WO2009038281A1

WO2009038281A1 - Garbage dryer

Info

Publication number: WO2009038281A1
Application number: PCT/KR2008/004383
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hee Ja Lee
Original assignee: Hee Ja Lee
Priority date: 2007-09-20
Filing date: 2008-07-28
Publication date: 2009-03-26
Also published as: KR20080043695A; TW200914784A; KR100891968B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a garbage dryer which is capable of drying garbage with high safety by controlling the operation of a heater at increased drying efficiency by drying the garbage with hot air flow, and absorbing odors generated from the garbage at increased efficiency by using a deodorizing device having a deodorizing agent therein. That is, the invention relates to a garbage dryer which is free from odors and thus can be used in general households.

Description

Description GARBAGE DRYER

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a garbage dryer and more particularly to a garbage dryer which is capable of drying garbage using air flow and eliminating odors generated from garbage using a deodorizing agent. Background Art

[2] Garbage (food waste) from households is generally discarded in landfills. This method causes severe environmental harm and is accompanied by severe odors attributable to decomposition of the garbage. Accordingly, it acts as a substantial factor causing pollution of our surroundings and living environments.

[3] A garbage disposer is a device for treating garbage (food waste) causing such environmental problems. Most conventional garbage disposers adopt a fermentation system using microorganisms. They have an advantage in that they are convenient to use to treat garbage but also have disadvantages in that it is difficult to keep and manage microorganisms and in that the treatment speed is low.

[4] As an alternative, a garbage dryer is a device incorporating a heater provided as a hot wire or a heat-generating element to thereby dehydrate garbage. The dried garbage (food waste) is treated to make fertilizer, or is disposed of in a landfill.

[5] The garbage dryer further incorporates an air fan for sending air to garbage and repeatedly circulating it therethrough, so that the garbage can be dried effectively with remarkable efficiency.

[6] Accordingly, the circulating air flow generated by the air fan and the air circulation path repeatedly dries the surface of the garbage over a large area, resulting in increased drying efficiency.

[7] The garbage dryer using a heater has the advantage of treating garbage at high speed but also has a disadvantage in which overheating occurs during a drying process. This means that this device has a safety problem.

[8] On the other hand, other related art garbage dryers exhaust odors through a drain, and thus the dryers are limited to be installed near a sink. The odors in the drain come back from time to time, and thus the odor is inflicted on people.

[9] In order to solve this problem, KR 10-0706919 (2007.04.12) discloses a garbage disposer or a garbage dryer which absorbs and oxidizes odors generated during a garbage decomposition process or a garbage drying process using a deodorizing unit consisting of a Zeolite or alumina carrier impregnated with a precious metal catalyst.

[10] This device has disadvantages in that it is expensive, because a precious metal catalyst is used as a deodorizing agent, which absorbs odors, thus performing deodorizing, and in that it consumes a lot of power because high temperatures are required to maintain high efficiency of the deodorizing agent. Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

[11] The invention is to solve the safety problem occurring when using a garbage dryer, to prevent the efficacy of a deodorizing agent from being decreased, and to prevent untreated odors from escaping into the air.

[12] An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a garbage dryer which can be used in households free from odors. Technical Solution

[13] In order to achieve the above objects of the invention, there is provided a garbage dryer including a main body which has a drying space therein and a portion of which is exposed to the outside, a cover openably installed on the main body to cover part of the exposed portion of the main body, a drying basket installed in the main body to receive garbage therein, a heater installed in the main body to heat garbage and driven by external power source, an air circulation fan sending the heat through the drying basket to heat and dry the garbage, a circulation pipe installed in the drying space to evacuate gas containing vapor evaporated during drying process and to send hot air back toward the basket, a sensor installed in the main body to control operation of the heater, and a deodorizing device installed in the main body in a detachable manner and equipped with an inlet for allowing the vapor containing odorous particles discharged from the circulation pipe to be introduced therethrough, a deodorizing space for receiving a deodorizing agent which absorbs and eliminates the odorous particles, and an outlet communicating with the inlet via the deodorizing space and allowing the deodorized air to be discharged therethrough.

