WO2022018016A1

WO2022018016A1 - Air purifying device, animal fattening system, and use

Info

Publication number: WO2022018016A1
Application number: PCT/EP2021/070129
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas Schmitt-John; Christian Buske
Original assignee: Plasmatreat Gmbh
Priority date: 2020-07-21
Filing date: 2021-07-19
Publication date: 2022-01-27
Also published as: WO2022018016A8; DE102020119222A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an air purifying device (110) for an animal fattening system (170, 180), comprising a treatment chamber (112), an air inlet (114) for introducing air (138) from the area (174, 184) of an animal fattening system (170, 180) into the treatment chamber (112), an air outlet (116) for discharging the purified air (162) out of the treatment chamber (112), and a spray device (120) which is designed to spray cleaning fluid into the treatment chamber (112) in order to interact with the air (138) flowing from the air inlet (114) to the air outlet (116) through the treatment chamber (112), wherein the air purifying device (110) has a production unit (70) which is designed to produce plasma-activated water (126), and the air purifying device (110) is designed to feed plasma-activated water (126) generated by the production unit (70) to the spray device (120) as cleaning fluid. The invention additionally relates to the use of the air purifying device (110) and to an animal fattening system (170, 180) comprising such an air purifying device (110).

Description

Air purification device, animal fattening facility and use

The present invention relates to an air purification device for an animal fattening facility with a treatment chamber, with an air inlet for introducing air from a room in an animal fattening facility into the treatment chamber, with an air outlet for discharging the cleaned air out of the treatment chamber and with a spray device which is set up to to spray cleaning fluid into the treating chamber for interaction with the air flowing through the treating chamber from the air inlet to the air outlet.

In animal fattening facilities, for example cattle, pig or poultry fattening, the air is enriched with pollutants such as ammonia, which is caustic and impairs the health of the animals. Animal fattening facilities must therefore be ventilated. For reasons of emission protection, the exhaust air from animal fattening facilities must not simply be discharged directly into the atmosphere, but must first be cleaned.

The air cleaning systems mentioned at the outset are known for cleaning the exhaust air from animal fattening operations. As a rule, a highly diluted, aqueous sulfuric acid is used as the cleaning liquid in these air cleaning systems, which, for example, binds the ammonia to form ammonium sulphate, so that the air is cleaned of ammonia.

The known air cleaning systems have the disadvantage that an extensive supply of sulfuric acid is required. Furthermore, known air cleaning systems cannot reliably remove odors or certain other ingredients from the exhaust air, so that odor nuisance and pollution of the environment of the animal fattening facility can emanate from animal fattening operations. Against this background, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved air purification system for animal fattening facilities.

This object is achieved in an air cleaning device for an animal fattening facility with a treatment chamber, with an air inlet for introducing air from a room in an animal fattening facility into the treatment chamber, with an air outlet for discharging the cleaned air from the treatment chamber and with a spray device that is set up to spraying cleaning fluid into the treatment chamber for interaction with the air flowing through the treatment chamber from the air inlet to the air outlet, according to the invention achieved in that the air cleaning device has a production unit that is set up to produce plasma-activated water, and that the air cleaning device is set up to Supply production unit generated plasma-activated water of the spray device as a cleaning liquid.

Plasma-activated water is liquid water or a liquid aqueous solution that has been activated by the action of a reactive gas stream emerging from an atmospheric plasma source. In particular, the water can be directly exposed to atmospheric plasma, such as an atmospheric plasma jet, that is to say with a working gas emerging from a plasma source which is at least partially still in the plasma state. Alternatively, the working gas emerging from the plasma source can also be applied to the water after the working gas has already been recombined, ie is no longer in the plasma state. It was found that such a recombined working gas still contains sufficient reactive species, such as ozone or nitrogen oxides, which form relatively long-lived reactive species such as hydroxyl radicals, hydrogen peroxide, nitric acid or nitrous acid in the water. It has been found that plasma-activated water works well as a cleaning liquid in the air cleaning device for cleaning air from an animal fattening facility. In particular, the nitric acid or nitrous acid typically present in the plasma-activated water can bind the ammonia from the air, for example to form ammonium nitrate. Furthermore, it was found that the use of plasma-activated water can also reduce odors, so that odor nuisance in the vicinity of the animal fattening facility can be reduced in this way. Furthermore, the plasma-activated water also has a certain disinfecting effect, so that its use as a cleaning liquid in the air cleaning device can also reduce the contamination with germs, in particular bacteria, viruses, spores or fungi, in the air.

Furthermore, the use of plasma-activated water has the advantage that the plasma-activated water can be produced on-site with the production unit. In particular, the plasma-activated water can be generated from resources that are typically readily available (e.g. water, air, electricity), so that storing chemicals such as sulfuric acid can be reduced or eliminated entirely.

