Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C05—FERTILISERS; MANUFACTURE THEREOF
  • C05F—ORGANIC FERTILISERS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C05B, C05C, e.g. FERTILISERS FROM WASTE OR REFUSE
  • C05F17/00—Preparation of fertilisers characterised by biological or biochemical treatment steps, e.g. composting or fermentation
  • C05F17/30—Preparation of fertilisers characterised by biological or biochemical treatment steps, e.g. composting or fermentation using irradiation, e.g. solar or nuclear radiation; using electric or magnetic fields
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C05—FERTILISERS; MANUFACTURE THEREOF
  • C05F—ORGANIC FERTILISERS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C05B, C05C, e.g. FERTILISERS FROM WASTE OR REFUSE
  • C05F17/00—Preparation of fertilisers characterised by biological or biochemical treatment steps, e.g. composting or fermentation
  • C05F17/90—Apparatus therefor
  • C05F17/907—Small-scale devices without mechanical means for feeding or discharging material, e.g. garden compost bins
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
  • Y02P20/00—Technologies relating to chemical industry
  • Y02P20/141—Feedstock
  • Y02P20/145—Feedstock the feedstock being materials of biological origin
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
  • Y02W30/00—Technologies for solid waste management
  • Y02W30/40—Bio-organic fraction processing; Production of fertilisers from the organic fraction of waste or refuse

