JPH0124758B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention enables organic wastes such as sludge and livestock manure, especially fibrous organic wastes such as livestock litter, agricultural and forestry waste, and municipal waste, to be processed under aerobic conditions. This relates to a fermentation device that ferments and composts.

Various types of this type of composting and fermentation apparatus have been considered, but from the viewpoint of space saving, demand for apparatuses having a vertical fermentation tank has been increasing in recent years.

In such a vertical fermenter, if the material pile height is too high, undesirable phenomena such as compaction at the bottom of the pile layer and insufficient supply of air necessary for aerobic fermentation occur. For this reason, a multi-stage fermenter has been proposed in which a plurality of shelves are arranged in the vertical direction within a vertical fermenter, and the sediment is aerobically fermented in each stage and then sequentially transferred to the next stage.

Various structures have been considered for the tray structure of a multi-stage fermenter, and the multi-stage structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has been proposed by the same applicant as the present application (Japanese Patent Application No. 22629). That is, each shelf 2a, 2b, 2c arranged in the fermenter 1 is alternately supported by a rotary rod 3 with a pawl that is rotatably supported on the fermenter wall and a fixed rod 4 that is fixed to the fermenter wall. They are arranged horizontally in parallel at intervals. The fixing rod 4 is a hollow tube in which a plurality of air supply and exhaust holes opening downward are bored.

Furthermore, a cutting stage for cutting out and discharging fermented compost and for preventing discharge is provided at the lowest stage of the multi-tiered shelves. The spacing between the rotating rod 3 with claws and the fixed rod 4 that form each tier is such that when the feed material or sediment in the tank is dropped onto the tier, it is not supported by the tier and is substantially spaced apart. The dimensions are such that during the fermentation process, bridges of sediment are formed on each shelf and the deposit layer is supported on each shelf.

In this specification, the term "claw" means
This term is used to generically refer to claw-shaped, plate-shaped, wing-shaped, or acute-angled protrusions.

According to the fermentation device of the prior invention having such a structure,
At the fermentation start stage, that is, the raw material input stage, the loaded raw materials are transferred to the rotating rods 3 and fixed rods 4 with claws on each shelf.
Since there is a sufficient distance between the tiers and the tiers, they fall without being supported on the tiers, and a single deposited layer is formed throughout the tank 1 regardless of the tiers.

As aerobic fermentation progresses in this state, the dispersion of the sediment progresses, the withering phenomenon progresses, and together with the evaporation of water, the sediment becomes compacted, and at the same time, the sediment is transferred between the rotating rod 3 and the fixed rod 4. A bridge is formed between them. Since this bridge is supported by each shelf, a deposited layer is formed on each shelf, and voids are created above the deposited layer on each shelf due to the above-mentioned consolidation.

After discharging the deposited layer on the lowest cutting stage, the rotating rod 3 with claws on each shelf is rotated to drop the deposited layer on each shelf sequentially into the lower part of the tank, and then a new layer is discharged into the upper part of the tank. By charging the raw materials, one deposited layer is again formed in the entire tank 1 regardless of the trays.

However, in such a prior invention, even when the rotary rod 3 with claws is rotated in order to drop the deposits on the shelf downwards, as shown in FIG. A phenomenon is often observed in which only the deposits in the vicinity of the rotating claw rod 3 can be scraped off without breaking the bridges of the deposit layer 5. In particular, when organic waste rich in fibers, such as livestock litter, is used as a raw material, bridges are likely to form between the fixed rods, making it difficult for deposits to fall.

On the other hand, in order to ensure that even if the sediments on the shelf form a bridge, the bridge will surely break and fall downward by rotating the rotating bar, each rotating bar on the same shelf and the It would be better to widen the spacing between the rods as much as possible, but in this case, when the rotating rods are stopped and a new sediment layer is formed on the terrace, the rods will fall directly through the wide gaps between the rods, making it difficult to form a new sediment layer. .

Therefore, the present invention maintains a spacing between the rods that makes it difficult for sediment to fall from the gaps between the rods that make up the tray when a new sediment layer is formed on the tray during the fermentation process, and also uses rotating rods with claws. The purpose of this invention is to provide a multi-stage vertical fermentation device having a tiered structure that allows the sediment to fall reliably when it is rotated and the sediment on the tiers falls downward. be.

