JP7635942B2 - Fermentation treatment device and composting method using the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fermentation treatment device that ferments waste materials including selected branches, weeds, food waste, etc., and a composting method using the same.

As a method for fermenting organic waste such as livestock manure, a method has been proposed in which the waste is granulated before processing and then placed in a fermentation tank, where it is subjected to primary aerobic fermentation, followed by secondary anaerobic fermentation, and after this secondary fermentation, it is dried and used as fertilizer (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this fermentation method, during primary fermentation, hot air at 60 to 70°C is supplied into the fermentation tank to raise the internal temperature to around 35°C (the temperature at which primary fermentation is maintained), thus raising the temperature inside the fermentation tank so that primary fermentation continues. Also, when secondary fermentation begins after the primary fermentation has ended, hot air at around 70°C is supplied into the fermentation tank to raise the temperature inside the fermentation tank, thus allowing secondary fermentation to be completed in a short time.

At the end of this secondary fermentation, the treated material (granular waste) has a moisture content of 50-65%, so it is dried, for example by natural drying or forced drying using a dryer, until the moisture content is around 35%. A portion of the dried material is used as a moisture regulator for the waste being treated, and the remainder is used, for example, as fertilizer.

JP 2001-170693 A

However, in this fermentation method, when primary fermentation is carried out, hot air at 60-70°C is supplied to the material to be treated (granular waste) contained in the fermenter for, for example, 2-3 hours to raise the temperature, and when secondary fermentation is carried out, hot air at around 70°C is supplied to the material to be treated for, for example, 6-8 hours to raise the temperature. This necessitates the installation of equipment to supply hot air, which raises the problem of increased equipment costs. In addition, the need to send hot air for fermentation treatment raises the problem of increased fuel costs for generating hot air, in other words, processing costs.

The object of the present invention is to provide a fermentation treatment device that utilizes a fermentation treatment container and can ferment waste within the container to produce compost.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a composting method that utilizes a fermentation container and can compost waste while it is contained within the container.

The fermentation treatment device of the present invention comprises a fermentation treatment container having a container body for accommodating waste to be fermented, an air ejection means disposed at a bottom of the container body, and an air supply means for supplying air to the air ejection means,
a bottom surface and four side surfaces of the inside of the container body are substantially entirely covered with mesh-like or slat-like sheets or plates, gaps are formed between the four side surfaces of the container body and the sheets or plates, and the gaps are continuous in the up-down direction of the container body;
the air ejection means includes an air distribution pipe disposed on one end side of the container body, and a plurality of branch ejection pipes connected to the air distribution pipe at intervals, the tip sides of the plurality of branch ejection pipes extend from the one end side to the other end side of the container body, and a plurality of air ejection holes are provided at intervals in the longitudinal direction thereof,
When the waste in the container body is fermented, air at a first pressure is supplied from the air supply means to the air jetting means to perform a primary fermentation process on the waste in the container body, and then air at a second pressure lower than the first pressure is supplied from the air supply means to the air jetting means to perform a secondary fermentation process on the waste in the container body, and a portion of the air supplied into the container body during the primary fermentation process and the secondary fermentation process flows into the gap through the sheet or plate, and flows upward through the gap .

In such a fermentation treatment apparatus, it is preferable to provide a pair of support partition walls on both sides of each of the multiple branch jet pipes of the air ejection means along the longitudinal direction of each branch jet pipe, and to provide a resin sheet or resin plate to cover the multiple branch jet pipes and their corresponding support partition walls.By configuring in this manner, air from the multiple branch jet pipes can be made to flow upward toward the waste, and adhesion of the waste to these branch jet pipes can be suppressed.

It is preferable that the resin sheet as a sheet or the resin plate as a plate is fixed to the four side surfaces of the container body by fixing plates, and is not fixed to the bottom surface of the container body.By configuring in this manner, the resin sheet or resin plate is supported in contact with the bottom of the container body, thereby preventing a large load from being applied to the resin sheet or resin plate.

The air supply means can also be configured with a pressure switching supply means capable of switching the pressure of the supplied air. In this case, the pressure of the air supplied from the pressure switching supply means can be set to a first pressure during primary fermentation, and the pressure of the air supplied from the pressure switching means can be set to a second pressure during secondary fermentation.

This air supply means may be composed of a first supply means for supplying air at a first pressure and a second supply means for supplying air at a second pressure. In this case, during primary fermentation, the first supply means may be connected to the air ejection means to supply air at the first pressure, and during secondary fermentation, the second supply means may be connected to the air ejection means to supply air at the second pressure.

Furthermore, it is preferable to provide a pair of support legs at one end of the bottom of the container body, and a pair of rotatable support wheels at the other end. With this configuration, it becomes possible to load the container body onto the vehicle's loading platform using the loading arm mechanism on the vehicle side.