Definitions

• the invention concerns a composter in particular for composting biomass consisting of household and/or garden waste.
• Composters for domestic processing of biological waste have become quite widespread recently and represent an environmentally friendly, efficient and cost- effective method for the disposal of biological waste such as peels, residues of fruit and vegetables, grass, leaves, etc. that is generated in the household or garden and needs to be disposed of.
• Composting refers to an aerobic biological decomposition of such materials by the activity of microorganisms resulting in high-quality compost usable in the garden, for agricultural applications or for growing indoor flowers and plants.
• the facilities for such processing of organic waste materials known so far usually comprise a tank in the shape of a quadrangular prism or truncated pyramid mostly manufactured from some plastic material and equipped with a charging opening arranged in the upper part, and the picking opening arranged in the bottom part of the composter.
• the tank includes aerators of various types, for example those mentioned in the patent CZ 261 885, patent application DT 2620 977 A1 or in the patent US 6,482,627 B1 .
• Such aerators generally consist of a distribution system made of perforated tubes connected to the source of outdoor air such as a ventilator or compressor.
• plastic composters lies in the fact that the plastic materials utilizable for the manufacture of composters from the point of view of production and price tend to quickly degrade due to weather conditions, in particular temperature variations and UV radiation, and become fragile and cracky subsequently. Moreover, they fail to show sufficient dimensional stability, which is disadvantageous in particular in composters with larger dimensions. Also the attainment of the optimal combination and in particular stability of temperature inside the composter, which depends, among other things, on the surface material colour, uniform and permanent supply of the necessary quantity of air into all layers of biomass, is problematic. This combination is important for the growth of the aerobic flora that is able to decompose biomass without the unpleasant odour accompanying putrefactive processes.
• the patent application US 2009/0133324 A1 disclosed a composter adapted to grow plants simultaneously with composting.
• the composter is equipped with a pyramid- shaped cover that transmits solar radiation to the plants in flowerpots positioned in the upper part of the composter on a perforated grate above the compost.
• the cover is made of transparent or clear plastic material with applied photochemical layer blocking higher frequencies of the solar radiation.
• the composter walls are made of non-transparent plastic material and equipped with special locks for easy and quick assembly.
• the plastic structure of the walls has not a sufficient load-bearing capacity to support flowerpots, and the horizontal floor grates are inconvenient for the common use of the composter as they need to be removed whenever biomass is charged into the composter.
• the Chinese utility design disclosed in CN 204 981 674 (U) introduces a composter in the shape of a cylindrical vessel equipped with a spherical lid where the lid and/or the cylindrical vessel are made of wire-glass (armoured glass) and allow direct transmission of the whole range of the solar radiation spectrum into the composter.
• the solar radiation increases the temperature inside the composter to very high values, which results in a very intensive aerobic process of biomass degradation.
• Air is supplied into the internal part of the composter and the output from the composter is not compost but fermented liquid waste usable e.g. as a fertiliser in agriculture.
• the purpose of the invention is the provision of an improved design of the composter eliminating the deficiencies of the solutions described above, in particular in US 2009/0133324 A1 and CN 204 981 674 (U) to intensify biomass degradation and produce compost by utilizing the solar radiation effect while eliminating variations in temperature where the composter is used for the production of compost for gardening purposes with the composter design allowing plants to be grown without restricting the composter regular operation.
• the subject-matter of the invention is a composter intended in particular for composting biomass consisting of household and/or garden waste.
• the composter has the shape of a polyhedron, preferably a quadrangular prism or truncated pyramid, the upper base of which is equipped with a charging opening to charge biomass, and the bottom base contains a picking opening to pick compost.
• the internal part of the composter includes an aerator to supply oxygen needed for aerobic compost making processes.
• the essence of the invention rests in the fact that at least one of the composter walls is made of glass that is equipped with a surface or structural means to transform direct light hitting the external side of the wall into scattered light coming out of the internal side of the wall into the composter.
• the composter preferably consists of four walls made of glass attached one to another where either the bottom base of the composter can be open, or the walls can be supported by a metal, concrete, ceramic or other suitable base plate.
• the surface means for direct light conversion can be ideally comprised of chemically treated surface on one side or on both sides of the glass scattering the sunlight or artificial light into a number of directions.
• the same effect can also be achieved by alternative surface treatments of the glass, in particular by surface sand blasting or engraving, by painting the surface or applying diffusion film onto the surface, or by equipping the glass surface with a system of optical lenses, for example by rolling.
• the structural means for direct light conversion can consist in a coloured-through internal structure, formation of the so-called frosted glass, or in the integration of a system of lenses into the internal structure of the glass.
• the wall can also be formed of two or more parallel glass panes between which the means for direct light conversion is arranged.
• the composter comprises four glass walls where the adjacent walls are attached one to another by a bonded joint.
• the composter comprises four glass walls where the adjacent walls are attached by a bonded joint in the common L-shaped corner section.
• the corner section can be preferably made of metal or glass but it is possible to use sections made for example of plastic and metal as well.
• Another preferred embodiment of the composter lies in the design of the aerator consisting in the quadrangular frame formed by perforated tubes arranged at the bottom of the composter, the corners of which are the bases for vertical perforated aeration tubes reaching at the most up to the half of the walls height.
• the aerator designed in this manner provides for the optimal supply of oxygen into the entire volume of biomass.
• the picking opening is covered by a tilting door the width of which is the same as that of the wall, which allows convenient picking of the lower layer of compost.
