WO2009133982A1

WO2009133982A1 - Organic wastes decomposer

Info

Publication number: WO2009133982A1
Application number: PCT/KR2008/002827
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hyung Jong Kim
Original assignee: Hyung Jong Kim
Priority date: 2008-05-02
Filing date: 2008-05-21
Publication date: 2009-11-05
Also published as: KR100874160B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an organic waste decomposer, which decomposes and eliminates a variety of kinds of organic waste, using microbial chips having the capability to decompose organic materials, thus reducing the weight of organic waste, and aims to improve the efficiency of the decomposition and elimination of organic waste by maintaining an optimal growth environment for microorganisms. In order to accomplish the above object, the organic waste decomposer of the invention includes a rotary cylindrical container having a hollow cylindrical structure, which is at least partially open at one end surface thereof and is rotatable using a cylindrical container-rotating drive unit coupled to the other end surface thereof, a waste transfer mechanism, which is mechanically isolated from the rotational motion of the rotary cylindrical container and is coupled to the one open end surface of the rotary cylindrical container, in which a transfer screw and an agitating screw, which are rotated using a screw-rotating drive unit, are disposed in the coupling region of the rotary cylindrical container, in which a hopper, serving as a loading port, through which the organic waste is introduced, is provided over the transfer screw, and in which a dehumidified air circulation unit, which conducts an air circulation cycle of removing moisture from air in the rotary cylindrical container and then supplying the dehumidified air to the rotary cylindrical container, a deodorization unit for removing organic waste odors generated from the dehumidified air, various sensors and heating units, and a control unit for controlling the sensors and the heating units, are additionally provided.

Description

[DESCRIPTION]

[invention Title]

ORGANIC WASTES DECOMPOSER

[Technical Field] The present invention relates to an organic waste decomposer, and, more particularly, to an organic waste decomposer which decomposes and eliminates food scraps generated from houses, eating establishments, large-scale feeding facilities and the like, and a variety of kinds of organic waste generated from agricultural processing facilities, fish processing facilities, livestock processing facilities, food processing plants and other industrial facilities, using microbial chips having the capability to decompose organic materials, thus reducing the weight of organic waste.

[Background Art]

Generally, there are a lot of disposal processes in which organic waste generated from houses and large-scale feeding facilities or other organic waste is transported to landfills using transportation vehicles and is then buried together with general waste or dumped into the ocean, thus causing an increase in disposal costs and having a bad influence on the environment. However, on account of the risk of contamination of neighboring land and ocean water caused by leachate, these processes are now regulated by law, thus making reliance on the conventional disposal processes impossible. Although there are cases in which organic waste, which has been fermented to be useful for the growth of some plants, is used as fertilizer or growth promoter, the amount required in the fields of forestry, agriculture and livestock industries is not so high. In addition, owing to the tendency for salt content or other particular nutrients to concentrate excessively in a localized manner, there may be limits to the application thereof to fertilizer and growth promoters in the near future .

In the case of organic waste, although a significant amount of organic waste is used as animal feed after being dried or fermented, such organic waste is increasingly rejected because of difficulties in sanitary management, obtaining a balanced supply of nutrients and handling, or because of the unpleasant smell . Accordingly, it is considered that these attempts cannot be appropriate solutions for the disposal of organic waste anymore.

For this reason, there is a need to provide a process and an apparatus for drastically reducing the volume and weight of organic waste. Although it is believed that the simplest solution to reduce the volume and weight of organic waste is to incinerate the organic waste, the incineration of organic waste entails various problems in that such incineration requires a lot of energy, discharges a great amount of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases, which are principal factors affecting global warming, and requires the organic waste to be transported to a large- scale incinerator.

Meanwhile, a composting process, which is intended to compost organic waste into fertilizer using microorganisms, is attracting a lot of attention in terms of recycling of waste. However, the process of composting organic waste is disadvantageous in that a large-scale composting facility is required for the composting process, and a great deal of microorganisms are required due to the low efficiency with which organic waste is decomposed, thus increasing the processing costs. Furthermore, in view of the amount of organic waste that can be actually composted, the demanded amount of compost and the total cost, considering production and circulation procedures, the balance between demand and production is hard to attain, thus deteriorating economic efficiency. In addition, when the salt present in organic waste is not sufficiently removed, the organic waste exerts a harmful influence on the growth of crop plants rather than being of benefit to the crop plants .

Accordingly, a technology, which aims to decompose and eliminate organic waste using microorganisms having capabilities of decomposition, elimination and deodorization of organic waste, thus reducing the weight and volume of the organic waste, is increasingly getting a lot of attention, and many designs and improvements are being made to the apparatus therefor. The principle of the technology is that microbial chips are prepared by mixing a variety of microorganisms with culture materials suitable for the growth of the microorganisms and adding an adequate amount of moisture to the mixture, and organic waste is introduced into and mixed with the microbial chips, in which the microorganisms exhibit vigorous activity, so as to permit the organic waste to come into contact with the microorganisms, thus decomposing and eliminating the organic waste, resulting in a reduction of the weight and volume of the organic waste. Since microorganisms, which exhibit vivid activity when an appropriate amount of oxygen is supplied, have good decomposing capability, the organic waste and microbial chips must be properly mixed with each other so as to permit the mixture to be sufficiently exposed to air. FIG. 1 is a view showing a representative structure of a conventional microorganism type organic waste decomposer 1. Since the organic waste decomposer is configured such that several rotating blades 3 are rotated in a container to agitate microbial chips and organic waste to thus mix them, sufficient agitation and mixing of the mixture cannot be achieved, and sufficient elimination effects cannot be attained because of the insufficient supply of air required for the decomposition and elimination of the organic waste. Furthermore, since the rotating blades are permanently immovably positioned, the rotating blades cannot thoroughly agitate the entire mixture of microbial chips and organic waste, and part of the mixture may remain stagnated without being agitated. The stagnated portion of the mixture starts to allow moisture to evaporate therefrom over time, and is thus solidified. In this regard, when the solidified portion continuously grows and eventually interferes with the rotating blades, or when organic waste, which has a size equal to or larger than a specified size or has an elongated shape, is introduced into the container, the rotating blades cannot rotate any more.

