Patent Application
20130247628
Embodiments of the present invention relate to an apparatus and method for treating organic waste. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to an apparatus and method for treating organic waste to treat inorganic waste and thereby produce organic compost and high-concentration liquid fertilizer.
Organic waste such as manure, human feces and food waste has a high water content and discharges high-concentration contaminant, thus causing serious environmental pollution, such as water pollution and bad smell, when discharged or disposed of without any treatment.
Recently, a great deal of research has focused on environmentally friendly methods of treating organic waste and utilizing the same as a resource. A method for composting an organic substance using aerotropic or anaerobic microorganisms is known. Treatment using aerotropic microorganisms is a composting method in which an organic substance is decomposed by oxidation with aerotropic microorganisms and the residue is stabilized. Treatment using anaerobic microorganisms is a method for composting an organic substance through decomposition using anaerobic bacterium, which yields methane gas as a by-product.
However, these methods have disadvantages of a complicated treatment process, and the necessity of a large treatment area and of a long treatment period of one to two months. Further, these methods have disadvantages of production of waste water or bad smell due to the difficulty of complete treatment.
It is an aspect of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for treating organic waste to reduce treatment costs and period, enable environmentally friendly treatment without causing bad smell or waste water, and thereby prepare an organic compost with a high quality and a high concentration liquid fertilizer.
According to a technical concept of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for treating organic waste, including: a sealable reaction vessel including an inlet through which an organic waste and a reactive additive are injected, an outlet through which a treated substance is discharged as reactive gas; a stirrer to stir contents of the reaction vessel; and a liquid fertilizer producer to condense the reactive gas discharged from the gas outlet with a cooling solution and thereby produce a liquid fertilizer, while gradually increasing the concentration of fertilizer components of the cooling solution.
The liquid fertilizer producer may include: a cyclone condensation vessel to induce circling and ascending of the reactive gas, the cyclone condensation vessel provided at a lower side thereof with an inlet for the reactive gas and at an upper side thereof with an outlet for the remaining gas; a liquid vessel to accept a liquid flowing downward from the condensation vessel and containing a cooling solution filled therein; and a cooling solution spray to elevate a cooling solution of the liquid vessel and thus spray the cooling solution to an upper region inside the condensation vessel.
The condensation vessel may include a plurality of partition boards to divide the condensation vessel into multiple stages of upper and lower parts and thereby form a curved passage, and a plurality of carriers filled in an upper area of the partition boards to facilitate contact of the cooling solution sprayed from the top with the ascending reactive gas.
The apparatus may further include: an electric open/close valve mounted in a pipe to connect the gas outlet to the condensation vessel, to open the gas outlet, when an inner pressure of the reaction vessel reaches a predetermined reaction pressure or higher, and to close the gas outlet, when an inner pressure of the reaction vessel is less than the predetermined reaction pressure.
The apparatus may further include: a safety valve provided in the reaction vessel, to discharge the reactive gas to the outside, when the inner pressure of the reaction vessel is a predetermined safety pressure or higher.
The stirrer may further include: a rotation axis transversely passing through the inner center of the reaction vessel and having both ends rotatably supported at the center of caps; a mixing blade mounted on the rotation axis; and a driving motor mounted at the outer side of the reaction vessel to rotate the rotation axis.
The mixing blade may include: a first mixing blade which spirally extends around the rotation axis such that the first mixing blade is close to the inner surface of the reaction vessel and is supported by a plurality of support members radially extending from the rotation axis; and a plurality of second mixing blades extending from the rotation axis in a radial direction to a length shorter than the radius of the first mixing blade and having a torsion angle to stir contents, while transporting the contents in a direction opposite to the first mixing blade.
The reaction vessel may include: a cylindrical body; and a pair of caps connected to the ends of the body, respectively, and wherein an outlet is provided under one cap, to discharge waste treated in the reaction vessel by rotation of the first mixing blade.
The apparatus may further include a pre-heater to preheat the reaction vessel, wherein the pre-heater includes: a water jacket mounted on the outer surface of the reaction vessel; and a warm water boiler to circulate warm water to the water jacket.
The apparatus may further include: a base frame to support the reaction vessel, the liquid fertilizer producer and the pre-heater arranged thereunder; a vessel frame mounted on the base frame, to support the reaction vessel; and a plurality of weight sensors mounted between the vessel frame and the base frame, to sense the weight of the contents contained in the reaction vessel.
According to a technical concept of the present invention, there is provided a method for treating organic waste including: a preparation process in which organic waste having a water content of about 75 to 85% is supplied to the reaction vessel and pre-heated to 50 to 60° C. by heating under stirring; an additive supply process, in which a reactive additive containing 20 to 30% by weight of quicklime, with respect to the total weight of contents, is added to the preheated reaction vessel; after addition of the reactive additive, a reaction process, in which the reaction vessel is sealed and the contents are stirred, to induce reaction of organic waste with the reactive additive, cause heat generation and decomposition of organic substances and thereby produce an organic fertilizer, wherein the gas outlet of the reaction vessel opens and closes, thereby maintaining the inner pressure of the reaction vessel at about 2 to 2.5 kg/cm2 to facilitate the reaction; and a liquid fertilizer preparation process in which the reactive gas discharged to the gas outlet is supplied to the condensation vessel, in which a cooling solution is sprayed, in the reaction process, to allow the reactive gas to be condensed by the cooling solution and thereby produce a liquid fertilizer.
