1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a quantum carrier for improving soil functions and method of preparation thereof. In particular, the invention relates to a quantum carrier made of oyster shell powder that has the function of self-purification of the soil and can increase water content, oxygen content and protein content, adjust pH value, eliminate pests and promote microbial growth.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since the 1970's, organic agriculture has sprung into widespread use as a production system for sustaining the soil, ecosystem and human health. The general requirements of organic farming are production and processing of agricultural products without the use of non-natural substances such as pesticides, chemical fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, animal and plant growth regulating agents. Meanwhile, most technologies that are currently used in organic agriculture usually supply the soil with excess fertilizers resulting in soil acidification and soil compaction. Moreover, organic fertilizers made of biological wastes produced by the husbandry industry through improper breeding may also cause secondary pollution due to heavy metal residues, which subsequently inhibits the growth of microorganisms in the soil and reduces the profits of the industry because of the high cost and low return of organic farming technology.
In the past, methods of removing the heavy metals in the soil include soil remixing, use of chemical additives and biological removal: (1) soil-turning method switches the clean dirt at the bottom with the contaminated soil on the surface so as to dilute the heavy metals in the soil; however, soil remixing is labor-intensive and merely dilutes, but does not remove, the heavy metals in the soil and may lead to larger scope of contamination; (2) use of chemical soil additivies reduces the activities of the heavy metals in the soil but large amount of chemicals will adversely impact soil element balance, eco-balance and the soil pH; and (3) biological removal whereby growing plants in the heavy metal-contaminated soil to remove the contaminated substances by the strong absorbance properties of plants employs take natural soil inhabitants such as worms to metabolite heavy metals or use microorganisms to improve the soil by mass production of microorganisms capable of eliminating heavy metals; thus, addition of such microorganisms to the contaminated soil helps reduce the amount of heavy metals in the soil. Unfortunately, however, biological removal is ineffective for removal of seriously contaminated soil. Moreover, the native strains may be adversely impacted because foreign organisms are in large quantities and may lead to biological crises.
To elevate the number of microorganisms for biologic removal of heavy metals and other unwanted soil pollutants, conventional methods of increasing soil microorganisms in the soil typically addi microbial strains, addition of bacterial strains can only temporarily increase the number of microorganisms in the soil. Moreover,such additions also has a number of contraindications, including (1) low survival rate of microorganisms cultured in the lab due to their inability to adapt to the field, (2) the added non-indigenous bacterial strains will compete with the native bacterial strains and cause imbalance of the microorganism flora and destroy microbial diversity of the ecosystem, (3) large amounts of non-indigenous strains may antagonize the native harmful strains fails, thereby stimulating the native harmful strains to evolve.
Wind, rain and sun all are the methods for purification of the soil to restore the normal physical and chemical environment of the soil, and soil will establish good microorganism flora under a good physical and chemical environment. Yet, the purification of wind, rain and sun is rather a slow process, for example, the cadmium contamination incident in Changhua County has been discovered for more than 30 years and the heavy metal remains in the soil and has not been eliminated.
Therefore, the need persists for an organic method to improve the soil function by self-purification, including removal of heavy metals and pesticide residues in the contaminated soil while adjusting the pH of the soil and providing a rich agricultural environment for microbial growth without chemical additive and restraint from use of non-indigenous bacterial strains so as to restore the native microorganism flora and soil quality..
Addressing such and other drawbacks in prior art soil enhancement systems, the present invention provides a quantum carrier which thereby physically purifies the soil by eliminating heavy metals, pesticides and chemical fertilizers in the soil and provides a suitable environment for microbial growth. The quantum carrier according to the present invention is produced by liquid sintering of oyster shell powder, diatomaceous earth, deep soil and water. The convergent soil enhancement of this combination is provided by the confluence of properties of the constituents thereof. This is provided by the oyster shell powder heavy metal absorption capacity, diatomaceous earth pest elimination effect, and quantum carrier release of infrared light to increase the water content, oxygen content, protein content in the soil or adjust the soil pH to promote microbial growth.
The present invention further provides a method for preparation of a quantum carrier which is capable of improving soil function, comprising the following steps:
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the diameter of said crushed oyster shell is less than 1 cm.
According to the invention, the preferred temperature for the first high temperature sintering is 1200° C. and the preferred sintering time for said first high temperature is 2 hours.