The fermentation treatment apparatus of the present invention comprises a fermentation treatment container having a container body for accommodating waste to be fermented, an air ejection means disposed at a bottom of the container body, and an air supply means for supplying air to the air ejection means,
The bottom surface and the four side surfaces of the inside of the container body are substantially entirely covered with a mesh-like or slat-like sheet or plate,
the air ejection means includes an air distribution pipe disposed on one end side of the container body, and a plurality of branch ejection pipes connected to the air distribution pipe at intervals, the tip sides of the plurality of branch ejection pipes extend from the one end side to the other end side of the container body, and a plurality of air ejection holes are provided at intervals in the longitudinal direction thereof,
Furthermore, a pair of support partition walls are provided on both sides of each of the plurality of branch ejection pipes of the air ejection means along the longitudinal direction of the corresponding branch ejection pipe, the pair of support partition walls protrude upward beyond the corresponding branch ejection pipe, and the sheet or plate is disposed so as to cover the plurality of branch ejection pipes and the corresponding support partition walls,
When the waste in the container body is fermented, air at a first pressure is supplied from the air supply means to the air jetting means to perform a primary fermentation process on the waste in the container body, and then air at a second pressure lower than the first pressure is supplied from the air supply means to the air jetting means to perform a secondary fermentation process on the waste in the container body.
Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for composting waste, which comprises the steps of:
the waste is crushed and crushed into small pieces; a granule formation step of forming an additive mixture obtained by adding purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria to the waste crushed in the crushing and crushing step and mixing the bacteria into a number of granules; an additive mixed granule accommodation step of accommodating the number of additive mixed granules formed in the granule formation step in a fermentation container having a bottom and four side surfaces substantially entirely covered with a mesh or slat-like sheet or plate ; a primary fermentation step of supplying air at a first pressure from an air supply means to perform a primary fermentation treatment on the additive mixed granules in the fermentation container; and a secondary fermentation step of, after the primary fermentation step, supplying air at a second pressure lower than the first pressure from the air supply means to perform a secondary fermentation treatment on the additive mixed granules in the fermentation container .
The fermentation treatment container is characterized in that a continuous gap is formed in the vertical direction between the four side walls of the container body and the sheet or plate, and a portion of the air supplied into the container body in the primary fermentation process and the secondary fermentation process is caused to flow through the sheet or plate into the gap and then upward through the gap .

According to the fermentation treatment apparatus (and the composting method using the same) of the present invention, waste to be fermented is contained in the container body of a fermentation treatment container, air jetting means is disposed at the bottom of the container body, air from the air supplying means is supplied to the air jetting means, and the air thus supplied is jetted from the air jetting means. When the waste in the container body is subjected to fermentation treatment, air at a first pressure from the air supplying means is first jetted from the bottom of the container body onto the waste, so that the air at the first pressure flows through the waste contained in the container body, and a primary fermentation treatment can be performed on the waste. Thereafter, air at a second pressure from the air supplying means is supplied to the waste from the bottom of the container body, so that the air at the second pressure flows through the waste, and a secondary fermentation can be performed on the waste after the primary fermentation.
In addition, since substantially the entire inside bottom surface and four side surfaces of the container body are covered with a mesh or slat-like sheet or plate, some of the air ejected from the air ejection means into the container body flows into the gaps between the four side surfaces of the container body and the sheet or plate, and the air flow flowing through these gaps adequately dries the waste on the surface side of the sheet or plate, thereby preventing the contained waste from adhering to the container body.
Furthermore, according to the fermentation treatment apparatus of the present invention, a pair of support partition walls are provided along the longitudinal direction of each branch jet pipe on both sides of each air jet means, and a sheet or plate is provided to cover the multiple branch jet pipes and their corresponding support partition walls, so that air from the multiple branch jet pipes can flow upward toward the waste and adhesion of the waste to these branch jet pipes can be suppressed.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic example of a vehicle for transporting a fermentation treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a simplified partial explanatory diagram showing the state in which the fermentation treatment device is being pulled toward the vehicle. FIG. 2 is a simplified partial explanatory diagram showing a state in which a part of the fermentation treatment apparatus is placed on a loading platform in preparation for loading the apparatus onto a vehicle. FIG. 2 is a simplified partial explanatory diagram showing the state in which the fermentation treatment apparatus is lifted onto the loading platform of the vehicle. FIG. 2 is a simplified partial explanatory diagram showing the state in which the fermentation treatment device is pulled up onto the loading platform of the vehicle and moved forward. FIG. 2 is a rear view of an embodiment of the fermentation treatment apparatus as viewed from the rear side of the vehicle. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the fermentation treatment apparatus of FIG. 6 . 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7 . 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 7 . 7 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view showing a corner portion of a container body of the fermentation treatment device of FIG. 6. FIG. 2 is a process diagram showing an example of the treatment steps of the waste composting treatment method according to the present invention. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a simplified example of a vehicle used for handling a fermentation treatment apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a fermentation treatment apparatus according to another embodiment. FIG. 4 is a process diagram showing another example of the treatment process of the waste composting treatment method according to the present invention.

Below, an embodiment of the fermentation treatment device according to the present invention and a composting method using the same will be described with reference to the attached drawings. First, a fermentation treatment device and a vehicle for transporting the same will be generally described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5. In Figs. 1 and 2, a vehicle 2 (e.g., a container loading vehicle) has a vehicle body 4, a driver's cab section 6 is provided at the front of the vehicle body 4, and a loading platform section 8 is provided at the rear of the vehicle body 4. The loading platform section 8 is provided with a loading arm mechanism 12 and a locking device 14. The loading arm mechanism 12 is used when loading and unloading a fermentation treatment device 10 (see Figs. 2 to 5) onto and from the loading platform section 8, and the locking device 14 is used to lock and hold the loaded fermentation treatment device 10 on the loading platform section 8.

The loading arm mechanism 12 includes an arm mechanism 16 used when moving the fermentation treatment device 10, and this arm mechanism 16 includes a loading arm 18 supported so as to be freely rotatable in the front-rear direction, and a hook arm 22 having a hook 20 at its tip, and this hook arm 22 is rotatably attached to the tip of the loading arm 18. The loading arm 18 includes a cylindrical base member 24 that extends in a substantially straight line, and a substantially L-shaped movable member 26 that is attached to the base member 24 so as to be freely slidable in the front-rear direction, and the hook arm 22 is provided at the tip of this movable member 26.

In relation to this loading arm mechanism 12, there are provided a first cylinder mechanism 28 for rotating the loading arm 18, a second cylinder mechanism 30 for rotating the hook arm 22, and a third cylinder mechanism (not shown) for sliding the movable member 26 of the loading arm 18 in the forward and backward directions relative to the base member 24.