Advantageous Effects

[14] According to the structure of the above-described invention, it is possible to ensure safety and increase drying efficiency when using a dryer by preventing overheating from occurring by controlling operation of a heater and drying garbage using hot air flow.

[15] Moreover, it is possible to eliminate odors by absorbing vapors containing odorous particles which evaporate from the garbage using a deodorizing agent provided in a deodorizing device. Accordingly, it is possible to completely prevent the odorous particles from escaping into the air.

[16] Further, it is possible to maximize deodorizing capability by providing the deodorizing agent in the form of a filter which has fine pores and is coated with activated carbon in a nano- structured form or in the form of activated carbon grains having a size of 3 to 4 mm which is put into the drying space so that air can smoothly flow in the garbage dryer, and it is convenient to use the garbage dryer because the used deodorizing agent can be easily replaced with a new one.

[17] Accordingly, the invention is useful because households and restaurants can use this garbage dryer without worrying about or having to tolerate odors thanks to the increased drying efficiency and deodorizing efficiency. Brief Description of the Drawings

[18] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a garbage dryer according to one embodiment of the invention;

[19] FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the inner structure of the garbage dryer, which is partially cut, according to the invention;

[20] FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating a deodorizing device installed in the garbage dryer, which is partially cut, according to the invention;

[21] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the overall structure of the garbage dryer according to the invention;

[22] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a drying basket according to the invention;

[23] FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating a garbage dryer according to another embodiment of the invention; and

[24] FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating drying process of the garbage dryer, which is partially cut.

[25] <Brief description of key elements in the drawing>

[26] 10: main body 10a: drying space

[27] 20: cover 25: drying basket

[28] 26: drying space 30: heater

[29] 31: air circulation fan 40: circulation pipe

[30] 50: sensor 60: deodorizing device

[31] 61: deodorizing agent

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[32] Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described with referenced to the accompanying drawings.

[33] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the garbage dryer according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the garbage dryer includes a main body, a cover provided at the front part of the main body, and an openable door attached to an upper plate of the main body.

[34] FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the inner structure of the garbage dryer, a portion of which is cut, according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, garbage is dried by heat from a heater and hot air circulating through a circulation pipe by the operation of an air circulation fan, and air containing vapor evaporated during the garbage drying process is deodorized while it flows through the circulation pipe and then is evacuated.

[35] FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating a deodorizing device installed in the garbage dryer, a portion of which is cut out in the figure. As shown in FIG. 3, the deodorizing device is connected to the circulation pipe to deodorize vapor containing odorous particles, which is evaporated during drying process.

[36] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the overall structure of the garbage dryer. FIG. 4 shows the combinational relationship between the heater for drying garbage with heat, the air circulation fan, and the deodorizing device by absorbing vapor containing odorous particles and evaporating from the garbage.

[37] FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a drying basket according to one embodiment of the invention. The drying basket for receiving garbage includes a support frame in order to air transmission ratio in the gasket, and a separation member to discharging dried garbage outside the garbage dryer after finishing garbage drying process.

[38] FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating a deodorizing device according to another embodiment of the invention. The deodorizing device has an inlet and an outlet which communicate with each other via a deodorizing space, and an activated carbon casing holding activated carbon particles in the size of 3 to 4 mm therein is attached to or detached from the deodorizing space.

[39] FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating some portion of the garbage drying process according to the invention. The garbage received in the drying basket is dried by hot air and vapor evaporating from the garbage is deodorized by the deodorizing device.

[40] As shown in FIGs. 1 through 3, the main body 10 is a casing that defines the overall appearance of the garbage dryer 1. A drying space 10a is provided in the main body 10. The main body 10 has at least one exposed portion.

[41] In this embodiment, the main body 10 comprises a bottom plate 11, side plates 12 provided at edges of the bottom 11, and an upper plate 13. The drying space 10a is defined by the bottom plate 11, the side plates 12 and the upper plate 13. In this embodiment, a front face is open. However, this structure is an example, and the upper face or the side face can be open, instead of the front face.

