WO2020117034A1

WO2020117034A1 - Technology and equipment for processing of eggshells

Info

Publication number: WO2020117034A1
Application number: PCT/MK2019/000003
Authority: WO
Inventors: Frosina MESHKOVA
Original assignee: KORDOSHKI, Dejan
Priority date: 2018-12-07
Filing date: 2019-11-15
Publication date: 2020-06-11

Abstract

Technological procedure for processing of eggshells consisting of subsequent steps of prewashing, washing, separation of the membrane from the shell, chemical reaction, dehydration and heat treatment while for carrying out the above mentioned processes specific equipment is being used which consist of conveyor belts, washing drum, separator, chemical reaction tank and dehydration drum.

Description

l

TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT FOR PROCESSING OF EGGSHELLS

Technical field to which invention relates

The invention “Technology and equipment for processing of shell eggs” according to the International patent classification (IPC), can be classified under the mark A47J43/14 (equipment for separation of egg parts) and A23L13/00 (procedure for separation of the membrane from the shell of the egg).

Technical problem solved by the invention

The subject of this invention is the whole set of equipment for processing of shell eggs. This equipment enables separation of the membrane from the shell of the egg. With this invention several technical problems that occur in similar equipment for similar usage are being solved, and those are the following:

Reduction in energy consumption while working with this kind of equipment

Reduction of high prices of the equipment and reduction of maintenance cost

- Simplification of the technological process for processing of shell eggs

All the above mentioned will be much clearer after the detailed description of the technical condition which will give a clear picture of the differences between the equipment of this invention and the other equipment known to the public.

State of the art The development and construction of process technology which will process shell eggs has been facing several challenges. The main challenge is the strength of the connection between the membrane and the shell which is 7,8mJ. It is important to separate the membrane from the shell because of the usefulness of each of these ingredients for the human body when separated, and would not have them if they were not separated. The second challenge is the risks of microbiological contamination and contamination of the product with foreign bodies (chicken manure). The microbiological contamination can occur due to the decomposition of the residues of the yolk and the egg white, but also other pathogens can be found such as Salmonella, E.coli and others. The microbiological contamination and the contamination with foreign bodies are serious threat not only for the final product and the end users but also for the actual process and the human factor involved in the production process.

Most of the existing patents have problems from different nature, some are . high in energy consumption, some are with very high prices due to the use of specialized, complex and expensive equipment, some have high maintenance cost, or are based on very complex technological processes. In general, most of the patents are missing simplicity and ergonomic design. There are also a number of additional difficulties in the processes, which relate to the preservation of the natural composition of both the shell and the membrane.

When searching for patent applications / patents that are relevant to the state of art to the extent known to the applicant, the following European Patents EP3060348, EP2568821 , EP1928616 have been found.

By reviewing the mentioned patents, it has been concluded that portions of the present invention is already known to the state of the art. Namely, there are solutions regarding the treatment of egg waste (eggshells) in a way that involves separating the hard and soft parts of the shell. In addition, certain procedures involve the complete transformation of the shells into a final product (without separation of essential parts), while some of the devices covered by the patent specifications found to be relevant to the specific technical problem do not relate to the invention as a whole.

Finally, the combination of two-component separation (organic and inorganic) with a tailor-made combination of devices and steps of the procedure, with the novelty due to the special choice of apparatus and its ergonomic adjustment as well as the ability to fully utilize the waste by obtaining two useful components the present invention sufficiently differs from similar solutions known to the state of the art.

Detailed description of the technical solution

For better understanding of the technical solution of the invention, firstly the technological process of egg shell processing will be described. At the same time, by explaining the steps of the technological procedure, the specificity of eggshell processing equipment will be more obvious.

The functional scheme of the technological procedure for processing of shell eggs has been showed in Figure 1 , which contains the following steps: • Prewashing and disinfection;

• Washing, where main washing of the egg shells is handled;

• Separation of the egg shell from the membrane;

• Obtaining of calcium citrate form in natural manner;

• Dehydration and heat treatment.

Figure 2 pictures the functional scheme of the necessary equipment for the processing of shell eggs, containing the following equipment:

(1 ) Prewashing conveyor belt;

(2) Washing drum;

(3) Conveyor belt towards separator;

(4) Separator;

(5) Conveyor belt for Calcium Carbonate;

(6) Tank for Calcium citrate;

(7) Conveyor belt for the membrane;

(8) Conveyor belt for Calcium citrate;

(9) Drum for dehydration.

The technical scheme for better understanding of the procedure is given in Figure 3.

The processing of eggshells begins with PREWASHING, which is the primary washing of the contaminated raw material (eggshells) while also using disinfectants.

Prewashing is taking place on a conveyor belt for prewashing (1 ) is driven by electromotor and speed reducer, controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC). In this step, the prewashing of the egg shells is performed by dozing of small quantities of water through a system of evenly distributed pipes. Pump is supplying the water. The belt is produced from rubber used in food processing, while the rollers, the stand and the pipes are from stainless steel, designed for use in food industry.