As such, when the agitating blades, which are adapted to agitate and mix organic waste, become incapable of rotating, the introduced organic waste is not covered with the microorganism wooden chips, which enable microorganisms to inhabit therein, or the mixture is solidified, thus causing the organic waste to decay or dry without the intrinsic effects caused by microorganisms, such as decomposition and elimination. At this time, putrid odors are generated from the organic waste, and the decomposer cannot fulfill its inherent functions any longer.

The present applicant recognized the problems of the microorganism type organic waste decomposer 1 shown in FIG. 1, and filed Korean Patent Application No. 2007-70609, which discloses a novel cylindrical organic waste decomposer for the decomposition and elimination of organic waste, to solve the above problems.

The cylindrical organic waste decomposer for the decomposition and elimination of organic waste, disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2007-70609, is configured as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, and a brief description thereof is disclosed below.

The cylindrical organic waste decomposer for the decomposition and elimination of organic waste, disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2007-70609, is configured such that two rotary cylindrical containers 2IA and 2IB, each of which is open only at one end thereof, are concentrically arranged with each other such that the open ends of the rotary cylindrical containers 2IA and 2IB face each other, and a stationary cylindrical container 22, which is open at opposite ends thereof, is disposed between the two rotary cylindrical containers 21A and 21B, so that the two rotary containers 2IA and 2IB and the stationary container 22 define an enclosed space having a predetermined volume therein. The stationary container 22 is provided at the top thereof with a loading port 51, which is open upward, and the two rotary containers 2IA and 21B are rotated using a power unit 110. The rotary containers 2IA and 2IB include a plurality of agitating and mixing tubes 30, which are connected between inner surfaces of blind ends of the rotary containers 2IA and 2IB and are angularly spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals.

The above-described cylindrical organic waste decomposer for the decomposition and elimination of organic waste is operated in a manner such that the integral structure of the rotary containers and the agitating and mixing tubes execute relative rotation with respect to the stationary container, so that the mixture of microbial chips and organic waste is repeatedly lifted up to a predetermined height from the bottom of the stationary container, and then drops due to its own weight, thus maximizing the effect of mixing the organic waste and the microbial chips . Particularly, since the agitating and mixing tubes, which connect the two rotary containers to each other, include a plurality of holes formed therein, and since air is injected through the holes, the ability to supply oxygen is further improved.

[Disclosure] [Technical Problem]

The above-described cylindrical organic waste decomposer for the decomposition and elimination of organic waste, which is disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2007-70609, owned by the present applicant, has drastically improved the effect of mixing organic waste and microbial chips, compared to conventional microorganism type organic waste decomposers. In addition, the cylindrical organic waste decomposer owned by the present applicant is a very useful and advanced solution in that it positively renders the ambient environment suitable for aerobic microorganisms, which decompose and oxidize organic waste, by injecting air through the agitation and mixing tubes. However, the present applicant found that the cylindrical organic waste decomposer for the decomposition and elimination of organic waste, disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2007-70609, needs to be improved from the following standpoints . First, the cylindrical organic waste decomposer for the decomposition and elimination of organic waste is configured such that a stationary cylindrical container is disposed between two rotary cylindrical containers, and the two rotary cylindrical containers are rotatably connected to each other through a plurality of agitation and mixing tubes. In other words, since the cylindrical body, which receives and treats organic waste, is constructed to be divided into a part (stationary cylindrical container) which remains stationary and a remaining part (rotary cylindrical container) which is rotatable, two rotatable sealing structures must be provided between the two rotary cylindrical containers and the stationary cylindrical container.

However, the cylindrical organic waste decomposer has disadvantages in that the sealing structures need to be frequently replaced due to the limited durability thereof, and since the relative sliding movement occurring in the sealing structures between the two rotary cylindrical containers and the one stationary cylindrical container requires a drive unit for rotating the rotary cylindrical containers to have a high output, the cost of the drive unit itself becomes high and the excessive consumption of power increases operational costs in the case of operation over a long period of time. Furthermore, the organic waste decomposer has a disadvantage in that when the sealing structures are worn away, waste odors generated during the oxidation and decomposition of organic waste may leak through the worn sealing structures .

Accordingly, there is a need to provide rotary cylindrical containers having a simplified structure while maintaining improved capability of mixing organic waste with microbial chips without changing the structure thereof.

Second, the cylindrical organic waste decomposer disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2007-70609 includes agitating and mixing tubes, which are integrally constructed with the rotary cylindrical containers, in which the agitating and mixing tubes function to connect the two rotary cylindrical containers to each other, to supplies oxygen into the containers through holes formed therein, and to aid in agitating the organic waste. However, there is a possibility that the holes of the agitating and mixing tubes are plugged with organic waste having a somewhat high viscosity. A solution to avoid the problem by increasing an injection pressure of air may be disadvantageous in that it increases the cost of the decomposer and power consumption.

In addition, the cylindrical organic waste decomposer for the decomposition and elimination of organic waste is adapted to agitate and decompose organic waste by the rotation only of the outside containers, and includes a plurality of agitating and mixing tubes which connect the opposite cylindrical containers to each other and rotate in conjunction with the outside containers. When the outside rotary cylindrical containers and the plurality of agitating and mixing tubes rotate for the agitation and mixing of the organic waste, the mixture of organic waste to be decomposed and microbial chips remains and stagnates in the agitating and mixing tubes, and the dropping action of the mixture agglomerate of organic waste and microbial chips due to the rotation of the agitating and mixing tubes hinders the rotating movement of the outside cylindrical containers and also decreases the durability of the decomposer.

Consequently, there is a need to develop a novel decomposer, which is designed to intensify the action of agitating the organic waste and thus improve the effect of mixing the organic waste with air without the use of the agitating and mixing tubes, which have the above-mentioned structural problems .