The air purification device is intended for an animal fattening facility. For this purpose, the air cleaning device is in particular dimensioned such that the air cleaning device can be operated ^{with an air throughput of at least 50 m 3} /h, preferably at least 100 m ³ /h, in particular at least 500 m ^{3 /h.} For example, for larger animal fattening facilities, the air cleaning device can also be dimensioned in particular in such a way that the air cleaning device can be operated ^{with an air throughput of at least 5000 m 3 /h.}

The air cleaning device preferably has a housing, for example in the form of a container, in which the treatment chamber in particular is accommodated. The air inlet of the air cleaning device is used to introduce air from a room in an animal fattening facility. For this purpose, the air inlet can be designed, for example, in such a way that it can be connected to an opening in a wall of a room in an animal fattening facility in an air-conducting manner. The air inlet can also be formed directly through an opening in a wall of a room in an animal fattening facility, for example if the air cleaning device is integrated directly into a building in an animal fattening facility.

For example, the spray device may have a plurality of nozzles from which the plasma-activated water is sprayed into the treatment chamber. The nozzles can be, for example, sprinkler nozzles (quite large drops), spray nozzles (medium-sized drops) or nebulizer nozzles (small drops).

The production unit includes, in particular, a plasma source for generating a reactive gas flow and is set up to apply the reactive gas flow to water, so that plasma-activated water is produced.

The reactive gas stream is preferably cooled, in particular to a temperature below 100° C., before the reactive gas stream is applied to the water. In this way, excessive heating of the water is avoided. Furthermore, a more effective enrichment of the water with reactive species can be achieved in this way, since the proportion of reactive species, in particular reactive oxygen species, which are already reacting or recombining before contact with the water in the reactive gas stream is reduced when the gas stream is cooled. The cooling can be effected, for example, by a heat exchanger, ribbed cooler or intercooler.

The cooling of the gas flow is preferably effected in such a way that the temperature of the plasma-activated water in the production unit remains below 50°C, preferably below 40°C. The production unit can be connected to the spraying device, for example via a line and/or one or more intermediate tanks, in order to supply the spraying device with the plasma-activated water as a cleaning liquid.

The above-mentioned object is also achieved according to the invention by an animal fattening facility which has the air cleaning device described above or an embodiment thereof for cleaning the circulating air or exhaust air of the animal fattening facility.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned object is achieved according to the invention by using the air cleaning device described above or an embodiment thereof for cleaning the circulating air and/or exhaust air of an animal fattening facility.

The air purification device can be connected to the animal fattening facility, for example, in the form of an extension or superstructure. For example, it is conceivable to accommodate the air cleaning device in a container that can be set up outside of an animal fattening facility. Furthermore, it is conceivable to accommodate the air cleaning device directly in the building of the animal fattening facility.

With the air purification device, the exhaust air from an animal fattening facility can be cleaned so that the environment of the animal fattening facility is protected from harmful substances such as ammonia or from unpleasant odours. In this way, emission requirements for the exhaust air can be better met.

In addition, it was found that the cleaning of the air from an animal fattening facility from harmful ingredients, germs and/or odors works sufficiently well in the air purification device operated with plasma-activated water, so that the cleaned air can be fed back to the animal fattening facility and thus recirculation of the air is possible . In this way, the to the Environment to be derived exhaust air and thus an odor nuisance in the area can be further reduced.

Various embodiments of the air cleaning device, the animal fattening facility and the use are described below, with the individual embodiments each independently applying to the air cleaning device, to the animal fattening facility and to the use. In addition, the individual embodiments can be combined with one another.

In one embodiment, the production unit has an activation space for accommodating a volume of water and a plasma source for generating a reactive gas flow by means of electrical discharge in a working gas, the plasma source being connected to the activation space in such a way that a reactive gas flow generated with the plasma source is introduced into the activation space will. In this way, liquid water or an aqueous solution in the activation space can be subjected to a reactive gas stream, so that reactive species accumulate therein and plasma-activated water is produced in this way.

In one embodiment, the plasma source of the production unit is set up to generate the reactive gas flow in a working gas by means of an arc-type electrical discharge, in particular a high-frequency arc-type discharge.

