WO2008114288A1

WO2008114288A1 - System and method for transporting and handling waste

Info

Publication number: WO2008114288A1
Application number: PCT/IT2007/000199
Authority: WO
Inventors: Antonio Bertolotto
Original assignee: Marcopolo Engineering S.P.A. Sistemi Ecologici
Priority date: 2007-03-19
Filing date: 2007-03-19
Publication date: 2008-09-25
Also published as: BRPI0721436A2; PE20081673A1

Abstract

System for waste transport and disposal including at least one transport line to transport waste between a pickup point (A) and a dumping point (P), in which said transport line comprises containers (2) for waste predisposed to be propelled suspended above the ground from said pickup point (A) to said dumping point (B) through funicular transmission (5). The system is characterised in that it includes a device (11) for the controlled release of at least one active substance capable of being used to sanitise the containers, said active substance being selected from among associations of moulds-fungi-bacteria, micro-organisms, enzymes or chemical compounds having the capacity to control the release of malodorous gases from organic decomposition processes.

Description

"System and method for transporting and handling waste"

* * *

The subject of the present invention is a system for transporting and managing waste. In particular, the present invention relates to a waste transport system including at least one transport line to transport waste between a pickup point and a dumping point, in which said transport line comprises ^' containers for waste predisposed such as to be propelled suspended above the ground from said pickup point to said dumping point through funicular transmission.

A system of this type is, for example, shown in document GB2034299, which describes a system for dumping waste comprising an aerial transporter of the suspended type, which presents a plurality of containers that are propelled over a low-lying area in correspondence with which waste is tipped out. The present invention aims to manage waste disposal in urban areas in which the circulation of land vehicles equipped for the collection and transport of waste is difficult or impossible.

The present invention in particular aims to resolve the problem of managing waste in high-population-density poor urban areas such as, for example, the "favelas" of large South-American cities. The layout of these areas presents a labyrinth of small alleyways that do not allow vehicles equipped for waste collection to pass freely. Furthermore, due to the high population density, very large quantities of waste are produced daily that, due to the lack of an effective waste disposal system, is abandoned at the sides of the streets and constitutes a source of dangerous foci of infection to which the population is exposed on a daily basis. In order- to achieve said goals, the present invention provides for a system of the type described in the introduction to the independent claim, and characterised in that it .comprises a device for the controlled release of at least one active substance capable of being used to sanitise the container, said active substance being selected from among associations of moulds-fungi-bacteria, micro-organisms, enzymes or chemical compounds capable of controlling the release of malodorous gases from organic decomposition processes. The present invention further provides for a method to transport and handle waste, preferably for poor urban areas with high population density, characterised in that, in correspondence with the inhabited zones of urban areas, waste is loaded into containers that are transported through funicular transmission, suspended above the ground, to one or more dumping points that can easily be reached by land vehicles, and in that sanitisation of the containers through the controlled release of at least one active substance is provided for, said active substance being selected from among associations of moulds-fungi- bacteria, micro-organisms, enzymes or chemica compounds possessing the ability to control the releas of malodorous gases from the organic decompositic processes .

Therefore, thanks to the present invention it is possible to achieve effective waste disposal in urban areas that are difficult to reach with land vehicles, and the formation by the waste of malodorous gases that contaminate the environment is also limited. Installation of the system according to the present invention enables the hygienic conditions of the urban environment in which the system is installed to be drastically improved. An embodiment of the system according to the invention provides for release elements situated inside the containers, that comprise a support structure, a matrix containing said active substance and positioned on the support structure and a membrane or layer of technical fabric situated in direct contact with matrix. The release of the active substance comes about as a function of the conditions effectively existing inside the containers, for example in conditions of high temperature the release is accelerated, whereas in conditions in which the temperature is not sufficient to give rise to degradation processes, release of the active substance is slower. Furthermore, the device for controlled release of the active substance can be "personalised" as a function of the requirements, that is of the environmental conditions or of the composition of the waste.