Third, as organic waste is decomposed by microorganisms, the ratio of moisture relative to the organic waste is increased. In order to ensure that microorganisms vigorously decompose organic waste, it is necessary to maintain moisture within an appropriate range. Accordingly, superfluous moisture generated during the decomposition of organic waste needs to be continuously removed, in terms of improvement of the growth environment. Furthermore, when there is a need to heat ambient air so as to maintain the temperature favorable for microorganisms, excessive moisture in the air does not have any effect on the increase in air temperature due to the latent heat required for the evaporation of excessive moisture, thus incurring additional energy consumption. Consequently, it is also necessary to remove the excessive moisture in terms of efficiency and energy savings.

For this reason, there is a need to provide air circulation which is adapted to remove moisture present in ambient air surrounding microorganisms and to resupply the dry air, from which the moisture has been removed, to the habitat area of the microorganisms.

Fourth, since an organic waste decomposer inevitably generates unpleasant odors, the decomposer must be provided with an oxidation catalytic apparatus for deodorizing such unpleasant odors, as in the organic waste decomposer disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2007-70609. In this regard, in order to ensure that the deodorizing oxidation catalytic apparatus exerts efficient deodorizing performance, the catalyst in the oxidation catalytic apparatus must be heated. The present applicant found that heat, which has been used to heat catalyst in an oxidation catalytic apparatus and then wastefully discarded due to the operational characteristics of the apparatus, can be reused to heat ambient air to a temperature suitable for the growth of microorganisms, thus realizing more efficient utilization of the energy supplied to the organic waste decomposer.

Consequently, it is desirable to provide an auxiliary heating device which aids in maintaining a temperature suitable for the growth of microorganisms by employing air carrying heat generated during the heating of catalyst of an oxidation catalytic apparatus . In the oxidation catalytic apparatus, the heating device and the catalyst must be arranged in such a way that it is possible to control the amount of air supplied thereto as well as to improve energy efficiency and deodorization efficiency.

[Technical Solution]

In order to accomplish the above object, an organic waste decomposer according to the present invention is constructed in the following manner.

The organic waste decomposer proposed by the present invention includes a rotary cylindrical container having a hollow cylindrical structure, which holds therein organic waste to be decomposed and eliminated by microorganisms, in which the rotary cylindrical container is at least partially open at one end surface thereof and is rotatable using a cylindrical container-rotating drive unit coupled to the other end surface thereof; and a waste transfer mechanism, which is mechanically isolated from the rotational motion of the rotary cylindrical container and is coupled to the one open end surface of the rotary cylindrical container, in which a transfer screw and an agitating screw, which are rotated using a screw-rotating drive unit, are disposed in a coupling region of the rotary cylindrical container, and in which a hopper, serving as a loading port, through which the organic waste is introduced, is provided over the transfer screw.

Furthermore, an annular seal is provided at a coupling region between the rotary cylindrical container and the waste transfer mechanism, in detail, close to the waste transfer mechanism. A hollow drum shaft is provided at the rotary cylindrical container to be concentric to the annular seal. The waste transfer mechanism includes a plurality of cam followers, each of which is provided at one end thereof with a roller which is in contact with the outer surface of the rotary cylindrical container, so as to maintain the rotation center of the rotary cylindrical container.

Consequently, the organic waste decomposer of the present invention, which is constructed in the above- described manner, has a relatively simple structure in which a seal is fitted on the coupled region between the rotary cylindrical container and the waste transfer mechanism such that the seal requires an installation area smaller than that of a prior art while the structure of the rotary cylindrical container is maintained.

Accordingly, the first object of the present invention is accomplished by the above configuration.

Furthermore, the organic waste decomposer of the present invention may include an agitating screw coupled to the transfer screw in the internal space of the rotary cylindrical container so as to further improve the efficiency with which organic waste is treated. More specifically, the agitating screw and the rotary cylindrical container can be rotated using respective rotating drive units, and rotation directions and operating times can be controlled using a timer, thereby enabling various combinations of rotation directions and operating times of the agitating screw and the rotary cylindrical container. According to the organic waste decomposer of the present invention, which is configured in the above- describe manner, when the organic waste moves along a great circular trajectory in the rotary cylindrical container due to the rotation of the rotary cylindrical container, the agitating screw serves to further impact the organic waste, thus preventing organic waste agglomerates from occurring as well as to improve the growth environment of the microorganisms by increasing the contact area with the microorganisms and by promoting the evaporation of moisture. Furthermore, since the agitating screw, which has a radius of rotation greater than the radius of rotation of the transfer screw, is disposed at the center of the rotary cylindrical container to reduce the height from which organic waste drops during the rotational motion of the screw, it is possible to improve the attenuation of rotational motion of the agitating screw. Furthermore, since no devices or curved portions are provided on the inner surface of the rotary cylindrical container, it is possible to drastically reduce the deterioration of the agitating and decomposing capability, caused by the phenomenon in which the mixture of organic waste and microbial chips stagnates and grows .

Accordingly, the second object of the present invention, which is to promote mixing between organic waste and air and to solve problems of reduction of rotational motion of the rotary cylindrical container and deterioration of endurance, is accomplished.

In addition, the present invention may provide an organic waste decomposer including a rotary cylindrical container having a hollow cylindrical structure, which holds therein organic waste to be decomposed and eliminated by microorganisms, in which the rotary cylindrical container is at least partially open at one end surface thereof and is rotatable using a cylindrical container- rotating drive unit coupled to the other end surface thereof; a waste transfer mechanism, which is mechanically isolated from the rotational motion of the rotary cylindrical container and is coupled to the one open end surface of the rotary cylindrical container, in which a transfer screw and an agitating screw, which are rotated using a screw-rotating drive unit, are disposed in the coupling region of the rotary cylindrical container, and in which a hopper, serving as a loading port, through which the organic waste is introduced, is provided over the transfer screw; and a dehumidified air circulation unit, which conducts an air circulation cycle of removing moisture from air in the waste transfer mechanism and then supplying the dehumidified air to the rotary cylindrical container.