Next, the prewashed raw material is transported to a drum (2) where the washing process is performed and all the dirt is removed from the raw material preparing the raw material for the next downstream cycles. The drum (2) is made from stainless steel and is placed in a tube which is used for gathering all the dirt. The drum is driven by electromotor and speed reducer, water is dozed with a pump, both operations are controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC). The intake of dirty raw material, the outlet of clean raw material, as well as the speed of rotation are controlled through a system of automatic control. After the washing, the clean raw material, using the conveyor belt (3) is transported to a specially designed separator (4) where the separation of the membranes and the shells is performed. The separator (4) is composed of specially designed mixer which homogenizes the cleansed raw material. The mixer is driven by electromotor and speed reducer. Both phases (the organic - membrane and the inorganic (calcium carbonate) which are obtained in the process of separation are separated and taken out of the separator continuously which makes space for dosing a new batch of raw material. The entire operation of the separator (4) is controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC).

From the separator (4) the inorganic phase (calcium carbonate) via conveyor belt (5) is being transported to a tank (6) where the calcium carbonate is being transformed to calcium citrate using a chemical reaction, or the calcium carbonate and the separated membrane are being transported via conveyor belt (7) to further processes of dehydration and heat treatment.

The tank (6) where the chemical reaction takes place is specially designed with an automatic mixer. The dosing of air in the tank (6) is performed using a pump, while the feeding of the raw material and the outlet of the final product, the dosing of water and the speed of the mixing are controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC). When the chemical reaction is completed, the product (calcium citrate) is transported by a conveyor belt (8) for final dehydration and heat treatment.

The dehydrated and heat treated final product is further ready for packaging and use.

The technology described above is designed in a creative way that avoids the use of specialized machinery at high cost, such as: centrifuges, vacuum pumps, high-pressure pumps, cyclones, etc; which, despite the high cost, have high energy consumption and high maintenance requirements, which complicates the process itself and unnecessarily burdens the final product. Therefore, the equipment used is simple, avoiding high maintenance requirements.

The above described equipment is fully automated through an automated control system which maximally protects the human factor in all processes. A programmable logic controller with a touch screen can be operated locally or remotely via an internet connection.

Claims

1. A technological procedure for the processing of eggshells consisting of the following steps:

- Pre-washing, where the primary washing of the contaminated raw material (eggshells) is carried out and their disinfection as well,

- Washing or thoroughly washing the eggs from all dirt,

- Separation of the membrane shell,

- Chemical reaction where calcium is transformed naturally in calcium citrate;

- Dehydration and heat treatment, whereas for this technological process, the following specific equipment consist of:

- Prewash conveyor belt (1 )

- Washing drum

(2)

- Conveyor belt towards separator (3)

- Separator (4) - Conveyor belt for Calcium Carbonate (5)

- Tank for Calcium citrate (6)

- Conveyor belt for the membrane (7)

- Conveyor belt for Calcium citrate (8)

- Drum for dehydration (9) 2. The technological process in accordance to patent claim 1 wherein the pretreatment of the raw material takes place on the prewash conveyor belt (1 ) driven by an electric motor and reducer and controlled by a programmable logic controller and thereby the egg shells in this step are irrigated with dosing quantities of water through a system of evenly distributed pipes.

3. The technological process in accordance to patent claim 1 where the washing or more precisely the thorough washing of eggshells from all dirt takes place in a drum (2) driven by an electric motor and reducer while the amount of water used to wash the egg shells is dosed with a pump.

4. The technological process in accordance to patent claim 1 where the raw material is conveyed by a conveyor belt (4) to a separator (4) wherein the eggshells are separated, the separator is comprised of a mixer for homogenizing the raw material. The dosing of air in the tank (6) is carried out by means of a pump while the inlet and outlet of the raw material, water dosing and mixing speed are controlled by a programmable logic controller. The mixer is driven by an electric motor and a reducer, where the two phases, the inorganic - calcium and the organic - membranes obtained in the separation process are being continuously removed from the separator.

5. The technological process in accordance to patent claim 1 where the separation from the separator (4) of the inorganic phase - calcium carbonate by a conveyor belt (5) is transferred to a tank (6) where the calcium carbonate is subjected to chemical reaction converting it to calcium citrate, or it is left in carbonate form which is subsequently transported together with the separated membrane to dehydration and heat treatment via another conveyor belt (7).

6. The technological process in accordance to patent claim 5 where the tank (6) in which the chemical reaction is performed is composed of an automatic mixer. Upon completion of the chemical reaction, the calcium citrate obtained through the conveyor belt (8) is transported to the final step of the technological procedure, namely dehydration and heat treatment.

7. The technological process in accordance to patent claim 1 wherein the dehydration is carried out with appropriate heaters at a controlled temperature, first removing the moisture from the raw material (membrane, calcium carbonate and calcium citrate) and then drying it in a specially designed drum (9) for dehydration, being driven by an electric motor and reducer while raw material, the final product, the temperature, and the rotation speed are controlled by a programmable logic controller.