A pair of guide rollers 32 (only one is shown in Figs. 1 to 5) are rotatably provided at the rear end of the loading platform 8. The guide rollers 32 rotate and act on the bottom surface of the fermentation treatment device 10 when it is attached to or detached from the loading platform 8, supporting the bottom surface and acting to facilitate a smooth attachment and detachment operation. A locking portion 34 (see Fig. 2) is provided at the bottom of the fermentation treatment device 10 in correspondence with the locking device 14 on the loading platform 8 side. When the fermentation treatment device 10 is positioned at a predetermined loading position on the loading platform 8, the locking portion 34 is locked and engaged with the locking device 14, and the fermentation treatment device 10 is fixed at this predetermined loading position.

The front bottom of the fermentation treatment device 10 is provided with a pair of support legs 36 (only one shown in Figs. 2 to 5) spaced apart in the width direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper in Figs. 2 to 5, the left-right direction in Figs. 6 and 8), and a pair of support wheels 38 (only one shown in Figs. 2 to 5) are rotatably provided at the rear bottom, spaced apart in the width direction. When the fermentation treatment device 10 is placed on the ground, the pair of support legs 36 are grounded on the ground at the front side, and the pair of support wheels 38 are grounded at the rear side (see also Fig. 9).

As such a vehicle 2, a container loading vehicle that is well known in itself can be used, and as the loading structure of the fermentation treatment device 10 that is loaded onto this container loading vehicle, a loading structure that is well known in itself and that is used for the containers loaded onto this loading vehicle can be used. For specific configurations, please refer to, for example, JP 2010-58753 A.

Next, the loading operation of the fermentation treatment device 10 onto the loading platform 8 of the vehicle 2 will be described. With reference to Figures 3 to 5 as well as Figures 1 and 2, when loading the fermentation treatment device 10, the vehicle 2 is brought closer to the fermentation treatment device 10 placed on the ground. Then, as can be seen from Figure 2, the movable member 26 of the loading arm 18 is slid backward to bring the loading arm 18 closer to the fermentation treatment device 10. Thereafter, the loading arm 18 is rotated, and accompanying this rotational movement, the hook arm 16 is also rotated.

Next, the actual loading of the fermentation treatment device 10 is performed. The second cylinder mechanism 30 is extended to rotate the hook arm 16 forward (upward), and the hook 20 is engaged with the engagement portion 42 (omitted in Figures 6 and onward) provided on the front side of the fermentation treatment tank 10. Then, as shown in Figure 2, the loading arm 18 is rotated forward. By rotating it in this manner, the fermentation treatment device 10 is moved toward the vehicle body 4 with the pair of support wheels 38 in contact with the ground 40, and the front side of the fermentation treatment device 10 is lifted upward.

When the loading arm 18 is rotated forward from this state, as shown in FIG. 3, the front bottom of the fermentation treatment device 10 comes into contact with and is supported by a pair of guide rollers 32, and when it is rotated further forward, the fermentation treatment device 10 is lifted onto the loading platform 8 of the vehicle body 4, and the fermentation treatment device 10 is placed on the loading platform 8 and supported by the pair of guide rollers 32.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the movable member 26 of the loading arm mechanism 14 is slid forward, and as a result of this forward movement, the fermentation treatment device 10 is moved forward on the loading platform 8. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, when the movable member 26 is moved to the front stop position, the fermentation treatment tank 10 is moved to a predetermined loading position on the loading platform 8 and is loaded as required on the loading platform 8. The engaging portion 34 on the fermentation treatment device 10 is engaged with the locking device 14 on the loading platform 8, and the fermentation treatment device 10 is fixed in a loaded state on the loading platform 8 of the vehicle body 4.

By loading the fermentation treatment device 10 onto the loading platform 8 of the vehicle 2 in this manner, the device can be transported and set up at a desired location, and the waste stored in the fermentation treatment device 10 can be easily transported and set up using the loading arm mechanism 14 mounted on the vehicle 2.

Next, the above-mentioned fermentation treatment device 10 and the composting method using the same will be described with reference to Figures 6 to 11. In Figures 6 and 7, the fermentation treatment device 10 has a fermentation treatment container 52, which is provided with a container body 54 in which waste to be fermented is stored. The container body 54 is generally rectangular and has four side walls, a front wall 56, a right side wall 58, a left side wall 60, and a rear wall 62, and a bottom wall 64. These four side walls 56 to 62 and the bottom wall 64 define a storage space 66 with an open top, into which the waste to be fermented is placed. The front wall 56, the left and right side walls 58 and 60, and the rear wall 62 are provided with vertical reinforcing members 65 and horizontal reinforcing members 67 for reinforcement as necessary on the outer surfaces thereof (only those provided on the front wall 56 are shown in Figure 6).

The bottom of the container body 54 is provided with an air ejection means 68 that ejects air toward the waste material stored therein. The illustrated air ejection means 68 has an air distribution pipe 70 disposed at one end of the container body 54, which in this embodiment is disposed at the rear end of the container body 54, and a plurality of (five in this embodiment) branch ejection pipes 72 that are connected to the air distribution pipe 70 at intervals in the axial direction (i.e., the width direction of the container body 54). The plurality of branch ejection pipes 72 extend from the air distribution pipe 70 at one end of the container body 54 (storage space 66) to the other end, and extend vertically over almost the entire length of the container body 54 from one end to the other end. A plurality of air ejection holes 74 are provided at predetermined intervals (e.g., 30 to 60 cm) on the upper part of these branch ejection pipes 72.