In this way, a high concentration of certain reactive species can be generated in the gas stream, such as nitrogen oxides and/or fully or partially ionized or excited atoms or molecules. In particular, nitrogen oxides are increasingly generated by a high-frequency arc-like discharge, in particular when air is used as the working gas. By using such a reactive gas stream to produce the plasma-activated water, the formation of nitrous acid or nitric acid can be achieved in the liquid, which react in particular with the ammonia in the air when the plasma-activated water is sprayed in the treatment chamber, eg to form ammonium nitrate, and thereby reduce the ammonia concentration in the air. In addition, the nitrous acid and/or nitric acid leads to a low pH value in the plasma-activated water, which achieves a good disinfection effect, so that germs such as bacteria, viruses, spores or fungi are also killed in the air to be cleaned . In order to generate the arc-like electrical discharge, at least two electrodes are provided, in particular, as well as a voltage source in order to apply a high-frequency high voltage to the electrodes. The high-frequency high voltage for generating a high-frequency arc-like discharge has in particular a voltage strength in the range of 1-100 kV, preferably 1-50 kV, more preferably 10-50 kV, and a frequency of 1-300 kHz, in particular 1-100 kHz, preferably 10 - 100 kHz, more preferably 10 - 50 kHz.

In a further embodiment, the plasma source is set up to discharge the reactive gas flow by means of a dielectric barrier discharge in one

to generate working gas. Very high concentrations of certain reactive species, in particular ozone, can be generated in the gas stream by a dielectric barrier discharge. By using such a reactive gas flow to produce the plasma-activated water, the formation of hydroxyl radicals in the liquid can be brought about, which cause a good disinfection effect, so that germs such as bacteria, viruses, spores or fungi are killed in the air to be cleaned can become.

To generate the dielectric barrier discharge, at least two electrodes and a dielectric arranged between them can be provided, in particular, which causes a direct electrical discharge between the two electrodes obstructed. Preferably one of the electrodes is grounded. Furthermore, a voltage source is provided in particular to apply a high-frequency high voltage to the electrodes, for example with a voltage strength in the range from 5 to 15 kV and a voltage frequency in the range from 7.5 to 25 kHz, in particular 13 to 14 kHz.

In a further embodiment, the plasma source is set up to generate the reactive gas flow by means of an arc-like discharge in a working gas and by means of a dielectric barrier discharge in a working gas. For this purpose, the plasma source, for example, a first plasma nozzle

Generating a first reactive gas stream by means of an arc-like discharge in a working gas and having a second plasma nozzle for generating a second reactive gas stream by means of a dielectric barrier discharge in a working gas. For example, the first and second plasma nozzles may be operated alternately or simultaneously.

In a further embodiment, a disk aerator or an aeration element made of porous material is arranged in the activation space and the plasma source is connected to the activation space in such a way that the reactive gas stream is passed through the disk aerator or aeration element.

A disc aerator typically has, for example, a flat, gas-permeable element, for example with a large number, in particular hundreds or thousands, of small openings through which the reactive gas flow enters the liquid in the form of small bubbles with a correspondingly large surface area in relation to the volume and thereby interacting strongly with it. A similarly strong interaction is achieved by using an aeration element made of porous material, for example porous ceramic with its large inner surface. A suitable production unit with a disc aerator is known, for example, from EP 3 470364 A1. In one embodiment, an exhaust air device for venting the air flowing through the air outlet into the atmosphere is connected to the air outlet. In this way, the air cleaning device can be operated in exhaust air mode. The exhaust air device can, for example, comprise a chimney and/or further filters for further cleaning of the air before it is released into the atmosphere.

In a further embodiment, a recirculation device for recirculating the air flowing through the air outlet into the room is connected to the air outlet. In this way, the air cleaning device can be operated in air recirculation mode, so that the cleaned air can be fed back into the interior of the animal fattening facility. The recirculation device can have additional filters for further cleaning of the circulating air. The return device can, for example, be connected to a ventilation device of the animal fattening facility.

In a further embodiment, the spray device is arranged in the area of a ceiling of the treatment chamber. In particular, the spray device can have a plurality of nozzles arranged on a ceiling of the treatment chamber. Due to the arrangement of the spray device on the ceiling, the drops of the sprayed plasma-activated water fall away from the spray device due to gravity, so that compounds forming in the water droplets due to the purification of the air, such as ammonium nitrate, do not condense on the spray device.

In a further embodiment, the air inlet and the air outlet are arranged in such a way that the air flows at least in sections through the treatment chamber from bottom to top. In this way, the falling drops of plasma-activated water and the air to be cleaned meet in the opposite direction. In this way, a better cleaning effect can be achieved. Furthermore, airborne contamination of the sprayer is reduced, as the air only reaches the area of the spray device after it has passed through the treatment chamber.

In a further embodiment, the air cleaning device has a fan to transport air from the air inlet to the air outlet through the treatment chamber. For example, the fan can be provided at the air inlet to blow air into the treatment chamber. The fan can also be provided at the air outlet to draw air into the treatment chamber. In particular, the throughput of the air cleaning device can be adjusted with the fan.

In a further embodiment, the air cleaning device has a dirt filter for pre-cleaning the air, with the spray device being arranged downstream of the dirt filter in the direction of flow. In this way, coarse dirt, such as straw and the like, can be cleaned from the air before it enters the treatment chamber. In this way, excessive contamination of the treatment chamber is reduced, so that cleaning intervals can be extended.