The system for transporting waste according to the invention is an automated system that provides for the use of different containers depending on the type of waste to be transported, and means to select the route, that is the pickup and dumping points, that can vary depending on the type of waste transported. Fc example, the system according to the invention provide for means to recognise the pickup and dumping point associated to each container. In a preferre embodiment, the means of recognition consist oi magnetic strips. The invention will now be described in detail, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the attached figures, in which:

— figure 1 shows the system for transporting waste according to the invention in diagrammatic form; -- figure 2 shows the device for the controlled release of an active substance according to the invention. With reference to figure 1, reference number 1 indicates a system to transport waste. The system comprises an aerial funicular installation 5 of the conventional type and capable of transporting containers 2, suspended above the ground, from a pickup point A to a dumping point B. As shown diagrammatically in figure 1, the pickup point A may be situated close to a densely-populated inhabited urban area, whereas the dumping point B is preferably situated outside the inhabited area. For example, the dumping point B may be .behind the inhabited area and may be equipped to accommodate waste disposal operations through land vehicles or means dedicated to waste collection. The funicular installation 5 according to an embodiment of the invention consists of a single-cable cable-way provided with a carrying- towing cable 3 from which the containers 2 are suspended. Preferably the single-cable cable-way 5 according to the invention provides for continuous unidirectional movement and the temporary connection of the containers. The containers 2 may in fact be connected and disconnected automatically from the carrying-towing cable in correspondence with the wast pickup and dumping points . The carrying-towing cable is borne by supports situate along the route. The supports may be made c reinforced concrete, or may be of latticework. The containers 2 can be used to stand outside the dwelling places and to gradually receive, until they are full, the waste produced by the inhabitants of the zone where they are a situated. Subsequently the containers 2 are taken to the neighbouring pickup point

^■ where they are connected to the funicular installation and are sent to a dumping point. According to an embodiment of the invention, a container washing station may be provided for in correspondence with the dumping points. The washed containers are then returned to their respective standing points in correspondence with the inhabited areas by means of the funicular installation 5, to be filled up again.

Alternatively to the operative scheme described above, standing containers for waste collection can be provided and, in correspondence with the pickup points, they can tip their contents into the containers 2 permanently connected to the funicular installation 5. The system according to the invention may provide for multiple routes, each of which is served by a respective funicular installation. In correspondence with one of the end-points of each route, a driving station M is situated containing the winch driving the cables. The driving station comprises a principal electric motor and a reserve motor, a service brake, an emergency brake, a driving pulley onto which the carrying-towing cable is wound, an electric system to regulate the motors, and a control bench containing the control and command devices .

The funicular . installation also includes a lir electric circuit capable of guaranteeing tl transmission of command signals from the drivii station M to the other parts of the installatior Return stations R are provided in correspondence with the opposite ends of the routes with respect to the ends at which the driving stations are located. It is also possible to provide for intermediate stations at which the containers can be transferred from one route to another of the system in such a way as to give the system great operating flexibility. The containers 2 are connected to the carrying-towing cable by means of a temporary clamping device. In correspondence with the pickup and dumping points, or with the intermediate stations, the containers 2 are detached from the carrying-towing cable through uncoupling means capable of disengaging the jaws of the cable clamping device. At the same time the acceleration or the deceleration of the containers is controlled by roller devices that control the operation of hooking and unhooking the containers . The waste transport system according to the invention provides for automated operation in which containers are provided that are differentiated according to the type of waste they transport, which, starting from respective pickup points, travel along a predetermined route towards the dumping point designated for said type. Containers of the system according to the invention, indeed, provide for means of recognition of the pickup and dumping points . According to a particular embodiment of the system according to the invention, each container is provided with two magnetic strips, of which a first magnetic strip is capable of recognising a charging hopper related to the relevant product, and a second magnetic strip determines a dumpster 6 (see figure 1) predisposed to receive tl waste dumped from the container and that : subsequently loaded onto a vehicle destined 1 transport waste.

In correspondence with the preset pickup point, filling of the containers comes about through a hopper fitted with a slide and/or with a delivery door that is opened by action of the ^■ container associated to it.

On the contrary, in correspondence with the predetermined dumping point, each container automatically opens a mobile bottom in order to achieve complete emptying. In an embodiment of the system according to the invention, the containers provided for the different types of waste are differentiated by the colour of their visible external side. For example, red containers are provided for glass, yellow for paper and card, blue for plastic, green for organic substances, grey for metals, light blue for fabrics, and brown for inert substances such as for example masonry debris. The waste transport system according to the invention also presents a management and control centre to control and manage the routes and the container loading and dumping operations. For example, the destination of the containers can be managed such that it depends on the amount of use of the different pickup and/or dumping points.

The system according to the invention also provides for means to propel the containers vertically. In particular the containers can vary their vertical position with regard to the area where they hook onto the carrying-towing cable.