The rear wall 62 of the container body 54 is provided with an air inlet connection pipe 76 (constituting an air inlet section for introducing air), which penetrates the rear wall 62 and is connected to an air distribution pipe 70. An air supply means for supplying air is connected to the air inlet connection pipe 76. In this embodiment, the air supply means is composed of a first supply means 78 for supplying air at a first pressure and a second supply means 80 for supplying air at a second pressure lower than the first pressure, and the first supply means 78 is detachably connected to the air inlet connection pipe 76 when the waste is subjected to primary fermentation, and the second supply means 80 is detachably connected to the air inlet connection pipe 76 when the waste is subjected to secondary fermentation.

Because of this configuration, when the first supply means 78 (or the second supply means 80) is connected, the air from this first supply means 78 (or the second supply means 80) is sent to the air distribution pipe 70 through the air insertion connection pipe 76, distributed by this air distribution pipe 70 to the multiple branch jet pipes 72, and then flows through each branch jet pipe 72 and is sprayed from the multiple air nozzles 74 into the container body 54.

In this embodiment, the air introduction connection pipe 76 is provided on the rear wall 62 of the container body 54, but instead of this configuration, one end (or the other end) of the air distribution pipe 70 may be made to protrude outward through the right side wall 58 (or the left side wall 60) and this protruding end may function as an air introduction section, and such an air introduction connection section may be provided on the front wall 56 of the container body 54.

In addition, in this embodiment, the air distribution pipe 70 is disposed inside the container body 54, but this configuration is not limited to this. The air distribution pipe 70 may be disposed outside the rear wall 62 (or front wall 56) of the container body 54, and multiple branched ejection pipes 72 extending from the air distribution pipe 70 may be provided so as to penetrate the rear wall 62 (or front wall 56) and extend inside the container body 54 toward the front wall 56 (or rear wall 62).

The first supply means 78 has, for example, a first supply source 82 that supplies air and a first supply line 84 that delivers air from the first supply source 82 to the air inlet connection pipe 76 of the container body 54, the first supply source 82 being composed of, for example, a compressor, and the first supply line 84 being composed of, for example, a supply pipe or supply tube. This first supply means 78 (first supply source 82) supplies air at a first pressure, for example, 0.3 to 0.7 kPa (for example, 0.5 kPa), through the first supply line 84.

The second supply means 80 has, for example, a second supply source 86 that supplies air and a second supply line 88 that delivers air from the second supply source 86 to the air inlet connection pipe 76 of the container body 54, the second supply source 86 being composed of, for example, an air blower, and the second supply line 88 being composed of, for example, a supply pipe or supply tube. This second supply means 80 (second supply source 86) supplies air at a second pressure lower than the first pressure, for example, 0.1 to 0.3 kPa (for example, 0.25 kPa), through the second supply line 88.

This air supply means may be configured as a pressure switching supply means (not shown) capable of switching the air pressure, such as a compressor capable of adjusting the air supply pressure. When configured in this manner, as will be understood from the following description, the pressure of the air supplied from the pressure switching supply means is set to a first pressure (e.g., 0.5 kPa) during the primary fermentation process, and the pressure of the air supplied from the pressure switching supply means is set to a second pressure (e.g., 0.25 kPa) during the secondary fermentation process.

In this embodiment of the fermentation treatment device 10, as shown in Figures 7 to 10, the entire inner surface of the four side walls 56 to 62 and the bottom wall 64 of the container body 54 is covered with a flexible resin sheet 90. This resin sheet 90 may be a small mesh or slat-like sheet, as long as the air inside the container body 54 flows through this resin sheet 90. By using such a resin sheet 90, a part of the air blown into the container body 54 from the air blowing means 68 flows through the resin sheet 90 to the inner side of the four side walls 56 to 62 of the container body 54, and flows through the gaps between the inner surfaces of these four side walls 56 to 62 and the resin sheet 90, and also through the gaps in the resin sheet 90 itself. Note that it is desirable to create a small gap, for example a gap of about 2 to 15 mm, between the inner surfaces of the four side walls 56 to 62 and the resin sheet 90 so that such an appropriate flow of air occurs.

This resin sheet 90 does not need to cover the entire inner surface of the four side walls 56-62 of the container body 54; it is sufficient to cover substantially the entire inner surface, specifically, the area slightly above the area that comes into contact with the waste contained in the container body 54. However, when the container body 54 is almost filled with waste and fermented as described below, it is preferable to provide the resin sheet 90 so that it covers the entire inner surface of the four side walls 56-62 as in this embodiment.

The resin sheet 90 has a certain thickness and sufficient strength so that it can withstand the load of the waste inside the container body 54. Instead of such a resin sheet 90, a small mesh-like or slat-like resin plate may be used.

When using such a resin sheet 90, as shown in Figures 8 and 10, it is fixed using, for example, a long and thin fixing plate 92. For example, the inner surfaces of the four side walls 56 to 62 (front wall 56, left and right side walls 58, 60, and rear wall 62) of the container body 54 are covered with the resin sheet 90, the fixing plate 92 is pressed against the resin sheet 90, and in this state, fixing screws 94 are screwed into the container body 54 through the fixing plate 92, and in this manner, the resin sheet 90 can be attached to the container body 54.

In this embodiment, at the upper opening of the container body 54, a fixing plate 92 (indicated by reference number 92a in FIG. 8) is disposed continuously with this upper opening, and a resin sheet 90 is attached around the entire circumference of the inner surface of the upper opening of the container body 54. Also, at the middle and bottom of the container body 54, the fixing plates 92 (indicated by reference number 92b in FIG. 8) are disposed at intervals in the vertical and horizontal directions, and by disposing them in this manner, a gap is generated between the inner surfaces of the four side walls 56 to 62 of the container body 54 and the resin sheet 90 continuously in the vertical direction.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 8 to 10, a pair of support partition walls 94 are provided on both sides of each of the multiple branch ejection pipes 72 of the air ejection means 68, and the pair of support partition walls 94 extend along the longitudinal direction of the corresponding branch ejection pipe 72 from its base to its tip (the support partition walls 94 are omitted in Figure 7). The pair of support partition walls 94 define a storage space that stores the corresponding branch ejection pipe 72, and the branch ejection pipe 72 is stored and arranged in this storage space.