In a further embodiment, the air purification device has a collection area, in particular on the bottom, for collecting the plasma-activated water. In this way, the plasma-activated water sprayed in the treatment chamber can be collected and discharged in a targeted manner.

The air purification device preferably has a discharge line for discharging the plasma-activated water from the collection area. In this way, the water enriched by cleaning the air with compounds such as ammonium nitrate or other impurities can be removed in a targeted manner and premature contamination of the treatment chamber can be prevented. In a further embodiment, the air cleaning device has a water circuit which is set up to feed the plasma-activated water discharged from the collection area back to the spray device. It was found that the plasma-activated water does not necessarily have to be disposed of after being sprayed once, but can be reused, so that water is saved. In particular, it has been found that after a single spray in the treatment chamber, the plasma-activated water still contains reactive species that may be sufficient for further spraying.

The water circuit can be set up to feed the plasma-activated water removed from the collection area back to the spray device via one or more tanks and/or one or more filters. In particular, a filter can be provided to clean the plasma-activated water of dirt particles that could permanently clog the spray device.

The water circuit can be set up to add fresh plasma-activated water to the plasma-activated water removed from the collection area and/or to conduct it at least partially through the production facility. In this way, the cleaning effect of the repeatedly used plasma-activated water can be increased again.

In a further embodiment, the air purification device has a production tank and an operating tank, with the production unit being connected to the production tank so that the plasma-activated water produced by the production unit is fed into the production tank, with the spray device being connected to the operating tank so that the spraying device is supplied with plasma-activated water from the operating tank, and a filling device for filling the operating tank from the production tank is provided. In this way, the production of plasma-activated water can be decoupled from the actual operation of the air cleaning device. This is particularly advantageous in a water circuit according to an embodiment described above, which is preferably routed via the service tank, so that the plasma-activated water discharged from the collection area does not come into direct contact with the production unit, thereby avoiding contamination.

For example, it can be provided that the air purification device is operated via the operating tank for a specific period of time, for example a week, optionally with the occasional supply of fresh plasma-activated water, and after the period of time has elapsed, the contents of the operating tank are completely flushed with fresh plasma-activated water from the production tank to replace.

For example, the production unit can be operated continuously and independently of the operation or throughput of the rest of the air cleaning system until the production tank is filled with fresh plasma-activated water. In this way, the fresh plasma-activated water can be produced with the production unit and stored in the production tank, while the rest of the air cleaning device is operated with the plasma-activated water in the operating tank. This enables the plasma-activated water in the service tank to be replaced with fresh plasma-activated water without delays in the production of plasma-activated water.

Further features and advantages of the air cleaning device, the animal fattening facility and the use result from the following description of exemplary embodiments, reference being made to the attached drawing.

Show in the drawing 1 shows a plasma source in the form of a plasma nozzle for generating an atmospheric plasma jet by means of an arc-like discharge,

2 shows a plasma source in the form of a nozzle for generating a reactive gas flow by means of a dielectric barrier discharge,

3 shows a production unit for producing plasma-activated water, FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of the air cleaning device, FIG. 5 shows the air cleaning device from FIG

FIG. 6 shows the air cleaning device from FIG. 4 in a further installation situation and a further exemplary embodiment of the animal fattening facility and the use of the air cleaning device.

1 shows a schematic sectional view of a plasma source 2 in the form of a plasma nozzle for generating a reactive gas stream 26 in the form of an atmospheric plasma jet by means of an arc-like discharge,

The plasma nozzle 2 has a metal nozzle tube 4 which tapers conically to form a nozzle opening 6 . At the end opposite the nozzle opening 6, the nozzle tube 4 has a swirl device 8 with an air inlet 10 for a gas flow 23, in particular a working gas, for example air or nitrogen.

An intermediate wall 12 of the twisting device 8 has a ring of bores 14 which are inclined in the circumferential direction and through which the gas flow is wired. The downstream, conically tapered part of the nozzle tube is therefore of flows through the gas stream in the form of a vortex 16, the core of which runs on the longitudinal axis of the nozzle tube. At the bottom of the intermediate wall 12 is

; An inner electrode 18 is arranged in the center and protrudes coaxially into the nozzle tube in the direction of the tapered section. The electrode 18 is electrically connected to the intermediate wall 12 and the remaining parts of the swirl device 8 . The twisting device 8 is electrically insulated from the nozzle tube 4 by a ceramic or quartz glass tube 20 . A high-frequency high voltage, which is generated by a transformer 22 , is applied to the electrode 18 via the twisting device 8 . The air inlet 10 is supplied with a gas flow 23 10 via a line which is not shown. The nozzle tube 4 is grounded. The applied voltage creates a

High-frequency discharge in the form of an arc 24 is generated between the electrode 18 and the nozzle tube 4.