The dehumidified air circulation unit includes a dehumidification unit, which includes an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser and an expansion valve which are sequentially connected to each other to constitute successive cyclic components, a blower fan for blowing air in the waste transfer mechanism to the evaporator, and a duct, constituting the flow path for the air. During the passage through the evaporator, the air is cooled to a temperature equal to or lower than the dew point, and thus moisture is removed from the air. Since the dehumidified air is circulated in conjunction with air introduced into the rotary cylindrical container, the moisture in the rotary cylindrical container remains at the proper level.

It is more preferable that the air, which has been cooled to a low temperature (ambient temperature) while passing through the evaporator, be brought into contact with the condenser, by which the temperature of the air is increased. More specifically, when the air, which is heated by being brought into contact with the condenser and thus has a high temperature and a low humidity, is supplied to the rotary cylindrical container, the moisture in the rotary cylindrical container 100 can be more efficiently removed, and heat energy, required to maintain a proper temperature, which has a critical influence on activity of microorganisms, can be supplied without the need for an additional heating device, thus eventually optimizing the moisture and temperature conditions for microorganisms .

Accordingly, the third object of the present invention, which is to continuously remove redundant moisture from the rotary cylindrical container, is accomplished.

Furthermore, the organic waste decomposer of the present invention, which includes the dehumidified air circulation unit, may be constructed such that a bypass pipe is provided on a duct of the dehumidified air circulation unit, and a deodorization unit, including a porous ceramic catalyst and a heating unit, is provided on the bypass pipe, in which the deodorization unit is disposed on one end of the rotary cylindrical container and includes an outlet port which directs heated dry air, which passes through the heating unit, toward the rotary cylindrical container.

In the above construction, since the heated air, which is usually discarded after it is used to heat the catalyst in the oxidation catalyst unit, is directed toward the outer surface of the rotary cylindrical container, it is possible to maintain or increase the temperature of the rotary cylindrical container at or to a level suitable for the activity of microorganisms in an energy-efficient manner . The organic waste decomposer of the present invention may be configured such that the deodorization unit is divided into at least two spaces, each of which is provided with the catalyst and the heating unit, and means for controlling the flow rate of air is further provided between the bypass pipe and the deodorization unit. Consequently, as the air, which has been introduced into the deodorization unit, flows from the first space to the final space, the temperature of the air is increased in a stepwise manner. Therefore, the efficiency with which air is heated is optimally improved, compared to a configuration in which air is heated in a single space using one heating unit.

As a result, the fourth object of the present invention, which is to efficiently employ heat generated during the heating of the catalyst in the oxidation catalyst unit, thus maintaining a temperature suitable for the growth of microorganisms, is accomplished.

[Advantageous Effects] The organic waste decomposer according to the present invention has the following advantages over conventional decomposers. Of course, the following advantages can be obtained in a synergistic manner through combinations of the characteristic structures of the present invention. First, since the organic waste decomposer of the present invention has a simple structure, in which a seal is provided at only one region, i.e., at a coupling region between the rotary cylindrical container and the waste transfer mechanism while the rotary cylindrical structure is maintained, frictional force generated during the rotation of the rotary cylindrical container can be reduced, and leaks of organic waste or unpleasant odor components caused by the wear of a seal fitted on a rotating region can also be fundamentally inhibited. Second, since the organic waste decomposer of the present invention is configured such that, when the organic waste moves along a great circular trajectory in the rotary cylindrical container due to the rotation of the rotary cylindrical container, the agitating screw serves to further apply impacts to the organic waste, organic waste agglomerates are not formed, and the rotational motion of the rotary cylindrical container and the endurance of the decomposer are not deteriorated. In addition, thanks to the improved agitating effect, the contact area between air and microorganisms is increased and the evaporation of moisture is promoted, thus improving the growth environment for microorganisms .

Third, since the organic waste decomposer of the present invention includes the dehumidification unit, which includes an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser and an expansion valve, which are sequentially connected to each other to constitute successive cyclic components, a blower fan for blowing air in the waste transfer mechanism to the evaporator, and a duct constituting a flow path for the air, air is cooled to a temperature equal to or lower than the dew point in the course of passing through the evaporator, is thus dehumidified, and is then introduced into the rotary cylindrical container. Consequently, due to the circulation of air, redundant moisture in the rotary cylindrical container is continuously removed, and the moisture content in the rotary cylindrical container is maintained at a proper level, thus optimizing the moisture conditions for microorganisms .

Fourth, according to the present invention, a bypass pipe is provided on a duct of the dehumidified air circulation unit, and a deodorization unit including a porous ceramic catalyst and a heating unit is provided on the bypass pipe and includes an outlet port which directs heated dry air, passed through the heating unit, toward the rotary cylindrical container. Accordingly, heat energy, which has been conventionally discarded after being used to heat the catalyst in the oxidation catalyst unit, can be reused to improve the temperature conditions for microorganisms, and thus the energy efficiency of the decomposer is improved.

[Description of Drawings] FIG. 1 is a view showing a structure of a conventional microorganism type organic waste decomposer in which microbial chips and organic waste are agitated by- several blades rotating in a container;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cylindrical organic waste decomposer for decomposing and eliminating microorganisms disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2007-70609 which was filed by the present applicant;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an agitating and mixing tube of the organic waste decomposer shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view showing the overall arrangement of an organic waste decomposer according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an organic waste decomposer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the organic waste decomposer shown in FIG. 5, from which a casing and a portion of a waste transfer mechanism are omitted; and FIG. 7 is a perspective view specifically showing substantial structures of the organic waste decomposer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Best Mode]

Hereinafter, an organic waste decomposer 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7 of the attached drawings .