The total volume of contents including organic waste and reactive additive may be adjusted to ⅔ or less of the inner volume of the reaction vessel to secure an extra area for reaction activation.
The reaction process may be carried out at an inner temperature of the reaction vessel of 90 to 100° C. for 10 to 15 minutes.
The present invention provides an apparatus for treating organic waste in which organic waste and a reactive additive are added to a reaction vessel and reacted with each other to treat organic waste, thus minimizing treatment costs and period of organic waste and enabling environmentally friendly treatment without causing bad smell or waste water, thereby preparing an organic compost with a high quality and a high concentration liquid fertilizer.
These and/or other aspects of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The apparatus for treating organic waste according to the present invention as shown in
The reaction vessel 10, as shown in
A gas outlet 16 to discharge the reactive gas generated in the reaction vessel 11 is provided on the body 11 of the reaction vessel 10 and a pipe 46 to guide the reactive gas to the liquid fertilizer producer 60 is connected to the gas outlet 16. In addition, the reaction vessel 10 is provided with a pressure gauge 17 to sense an inner pressure, a temperature gauge 18 to sense an inner temperature, and a safety valve 19 to automatically discharge a gas, when the inner pressure of the reaction vessel 10 increases to a predetermined safety pressure (3 kg/cm2) or higher.
The stirrer 20 includes, as shown in
The first mixing blade 22 has a predetermined width and spirally extends around the rotation axis 21 such that it is close to the inner surface of the reaction vessel 10. In addition, the first mixing blade 22 is supported by a plurality of support members 22a radially extending from the rotation axis 21. In addition, the plurality of second mixing blades 23 extend from the rotation axis 21 in a radius direction to a length shorter than the radius of the first mixing blade 22, and have a torsion angle to stir contents, while transporting the contents in a direction opposite to the first mixing blade 22.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The cyclone condensation vessel 61 has an opened bottom and is provided at a lower side thereof with an inlet 61a for the reactive gas and at an upper side thereof with an outlet 61b for the remaining gas. Further, to induce detour of the injected reactive gas, the condensation vessel 61 is provided at an eccentric position thereof with the inlet 61a.
As shown in
A part (top) in which the liquid vessel 62 is connected to the bottom of the condensation vessel 61 communicates with the condensation vessel 61 in order to allow injection of a liquid which flows downward from the condensation vessel 61. The liquid vessel 62 may be provided with a pipe 63 to supply a cooling solution and a pipe 64 to discharge a diluted liquid fertilizer produced by condensation of the reactive gas.
A cooling solution spray 70 includes a pump 71 to intake and deliver a cooling solution, an intake pipe 72 mounted in the liquid vessel 62 and connected to an inlet of the pump 71, a discharge pipe 73 connected to an outlet of the pump 71 and having a top present in the condensation vessel 61, and a spray nozzle 74 mounted on the end of the discharge pipe 73 in the condensation vessel 61.
The condensation vessel 61 includes a first partition board 65 and a second partition board 66 to divide the condensation vessel 61 into multiple stages of the upper and lower parts and thereby form a curved passage, and a plurality of carriers 67 filled in a upper region of the second partition board 66 to facilitate contact of the cooling solution sprayed from the top with the ascending reactive gas.
The first partition board 65 has a circular circumference spaced from the inner surface of the condensation vessel 61, and the second partition board 66 is arranged above the first partition board 65 such that it is spaced from the first partition board 65, has a center with an opening 66a and has a ring-shaped circumference connected to the inner surface of the condensation vessel 61. This enables an ascending passage of the reactive gas supplied to the condensation vessel 61 to be curved and thus lengthened, and improves condensation effect of the reactive gas by cooling water.
The carriers 67 may take the shape of a polygon or ball with a plurality of holes and may be provided with a plurality of horns protruding outward. These carriers 67 improve an opportunity to bring ascending reactive gas into gaps provided therebetween in contact with cooling water flowing downward from the top and thus enhance condensation of the reactive gas.
An electric open/close valve 47 which opens the gas outlet 16, when an inner pressure of the reaction vessel 10 reaches a predetermined reaction pressure (2 to 2.5 kg/cm2) or higher, and closes the gas outlet 16, when an inner pressure of the reaction vessel 10 is less than the predetermined reaction pressure is mounted in a pipe 46 to connect the gas outlet 16 of the reaction vessel 61 to the inlet 61a of the condensation vessel 61. This maintains the inner pressure of the reaction vessel 10 at 2 to kg/cm2 during the reaction process, and thus promotes reaction and enables the reactive gas to be discharged to the condensation vessel 61, when the pressure exceeds the predetermined level. A safety valve 19 opens and discharges the reactive gas outside, when the inner pressure of the reaction vessel 10 reaches a safety pressure of about of 3 kg/cm2 or higher.