The pair of support partition walls 94 are provided so as to protrude upwards above the branched ejection pipe 72 housed between them. For example, when the outer diameter of the branched ejection pipe 72 is about 20-30 mm (e.g., about 25 mm), the height of the support partition walls 94 is about 25-40 mm (e.g., about 30 mm), and the support partition walls 94 are configured to protrude upwards above the branched ejection pipe 72 by about 5-10 mm. With this configuration, the air ejected from the multiple air ejection holes 74 of the branched ejection pipe 72 is guided by the pair of support partition walls 94 to the waste material above, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 10 (only a portion of the waste material is shown in FIG. 10).

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 8 and 10, the resin sheet 90 is provided so as to cover the multiple branched ejection pipes 72 and the multiple support partition walls 94, and is attached to the four side walls 56-62 without being fixed to the bottom wall 64 of the container body 54. Therefore, when waste is contained, the resin sheet 90 bends due to the weight of the waste and is supported by the bottom surface of the bottom wall 64 and the multiple support partition walls 94, and moves and deforms depending on the state of the waste. This deformation can prevent a large load from acting on the resin sheet 90 and can also prevent the waste in the container body 54 from adhering to the air distribution pipe 70 and the multiple branched ejection pipes 72.

Next, a composting method using the above-mentioned fermentation treatment device 10 will be described with reference mainly to Figures 7, 8, and 11. In this composting method, waste materials such as weeds, pruning branches, and food waste (e.g., school lunch waste) are composted and used as compost.

In this composting method, first, a crushing/crushing step S1 is carried out in which the waste to be treated (weeds, pruning branches, food waste, etc.) is crushed and crushed into small pieces. In the crushing/crushing step S1, the waste to be treated is crushed or crushed, for example, using a commercially available crushing device (not shown), and the waste to be treated is crushed or crushed into pieces of 10 mm or less, preferably 8 mm or less, by this crushing/crushing step S1.

Next, the granule formation step S2 is carried out, in which the pulverized or crushed waste is mixed and formed into a large number of granules. This granule formation step S2 is carried out, for example, using a commercially available agitating granulator (not shown). The pulverized or crushed waste is fed from a hopper (not shown) of this agitating granulator, and purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria are added at the time of feeding. The agitating granulator mixes the fed waste with the added purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria, and granulates the added mixture to produce a large number of dumpling-shaped added mixed granules H (see Figure 10).

The additive mixed granules H produced by the agitation granulator are formed to have an outer diameter of, for example, 5 to 25 mm, preferably 5 to 20 mm, so that air can flow through the additive mixed granules H and fermentation (aerobic fermentation and anaerobic fermentation, described below) can progress to the inside of the additive mixed granules H.

As the purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria group, various types such as green, black, and pale pink bacteria are produced and sold. For example, a wine-red type having a slight sewer odor can be used. It is preferable to add about 400 cc to 700 cc, for example about 500 cc, per 8 ^m3 of crushed or crushed waste.

In this embodiment, the purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria are added to the crushed or pulverized waste and mixed, but in order to ensure that the fermentation described below is carried out effectively and to adjust the moisture content of the added mixed granular material H, it is preferable to mix the compost produced by this composting method as return compost with the crushed or pulverized waste. In this case, the added mixed granular material H contains the crushed or pulverized waste, the composted compost, and the purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria.

The ratio (W1:W2) of the crushed or mashed waste (mass W1) to the compost (composted compost) (mass W2) added as return compost is, for example, approximately (40-60):(60-40). By mixing in this ratio, the moisture content of the added mixed granular material H can be adjusted to approximately 40-60%, and by achieving this moisture content, fermentation (aerobic fermentation and anaerobic fermentation), which will be described later, can be promoted.

In the stage before composting (i.e., the first stage), since there is no return compost, it is preferable to prepare a seed compost equivalent to the return compost and add it to the crushed or crushed waste. In this case, food waste (e.g., school lunch waste), weeds, sawdust (to be a mushroom bed), etc. are crushed or crushed, and a group of purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria and a chelating agent are added to form a large number of added mixed seed granules. In this case, the chelating agent can be, for example, one that binds (coordinates) with iron ions to convert them to divalent iron. These added mixed seed granules are then stored, for example, in the container body 54, and sufficient air is allowed to flow through the added mixed seed granules to cause aerobic fermentation in the same manner as in the primary fermentation step S4 described later. After that, the added mixed seed granules after the primary fermentation are subjected to anaerobic fermentation by gradually flowing air through the numerous added mixed seed granules in the same manner as in the secondary fermentation step S5 described later, to produce seed compost.

In this granule formation step S2, in addition to the purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria, a chelating agent used in making the seed compost, for example, one that binds (coordinates) with iron ions to convert them to divalent iron, may be added. In this case, an additive mixed granule H is formed in which the waste, return compost, purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria, and chelating agent are stirred and mixed.

After this granular material formation process S2, the additive mixed granular material H is introduced into the fermentation treatment container 52 (container body 54) as shown in FIG. 10 (granular material storage process S3), and the introduced additive mixed granular material H is subjected to fermentation treatment.

Then, the additive mixed granular material H contained in the fermentation treatment container 52 undergoes a primary fermentation treatment (primary fermentation process S4).