• the composter has the shape of a quadrangular prism with the upper base opened where flowerpots for growing plants are suspended on the walls. Suspension can be realized by simple hooks as the glass walls have the necessary load-bearing capacity and the charging opening inside the composter remains free for charging biomass.
• the walls are designed preferably to be made of hardened, e.g. tempered glass. For proper function in cold seasons it is preferred if the composter is equipped with an external insulation shell from transparent or clear material, preferably bubble film.
• the advantages of the composter based on the invention consist in the fact that the conversion of direct light into diffusion scattered light results in a reduction of the extreme variations in temperature inside the composter during the 24-hour daily cycle as well as in the course of weeks, or months respectively. This is favourable for the stable activity of aerobic compost making bacteria so that the compost making process is quick and efficient.
• the stable thermal conditions are beneficial also for the plants that can be grown in the upper part of the composter.
• Another effect can be attained by the use of an external insulation shell made of transparent material providing year-round aerobic decomposition regardless of the low ambient temperature, for example in the winter season.
• Fig. 1 A perspective view of the composter in the shape of a quadrangular prism with four walls made of glass attached one to another using corner sections, with the open upper base where flowerpots with plants are placed,
• FIG. 2 A broken-out section of the composter of Fig. 1 depicting the aerator
• Fig. 3 A perspective view of the pyramidal composter in the shape of a quadruple truncated pyramid with four walls made of glass attached one to another using corner sections, with the open upper base where flowerpots with plants are placed
• Fig. 4 A perspective view of the composter of Fig. 1 equipped with the external insulation shell
• FIG. 5 A perspective view of the composter of Fig. 4 equipped also with a lid. Examples of the preferred embodiments of the invention
• Fig. 1 provides the composter in the shape of a quadrangular prism consisting of the four walls 4 made of glass which are attached one to another by the corner sections 6.
• the number of glass walls 4 can be different. One wall is sufficient to reach the minimum effect.
• the body of the composter can have the shape of both a regular and irregular polyhedron.
• the L-shaped corner sections 6 and their arms are formed by tempered glass straps glued together.
• the corner sections 6 can be metal, for example made of corrosion-proof metal, or plastic material.
• the walls 4 are glued in the corner sections 6.
• the composter 1_ can be formed without the corner sections 6 and the walls 4 are glued together by their contact areas.
• the upper base of the composter 1_ is open and the flowerpots 9 with the plants 10 are suspended along its inside circumference on its walls 4. Among the flowerpots 9 in the middle of the upper base, the charging opening 2, through which biomass is thrown into the composter 1, is found.
• the bottom base of the composter is open as well.
• the composter is placed onto the base plate 11 made of concrete, stone, pavement or similar material.
• the base plate consists of the rectangular frame installed under the walls 4, open inside.
• the front wall 4 has in its bottom part above the base plate 1 ⁇ the picking opening 3 covered by the glass tilting door 8 secured by the door bar 12.
• the front wall 4 and the tilting door 8 are equipped with the holes 13 for sensors by which it is possible to measure the temperature inside the composter 1_, and/or other parameters.
• the aerator 5 connected to the source of air 14 is arranged inside the composter.
• the design of the aerator is illustrated in detail in Fig. 2. Air from the source of air 14 is supplied to the quadrangular frame 7 forming the bases for four vertical perforated aerating tubes 8 reaching approximately up to a third of the height of the walls4.
• the three or four walls 4 of the tetrahedron are made of hardened or tempered glass, or from normal glass dimensioned to have the necessary strength.
• the glass can be either silica glass, or glass made on a different basis.
• the prerequisite for the proper function of the composter 1_ is that the wall 4 or walls 4 made of glass are equipped with a surface or structural means for the conversion of direct light into scattered light.
• the illustrated example of embodiment provides the glass surface matted by chemical etching but in other examples of embodiment the glass surface can be sand-blasted, engraved, with applied diffusion film, painted or equipped with a superficial system of optical lenses.
• glass with a treated internal structure such as coloured-through internal structure, frosted glass, internal system of optical lenses or sandwich structure, can be used.
• the most preferred variant for day-long illumination is the composter with the shape of any polyhedron, but the area of the glass walls 4 is such that it allows exposure to the solar radiation within the range of 270° of the composter 1_ circumference.
• the wall 4 that will be positioned in the northern side can be made of for example wood, or it can be equipped with a motif or plastic decoration or relief, and it can preferably include the door 8.
• the composter 1_ illustrated in Fig. 3 represents another example of the embodiment of the composter 1_ in the shape of a truncated square pyramid that is the most preferred to attain the optimal strength properties.
• Fig. 4 provides an example of the embodiment of the composter of Fig. 1 equipped with the external insulation shell 15, formed by polyethylene bubble film that is wound around the walls 4 of the composter 1_ several times.
• the external insulation shell 15 can be also made of other suitable transparent insulation materials.
• the invention can be supplemented by the lid 16, by which the composter 1_ can be covered in very cold seasons.
• the lid 16 can be equipped with perforation not provided in the illustration, and/or with the external insulation shell as shown in Fig. 5.
• the composter made according to the invention can be used in particular for composting biomass consisting of household and/or garden waste.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Microbiology (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Biotechnology (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Molecular Biology (AREA)
• Biochemistry (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• High Energy & Nuclear Physics (AREA)
• Sustainable Development (AREA)
• Toxicology (AREA)
• Processing Of Solid Wastes (AREA)
• Cultivation Receptacles Or Flower-Pots, Or Pots For Seedlings (AREA)
• Fertilizers (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=57353881

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (1)

Citations (8)

• 2016
  • 2016-09-27 CZ CZ2016-32861U patent/CZ29937U1/cs not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2017
  • 2017-09-26 WO PCT/CZ2017/050043 patent/WO2018059608A1/en not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (8)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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