[42] A manipulation switch 14 is attached on the upper plate 13 of the main body 10 so that operation of the garbage dryer 1 can be manipulated. For example, a driving switch is attached at a front portion of the upper plate 13 of the main body 10.

[43] A cover 20 is provided in a manner such that it usually closes the exposed portion of the main body 10, so that vapor containing odorous particles generated from garbage in the main body 10 is outwardly discharged to the air. According to necessity, the cover

20 is opened and garbage is introduced into the drying space 10a of the main body 10, so that the garbage is received in a drying basket 25. [44] The cover 20, according to a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, is installed in a manner such that the cover 20 can slide along a guardrail 22 provided on the front face, so that the cover 20 can be smoothly opened in the front side direction. [45] The cover 20 according to a more preferable embodiment has a support 21 thereon, so that the drying basket 25 can be placed on the support 21. By this configuration, the drying basket 25 can be naturally pulled out when the cover 20 is opened. [46] The cover 20 according to still further preferable embodiment, has a knob or a handle

23 on the other surface thereof, so that the opening and closing of the cover 20 can be easily performed using the knob or handle 23. [47] Accordingly, the cover 20 is usually in a state such that it closes the exposed portion of the main body 10, and is opened when garbage is put in, so that it is possible to prevent odorous particles from escaping from the drying space 10a into the air during the garbage drying process, and it is also possible to increase drying efficiency because the drying space 10a is maintained in a sealed state. [48] The drying basket 25 has a receiving space 26 and is placed on the support 21 formed on the cover 20. The drying basket 25 plays a role of storing garbage in the receiving space 26 thereof. [49] According to the embodiment, an additional support frame 27 is installed on the bottom of the inner space of the drying basket 25, so that the drying efficiency of garbage received in the receiving space 26 can be increased. [50] That is, the shape of the support frame 27, as shown in FIG. 5, is the same or almost the same as that of the receiving space 26, and has a plurality of ventilation holes 28.

When the support frame 27 is installed on the bottom of the inner space of the drying basket 25, air can pass through the garbage received in the drying basket 25, and thus the drying efficiency is increased. [51] According to this embodiment, a separation member 29 is rotatably installed in the drying basket 25. Accordingly, it is possible to easily separate the drying basket 25 from the main body 10 when discharging the dried garbage by holding the separation member 29. [52] In the bottom portion of the drying basket 25, an agitator (not shown) can be provided for eliminating the difference in temperatures at an upper portion and a lower portion of the garbage and smoothly eliminating moisture by agitating the garbage. [53] The heater 30 generates heat by being powered by an external power source, and dries the garbage received in the drying basket 25. For this, the heater 30 is positioned above the drying basket 25 and is installed in the drying space 10a of the main body 10.

[54] Any known configuration can be applied to the heater 30 as long as it comprises a heating element that can generate heat when powered by an external power source. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a positive temperature coefficient heater (PTC heater) can be provided as the heater 30, so that the garbage is maintained within a set temperature range.

[55] The temperature range may be from 60 to 70 ⁰C.

[56] Here, the external power source for driving the heater 30 may be a battery pack.

Further, the heater 30 can be powered from an external power source in a manner such that a plug connected to the back surface of the main body 10 by an electric wire is received in a receptacle when the garbage dryer is used in a household or a restaurant.

[57] That is, when the garbage dryer is used at a place equipped with receptacles, such as households or restaurants, the heater is driven by plugging a plug into a receptacle. Alternatively, when the garbage dryer is used at a place where there are no receptacles, the garbage dryer 1 is driven by a battery pack.

[58] This external power source plays a role of supplying electric power to the manipulation switch 14, to an air circulation fan 31, which will be described below, and to a variety of electric components in addition to the heater 30.

[59] The air circulation fan 31 plays a role of blowing heat generated from the heater 30 toward the drying basket 25 to thereby dry the garbage.