FIG. 4 is a view showing the overall structure of the organic waste decomposer 10 according to the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the rotary cylindrical container 100, which is a cylindrical hollow body, is provided in the internal space thereof with microorganisms, more specifically microbial chips, and with organic waste which is to be decomposed and eliminated by the microbial chips. The cylindrical body includes an opening 110 formed in one end surface thereof. The other end surface of the cylindrical body, which is opposite the one end surface, in which the opening 110 is formed, is externally provided with a cylindrical container-rotating drive unit 112. The cylindrical container-rotating drive unit 112 is connected to the center of the rotary cylindrical container 100 via a shaft 114. The cylindrical container-rotating drive unit 112 for driving the rotary cylindrical container is rotatable in forward and reverse directions, and serves as a drive source intended to rotate the rotary cylindrical container 100.

Referring to FIG. 7, the physical configuration of the rotary cylindrical container 100 is shown. Since the rotary cylindrical container 100 must be continuously rotated in order to agitate the microorganisms and the organic waste, the structural rigidity of the rotary- cylindrical container 100 needs to be increased using a reinforcing material. Accordingly, the rotary cylindrical container 100 is longitudinally provided with a plurality of longitudinal bars 116 using a process such as welding.

In particular, the end surface of the rotary cylindrical container, to which the shaft 114 of the cylindrical container-rotating drive unit 112 is coupled, is required to be specially reinforced. The reason for this is because intensive torsional force is applied to the coupled surface of the end surface when the rotary cylindrical container 100 is repeatedly rotated in forward and reverse directions. Accordingly, the end surface of the rotary cylindrical container 100, to which the shaft 114 of the drive unit 112 is coupled, is provided with anti- torsion reinforcing ribs 118, which radially extend from the coupled point and are attached thereto. In addition, in order to prevent the end surface of the rotary cylindrical container from bulging outside due to the impact generated during the agitation of the organic waste in the rotary cylindrical container 100, anti-bulging reinforcing ribs 120 are preferably attached to the end surface.

In this regard, the two kinds of reinforcing ribs may be configured to have different widths, for example, the width of the anti-torsion ribs 118 may be relatively greater than the width of the anti-bulging reinforcing ribs 120. More specifically, the anti-torsion reinforcing ribs 118 have sufficient width so as to be rigid enough to efficiently resist a torsion moment, whereas the anti- bulging reinforcing ribs 120 are configured to be narrower in order to save weight. In the case of providing the two kinds of reinforcing ribs, it is preferable that the plurality of anti-bulging reinforcing ribs 120 and the plurality of ant-torsion reinforcing ribs 118 be radially and alternatedly disposed. Furthermore, the rotary cylindrical container 100 may be provided on the outer surface thereof with at least one annular support rim 122, and the outer surface of the support rim 122 may be guided and supported to a support wheel 124 fixed to a base. The support rim 122 and the support wheel 124 are constructed such that they support the load of the rotary cylindrical container 100 and such that the support wheel 124 is allowed to rotate so as to reduce frictional force between the support wheel 124 and the support rim 122 (see FIG. 4) . Connected to the rotary cylindrical container 100 is a waste transfer mechanism 200, which includes a hopper 210, which is a loading port through which organic waste is introduced, and a transfer screw 212, which is adapted to transfer the introduced organic waste through the opening 110 in the rotary cylindrical container 100. As shown in FIG. 7, the connection between the rotary cylindrical container 100 and the waste transfer mechanism 200 is realized through the opening 100 in the rotary cylindrical container 100, and the end of the transfer screw 212 extends into the rotary cylindrical container 100 through the opening 110. Specifically, the waste transfer mechanism 200 is mechanically separated from the rotational motion of the rotary cylindrical container 100, and is securely fixed to the base 410 so as to support one end of the rotary cylindrical container 100 through a connecting portion of the rotary cylindrical container 100. The transfer screw 212 is rotated by a screw-rotating drive unit 214, and the screw-rotating drive unit 214 is also rotatable in forward and reverse directions, like the cylindrical container- rotating drive unit 112. Since a transfer screw 212 comprising a shaft on which a spiral blade is longitudinally attached is well-known in the art, a detailed description thereof is omitted herein.

An agitating screw 216, which is connected to the transfer screw 212, is further provided in the internal space of the rotary cylindrical container 100, i.e., at the rotation axis of the internal space of the rotary cylindrical container 100. The agitating screw 216 is rotated in conjunction with the transfer screw 212. When the organic waste moves along a great circular trajectory in the rotary cylindrical container 100 due to the rotation of the rotary cylindrical container 100, the agitating screw 216 serves to give impacts to the organic waste, thus preventing organic waste agglomerates from forming as well as improving the growth environment of microorganisms by increasing the contact area with microorganisms and promoting the evaporation of moisture.

Although the transfer screw 212 and the agitating screw 216 may be integrally constructed, it is more preferable that the transfer screw 212 and the agitating screw 216 be separately manufactured and then be coupled with each other using a shaft coupling such as a spline. The reason for this is because it is advantageous to configure the transfer screw 212 and the agitating screw 216 separately from each other from the standpoint of maintenance of the rotary cylindrical container 100 and/or the waste transfer mechanism 200. In this case, it is preferable that the radius of the agitating screw 216 be sufficiently greater than the radius of rotation of the transfer screw 212, so as to attain the maximum agitation action. The agitating screw 216 may be rotatably supported, at the end opposite the end connected to the transfer screw 212, to a bearing 218, which is mounted on the end surface of the rotary cylindrical container 100, at which the rotary cylindrical container 100 is connected to the cylindrical container-rotating drive unit 112. Therefore, by the adoption of the bearing 218, the agitating screw 216 is mechanically driven independently of the rotary cylindrical container 100. Furthermore, in order to attain the maximum effect of the agitation, it is preferable that the time at which the agitating screw 216 is rotated in a direction opposite the direction of rotation of the rotary cylindrical container 100 and the time when the agitating screw 216 and the rotary cylindrical container 100 are rotated in the same direction be appropriately set. The rotation directions of the agitating screw 216 and the rotary cylindrical container 100 may be repeatedly changed at predetermined intervals set by a timer (not shown) .

A seal 224 is provided on the connecting region at which the rotary cylindrical container 100 is rotatably coupled to the waste transfer mechanism 200, so as to optimally prevent the organic waste in the rotary cylindrical container 100 and odor components generated from the organic waste from leaking therefrom.

