Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C05—FERTILISERS; MANUFACTURE THEREOF
  • C05F—ORGANIC FERTILISERS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C05B, C05C, e.g. FERTILISERS FROM WASTE OR REFUSE
  • C05F17/00—Preparation of fertilisers characterised by biological or biochemical treatment steps, e.g. composting or fermentation
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C05—FERTILISERS; MANUFACTURE THEREOF
  • C05F—ORGANIC FERTILISERS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C05B, C05C, e.g. FERTILISERS FROM WASTE OR REFUSE
  • C05F17/00—Preparation of fertilisers characterised by biological or biochemical treatment steps, e.g. composting or fermentation
  • C05F17/05—Treatments involving invertebrates, e.g. worms, flies or maggots
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C05—FERTILISERS; MANUFACTURE THEREOF
  • C05F—ORGANIC FERTILISERS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C05B, C05C, e.g. FERTILISERS FROM WASTE OR REFUSE
  • C05F17/00—Preparation of fertilisers characterised by biological or biochemical treatment steps, e.g. composting or fermentation
  • C05F17/90—Apparatus therefor
  • C05F17/964—Constructional parts, e.g. floors, covers or doors
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
  • Y02P20/00—Technologies relating to chemical industry
  • Y02P20/141—Feedstock
  • Y02P20/145—Feedstock the feedstock being materials of biological origin
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
  • Y02W30/00—Technologies for solid waste management
  • Y02W30/40—Bio-organic fraction processing; Production of fertilisers from the organic fraction of waste or refuse