[60] For this, the air circulation fan 31 comprises a driving motor 32 and a driving fan 33, coupled to the driving motor 32 by a shaft, and is installed at a place near the heater 30. According to a preferred embodiment, the air circulation fan 31 is installed above and in front of the heater 30.

[61] Accordingly, air is blown toward the drying basket 25 and is passed through the heater 30 by the air circulation fan 31. When the air is blown to the drying basket 25, the air is heated by the heater 30, and the garbage in the drying basket 25 is dried by the hot air.

[62] Under the driving fan 33 which constitutes the air circulation fan 31, a strainer 34 is installed in order to prevent garbage from invading into the driving fan 33, attributable to the fact that the garbage is boiled by the hot air during the drying process.

[63] The circulation pipe 40 is attached to the drying space 10a of the main body 10 so that it can send the vapor evaporating from the garbage while the garbage is dried by hot air blown by the air circulation fan 31 to the deodorizing device 60 which will be described below and the hot air can circulate through the drying basket 25.

[64] According to this embodiment, the circulation pipe 40 comprises a discharge pipe 41, a blowing pipe 42 and an evacuating pipe 43. The discharge pipe 41 is installed near the heater 30 so as to receive hot air containing heat which is generated by the heater 30 and transfer the hot air. The blowing pipe 42, connected to the discharge pipe 41, is installed near the drying basket 25 so as to blow the hot air transferred from the discharge pipe 41 to the drying basket 25.

[65] The evacuating pipe 43 has an end disposed near the air circulation fan 31 and the other end connected to the deodorizing device 60 so that the vapor containing odorous particles evaporating from the garbage can is discharged to the deodorizing device 60.

[66] The circulation pipe 40, constituted by the discharge pipe 41, the blowing pipe 42 and the evacuating pipe 43, is installed throughout the entire drying space 10a of the main body 10. Accordingly, it is preferable that the pipes be provided in a separated form, but the invention is not necessarily limited to this configuration.

[67] Since the circulation pipe 40, constituted by the discharge pipe 41, the blowing pipe

42 and the evacuating pipe 43, is installed in the drying space 10a of the main body 10, hot air, obtaining heat from the heater 30, is continuously supplied to the drying basket 25, so that the garbage is dried.

[68] During this procedure, the vapor containing odorous particles, evaporating from the garbage, is evacuated to the deodorizing device 60, and the hot air is circulated to the drying basket 25, to thereby increase drying efficiency and heat efficiency.

[69] The sensor 50 may be either a thermal sensor, which detects the temperature of the drying space 10a and controls the operation of the heater 20, or a dielectric sensor, which detects the change of dielectric constant of the garbage and controls the operation of the heater 30. However, in this embodiment, the dielectric sensor will be described.

[70] The dielectric sensor which is an example of the sensor 50 is installed in the drying basket 25 storing the garbage therein.

[71] The dielectric sensor is a sensor that can detect changes in dielectric constant using electromagnetic waves and can estimate the moisture content in vapor by calculating changes in dielectric relaxation frequencies.

[72] As the moisture content of vapor increases, the dielectric relaxation frequency increases. Accordingly, at a high dielectric relaxation frequency, the dielectric sensor 40 keeps driving the heater 30 because it is determined that the garbage contains a large amount of moisture. On the other hand, at a low dielectric relaxation frequency, the dielectric sensor stops the heater 30 because it is determined that the garbage contains a small amount of moisture.

[73] According to the principle of the dielectric sensor, a high dielectric constant means that electric energy is basically transferred well. That is, in soil, which has a low dielectric constant, electric current does not flow very well, and electromagnetic waves penetrate the soil. However, when soil is wet and the dielectric constant of the soil is increased, electric current starts to flow, and electromagnetic waves cannot penetrate the wet soil very well.

[74] By employing the dielectric sensor 50, which uses this principle, precision is increased at low cost.

[75] Accordingly, the heater 30 is driven by measuring the changes of the dielectric constant of the garbage using the dielectric sensor, and thus it is possible to increase drying efficiency of the garbage dryer and deodorizing efficiency of the deodorizing device 60.