The structure of the funicular installation 5 of the system according to the invention is not described in detail here because it is of a type known in tl technical field. The system to transport waste according to th invention includes a device for the controlled releas of at least one active substance capable of being used to sanitise the containers. The adoption of such a device is destined for the purpose of resolving the problem of malodorous emissions that is absolutely critical in an inhabited area. In transporting waste through the funicular installation, there is a risk of contamination of the surrounding area by smells and malodorous emissions including over large areas, since during transport the containers interface directly with the outside, and such an eventuality is aggravated in certain climatic conditions, such as in conditions of high temperature or in the presence of wind. Providing for sealed containers, apart from the enormous costs involved due to the large number of containers required for effective management of waste in densely populated areas, is not sufficiently secure because acts of vandalism might prejudice the soundness of the containers and above all the proper operation of the means for hermetically closing them. Furthermore, in order to avoid any malodorous emissions when the containers stand in inhabited areas where they are gradually filled by the inhabitants, their covers must always be closed, which is absolutely impossible to check and guarantee due both to possible inobservance and to damage suffered by the containers. The release device inside each container 2 provides a treatment of the waste, in particular organic waste, appropriate to contrast the formation of unpleasant odours through the release of an active substance selected from among associations of moulds-fungi- bacteria, '^" micro-organisms, enzymes or chemical compounds capable of controlling the release c malodorous gases from the composition processes. Tl device is formed of release elements 11 predispose inside the containers starting from when these stand ; correspondence with inhabited sites in the expectation of being filled. In this way a preventive action against any contamination is put in place in all phases of disposal of the waste, which' is absolutely effective and independent of external intervention. The^' release element 11 presents a general sandwich structure as is shown diagrammatically in figure 2. It comprises a support structure 12, for example in polyester, polyethylene or aluminium, with a dish or lamina shape, if desired fitted with an adhesive surface 21 to be used to maintain the device in position after it has been placed inside the container to be sanitised. " On the non-adhesive surface 22 of the support structure 12, a substratum 13 is present on which is positioned a matrix 14 containing the active substance or substances to be released. In direct contact with the matrix 14 a membrane or layer of technical fabric 15 is situated, having a protective function with regard to the matrix 14. Above the membrane or layer of technical fabric 15 a protective layer 16 is present, to be removed at the moment of application of the device in the container. The operating principle of the controlled release device according to the present invention is based on the capability of some technical fabrics and/or membranes 15 to be permeable in a unidirectional manner, that is to release the micro-organisms or the active substances contained in the matrix 14 in a sole direction, for example when used in the containers towards the inside of these.

Depending on the conditions of temperature and humidity inside the containers, the element 11 releases a large or smaller quantity of active substance, optimising it consumption over time. The quantity of actiλ substance inside the matrix 14 is optimised as function of the average time between application of the element 11 and its replacement. An example of an active substance that can be used to advantage in the sphere of the present invention comprises an association of moulds-fungi-bacteria such as for example the association contained in the commercially-available product ENZYVEBA, produced by MARCOPOLO . The matrix 14 presents characteristics of gradual and/or controlled release of the active substance or substances. In an embodiment at present preferred, the matrix 14 comprises structured materials capable of carrying and slowly releasing the active substance, such as for example the microbiological complex ENZYVEBA.

These structured materials consist of gels based on mixtures of hydrophilic polymers and/or copolymers dispersed in the microbiological complex ENZYVEBA. The polymers and/or copolymers used, once dispersed, form a three-dimensional structured lattice (gel) that enables the microbiological complex to be released in a controlled manner to the outside environment. The appropriate choice of polymer materials and of their ratio by weight enables the rate of release of the microbiological complex to be protracted for as much as three weeks from the opening of the package containing the gel. The structured material maintains the microbiological activity of the microbiological complex unaltered. The release elements 11 are easily installed in the containers and constitute quickly- replaceable spare parts. They form a device for t^" sanitisation of the containers that is very simpl reliable and economic.

A system to call up the containers comes about throu an electrically-controlled push-button panel controll^ by domotics that reports the colours and lettering to distinguish the content based on the waste to be transported.

The domotics connected to the PC enables each movement of the entire line to the controlled.