The terms "arc", "arc discharge" or "arc-like discharge" are used herein as a phenomenological description of the discharge, since the discharge occurs in the form of an arc. The term "arc" is also used elsewhere as a form of discharge in DC discharges with essentially constant voltage values used. In the present case, however, it is a high-frequency discharge in the form of an arc, ie a high-frequency, arc-like discharge.

However, due to the swirling flow of the working gas, this arc is channeled in the vortex core on the axis of the nozzle tube 4 so that it only branches in the area of the nozzle opening 6 to the wall of the nozzle tube 4 . The working gas 25, which rotates at high flow speed in the area of the vortex core and thus in the immediate vicinity of the arc 24, comes into intimate contact with the arc and is thereby partially converted into the plasma state, so that an atmospheric plasma jet 26 emerges through the nozzle opening 6 of the plasma nozzle 2 exits.

30 FIG. 2 shows a perspective schematic sectional view of a further plasma source 32 in the form of a nozzle for generating a reactive gas flow by means of a dielectric barrier discharge. The nozzle 32 has a nozzle tube 34 made of metal, at the upstream end 35 of which a distributor head 36 with an inlet 37 for a gas flow 38, for example air, and with an annular distributor channel 40 is arranged. At the . An outlet nozzle 44 with a nozzle opening 46 is arranged at the opposite downstream end 42 of the nozzle tube 34, from which the reactive gas flow 38 enriched with reactive species emerges during operation.

A ceramic tube 48 extends from the distributor head 36 through the nozzle tube 34 into the outlet nozzle 44 in such a way that an annular discharge channel 50 extends from the distributor channel 40 between the nozzle tube 34 and the ceramic tube 48 to the outlet nozzle 44 . Instead of a ceramic tube, a tube made of quartz glass can also be considered, for example.

A tubular high-voltage electrode 52 made of metal is arranged on the inside of the ceramic tube 48, which is connected via a high-voltage cable 54 to a transformer 56, with which a high-frequency high voltage can be applied between the high-voltage electrode 52 and the grounded nozzle tube 34 acting as a counter-electrode. Instead of a tubular high-voltage electrode 52, a differently shaped high-voltage electrode can also be considered, for example in the form of a rounded sheet metal.

Insulating plugs 58 are arranged in the ceramic tube 48 and enclose the high-voltage electrode 52 and further prevent the working gas from flowing into the area of the high-voltage electrode 52 or from flowing out of the nozzle 32 through the ceramic tube 48 . Furthermore, a sealing ring 60 in a annular groove 62 used on the distributor head 36, which seals the distributor head 36 to the ceramic tube 48.

A coolant line 64 can be provided around the nozzle tube 34, through which a coolant for cooling the nozzle tube 34 can be conducted during operation. For example, the coolant line 64 may spiral around the nozzle tube 34 as shown.

In operation, a gas stream 38 is introduced into the header 36 through the inlet 37 such that the gas stream 38 flows through the annular discharge passage 50 .

A high-frequency high voltage is applied between the high-voltage electrode 52 and the nozzle tube 34 with the transformer 56, so that dielectrically impeded discharges occur in the discharge channel 50 in the region of the high-voltage electrode 52, as a result of which reactive species, in particular ozone, are generated in the gas stream 38 flowing there will.

The reactive gas stream 38 enriched with the reactive species emerges from the nozzle opening 46 .

FIG. 3 shows a production unit 70 for the production of plasma-activated water in a schematic sectional view. The production unit 70 comprises a container 72, for example made of glass, which surrounds an activation space 74 for containing a volume 76 of water. Instead of a glass cylinder, differently shaped containers can also be used. Furthermore, the container can also consist of plastic, preferably PVC, or metal, for example. A disk aerator 78 is provided on the bottom of the container, which has a supply line 80 for a working gas and a gas-permeable element 82. A plasma source 84 for generating a reactive gas stream is connected to the feed line 80 in such a way that the reactive gas stream 86 emerging from the plasma source 84 is introduced via the feed line 80 into the disk aerator 78 . The gas-permeable element 82 has a large number, in particular thousands, of small openings (the openings are shown exaggerated in the schematic illustration in FIG. 3.) through which the reactive gas stream 86 passes into the water volume 76 in the form of small bubbles. In this way, the volume of water 76 in the activation space 74 comes into intimate contact with the reactive gas flow 86 from the plasma source 84, so that the active species in the reactive gas flow 86, in particular ozone and/or nitrogen oxides, long-lived reactive species, in particular hydroxyl radicals, hydrogen peroxide, nitrous acid or nitric acid, in which water volume 76 form. In this way, plasma-activated water can be produced.