As shown in
A method for treating organic waste using this apparatus will be described.
The organic waste to be treated may be pig, livestock, chicken or human waste. In order to treat organic waste, first, a preparation process in which organic waste is supplied to the reaction vessel 10 and pre-heated. The supplied organic waste has a water content of about 75 to 85%, so that it can react with reactive additive injected into the reaction vessel 10.
After the organic waste is supplied to the reaction vessel 10, a stirrer 20 is operated to begin stirring of contents. The stirrer 20 repeats direct and inverse rotations at a set interval (about 1 to 2 minutes) to enable the contents to be homogeneously mixed. At the same time, the reaction vessel 10 is pre-heated to 50 to 60° C. by the pre-heater 30. The simultaneous operation of stirring and pre-heating enables organic waste in the reaction vessel 10 to be homogeneously heated and the same to reach to a temperature suitable for the reaction.
After the preparation process, an additive supply process in which quicklime, a germanium powder and a reactive additive containing a predetermined amount of water-absorbent are added to the reaction vessel 10 is performed. Quicklime is added in an amount of 20 to 30% by weight, with respect to the total weight of contents supplied to the reaction vessel 10. Further, the total volume of contents including organic waste and reactive additive is adjusted to ⅔ or less of the inner volume of the reaction vessel 10. This secures an extra area for reaction activation inside the reaction vessel 10.
After the reactive additive is added, a reaction process, in which the inlet 14 is sealed with the inlet cover 14a and the contents are stirred with the stirrer 20 to induce reaction, is performed. That is, organic waste and reactive additive are homogeneously mixed with the mixing blades 22 and 23 to perform reaction in the reaction vessel 10.
As a result, in the reaction vessel 10, quicklime reacts with organic waste to produce heat and the inner temperature of the reaction vessel increases to 90 to 100° C. In some cases, the temperature increases up to 150° C. Further, as a result of the reaction, organic waste is decomposed, water content is decreased to a level less than about 25% and the contents are transformed into a high-quality organic fertilizer. Such a reaction process is carried out for 10 to 15 minutes.
In the reaction process, organic waste undergoes variation in chemical composition and crystalline structure in the reaction vessel through sequential chemical reactions and is converted into an environmentally friendly organic fertilizer. That is, toxic substances, such as benzene, contained in waste are separated through cleavage of molecular bond between carbon (C) and hydrogen (H). Further, toxic substances such as dioxin, chloroform, TNT and iron chloride are decomposed through a series of reactions and high-quality organic fertilizer components such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S) and chlorine (Cl) are thus produced. Further, in the reaction process, salts and bad smells are removed, parasites and pathogenic bacteria are substantially killed and properties thereof are changed to alkali beneficial for soil neutralization.
Further, in the reaction process, the inner pressure of the reaction vessel 10 increases since the reactive gas containing steam and a particle powder is formed. The open/close valve 47 opens the gas outlet 16 to discharge the reactive gas to the liquid fertilizer producer 60, when the inner pressure increases to 2 kg/cm2 or higher. The open/close valve 47 automatically opens and closes the gas outlet 16, depending on variation in the pressure of the reaction vessel 10 and thereby maintains the inner pressure of the reaction vessel 10 at about 2 to 2.5 kg/cm2. Maintaining the inner pressure at 2 to 2.5 kg/cm2 provides conditions beneficial for reaction to the reaction vessel 10 and promotes reactions.
In addition to the reaction processes, a liquid fertilizer preparation process in which the liquid fertilizer producer 60 condenses the reactive gas discharged to the gas outlet 16 and produces a liquid fertilizer is carried out. At this time, the reactive gas containing water and a particle powder is injected into the bottom of the condensation vessel 61, circulates in the condensation vessel 61, passes through the area provided between the partition boards 65 and 66 and ascends through the gaps between the carriers 67. At the same time, the cooling solution accepted in the liquid vessel 62 is sprayed above the condensation vessel 61 through the cooling solution spray 70. Accordingly, ascending reactive gas comes into contact with the cooling solution which is sprayed and flows downward to condense reactive gas, and the condensed liquid flows together with the cooling solution and is accumulated in the liquid vessel 62.
A condensed high-concentration fertilizer component flows downward and is thus mixed with the cooling solution accepted in the liquid vessel 62 to produce a liquid fertilizer and the concentration thereof increases, as the reaction proceeds. That is, such treatment is repeated to convert the cooling solution into a high-concentration liquid fertilizer.
The content, that is, organic compost treated in the reaction vessel 10 can be discharged by operating the stirrer 20, while opening the outlet 15. This discharge is carried out by the first mixing blade 22 which pushes the contents toward the outlet 15. The discharged organic compost may be used as a soil conditioner, without any treatment.
Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in conjunction with accompanying drawings, it is clearly understood that the foregoing embodiments do not particularly restrict the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various substitutions, variations and/or modifications may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2010-0121742 | Dec 2010 | KR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR2011/001149 | 2/22/2011 | WO | 00 | 5/29/2013 |