The structure for connecting the rotary cylindrical container 100 including the seal 224 to the waste transfer mechanism 200 is specifically shown in the "A" portion of FIG. 7. As shown in the drawing, the annular seal 224, fixed to the waste transfer mechanism 200, and a plurality of cam followers 226, each of which includes a roller at the free end thereof, are circumferentially provided at the outside of the seal 224. The rotary cylindrical container 100 is provided with a hollow drum shaft 126 which protrudes therefrom. The drum shaft 126 is concentrically disposed in the annular seal 224 and is inserted in the plurality of cam followers 226 to be in contact with the seal 224. At this point, the rollers of the cam followers 226 function to guide the outer surface of the drum shaft 126. Accordingly, the rotary cylindrical container 100, which is guided and rotated by the cam followers 226 so that the rotation axis of the rotary cylindrical container 100 is maintained at a constant point, can be continuously maintained in the concentric position with respect to the seal 224, with the result that the pressure applied to the seal 224 becomes constant, thus improving the sealing performance between the rotary cylindrical container 100 and the waste transfer mechanism 200. In this regard, the plurality of cam followers 226 may include five cam followers 226, i.e., two cam followers 226', which are mounted at two points which are bilaterally offset by a predetermined angle with respect to the lower intersection point between the circumference and the vertical line (for example, at points corresponding to points of five o'clock and seven o'clock) to disperse and support the load of the rotary cylindrical container 100, and three cam followers 226", which are mounted at the upper intersection point between the circumference and the vertical line and two points which are bilaterally spaced apart from the upper intersection point by a right angle (for example, at points corresponding to points of three o' clock, nine o' clock and twelve o' clock) .

In addition to the rotary cylindrical container 100 and the waste transfer mechanism 200, the organic waste decomposer 10 may further include a dehumidified air circulation unit 300, which is adapted to repeatedly conduct an air circulation cycle of first removing moisture from air in the waste transfer mechanism 200 and then supplying the dry air to the rotary cylindrical container 100 (see FIG. 4) .

Since the ratio of moisture relative to the organic waste is increased as the microorganisms in the rotary cylindrical container 100 decompose the organic waste, the surplus moisture must be continuously decreased in order to maintain moisture content suitable for the decomposing action of microorganisms. Furthermore, there may be a case in which the temperature of ambient air surrounding the microorganisms is increased so as to maintain a proper temperature for the microorganisms. At this time, if the air contains redundant moisture, additional energy, which corresponds to latent heat required to evaporate the redundant moisture, must be supplied. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide a unit for supplying dry air, from which the moisture has been removed in the waste transfer mechanism 200, to the rotary cylindrical container 100.

The process of removing moisture from air may include various processes such as a thermodynamic process and a chemical process. In this embodiment of the present invention, the thermodynamic process, with which it is easy to construct a successive circulating cycle, is adopted. In other words, this embodiment employs a process of condensing moisture contained in air by cooling internal air, having a high temperature and humidity, to a temperature equal to or lower than the dew point of the air. To this end, the dehumidified air circulation unit 300 comprises a dehumidification unit 310, which is comprised of an evaporator 312, a compressor 314, a first condenser 316 and an expansion valve 318, which are sequentially connected to each other to constitute successive cyclic components, a blower fan 320 for blowing air in the waste transfer mechanism 200 to the evaporator 312, and a duct 323 constituting an air flow path which guides air from the waste transfer mechanism 200 to the rotary cylindrical container 100 through the dehumidification unit 310 (see FIG. 4) . Furthermore, it is more preferable that the air, which has been cooled to a low temperature (ambient temperature) through the evaporator 312, be brought into contact with the first condenser 316 to increase the temperature of the air. More specifically, when the air, which is produced by being brought into contact with the first condenser 316 and thus has a high temperature and a low humidity, is supplied to the rotary cylindrical container 100, the moisture in the rotary cylindrical container 100 can be more efficiently removed, and heat energy, required to maintain a proper temperature which has a critical influence on the activity of microorganisms, can be supplied without the need for an additional heating device, thus eventually optimizing the moisture and temperature conditions of microorganisms.

In addition to the first condenser 316, a second condenser 317 may be further provided. More specifically, although the air, which has been cooled to a low temperature (ambient temperature) through the evaporator 312, serves to cool the first condenser 316, it is preferable that the second condenser 317 and a fan 322 for cooling the second condenser 317 be further provided in order to improve the dehumidification efficiency of the dehumidification unit 310. In this case, when the second condenser 317, the fan 322, a fan motor 321 and the compressor 314 are assembled into a separate unit and are positioned outside the room or in another place, a user is advantageously not bothered by noises generated from the fan motor 321 and the compressor 314 and the heat generated by the operation of the second condenser 317.

Although this embodiment of the present invention illustrates the dehumidification conducted using the thermodynamic process, it should be noted that the present invention does not exclude other dehumidification processes .

The duct 323 of the dehumidified air circulation unit 300 is provided with a bypass pipe 324 to establish an additional air flow. The air flow, which passes through the bypass pipe 324, is intended to discharge dry air, from which odor components derived from internal air in the rotary cylindrical container 100 have been removed, to the ambient environment, thus diluting ambient odors of the organic waste decomposer.