Instead of the disc aerator 78, an aeration element made of porous material, for example made of porous ceramic, can be arranged in the container 72, into which the reactive gas stream 86 is introduced via the feed line 80. Due to the large inner surface of such an aeration element, there is an intensive interaction between the reactive gas stream 86 and the water in the water volume 76, as a result of which plasma-activated water can also be produced.

The plasma source 84 can in particular be designed like the plasma source 2 from FIG. 1 . Such a plasma source generates a reactive gas flow in the form of a plasma jet 26 which has a fairly high content of nitrogen oxides and partially ionized atoms and molecules. The interaction of such a gas flow with the volume of water 76 results in plasma activated water containing nitrous acid and/or nitric acid. It was found that plasma-activated water produced in this way can be used to clean the air from an animal fattening facility, since ammonia in the air to be cleaned is caused by the nitrous acid or nitrous acid contained in the plasma-activated water. Nitric acid is bound, for example to ammonium nitrate, so that the ammonia content in the air is reduced. In addition, it has been shown that plasma-activated water has a disinfecting effect on the air to be cleaned, killing the germs it contains.

Alternatively, the plasma source 84 can also be designed like the plasma source 32 from FIG. 2 . Such a plasma source generates a reactive gas stream 38 which has a very high ozone content and possibly partially ionized atoms and molecules. The interaction of such a gas flow with the water volume 76 results in plasma-activated water containing hydroxyl radicals and optionally hydrogen peroxide. Such plasma-activated water can also be used to clean and/or disinfect air from an animal fattening facility. In this case, a plasma source as in FIG. 1 is preferably additionally provided for the removal of the ammonia from the air, in order to generate sufficient nitrous acid or nitric acid in the plasma-activated water.

Accordingly, it is conceivable to use several plasma sources. For example, in addition to the plasma source 84, a further plasma source 85 can be provided, which leads a further reactive gas stream 87 to the disc aerator 78 via the feed line 80, which in this case has a T-piece, for example. In particular, various types of plasma sources can be used in order to adjust the quality of the plasma-treated water as required. If, for example, a plasma source such as plasma source 2 from FIG. 1 is used as plasma source 84 and a plasma source such as plasma source 32 from FIG Acid or nitric acid and by the ozone from the plasma source 85 has a content of hydroxyl radicals. The plasma activated water produced in this way has proven to be effective in removing ammonia, odors and germs from the air to be cleaned. The reactive gas flow 86 or, in the case of several plasma sources, the reactive gas flows 86, 87 are preferably cooled before they are introduced into the disc aerator 78. For this purpose, a cooling device 89 can be provided on the supply line, for example in the form of a tube provided with a ribbed cooler. The temperature of the reactive gas flow 86 or 87 can be several 100° C. immediately upon exit from the plasma source 84 or 85, for example in the range of 300-400° C. The gas stream 86 or 87 is preferably cooled to a temperature below 100° C. by the cooling device before it reaches the disk aerator 78 . Furthermore, it is preferably cooled in such a way that the temperature of the water volume 76 remains below 50.degree. C., in particular below 40.degree.

In order to be able to discharge the portion of the reactive gas stream 86 that is not dissolved in the water 76 in a controlled manner, in particular to be able to suck it off, the container 72 has a cover 88 with a vent connection 90 to which a suction device (not shown in FIG. 3) can be connected can [at arrow 92).

Furthermore, the production unit 70 has an inlet 94 connected to a water supply 96, for example the local water supply network, in order to fill the activation space 74 with water.

The production unit 70 also has an outlet 98 for discharging the plasma-activated water from the activation space 74 . Fig. 4 now shows an embodiment of the air cleaning device for an animal fattening facility.

The air cleaning device 110 has a treatment chamber 112 , an air inlet 114 and an air outlet 116 . On the ceiling 118 of the treatment chamber 112, a spray device 120 is arranged with a plurality of nozzles 122, which via a supply line 124 with plasma-activated water 126 as Cleaning liquid to be supplied, which is sprayed through the nozzles 122 in the treatment chamber 112.

A collection area 130 for collecting the plasma-activated water 126 sprayed in the treatment chamber 112 is provided on the floor 128 of the treatment chamber 112, with a discharge line 132 in the form of a dip tube 136 connected to a pump 134 in order to discharge the collected plasma-activated water 126 from the treatment chamber 112. The air inlet 114 and the air outlet 116 are arranged so that through the

Air inlet 114 to be cleaned flows at least in sections from bottom to top through the treatment chamber 112 to the air outlet 116 . In this way, effective cleaning of the air is achieved. The air flow from the air inlet 114 to the outlet 116 can be achieved by a fan 139, which is preferably arranged at the outlet 116, since it is less polluted there.

