting essential nutritive elements of bacteria.

[61] Furthermore, strep tomyces that is not discovered in a comparative sample is one genus of actinomycete widely distributed in the soil. The streptomyces is aerobic gram-positive bacteria. The streptomyces is the largest genus among actinomycetes and produces antibiotic, enzyme, vitamin, etc.

[62] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variation can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

[1] An apparatus for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer using kaolin bricks, the apparatus comprising: a fermenting reaction tank 10 having an excretion inlet 11 and a produced material (liquefied fertilizer) outlet 12; an air supply unit 20 having an air line 22, the air line 22 including a blower 21 disposed at one end thereof for supplying air into the fermenting reaction tank, and at least one air nozzle 23; kaolin bricks 30 stacked as a single layer or multiple layers in the fermenting reaction tank and having at least one microorganism inlet 31 ; and a heater 40 for increasing internal temperature of the fermenting reaction tank.

[2] The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor 51 for detecting the internal temperature of the fermenting reaction tank; and a controller 50 for controlling the heater 40 according to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

[3] The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller 50 automatically controls operation of the blower 21.

[4] The apparatus of claim 2 or 3, wherein the controller 50 maintains the internal temperature of the fermenting reaction tank 10 at 35 to 4O⁰C.

[5] The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air nozzle 23 has a hole having a diameter of 0.3 to 0.8 mm.

[6] A method for manufacturing kaolin bricks 30 used for manufacturing liquefied fertilizer of excretion, the method comprising: a forming step S 1 of mixing kaolin with water to make mortar, and forming the brick having at least one microorganism inlet using a forming frame; a baking step S2 of baking the formed brick in a charcoal kiln at temperature of 1100 to 135O⁰C; a culturing and ripening step S3 of culturing the microorganisms through the microorganism inlet at 60 to 8O⁰C, and ripening the same for 5 to 7 hours; and a resting step S4 of drying the brick in a shady environment containing oxygen so that the microorganisms in the brick rests.