[76] The deodorizing unit 60 is installed in the main body 60 and discharges only purified air to the atmosphere by absorbing and eliminating odorous particles in the vapor passing out of the circulation pipe 40.

[77] For this, the deodorizing device 60 consists of an inlet 60a through which the vapor containing odorous particles is introduced in the deodorizing space 60b, the deodorizing space 60a storing a deodorizing agent therein, and an outlet 60c communicating with the inlet 60a via the deodorizing space 60b.

[78] As shown in FIG. 2, the deodorizing device 60 is detachably attached to the back of the main body 10.

[79] The inlet 60a is connected to an evacuating portion 15 of the main body 10, the vapor containing odorous particles, which are evacuated through the evacuating portion 15, are deodorized by an odor absorbing element 61 received in the deodorizing space 60b, and purified air is discharged into the atmosphere through the outlet 60c.

[80] According to another embodiment of the invention, the deodorizing device 60 is detachably built in the main body 10, and this structure is shown in FIG. 3.

[81] The inlet 60a of the deodorizing device 60 is connected to the evacuating pipe 43 of the circulation pipe 40 and the outlet 60c is connected to the evacuating portion 15 of the main body 10. Accordingly, the vapor containing odorous particles are deodorized by the deodorizing agent 61 received in the deodorizing space 60b, and are then discharged into the atmosphere through the outlet 60c.

[82] The deodorizing agent 61 built in the deodorizing unit 60 must have high instant absorption performance and high selective absorption performance at high moisture content, and it is necessary to absorb, oxidize and neutralize both basic and acidic odorous particles.

[83] Odors from the garbage dryer 1 are caused by the garbage. Accordingly, if the moisture content in the garbage is high, the odors include both acidic and basic odorous particles.

[84] As an example of the deodorizing agent 61, as shown in FIGs. 3 and 4, it is configured into a deodorizing filter 62 consisting of a piece of cotton fabric having fine pores and activated carbon coated on the fabric in a nano-structure form. [85] Since the deodorizing filter 62 having the nano-structure coating layer is built in the deodorizing space 60b, the vapor, which contains odorous particles and is introduced through the inlet 60a, is eliminated by absorption by the activated carbon which is finely coated on the deodorizing filter 62, and air, from which the vapor is eliminated, is finally discharged to the atmosphere through the outlet 60c.

[86] It is preferable that one or more deodorizing filters 62 be provided in the deodorizing device 60 in a separated form. In such a case, it is possible to increase the surface area over which the odorous particles pass and the retention time, and thus it is possible to increase the absorbing and deodorizing efficiencies of the activated carbon with respect to the odorous particles. With this embodiment, two deodorizing filters 62 are built in the deodorizing space 60b.

[87] It is preferable that the deodorizing filter 62 be detachably built in the deodorizing space 60b, so that the deodorizing filter 62 can be easily replaced through the openable door 13a after the lifespan thereof is terminated.

[88] As a further example of the deodorizing agent 61, as shown in FIG. 6, activated carbon grains are provided in the deodorizing space 60b. It is preferable that the activated carbon has a grain size of 3 to 4 millimeters and a spherical shape. The activated carbon grains are received in an activated carbon casing 63, and the casing 63 is received in the deodorizing space 60b.

[89] Providing the deodorizing agent 61 as the activated carbon grains having a grain size

3 to 4 millimeters serves to facilitate smooth air flow, so as to result in increased absorption performance. When the airflow is not smooth, the absorption performance is decreased, and the air exhaust time is increased. Accordingly, smooth air circulation is suppressed.

[90] Since the deodorizing agent 61 is provided as activated carbon having an average grain size of 3 to 4 millimeters and is received in the deodorizing space 60 in the state in which it is encased by the activated carbon casing 62, the air containing vapor circulates through the activated carbon grains and thus the activated carbon grains absorb the vapor containing odorous particles during the air circulation.