A dirt filter 140 is arranged in the area of the air inlet 114 in order to filter in particular coarse suspended matter from the air 138 . Additional filters, such as dust filters, may be provided to further pre-filter the air 138 before it enters the treatment chamber 112 . In this way, contamination of the treatment chamber 112 can be further reduced.

An air distributor 142 in the form of a perforated plate is arranged in the treatment chamber 112 below the spray device 120 in order to distribute the flow of air 138 to be cleaned over the entire cross section of the treatment chamber 112 .

The air purification device 110 also has the production unit 70 from FIG. 3 for the production of plasma-activated water (shown purely schematically as a rectangle in FIG. 4). The air purification device 110 is set up to to supply plasma-activated water generated by the production unit 70 to the spray device 120 as a cleaning liquid.

For this purpose, the production unit 70 could be connected to the supply line 124 with its outlet 98, for example via a pump, directly or via an intermediate tank.

In the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 4, the production unit 70 is connected to the supply line 124 via two intermediate tanks, namely via a production tank 150 and an operating tank 152.

The plasma-activated water generated by the production unit 70 first reaches the production tank 150 from the outlet 98 via a controllable pump 153, in which fresh plasma-activated water is collected. A quantity of fresh plasma-activated water can be pumped from the production tank 150 into the operating tank 152 via a filling device 154 with a pump 155 .

The service tank 152 is connected to a water circuit line 156 together with the spray device 120 and the discharge line 132 . When this water circuit 156 is in operation, the spray device 120 is supplied with plasma-activated water from the operating tank 152 via a pump 158 and the feed line 124 , which water is then sprayed in the treatment chamber 112 . The plasma-activated water collected in the collection area 130 is pumped back into the operating tank 152 via the discharge line 132 and the pump 134 via an optional filter 160 so that it can be supplied to the spray device 120 again. The filter 160 can, for example, remove suspended solids from the plasma-activated water, thereby preventing contamination of the service tank 152 and clogging of the spray device 120 . It is conceivable, for example, to operate the spray device 120 for a few days with the same volume of plasma-activated water from the operating tank 152, if necessary with the occasional addition of a proportion of fresh plasma-activated water from the production tank 150, and at certain time intervals the old plasma-activated water from the operating tank Drain 152 and completely replace with fresh plasma activated water from the production tank 150.

The resulting separation of the production of plasma-activated water for use of the plasma-activated water in the spray device 120 has the advantages that the plasma-activated water in the production tank 150 is not contaminated by the plasma-activated water returned via the discharge line 132 and that the production tank 152 can be refilled with fresh plasma-activated water can take place without a long interruption, because the fresh plasma-activated water has already been produced during the operation of the spray device 120 in stock.

When the air cleaning device 110 is in operation, the air 138 to be cleaned is sucked in via the air inlet 114 by the fan 139 . The air 138 is first cleaned of coarse suspended particles at the pre-filter 140 and flows, distributed by the air distributor 142 over the entire cross section of the treatment chamber 112, from bottom to top through the treatment chamber 112 to the outlet 116. At the same time, the spray device 120 plasma-activated water 126 in the Treatment chamber 112 sprayed. The fine droplets of the sprayed plasma-activated water 126 interact with the air flowing through the treatment chamber 112 so that it is cleaned and leaves the outlet 116 of the air cleaning device 110 as cleaned air 162 .

Fig. 5 shows the air cleaning device 110 from Fig. 4 in an installation situation and an exemplary embodiment of the use of the air cleaning device 110 and an animal fattening facility 170. The animal fattening facility 170 includes the actual building 172 of the animal fattening facility 170 with an interior 174 in which the animals of the fattening operation, such as cattle, pigs or chickens, are housed. The air cleaning device 110 from FIG. 4 is attached to the building 172 of the animal fattening facility 170, the individual components of the air cleaning device 110 shown in FIG. 4 (not shown in FIG. 5 for the sake of clarity) being accommodated in a container 175. The air inlet 114 is connected to an exhaust air opening in the interior 174 of the building 172 so that the air 138 to be cleaned reaches the air cleaning device 110 from the interior 174 of the building 172 via the air inlet 114 .

In the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 5, the air cleaning device 110 has an exhaust air device 176 in the form of a chimney, through which the cleaned air 162 reaches the atmosphere. By cleaning the air with the plasma-activated water, problematic ingredients such as ammonia and odors can be removed from the air from the interior 174, so that prescribed emission limit values can be complied with and the odor nuisance for the environment can be reduced. FIG. 6 shows the air cleaning device 110 from FIG. 4 in a further one

Installation situation and another exemplary embodiment of the use of the air purification device 110 and an animal fattening facility 180.