The construction for establishing the air flow passing through the bypass pipe 324, which is specifically illustrated in FIG. 7, is configured in a manner such that the bypass pipe 324 is provided at an area of the duct 323 of the dehumidified air circulation unit 300, positioned downstream of the dehumidification unit 310, i.e., an area of the duct 323 through which the dry air flows, and a deodorization unit 326 is provided at an open end of the bypass pipe 324. The deodorization unit 326 includes a catalyst 330 made of porous ceramic material. In addition, it is preferable that the deodorization unit 326 further include a heating unit 328 which is adapted to first burn odor components contained in the dry air and to heat the dry air to a temperature suitable for the improvement of the active state of the catalyst 330. In particular, since the maintenance of the proper flow volume and temperature of air to be deodorized and the efficient use of electrical energy are critical to the deodorization unit 326, it is preferable that the internal space of the deodorization unit 326 be divided into two or more spaces in which the heating unit 328 and the catalyst 330 are arranged, respectively, and that an air volume control valve 334 be further provided upstream of the deodorization unit 326 so as to control the volume of air supplied to the deodorization unit 326. In this case, when the deodorization unit 326 has a plurality of divided spaces, the heating units 328 disposed in the respective space are preferably configured such that heating temperatures of the heating units 328 are increased in a stepwise manner from the first space, into which air is introduced, toward the final space. The reason for this is because, considering the total energy efficiency, it is advantageous to continuously heat the air while it passes through a plurality of spaces which communicate with each other in series and have different heating temperatures increasing in a stepwise manner, compared to a configuration in which air is heated in a single space using one heating unit. Furthermore, in order to avoid unwanted energy waste caused by heating air to a temperature exceeding the oxidization temperatures of individual odor components generated by the decomposition of organic waste, it is further preferable to conduct so- called PID control, in which thermocouples (not shown) are provided in the respective spaces to measure the temperatures of the spaces, and the heating units are operated only for periods of time determined based on the measured temperatures .

Furthermore, the organic waste decomposer according to the present invention is characterized in that the deodorization unit 326 is laterally disposed outside the rotary cylindrical container 100, and an outlet port 332, through which the heated dry air passed through the heating unit 328 and the catalyst 330 is directed toward the rotary cylindrical container 100, is further provided. The heated dry air, which has been discharged from the outlet port 332, aids in maintaining the temperature suitable for the growth of microorganisms by increasing the temperature of the rotary cylindrical container 100. Although the outlet port 332 may be configured in various geometrical forms, for example, a nozzle form, this embodiment describes an outlet port 332 configured in a slit form.

Furthermore, an auxiliary heating unit 338 may be provided outside the rotary cylindrical container 100 to increase the surface temperature of the rotary cylindrical container 100. The auxiliary heating unit 338 may be used when the temperature measured by a temperature sensor 128 (to be described later) in the rotary cylindrical container 100 is lower than the temperature suitable for action of microorganisms, thus necessitating an increase in the temperature .

The technology of decomposing and eliminating organic waste using microorganisms, as used in the present invention, is greatly influenced by whether the growth environment of microorganisms, particularly the temperature and moisture content, can be properly maintained. Typical environmental conditions suitable for microorganisms serving to decompose and eliminate organic waste may include a moisture content of 35 - 60% and a temperature of 35 - 60 ^°C, and the continuous growth of microorganisms can be expected when these conditions are satisfied.

To this end, the organic waste decomposer according to the present invention includes the temperature sensor 128 and/or a moisture sensor 130 mounted on the lower surface of the rotary cylindrical container 100 so as to monitor data about the temperature and/or moisture of the organic waste, and may further include a control unit 132, which is adapted to receive data about the temperature and/or moisture measured by the temperature sensor 128 and/or the moisture sensor 130 and control the temperature and/or moisture to be within a predetermined range, for example, a temperature range of 35 - 60 ^°C and a moisture content range of 35 - 60%. The internal temperature of the rotary cylindrical container 100 may be adjusted by controlling the heating unit 328 and/or the auxiliary heating unit 338 provided at the deodorization unit 326, and the moisture content in the rotary cylindrical container 100 may be adjusted by controlling the dehumidification unit 310 provided at the dehumidified air circulation unit 310.

Although the organic waste decomposer 10, which is constructed in the above-described manner, may be operated in an open environment, it is preferable that both the rotary cylindrical container 100 and the waste transfer mechanism 200, and optionally the dehumidified air circulation unit 300 associated therewith, be disposed in a hermetic casing 400 in order to prevent, as much as possible, unpleasant odors generated from organic waste from spreading. The overall structure of the hermetic casing 400 is shown in FIG. 5.

The hermetic casing 400 is provided with an openable door (not shown) over the hopper 210 of the waste transfer mechanism 200 so as to allow organic waste to be introduced therethrough.

The hopper 210 may be provided with an external air- introducing bellows pipe 340. The external air-introducing bellows pipe 340 is intended to additionally introduce external air from the outside when the organic waste decomposer 10 is disposed in the hermetic casing 400, thus causing a lack of air required for the activity of microorganisms (see FIGS. 4 and 7) .

In addition, since the casing must essentially preserve a hermetic state, there is a need for air introducing and discharge units for controlling the temperature inside the casing 400 or preventing an excessive drop in oxygen concentration. To meet the needs, in this embodiment, an intake fan 413 is internally installed at a point on the bottom of the casing 400, and an exhaust fan 416 is installed at another point on the bottom of the casing 400.

For the sake of the mobility of the organic waste decomposer 10, the casing 400 is provided on the bottom thereof with a plurality of transport casters 418. Furthermore, the casing 400 is provided on the bottom thereof with a plurality of telescopic leveling feet 420 so as to securely support the casing 400 without vibrations generated from various operational parts incorporated in the organic waste decomposer 10 after the organic waste decomposer 10 has been transported to a desired installation site.

Although an organic waste decomposer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be noted that the scope of the present invention should not be restricted to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings .

[industrial Applicability] As described above, the present invention is capable of promoting the activity of microorganisms through improved agitation action resulting from the rotation of the rotary cylindrical container and the agitating screw, and is capable of optimizing moisture conditions for microorganisms by introducing dehumidified air into the rotary cylindrical container, thus maintaining the moisture content in the rotary cylindrical container at an appropriate level. In addition, the present invention is usefully used in decomposing and eliminating organic waste, because heated dry air, which has passed through the heating unit provided at the deodorization unit, is directed toward the rotary cylindrical container so that the heat energy, which is conventionally discarded, is used to improve the temperature conditions required for microorganisms.