[91] In addition, as described above, the activated carbon, coated on the deodorizing filter

62 or received in the activated carbon casing 63, may be known activated carbon. Alternatively, it is preferable that activated carbon impregnated with copper Cu, manganese Mn, sodium hydroxide NaOH and potassium hydroxide KOH be used in order to eliminate acidic odorous particles and increase deodorizing efficiency.

[92] That is, when the known activated carbon is applied to the garbage dryer 1 according to the present invention, odors are not generated due to absorption at an early stage. However, after a predetermined period (three days or more) has elapsed, acidic odors are generated. [93] Accordingly, in order to eliminate acidic odors and increase absorption performance, it is preferable that the activated carbon be impregnated with metals, such as copper Cu and manganese Mn, and neutralizing agents, such as sodium hydroxide NaOH and potassium hydroxide KOH.

[94] According to the present invention, manganese Mn, having strong oxidizing power is added in the form of an oxide, the usage is preferably in the range of 5000 to 80000 mg/1. If the usage is less than 5000mg/l, the oxidizing power is low. On the contrary, if the usage is more than 80000mg/l, manganese is provided in excess of saturation amount, and thus it cannot be completely dissolved.

[95] Copper Cu is also added in the form of an oxide and has excellent oxidizing power and an excellent ammonia deodorizing function. The usage of copper is preferably in the range of 5000 to 200000mg/l. If the usage is less than 5000mg/l, deodorizing performance is low. On the contrary, if the usage is larger than 200000mg/l, deodorizing efficiency is not increased in proportion to the usage.

[96] Sodium hydroxide NaOH and potassium hydroxide KOH are added for the purpose of neutralization, and the usage of each is preferably in the range of 100 to lOOOOmg/1. If the usage is less than lOOmg/1, neutralizing power is low. On the contrary, if the usage is larger than lOOOOmg/1, neutralizing efficiency is not increased in proportion to the usage.

[97] The activated carbon according to the embodiment has high deodorizing performance and can eliminate acidic odor because it is impregnated with manganese and copper, having high oxidizing power, and with sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide, having high neutralizing performance.

[98] In order to prepare the aforementioned deodorizing agent, copper, manganese, sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide are dissolved in 1 liter of water, activated carbon is added to the water in order to impregnate copper, manganese, sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide in activated carbon, and then activated carbon is dehydrated. After that, the activated carbon is rapidly dried, without causing deformation to the activated carbon, at 90 to 12O⁰C. This impregnation method is well known to people having ordinary skill in the art.

[99] The reason that the components copper, manganese, sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide are impregnated in activated carbon at room temperature is to avoid deformation of the pore structure of activated carbon and the decrease in the surface area thereof. When activated carbon is processed at high temperature, the pore structure of activated carbon can be deformed, and particles are formed on the surface of the activated carbon while the activated carbon is cooled to room temperature, resulting in the decrease in the surface area of activated carbon.

[100] In this manner, it is possible to accomplish the object of the invention by optimizing absorbing, oxidizing, and neutralizing functions of activated carbon, and thus it is possible to eliminate odors which are generated from the garbage dryer 1 and which were difficult to deodorize using commonly known activated carbon by the use of the optimized activated carbon impregnated with the catalyst.

[101] The usage of the activated carbon is in proportion to the volume of the garbage to be treated. For example, in order to dry lOOg of garbage, the usage of the activated carbon is preferably 100 to 500 grams. The usage can vary according to the type of garbage (food waste).

[102] As described above, in the structure of the garbage dryer in which the deodorizing device 60 is detachably built therein, as shown in FIG. 4 or 7, since the openable door 13a is installed on the upper plate 13 of the main body 10, it is possible to easily pull out and replace the used deodorizing agent 61 when its lifespan is terminated.

[103] In order to replace the used deodorizing agent 61, according to the known art, the inside space of the main body 10 is exposed by opening the cover 20, the deodorizing device 60 is detached from the main body 10, and then the deodorizing agent 61 is removed. However, in the case in which the openable door 13a is installed on the upper plate 13 of the main body 10, the deodorizing agent 61 can be easily replaced through the openable door 13a instead of exposing the inside space of the main body by detaching the cover.