The funicular system is also practicable for video- controlled systems and radio aerial /TV/telephony/Internet. A special system controls the weight so as to avoid the maximum predetermined load being exceeded; if the load is exceeded, an alarm signals is triggered at the control centre. Naturally, the principle of the invention holding good, construction details and embodiments may be widely varied with regard to what is described and illustrated, without thereby departing from the sphere of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. System for waste transport and disposal, comprising at least one transport line to transport waste between a pickup point and a dumping point, in which said transport line comprises waste containers

(2) predisposed to be propelled suspended above the ground from said pickup point (A) to said dumping point

(B) through funicular transmission (5) , said system being characterised in that it includes a device (11) for the controlled release of at least one active substance capable of being used to sanitise the containers, said active substance being selected from among associations of moulds-fungi-bacteria, micro- organisms, enzymes or chemical compounds having the ability to control the release of malodorous gases from organic decomposition processes.

2. System according to claim 1, characterised in that said funicular transmission (5) is predisposed to be installed above an urban area, said pickup point being in correspondence with an inhabited zone of said urban area .

3. System according to claim 1, characterised in the said dumping point is behind said inhabited zone and : equipped to receive waste by macro-quality and favoi waste sorting operations by means of land vehicle equipped to collect said waste.

4. System according to claim 1, characterised in that the funicular transmission is formed of a single-cable cable-way (5) having a carrying-towing cable (3) from which said containers are suspended (2) .

5. System according to claim 1, characterised in that said single-cable cable-way (5) is predisposed to operate by continuous unidirectional movement.

6. System according to claim 4, characterised in that a temporary clamping device is provided that is capable of temporarily connecting said containers to said carrying-towing cable.

7. System according to claim 4, characterised in that said carrying-towing cable is supported by supports (4) situated along the transport line that are made of reinforced concrete or of latticework.

8. System according to claim 1, characterised in that it includes a management and control centre predisposed to control and manage the routes and the container pickup and dumping operations.

9. System according to claim 1, characterised in that said containers present means of recognition of said pickup points and/or means of recognition of said dumping points.

10. System according to claim 9, characterised in that said means of recognition comprise a magnetic strip associated to said pickup point and/or said dumping point.

11. System according to claim 1, characterised in that said transport line includes means to move said containers vertically.

12. System according to claim 1, characterised . that said device (11) includes release elemen" situated inside said containers, each of said relea; elements comprising a support structure (12), a matrix (14) containing said active substance and positioned on the support structure, and a membrane or layer of technical fabric (15) placed in direct contact with said matrix.

13. System according to claim 12, characterised in that said device also includes a protective layer (16) applied onto said membrane or layer of technical fabric (15).

14. System according to claim 13, characterised in that an underlay is situated between said support structure and said matrix (14) .

15. System according to any of the above claims, characterised in that said support structure (12) takes the form of a dish or a lamina.

16. System according to any of the above claims, characterised in that said support structure (12) is made of polyester, polyethylene or aluminium.

17. System according to any of the above claims, characterised in that said membrane or layer of technical fabric (15) is formed of a composite structural material.

18. System according to any of the above claims, characterised in that said membrane or layer of technical fabric (15) is preferably formed of polyester-polythene (PET-PE) , paper or aluminium.

19. System according to any of the above claims, characterised in that said matrix (14) is substantially comprised of a gel based on mixtures of hydrophilic polymers and/or copolymers capable of forming a structured three-dimensional lattice.

20. System according to claim 19, characterised . that the polymers and/or copolymers are selected fr< among polyethylenes, polyoxyethylene: polyoxypropylenes and their copolymer; polyvinylchlorides, polymethacrylates, polyamides, polyacrylics (carbomers, modified carbomers, copolymers), polyalkylene (polyvinyl alcohol, non- substituted polyalkylenes, substituted copolymers) polyoxyalkylenes, polymers derived from acetylene, from 1-vinylpyrrolydone, from alkylvinyl ethers, modified hydrophilic polysyloxanes .

21. System according to claim 1, characterised in that the enzymes are of natural origin.

22. Method for transporting and managing waste, preferably for urban areas having high population density, characterised in that, in correspondence with the inhabited zones of said urban areas, it provides for the loading of waste into containers that are transported suspended above the ground through funicular transmission to one or more dumping points, easily reached by land vehicles, and in that sanitisation of the containers is provided .through the controlled release of at least one active substance, said active substance being selected from among associations of moulds-fungi-bacteria, micro-organisms, enzymes or chemical compounds having the capacity to control the release of malodorous gases from organic decomposition processes.