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a process and apparatus for biological treatment of organic wastes with earthworm compost and at a larger scale a process for purification, stabilization, dewatering, desalinization, composting and degradation of household wastes and sewage sludge with continuous and rapid removal of leakage water.
• Dewatering of liquid sludges at purification plants is an expensive process which in general is achieved through centrifu- gation. This does not only demand high initial costs of invest ⁇ ment but also a great deal of energy supply.
• To perform dewater ⁇ ing it is nesessary to stabilize the sludge through anaerobically degradation or by adding chemicals.
• Many small purification plants lack facilities to dewater the sludge which means that the sludge has to be transported by trucks to larger units equipped with centrifuges. The residues are unpleasent regarding texture and odours. Costs arise both from transportation of water and the disposal of the dewatered sludge.
• the dewatered sludge moreover has a tendency to get mouldy which constitutes a health risk for the staff at the plant. A number of such processes are anaerobic, permitting pathogenic organisms to multiply.
• a large scale aspect of the invention provides a process and related apparatus for stabilization, dewatering of liquid sludges containing down to a few percentage solid matter, desalinization, composting and degradation.
• the treated residues receive a price on the market in the form of a compost, with a texture and smell typical for an ordinary soil.
• the mould problem is eliminated.
• the process can be arranged for at low costs of investments and low running expenses.
• the process is aerobic which ensures that harmful microorganisms will be dismissed.
• Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view showing a vermicompost bed used in the process
• Fig. 2 shows the vermicompost bed in Fig. 1 in a small scale application of the invention
• Fig. 3 shows an outer enclosure to the vermicompost bed shown in fig. 2,
• Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of a rootzone, adapted to the process of the invention.
• Fig. 5 shows the principles of the invention applied in a small scale aspect.
• a vermicompost bed 1 with inoculated earthworms is positioned at a distance above a bottom 2, which is designed to receive and supply continuous removal of the leakage water or water from liquid sludges 3.
• the bottom 2 can as shown in fig. 1 be supplied with channels or be corrugated and sloping with respect to the horizontal level, and can be supplied with a channel to collect the water at the lower side.
• the lower parts of the corrugation have a cross sectional area sufficient to lead the water away before it raises to a level high enough to allow the water to be resucked into the compost bed 1.
• the channels or corrugation comprises side walls, substantially vertical or somewhat sloping to the vertical plane to ensure a quick and mainly vertical removal and outlet of the leakage water so the risk of overflow ⁇ ing will be eliminated.
• the water purified from solid particles will be lead away for further removal of dissolved plant nutrients.
• a water permeable barrier layer 4 Spaced above the bottom 2 is arranged a water permeable barrier layer 4, resting in a frame, not further presented here, of suitable design.
• Said barrier layer includes e.g. mineral wool which lets the water through but not the earthworms being inoculated into the compost bed.
• a protective net 5 to protect the barrier layer from mechanical damage for example when the compost is ready for use and is removed.
• Reference numeral 6 refers to distributor pipes for water and unpurified wastes or liquid sludges, and may as illustrated in the drawing, be a number of pipes evenly distrib ⁇ uted above the surface of the compost bed or a single, periodi ⁇ cally or continuously moving distribution pipe.
• the vermicompost bed can also be designed as a basin in level with the ground, or be built enclosed in a box or placed on a table in one or several levels and thus adapted to the space available.
• Fig. 2 shows a vermicompost bed of abovesaid design for use in a small scale aspect, and wherein identical components are designated by identical reference numerals.
• the vermicompost bed 1 in Fig. 2 includes a bottom 2, spaced underneath a barrier layer 4 and a protective net 5 of a frame, as indicated in the drawing, which prevents leakage water to escape between the barrier layer and the walls of a box, described below, inside which the vermicompost is positioned.
• the bottom 2 has channels or is corrugated, as suggested in a diagonal direction and is designed with a surrounding channel to lead drainage water away to an external collection vessel 30.
• the channels or corrugation comprises side walls that extend substantially vertically or somewhat sloping with respect to the vertical plane, to ensure a quick and mainly vertical removal and outlet of leakage water and urine.
• the outlet 31, which passes through the outer enclosure and leads to a vessel 30 as described below, is positioned low enough to secure a substantial and operative drainage of the corrugation and the bottom 2.
• the vermicompost bed is positioned inside an inner enclosure or box 7 to receive latrine, i. e. urine, water and solid organic wastes.
• latrine i. e. urine, water and solid organic wastes.
• decomposable kitchen wastes and sludges from filters or from sludge separating vessels can be put. It is preferable that the box 7 is divided into two or more separate chambers, and is therefore sectioned by partition walls 8.
• These walls may be displaceable in the box 7 to make degrada ⁇ tion capacity adaptable to varying loads, e.g. when used during different seasons of year and to allow for a completed decompost- ing process in a section not currently used before the compost material is taken out.
• the walls are perforated with a number of holes, not shown, through which the worms can migrate from a section wherein the composting process is completed to another section containing fresh material.
• the holes are suggested to have a diameter of about 6 mm and can be distributed over the lower third of the area of the partition wall.
• openings 9 are provided in the side walls of the box 7. Said openings are formed as slots or grooves and are protected from falling waste material or compost by roofs 10, attached to the inside of the side walls.
• the slots 9 can be provided in respective side wall of the box 7 and in a number suitable for the number of sections inside the box.
• the top edges of the walls of the box 7 may include inwardly bent flanges or rims to prevent earthworms to crawl over the edges.
• FIG. 3 the inner box 7 with the vermicompost bed 1 is schematically shown in dotted lines.
• An outer enclosure or box 11 surrounds the box 7, the later resting on inserts 12 so that a space is formed between the bottoms of the two boxes. Inserts 12 are also placed between the side walls of the boxes 7 and 11 and forming a space 14.
• BDL-water from bath, dishes, laundery
• An outlet opening 16 leads the water away, e.g. to be filtered into the ground or preferably absorbed in a root bed.
• Inlet and outlet openings 15, 16 are placed at such heights that the water is retained at a level ensuring a permanent contact between the corrugated bottom of the box 7 and the BDL-water surface.
• the strips 17 rise into the space 14 and through each slot 9 of the side walls, into the inner box and partly onto the surface of the protective net 5, and is thus partly covered with the bedding material and compost.
• BDL-water is drawn, by the strips 17, from the space 12 to the compost material for humidification.
• the purposes are two; firstly the compost is prevented from drying during periods when fresh material is not supplied, and secondly it prevents harmful saline concentrations from building up and poisonous degradation products to be enriched due to the continuous supply of urine.
• the supply of BDL-water thus improves the life conditions of the earthworms and ensures the function of the biological waste water purification construction.
• the BDL-water in the space 13 is thus used both for heating and remoisturing the compost.
• This arrangement of the pipes forces the water to pass both in and out of the pipes and thus balance moisture and concentrations of plant nutrients, improves the absorption due to prolonged time of flow through the ground and optimizes the distribution of nutrients in the rootzone.
• the rootzone can be sowed with a strongly growing grass, being planted with bushes, garden vegetables, fodder plants etc. From the rootzone the water can be led to a recipient eventually after passing a basin for airing. It can finally be used for watering or let out into a receiving body of water.
• Fig. 5 shows schematically a small scale application of the invention.
• Latrine is led from toilets 20, preferably with a sparsely water flow, eventually through a pump 21 to the vermicompost bed in the house 22, surrounding the compost.
• To serve a number of households several compost houses can be interconnected or be constructed as a larger unit divided into separate chambers with distribution tubes to each chamber.
• To the compost house 22 is also led BDL-water 23 through a sludge separation vessel 24. Drainage water leaking from the compost in the house 22 is collected in the vessel 25.
• the BDL-water is led or pumped from under the house 22 to the rootzone 26 after its remaining heat has been used in the vermicompost bed. From the rootzone, in which the BDL-water repeatedly has flown in and out of the windings of the drainage pipes, it is led purified to a recipient eventually after being aired in a pond 27.
• the compost house 22 can as shown be designed as a building above ground or being placed more or less below the ground surface.
• earthworms of the species Dendrobaena veneta advantageously is inoculated in the compost bed, as well as worms of the species Eisenia foetida.
• Perionvx excavatus and Eudrilus eu ⁇ eniae are advantageously initiated by a capillarity breaking material layer which is spread onto the protective net and thus providing a shed and favourable conditions to the worms already from the start of the process.

Landscapes

• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Biochemistry (AREA)
• Biotechnology (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Microbiology (AREA)
• Molecular Biology (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Tropical Medicine & Parasitology (AREA)
• Insects & Arthropods (AREA)
• Fertilizers (AREA)
• Processing Of Solid Wastes (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=20397270

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Families Citing this family (2)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1995
  • 1995-02-17 SE SE9500594A patent/SE504058C2/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1996
  • 1996-02-16 EP EP19960903321 patent/EP0830331A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1996-02-16 AU AU47366/96A patent/AU4736696A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1996-02-16 WO PCT/SE1996/000196 patent/WO1996025374A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
• 1997
  • 1997-08-18 NO NO973789A patent/NO973789L/no unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events