According to the invention, the diameter of said crushed oyster shell is between 40 and 400 mesh and diameter of 400 mesh is preferred.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, said solid oyster shell mixture is consisting of 8 to 12% of sintered oyster shell powder, to 12% of diatomaceous earth and 76 to 84% of deep soil.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, solid oyster shell mixture is consisting of 10% of sintered oyster shell powder, 10% of diatomaceous earth and 80% of deep soil.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, said deep soil is collected from the subsoil 1 meter below the ground.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the preferred temperature for the second high temperature sintering is 1200° C.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the preferred sintering time for said second high temperature sintering time is 8 hours.
Another purpose of present invention is to provide a quantum carrier capable of improving soil function by the aforementioned method.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, said quantum carrier can release far infrared light and the wavelength of said far infrared light is 4 to 14 μm.
According to the invention, said quantum carrier can produce negative ions.
According to the invention, said soil improvement functions include self-purification, increasing water content, increasing oxygen content, increasing protein content, adjusting pH value, pest elimination or promote microbial growth.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, said self-purification means elimination of the toxins in the soil, said toxins include heavy metals, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers, said heavy metals include cadmium, chromium or lead.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, said self-purification can further improve the quality of the produces grown in the soil; said quality improvement of the produces includes early harvest of the produces, prolonged flower preservation, extension of production period, increased yield, increased interval of fertilization application, delicate taste, reduced pests, no rotation required, increased immunity or toxin-free; said toxins include heavy metals, pesticides or chemical fertilizers; said heavy metals include cadmium, chromium or lead.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, said quantum carrier refers to organic fertilizers that used in common soil to replace fertilizers by spraying or mixing with common soil or the organic fertilizer that made of a quantum carrier for replacement of fertilizers; said fertilizers refer to organic fertilizers or chemical fertilizers.
According a preferred embodiment of to the invention, said quantum carrier can be mixed with edible materials and be processed to make feeds.
The foregoing detailed description of the invention and the specific examples are provided herein for the purpose of illustration of the preferred embodiments only, and does not limit the scope of the claims.
Now referring to the drawings,
The process for making quantum carrier according to the present invention is conducted in the following steps:
Step 1: Clean and remove the dirt and salt on the surface of the oyster shell with water, crush the shell to particles with a diameter less than 1 cm, sintering the crushed oyster shell at a high temperature of 800° C.˜1300° C. for 2 hours, the preferred sintering temperature is 1200° C., the pH of the sintered oyster shell powder is 8.59, the powder is dried and grounded to particles with a diameter between 40 mesh and 400 mesh to give sintered oyster shell powder.
Step 2: Mix the sintered oyster shell powder, diatomaceous earth and deep soil to make the oyster shell powder solid mixture; said oyster shell powder solid mixture is then mixed with water to making an oyster shell powder liquid mixture, said oyster shell powder liquid mixture consisting of one part of the oyster shell powder solid mixture and 30 parts of water.
Step 3: The oyster shell liquid mixture is subjected to high temperature sintering, said second high temperature sintering is liquid sintering, the temperature is between 800 and 1300° C., the preferred sintering temperature is 1200° C., the sintering time is around 8 hours, and the product is honeycomb-like particles with a rough surface, the quantum carrier. The ingredients of the quantum carrier are shown in Table 1. The sintering temperature varies with the ingredients of the powder, for example, the sintering temperature for a powder containing high silicon content is 800° C.
The raw material of the aforementioned quantum carrier, the oyster shell, can also be replaced by the shells of other shellfish.
The above process results in production of negative ions by the derived quantum carrier. In measuring the rate of negative ions generated by the quantum carrier, eight samples were measured 20 seconds apart. The results show the average amount of negative ions is 383 ion/cc.
The quantum carrier is a honeycomb-like particle with rough surface and releases far infrared with a wavelength of 4-14 μm (as shown in
The quantum carrier increase microbial flora by multiple ways. First, the pores of the quantum carrier can increase the water and oxygen content in the soil and improve the environment for proliferation of the indigenous bacteria; second, the 4˜14 μm far infrared released by the quantum carrier will generate resonance with phospholipids, proteins and carbohydrates on the cell membrane, and cells may produce two major biological effects after absorbing far infrared, i.e., the thermal effect and non-thermal effect. Thermal effect is the vibrational or rotational energy of the molecules of a tissue, the jump energy difference generates resonance with the energy of far infrared which subsequently induces magnetic resonance in the indigenous areas by physical actions and promotes growth of the indigenous microorganisms. In addition, the 4 to 14 μm far infrared rays released by the quantum carrier can also promote resonance between large groups of the water molecules which break the hydrogen bonds between water molecules and make large water molecules into small water molecules, the small water molecules can easily enter the cells or perform biochemical reactions and are easily used by microorganisms and promote microbial growth. Furthermore, the far infrared released by the quantum carrier can degrade organic materials at a temperature below 45° C., when compared with the high temperature of 70° C. for compost, the low temperature for quantum carrier helps retain protein activities for use by microorganisms and increase the microbial flora. Because the quantum carrier increases beneficial bacteria, the harmful bacteria will be reduced.