In this primary fermentation step S4, the first supply line 84 of the first supply means 78 is connected to the air inlet connection pipe 76 of the container body 54, and the first supply source 82 (e.g., a compressor) is operated. Thus, air at a first pressure (e.g., 0.5 kPa) from the first supply means 78 is supplied to the air ejection means 68 through the air inlet connection pipe 76, and the air from the first supply means 78 is ejected upward from the multiple air ejection holes 74 of the multiple branch ejection pipes 72. The air ejected from these air ejection holes 74 flows upward through the gaps between the multiple added mixed granular material H, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 10.

At this time, since the additive mixed granular material H is in the shape of a ball, there are gaps between adjacent additive mixed granular material H even when contained in the container body 54, and the air ejected from the multiple air ejection ports 74 flows upward through these gaps so as to be uniform over almost the entire area, allowing sufficient air to be supplied to the numerous additive mixed granular material H contained in the container body 54, thereby allowing aerobic fermentation of these additive mixed granular material H by aerobic bacteria.

In addition, since a large number of additive mixed granules H contain added purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria, these bacteria act as food for the microorganisms, activating them and suppressing the odor generated during aerobic fermentation, thereby preventing the odor from diffusing to the surrounding area.

Furthermore, at this time, as shown in FIG. 10, part of the air flowing upward inside the container body 54 flows through the resin sheet 90 into the gap between the four side walls 56-62 of the container body 54 and the resin sheet 90, and the air flowing upward through this gap removes moisture contained in the surface of the resin sheet 90 and the additive mixed granular material H near this surface, drying it appropriately and preventing the additive mixed granular material H from adhering to the inner surfaces of the four side walls 56-62 of the container body 54.

Two to three days after the start of this primary fermentation process S4, the temperature of the numerous added mixed granular materials H rises to around 60 to 70°C, and aerobic fermentation actively takes place. The aerobic fermentation continues, and the temperature rises to a high temperature of over 70°C, and aerobic fermentation takes place. By raising the temperature to over 70°C in this way, the amount of unwanted bacteria is extremely low.

After 6 to 10 days have passed since the start of this primary fermentation process S4, the temperature of the numerous additive mixed granular materials H will drop slightly to 60 to 70°C, and at this stage aerobic fermentation by the aerobic bacteria will cease, and the primary fermentation process S4 will end.

After the primary fermentation step S4, a secondary fermentation step S5 is performed to subject the attached mixed granular material H to secondary fermentation. In this secondary fermentation step S5, a second supply means 80 is connected in place of the first supply means 78 that was connected to the container body 54. That is, the second supply line 88 of the second supply means 80 is connected to the air inlet connection part 76 of the container body 54, and the second supply source 86 (e.g., an air blower) is operated.

In this way, air at the second pressure (e.g., 0.25 kPa) from the second supply means 80 is ejected upward from the multiple air ejection holes 74 of the multiple branch ejection pipes 72, and the air ejected from these air ejection holes 74 flows upward through the gaps between the multiple additive mixed granular materials H in the container body 54, as described above. At this time, the air ejected from the air ejection holes 74 flows upward so as to be uniform throughout the gaps, but since the air supply flow rate is small, air is supplied little by little to the additive mixed granular materials H contained in the container body 54, and anaerobic fermentation of the additive mixed granular materials H by anaerobic bacteria is performed on the additive mixed granular materials H. In addition, during this secondary fermentation, the purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria serve as food for the microorganisms, and the odor generated during anaerobic fermentation is also suppressed.

At this time, part of the air flowing upward inside the container body 54 flows through the resin sheet 90 into the gap between the four side walls 56-62 of the container body 54 and the resin sheet 90, as described above. The air flowing upward through this gap removes moisture contained in the surface of the resin sheet 90 and the additive mixed granular material H near this surface, drying it, and preventing the additive mixed granular material H from adhering to the inner surfaces of the four side walls 56-62 of the container body 54 even during secondary fermentation.

After 7 to 14 days have passed since the start of the secondary fermentation process S5, the temperature of the numerous additive mixed granular materials H will drop to around 25 to 35°C, and at this stage, anaerobic fermentation by the anaerobic bacteria will end, and the secondary fermentation process S5 will end. After the secondary fermentation process S5 is completed, the additive mixed granular materials H may be left to dry, for example, while still contained in the container body 54.

As described above, the added mixed granular material H after the secondary fermentation process S5 is used as return compost in the granular material formation process S2. The compost after the secondary fermentation process S5 may be used as return compost as is, or it may be dried and used as return compost.

When used as compost for soil, a sorting process S6 is carried out to sort the additive mixed granular material H into finished compost. In this sorting process S6, the additive mixed granular material H is sent to a final sorting device (not shown), which sorts it as required and removes foreign matter that was mixed into the additive mixed granular material H, completing the finished compost (compost completion S7). This finished compost can be, for example, transported to fields and spread on the soil surface, or bagged as fertilizer and sold commercially.

The above describes one embodiment of the fermentation treatment device and composting method using the same according to the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such a fermentation treatment device and composting method, and various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, one fermentation treatment container 52 is provided with one first supply means 78 and one second supply means 80, but this configuration is not limited to this, and one first supply means 78 and/or one second supply means 80 may be provided for multiple (e.g., three to four) fermentation treatment containers 52.

When one first supply means 78 (or second supply means 80) is provided for multiple fermentation containers 52, for example, multiple first supply lines 84 (or second supply lines 88) are branched from a first supply source 82 (or second supply source 86), such as a compressor (or air blower), and a first on-off valve (or second on-off valve) is provided in each first supply line 84 (or second supply line 88). The first on-off valve (or second on-off valve) of the first supply line 84 (or second supply line 88) connected to the air inlet connection pipe 76 (air inlet section) of the fermentation container 52 is opened to supply air from the first air supply source 82 (or second air supply source 86) to the container body 54.