Claims

[CLAIMS]

[Claim l]

An organic waste decomposer comprising: a rotary cylindrical container having a hollow cylindrical structure, which holds therein organic waste to be decomposed and eliminated by microorganisms, in which the rotary cylindrical container is at least partially open at one end surface thereof and is rotatable using a cylindrical container-rotating drive unit coupled to the other end surface thereof; and a waste transfer mechanism, which is mechanically isolated from rotational motion of the rotary cylindrical container and is coupled to the one open end surface of the rotary cylindrical container, in which a transfer screw and an agitating screw, which are rotated using a screw- rotating drive unit, are concentrically disposed in a coupling region of the rotary cylindrical container, the agitating screw protruding into an internal space in the rotary cylindrical container, and in which a hopper serving as a loading port, through which the organic waste is introduced, is provided over the transfer screw.

[Claim 2]

An organic waste decomposer, comprising: a rotary cylindrical container having a hollow cylindrical structure, which holds therein organic waste to be decomposed and eliminated by microorganisms, in which the rotary cylindrical container is at least partially open at one end surface thereof and is rotatable using a cylindrical container-rotating drive unit coupled to the other end surface thereof; a waste transfer mechanism, which is mechanically isolated from rotational motion of the rotary cylindrical container and is coupled to the one open end surface of the rotary cylindrical container, in which a transfer screw and an agitating screw, which are rotated using a screw- rotating drive unit, are concentrically disposed in a coupling region of the rotary cylindrical container, the agitating screw protruding into an internal space in the rotary cylindrical container, and in which a hopper serving as a loading port, through which the organic waste is introduced, is provided over the transfer screw; and a dehumidified air circulation unit, which conducts an air circulation cycle of removing moisture from air in the waste transfer mechanism and then supplying the dehumidified air to the rotary cylindrical container.

[Claim 3]

The organic waste decomposer according to claim 2, wherein the dehumidified air circulation unit comprises a dehumidification unit, which includes an evaporator, a compressor, a first condenser and an expansion valve, which are sequentially connected to each other to constitute successive cyclic components, a blower fan for blowing air in the waste transfer mechanism to the evaporator, and a duct constituting a flow path for the air, wherein the air passes through the evaporator and the condenser in sequence .

[Claim 4]

The organic waste decomposer according to claim 3, wherein the dehumidification unit further comprises a second condenser connected between the first condenser and the expansion valve.

[Claim 5]

The organic waste decomposer according to claim 4, wherein the second condenser, a fan for cooling the second condenser, a fan motor for driving the fan and the compressor are integrated into a unit that is separated from the dehumidification unit.

[Claim 6]

The organic waste decomposer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an annular seal is provided at a connecting region at which the rotary cylindrical container and the waste transfer mechanism are coupled to each other. [Claim 7 ]

The organic waste decomposer according to claim 6, wherein the annular seal is fixed to the waste transfer mechanism, the rotary cylindrical container is provided with a hollow drum shaft which is concentrically disposed with respect to the annular seal, and the waste transfer mechanism is provided with a plurality of cam followers, each of which includes at one end thereof a roller in close contact with an outer surface of the drum shaft, so as to maintain a rotation center of the rotary cylindrical container.

[Claim 8]

The organic waste decomposer according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of cam followers includes two cam followers, which are mounted at two points which are bilaterally offset by a predetermined angle with respect to a lower intersection point between a circumference of the rotary cylindrical container and a vertical line to disperse and support a load of the rotary cylindrical container, and three cam followers, which are mounted at an upper intersection point between the circumference of the rotary cylindrical container and the vertical line and two points which are bilaterally spaced apart from an upper intersection point by a right angle. [Claim 9]

The organic waste decomposer according to claim 1 or

2, wherein the agitating screw is rotatably supported by a bearing provided at an end surface of the rotary cylindrical container which is opposite the end surface to which the transfer screw is coupled.

[Claim 10]

The organic waste decomposer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a radius of rotation of the agitating screw is greater than a radius of rotation of the transfer screw.

[Claim 11]

The organic waste decomposer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of anti-bulging ribs and a plurality of anti-torsion ribs are radially and alternately provided at the end surface of the rotary cylindrical container to which the cylindrical container-rotating drive unit is coupled.

[Claim 12]

The organic waste decomposer according to claim 2, wherein a bypass pipe is provided at a region of a duct of the dehumidified air circulation unit through which dry air flows, and a deodorization unit is provided on the bypass pipe. [Claim 13]

The organic waste decomposer according to claim 12, further comprising an air volume control valve, which is provided between the bypass pipe and the deodorization unit to control a flow rate of dry air.

[Claim 14]

The organic waste decomposer according to claim 12, wherein the deodorization unit includes a porous ceramic catalyst and a heating unit for increasing a temperature of dry air supplied from the bypass pipe.

[Claim 15]

The organic waste decomposer according to claim 14, wherein the deodorization unit is divided into at least two spaces, each of which is provided with the catalyst and the heating unit, the heating units being configured such that a downstream one of the heating units has a heating temperature higher than a heating temperature of an adjacent upstream heating unit.

[Claim lβ] The organic waste decomposer according to claim 14, wherein the deodorization unit is disposed on one end of the rotary cylindrical container, and includes an outlet port which directs heated dry air, passed through the heating unit, toward the rotary cylindrical container.

[Claim 17]

The organic waste decomposer according to claim 14, further comprising an auxiliary heating unit, which is provided outside the rotary cylindrical container to increase a surface temperature of the rotary cylindrical container.

[Claim 18] The organic waste decomposer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the agitating screw and the rotary cylindrical container are repeatedly rotated in forward and reverse directions at predetermined time intervals monitored using a timer.

[Claim 19]

The organic waste decomposer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotary cylindrical container is provided on a lower surface thereof with a temperature sensor and/or a moisture sensor to monitor a temperature and/or moisture content of organic waste.

[Claim 20]

The organic waste decomposer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotary cylindrical container is provided at a lower surface thereof with a temperature sensor and/or a moisture sensor, further comprising a control unit, which controls the heating unit, the heating wire and/or the dehumidification so as to maintain a temperature and/or a moisture content within a predetermined range.

[Claim 21]

The organic waste decomposer according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a bellows pipe communicating with the hopper for introducing external air therethrough.