Like the animal fattening facility 170, the animal fattening facility 180 comprises a building 182 with an interior space 184 in which the animals of the fattening operation are accommodated. the

Air purification device 110 is integrated directly into the building 182 in the exemplary embodiment in FIG Air cleaning device 110 arrives (the individual components of the air cleaning device 110 from FIG. 4 are not shown in FIG. 6 for the sake of clarity). In the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 6 , the air cleaning device 110 has a return device 186 which is connected to a ventilation system 188 of the interior 184 so that the cleaned air 162 is fed back to the interior 184 .

By cleaning the air with the plasma-activated water, problematic ingredients such as ammonia and odors can be removed from the air from the interior 184, so that air recirculation as in FIG. 6 is also possible. In this way, any residual odors can be kept within the animal fattening facility 180, as a result of which the odor nuisance for the environment is further reduced.

Claims

P a t e n t claims

1. Air cleaning device (110) for an animal fattening facility (170, 180), with a treatment chamber (112), with an air inlet (114) for introducing air (138) from a room (174, 184) of an animal fattening facility (170, 180) into the treatment chamber (112), with an air outlet (116) for discharging the cleaned air (162) from the treatment chamber (112) and with a spray device (120) which is adapted to spray cleaning liquid to interact with that from the air inlet (114) to the air outlet (116) through the treatment chamber (112) flowing air (138) in the

treatment chamber (112), characterized in that the air cleaning device (110) has a production unit (70) which is set up to produce plasma-activated water (126), and - that the air cleaning device (110) is set up to produce from the

Production unit (70) to supply generated plasma-activated water (126) of the spray device (120) as a cleaning liquid.

2. Air cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that the manufacturing unit (70) has a

Activation chamber (74) for accommodating a volume of water (76) and a plasma source (2, 32, 84, 85) for generating a reactive gas stream (26, 38, 86, 87) by means of electrical discharge in a working gas, the plasma source (2nd , 32, 84, 85) is connected to the activation chamber (74) in such a way that a reactive gas stream generated with the plasma source (2, 32, 84, 85).

(26, 38, 86, 87) is introduced into the activation space (74).

3. Air purification device according to claim 2, characterized in that the plasma source (2, 32, 84, 85) is set up to generate the reactive gas flow by means of an arc-like discharge in a working gas and/or by means of a dielectrically impeded discharge in a working gas.

4. Air purification device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that a disk aerator (78) or an aeration element made of porous material is arranged in the activation space (74) and that the plasma source (2, 32, 84, 85) is connected to the activation space ( 74) is connected such that the reactive gas flow (26, 38, 86, 87) is passed through the disk aerator (78) or through the aeration element.

5. Air purification device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at the air outlet (116) an exhaust device

(176) for venting the air (162) flowing through the air outlet (116) to atmosphere.

6. Air cleaning device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that at the air outlet (116).

Return device (186) for returning the through the air outlet (116) flowing air (162) is connected to the space (174, 184).

7. Air cleaning device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the spray device (120) in the region of a

Ceiling (118) of the treatment chamber (112) is arranged.

8. Air cleaning device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the air inlet (114) and the air outlet (116) are arranged such that the air (138) flows at least in sections from bottom to top through the treatment chamber (112).

9. Air cleaning device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the air cleaning device (110) has a fan (139) in order to transport air (138) from the air inlet (114) to the air outlet (116) through the treatment chamber (112). .

10. Air cleaning device according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the air cleaning device (110) has a dirt filter (140) for pre-cleaning the air (138), the spray device (120) being arranged downstream of the dirt filter (140) in the direction of flow .

11. Air cleaning device according to one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the air cleaning device (110) has a collecting area (130), in particular on the bottom side, for collecting the plasma-activated water (126).

12. Air cleaning device according to one of claims 11, characterized in that the air cleaning device (110) has a discharge line (132) for discharging the plasma-activated water (126) from the collecting area (130).

13. Air cleaning device according to Claim 12, characterized in that the air cleaning device (110) has a water circuit (156) which is set up to circulate the plasma-activated water (126) discharged from the collecting area (130), optionally via a tank (152) and / or a filter (160) to be fed back to the spray device (120). 14. Air cleaning device according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the air cleaning device (110) has a production tank (150) and a service tank (152), the production unit (70) being connected to the production tank (150) so that the plasma-activated water (126) produced by the production unit (70) is fed into the production tank (150). , wherein the spraying device (120) is connected to the service tank (152) so that the spraying device (120) is supplied with plasma-activated water (126) from the service tank (152), and a filling device (154) for filling the service tank ( 152) from the production tank (150). 15. animal fattening facility (170, 180) having an air cleaning device (110) according to any one of claims 1 to 14 for cleaning the circulating air or exhaust air of the animal fattening facility (170, 180).

16. Use of the air cleaning device (110) according to any one of claims 1 to 14 for cleaning the circulating air and/or exhaust air of an animal fattening facility (170, 180).