Although not particularly provided in the above-mentioned fermentation treatment container 52, an opening/closing cover (not shown) may be provided to cover the opening of the container body 54 as necessary. For example, when composting waste, this opening/closing cover is held in an open state that opens the opening of the container body 54, and by opening the cover in this manner, air flowing between the waste (additive mixed granular material H) is exhausted to the outside through the opening of the container body 54. When the fermentation treatment container 52 is transported, this opening/closing cover is held in a closed state that covers the opening of the container body 54, and by closing the cover in this manner, it is possible to prevent the waste (additive mixed granular material H) contained in the container body 54 from scattering to the outside.

Furthermore, for example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the fermentation treatment container 52 is described as being suitable for loading onto the loading platform 8 of the vehicle body 4 using the loading arm mechanism 12 of the vehicle 2, but is not limited to such a configuration and can be similarly applied to a configuration suitable for use by placing it on the ground, for example. When configured in this way, the container can be configured as shown in, for example, Figures 12 to 14.

In Figures 12 and 13, in this modified embodiment, a container 102 that can be stacked is used. The fermentation container 102 has a container body 104 with an open top, which, like the container body 104 described above, has four side walls 106, 108, 110, 112 and a bottom wall 114. Although not shown, this container 102 also has a resin sheet (not shown) disposed over substantially the entire inner surface of the four side walls 106-112 and bottom wall 114, like the container 52 (container body 54) shown in Figures 6 to 10, and this resin sheet may be the same as that described above.

In addition, an air ejection means (not shown) having the same configuration as described above is provided at the bottom of the container body 104, and this air ejection means is connected to an air introduction connection pipe 116 provided inside the container body 104, for example, penetrating the side wall 106. An air supply means, for example, a switching supply means (or first and second supply means) is connected to this air introduction connection pipe 116.

A pair of support leg members 118 are provided on the bottom wall 114 of the container body 104, and both ends of these support leg members 118 protrude outward from the container body 104. This protrusion makes it easy to stack the fermentation treatment containers 102. By providing a pair of support leg members 118 in this manner, a space is created between the ground on which the container is placed (or the lower fermentation treatment container 102) and the bottom wall 114 of the fermentation treatment container 102 (or the upper fermentation treatment container 102), and this space can be used to handle the container with a forklift 120.

To handle the fermentation treatment container 102, it is preferable to use a forklift, for example, a rotary lift 122 shown in FIG. 12. In FIG. 12, the rotary lift 122 is equipped with a vehicle body 124 that can run on a battery, for example, and a lifting member 128 is attached to the front side of the vehicle body 124 via a lifting mechanism 126 so that it can be raised and lowered freely. A rotating member 130 is supported rotatably on the lifting member 128, and an attachment unit 131 is attached to the rotating member 130 for handling the fermentation treatment container 102 (see FIG. 13) as described below.

As the attachment unit 131, one having a first attachment 134 with a pair of claw members 132 and a second attachment 138 with a lid member 136 can be conveniently used. The first and second attachments 134, 138 are attached so as to be movable toward and away from each other. For example, the pair of claw members 132 of the first attachment 134 are inserted under the fermentation treatment container 102 (container body 104) to support the bottom wall 114 side, and the lid member 136 of the second attachment 138 covers the container 102 (container body 104) to support the opening side. Such a rotating lift 122 can be manufactured using a commercially available product.

When such a rotating lift 122 is used, the fermentation treatment container 102 is clamped and held between a pair of claw members 132 and a lid member 136, and by rotating the rotating member 130 in this holding state, the fermentation treatment container 102 held by this attachment unit 131 can be rotated. The lid member 136 of the second attachment 138 is preferably large enough to cover the entire opening of the container body 104, and by making it this large, it is possible to prevent the added mixed granular material in the container body 104 from spilling out when it is rotated.

By using such a fermentation container 102 and a rotary lift 122, the additive mixed granular material contained in the container body 104 can be easily stirred and mixed, and the additive mixed granular material can be composted, for example, by the composting method shown in FIG. 14. Referring to FIG. 14, in this composting method, as can be easily understood by comparing FIG. 14 with FIG. 11, a first stirring and mixing step S14 is provided between the granular material containing step S13 and the primary fermentation step S15, and a second stirring and mixing step S16 is provided between the primary fermentation step S5 and the secondary fermentation step S7, and the other steps in this composting method are the same as those described above (the steps shown in FIG. 11).

In the first stirring and mixing step S14 (or the second stirring and mixing step S16), as described above, the first and second attachments 134, 138 of the attachment unit 131 are moved in a direction separating them. Then, the pair of claw members 132 of the first attachment 134 are inserted under the fermentation treatment container 102 (container body 104), and the lid member 136 of the second attachment 138 is positioned above the opening side of the container 102. In this state, the first and second attachments 134, 138 are moved in a direction approaching each other.

As a result, the pair of claw members 132 of the first attachment 134 lifts the bottom wall 114 of the container body 104, while the second attachment 138 closes the opening of the container body 104, and the container body 104 containing the additive mixed granular material is clamped and held between the first and second attachments 134, 138.

Then, the rotating member 130 is rotated in a predetermined direction, and the container body 104 is rotated together with the rotating member 130. This rotation causes the additive mixed granular material in the container body 104 to flow and be stirred and mixed, and the additive mixed granular material can be stirred and mixed to be homogenized before the primary fermentation step S15 (or the secondary fermentation step S17), and the fermentation process in the next primary fermentation step S15 (or the secondary fermentation step S17) can be promoted.

In this embodiment, the first stirring and mixing step S14 is performed before the primary fermentation step S15, and the second stirring and mixing step S16 is performed thereafter. However, for example, the stirring and mixing step may be performed only before the primary fermentation step S15, or only after the primary fermentation step S15. Alternatively, the number of stirring and mixing steps during the composting process may be increased, for example, stirring and mixing may be performed once or twice or more times during the primary fermentation step S15, and/or stirring and mixing may be performed once or twice or more times during the secondary fermentation step S17.