[104] For this reason, it is apparent that the openable door 13a is installed at the same location as the deodorizing device 60. The deodorizing agent 61 will be replaced at an interval of more than 3 months, and preferably 6 months.

[105] The process of drying garbage using the garbage dryer 1 having the deodorizing unit 60 will be described in detail below.

[106] After garbage is introduced into the drying basket 25 and the cover 20 is closed, an operator may manipulate the manipulation switch 14. At this time, power is supplied through the electric wire connected to the back of the main body 10 from an external power source, and the air circulation fan 31 and the heater 30, installed in the drying space 10a of the main body 10, are driven.

[107] Air, generated by driving the air circulation fan 31, is transferred to the discharge pipe 41 while gaining heat from the heater 30 to thus become hot air, is blown to the blowing pipe 42 connected to the discharge pipe 41, and is then blown to the drying basket, so that the garbage in the drying basket is dried by the hot air.

[108] During this procedure, changes in the dielectric constant of the garbage are detected by the dielectric sensor. On the basis of the detection of the changes in temperature, the driving of the heater 30 is controlled.

[109] The vapor evaporating from the garbage while the garbage is being dried using the heater 30 is supplied to the deodorizing device 60 by the circulation pipe 40 and is absorbed by the deodorizing agent 61. Further, odorous particles are eliminated, and then purified air is discharged to the atmosphere through the outlet 60c. Accordingly, only air purified by the deodorizing agent 61 is continuously discharged to the atmosphere.

Claims

[1] A garbage dryer, comprising: a main body having a drying space inside thereof and having at least one exposed portion; a cover openably installed on the main body to cover part of the exposed portion of the main body; a drying basket installed in the main body for receiving garbage therein; a heater installed in the main body for generating heat when powered by an external power source; an air circulation fan for heating and drying the garbage by sending dry air generated by the heater through the drying basket; a circulation pipe installed in the drying space to evacuate gas containing vapor generated during drying process and circulate the dry air to the drying basket; a sensor installed in the main body for controlling operation of the heater; and a deodorizing device which can be attached to or detached from the main body and which has an inlet through which the vapor containing odorous particles discharged through the circulation pipe is introduced, a deodorizing space having a deodorizing agent therein for absorbing and deodorizing the odorous particles contained in the vapor and an outlet communicating with the inlet via the deodorizing space and allowing deodorized air to be discharged therethrough.

[2] The garbage dryer according to claim 1, wherein a support frame having a plurality of ventilation holes is installed in the drying basket in a manner such that it is spaced apart from the bottom portion of the drying basket in order to increase an air transmission rate.

[3] The garbage dryer according to claim 1, wherein the deodorizing device is de- tachably installed in the main body.

[4] The garbage dryer according to claim 1, wherein the deodorizing agent is activated carbon impregnated with copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and potassium hydroxide (KOH).

[5] The garbage dryer according to claim 1, wherein the deodorizing agent is a deodorizing filter on which activated carbon impregnated with copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and potassium hydroxide (KOH) is coated at a nanometer size, and is attached to or detached from the deodorizing space.

[6] The garbage dryer according to claim 1, wherein the deodorizing agent is activated carbon that has an average grain size of 3 to 4 mm and is impregnated with copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and potassium hydroxide (KOH).

[7] The garbage dryer according to claim 4, wherein the activated carbon, impregnated with Cu, Mn, NaOH, and KOH, is prepared by producing a solution by dissolving 5000 to 80000 mg of manganese (Mn), 5000 to 200000 mg of copper (Cu), 100 to 10000 mg of sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and 100 to 10000 potassium hydroxide (KOH) in 1 L of water, adding activated carbon into the solution at room temperature, and dehydrating and drying the solution at 90 to 12O⁰C.

[8] The garbage dryer according to claim 3, wherein an openable door is installed on the main body having the deodorizing agent therein.