The quantum carrier consists of sintered oyster shell powder and the oyster shell powder can absorb heavy metals and release far infrared after sintering, and said far infrared can break the chemical bonds of the heavy metals, pesticides or other toxins by energy resonance and achieve the function of elimination of the toxins in the soil. The water from the rain or irrigation system during the cultivation period generates resonance with the sintered oyster shell powder, which makes the water molecules smaller, increase biochemical reactions as well as further purifies the toxins in the soil.
As shown in
The absorption effect of sintered oyster shell powder for cadmium. Sintered oyster shell powder with a particle diameter of 40 mesh (
The absorption effect of sintered oyster shell powder for chromium. Absorption of chromium by the 40-mesh sintered oyster shell powder is time-dependent (
The absorption effect of sintered oyster shell powder for lead. The 40-mesh sintered oyster shell powder absorbed 88% of the lead in the standard solution in one hour and 99% of lead was absorbed by the 400-mesh sintered oyster shell powder in 1 hour (FIG. 4B).
Such efficacy studies evidence sintered oyster shell powder absorption to thereby clear heavy metals in the soil. They further show an inverse proportional correlation between the diameter absorbency level. That is the smaller the diameter, the greater the absorbency thereof.
A yet further feature of the present invention includes the efficacy of diatomaceous earth of the quantum carrier composition, which can reduce pests through physical principles. Diatomaceous earth has a protrusion structure and will generate mechanical actions with each other when in contact with larvae and injure the insect body and eliminate the pests hiding in the soil or in the animal body and reduce damage.
A yet further feature of the quantum carrier according to the present invention is its eliminating clay formation reaction of aluminum to make stronger soil aggregates. A further advantage is the quantum carrier's capacity to quickly adjust soil pH by, for example, restoring acidified soil (pH4.84) to a neutral level (pH6.8).
Another feature of the quantum carrier itself is its numerous ionic minerals which support the development of crop roots; in addition, the properties of the quantum carrier such as increasing water and oxygen content as well as growth promotion all help improve the benefits of agricultural cultivation. Shown below, table 2 demonstrates the results of improving the agricultural cultivation benefits by the quantum carrier. The study group and the control group are compared between the same crops planted in the same region during the same period. Use of the quantum carrier has multiple effects on agricultural cultivation, such as early harvest of the produces, extension of flower preservation, prolonged production period, increased production period, increased interval of fertilization application, delicate taste, reduced pests, no rotation required, increased immunity or toxin-free. The production period refers to the period during which the produces can be harvested after maturation.
Gerbera
Now referring to
Control group: use common chemical fertilizers, the fruits are not matured and still in green (
Further efficacy was evidenced in comparative study of pigs fed with edible mixtures container quantum carrier. The quantum carrier was mixed with edible materials and then processed to make quantum carrier feed for feeding the pigs, as set forth in the inspection report issued by Inspection & Quarantine Technology Centre, Henan Entry-Exit Inspection & Quarantine Bureau of P.R. China. The control group: common feed was used; the study group: the quantum carrier feed was used, a total of 117 pigs were included in the experiment. The pigs in the study group were energetic, agile and steady and had wide back and round hips and a shiny coat, and their disease resistance and immunity were better than the control group. Moreover, because the feed conversion rate was high, the exhaust is low and thus feces, filth and smell of the hog ring were significantly less when compared with the control group. The average weight of the pigs in the study group was 44.65 kg and the pigs in the control group gained an average weight of 39.85 kg. The feed conversion ratio of the study group and the control group was 1:2.55 kg and 1:2.93 kg, respectively. The meat percentage of the study group and the control group was 72.9% and 70.01%, respectively. The pigs in the study group were healthy and use of additional antibiotics or growth hormones was not required. In addition, no Lenobuterol hydrochloride (Clenbuterol), Ractopamine, salbutamol, Chloramphenicol, stilbestrol, Dienestrole, Hexestrol, Aureomycin, ivermectin was detected in the urine of these pigs ; no mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, Fwmepuine, Leucomycin, Lincomycin, Sarafloxacin, stilbestrol, Dienestrole, Hexestrol, Estradiol, 19-nortestosterone, dehydrotestosterone, Prednisolone, Methylprednisolone, melengestrol, Minigest, Medroxyprogesterone, 17-α-hydroxy progesterone was detected in the specimens of the meat.