2 vehicle 8 loading platform 10 fermentation treatment device 12 loading arm mechanism 52, 102 fermentation treatment container 54, 104 container body 68 air ejection means 70 air distribution pipe 72 branch ejection pipe 76, 116 air introduction connection pipe 78 first supply means 80 second supply means 90 resin sheet 94 support partition wall H additive mixed granular material

Claims (8)

The fermentation treatment container includes a container body for accommodating waste to be fermented, an air ejection means disposed at the bottom of the container body, and an air supply means for supplying air to the air ejection means,
a bottom surface and four side surfaces of the inside of the container body are substantially entirely covered with mesh-like or slat-like sheets or plates, gaps are formed between the four side surfaces of the container body and the sheets or plates, and the gaps are continuous in the up-down direction of the container body;
the air ejection means includes an air distribution pipe disposed on one end side of the container body, and a plurality of branch ejection pipes connected to the air distribution pipe at intervals, the tip sides of the plurality of branch ejection pipes extend from the one end side to the other end side of the container body, and a plurality of air ejection holes are provided at intervals in the longitudinal direction thereof,
A fermentation treatment apparatus characterized in that, when fermenting the waste in the container body, air at a first pressure is supplied from the air supply means to the air jetting means to perform a primary fermentation treatment on the waste in the container body, and then air at a second pressure lower than the first pressure is supplied from the air supply means to the air jetting means to perform a secondary fermentation treatment on the waste in the container body, and a portion of the air supplied into the container body during the primary fermentation treatment and the secondary fermentation treatment flows through the sheet or plate into the gap and flows upward through the gap . The fermentation treatment device described in claim 1, characterized in that a pair of support partition walls are provided on both sides of each of the multiple branch jet pipes of the air jet means along the longitudinal direction of the corresponding branch jet pipe, the pair of support partition walls protruding upward beyond the corresponding branch jet pipe, and the sheet or plate is arranged to cover the multiple branch jet pipes and the corresponding support partition walls. The fermentation treatment device described in claim 2, characterized in that the sheet or plate is a resin sheet or resin plate, which is fixed to the four side surfaces of the container body by a fixing plate, and is kept unfixed on the bottom surface of the container body. The fermentation treatment device according to claim 1, characterized in that the air supply means is composed of a pressure switching supply means capable of switching the pressure of the supply air, and during the primary fermentation treatment, the pressure switching supply means supplies air of the first pressure to the air jetting means, and during the secondary fermentation treatment , the pressure switching supply means supplies air of the second pressure to the air jetting means. The fermentation treatment device according to claim 1, characterized in that the air supplying means is composed of a first supplying means for supplying air at the first pressure and a second supplying means for supplying air at the second pressure, and during the primary fermentation treatment, the air at the first pressure from the first supplying means is supplied to the air jetting means, and during the secondary fermentation treatment, the air at the second pressure from the second supplying means is supplied to the air jetting means. The fermentation treatment device according to claim 1, characterized in that a pair of support legs are provided at one end of the bottom of the container body with a gap in the width direction, and a pair of support wheels are rotatably provided at the other end with a gap in the width direction, and the container body can be loaded onto the loading platform of a vehicle using a loading arm mechanism on the vehicle side. The fermentation treatment container includes a container body for accommodating waste to be fermented, an air ejection means disposed at the bottom of the container body, and an air supply means for supplying air to the air ejection means,
The bottom surface and the four side surfaces of the inside of the container body are substantially entirely covered with a mesh-like or slat-like sheet or plate,
the air ejection means includes an air distribution pipe disposed on one end side of the container body, and a plurality of branch ejection pipes connected to the air distribution pipe at intervals, the tip sides of the plurality of branch ejection pipes extend from the one end side to the other end side of the container body, and a plurality of air ejection holes are provided at intervals in the longitudinal direction thereof,
Furthermore, a pair of support partition walls are provided on both sides of each of the plurality of branch ejection pipes of the air ejection means along the longitudinal direction of the corresponding branch ejection pipe, the pair of support partition walls protrude upward beyond the corresponding branch ejection pipe, and the sheet or plate is disposed so as to cover the plurality of branch ejection pipes and the corresponding support partition walls,
This fermentation treatment device is characterized in that, when fermenting the waste in the container body, air at a first pressure is supplied from the air supply means to the air jetting means to perform a primary fermentation treatment on the waste in the container body, and then air at a second pressure lower than the first pressure is supplied from the air supply means to the air jetting means to perform a secondary fermentation treatment on the waste in the container body. A method for composting waste, comprising the steps of:
the waste is crushed and crushed into small pieces; a granule formation step of forming an additive mixture obtained by adding purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria to the waste crushed in the crushing and crushing step and mixing the bacteria into a number of granules; an additive mixed granule accommodation step of accommodating the number of additive mixed granules formed in the granule formation step in a fermentation container having a bottom and four side surfaces substantially entirely covered with a mesh or slat-like sheet or plate ; a primary fermentation step of supplying air at a first pressure from an air supply means to perform a primary fermentation treatment on the additive mixed granules in the fermentation container; and a secondary fermentation step of, after the primary fermentation step, supplying air at a second pressure lower than the first pressure from the air supply means to perform a secondary fermentation treatment on the additive mixed granules in the fermentation container .
The fermentation treatment container is one in which continuous gaps are formed in the vertical direction between the four side walls of the container body and the sheet or plate, and a portion of the air supplied into the container body in the primary fermentation process and the secondary fermentation process is caused to flow through the sheet or plate into the gaps and then upward through the gaps. This is a method for composting waste, characterized in that

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