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, the arrangement of the rotating rods with claws and the fixed rods of each shelf disposed in the fermenter in the prior invention is such that the rotating rods with claws are more arranged than the fixed rods. The structure is such that it is placed slightly upward.

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments are shown.

FIG. 4 shows one embodiment of the fermentation apparatus according to the present invention, and is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing the apparatus of the prior invention. FIG. 4 shows an apparatus in which a plurality of units of the vertical fermentation tank shown in FIG. Of course, it can be used as

The fermentation apparatus illustrated in FIG. 4 has a tank body 11 with a rectangular cross section that is open at the top and bottom, and the inside of the tank body 11 is partitioned into multiple stages at appropriate intervals in the vertical direction by shelves 12a, 12b, and 12c. The fermented product accumulation layers 15a, 15b, and 15c can be supported on each shelf.

Each shelf 12a, 12b, 12c has a plurality of rotating rods 13 and a plurality of fixed rods 1 as shown in FIG.
4 are arranged alternately in parallel with each other at intervals. Each of the rotating rods 13 is provided with a plurality of pawls 16 protruding in the radial direction from its outer circumferential surface, is rotatably supported on the wall of the tank body 11 via a bearing 17, and is rotated by a drive means (not shown). - Be able to stand still. On the other hand, each fixing rod 14 is fixed to the wall of the tank body 11 by welding or the like. As shown in FIG. 6, the fixed rod 14 is made of a hollow tube, and a plurality of air supply/exhaust holes 18 are fixedly drilled in the longitudinal direction of the hollow tube for supplying or exhausting air toward the bottom of the shelf. . The hollow portion of the fixing rod 14 of the shelf communicates with a blower or pump 20 via a piping system 19, as shown in FIG.

A chute wall 21 and a damper 22 are provided at the bottom of the fermentation apparatus, and the damper can be opened and closed at any time.

The above structure is substantially the same as that of the earlier invention, but the difference between the present invention and the earlier invention is that in the earlier invention, the rotating rods with claws and the fixed rods constituting the shelves are arranged horizontally. In contrast, in the present invention, the rotary rod 13 with claws is arranged so as to be slightly above the fixed rod 14.

By arranging the rotating rod with claws and the fixed rod in this manner, as can be seen from FIG. Since the bridge formed between adjacent fixed rods is broken, the deposited layer 15 on this shelf can be reliably dropped to the lower stage.

Shelves 12a each configured as described above,
The number of stages used to partition the inside of the tank with 12b and 12c and the interval between each shelf may be appropriately determined depending on the amount and physical properties of the raw material to be treated, the shape of the tank, and the fermentation conditions. Further, the interval between the rotating rod and the fixed rod constituting each shelf can be determined appropriately depending on the type and physical properties of the raw material to be treated. For example, when fibrous organic waste such as livestock litter or agricultural and forestry waste is used as a raw material, the sedimentary layer on the shelves tends to form bridges during the fermentation process. between 60
Even with a spacing of ~100 cm, the deposited layer forming a bridge can be supported, and the rotating rod only needs to be positioned about 30 to 50 cm above the fixed rod.

Although the chute wall 21 and the damper 22 may be arranged below the lowermost shelf 12c, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. It is provided.
This cutting stage 12d is particularly equipped with the function of cutting and discharging the fermented compost from the lowest stage, and stopping the discharge as necessary. In the example shown in FIG. It has a structure in which a plurality of output paddles 23 are arranged parallel to each other and horizontally with relatively narrow intervals. When these cutting paddles 23 are stationary, they prevent the fermented compost from falling and are cut out and discharged by rotating them.

The operation of the device of the present invention having such a structure will be explained next. When starting with no raw materials in the tank body 11, the raw materials that have been pretreated such as cutting, removing foreign matter, and adjusting moisture are transferred to a bucket conveyor, a tripper conveyor (not shown), etc. It is transported and placed evenly into the tank from the open top of the tank body 11. Input raw materials are on each shelf 12a, 12b, 12c
The raw material passes between the rotating rod 13 and the fixed rod 14 and falls to the cutting stage 12d, but the raw material is fed until it is deposited above the uppermost stage 12a. Therefore, the input raw material is deposited as one layer from above the cutting stage 12d to above the uppermost stage 12a, regardless of the stage. In this state, the air necessary for fermentation is supplied or exhausted from each shelf through the hollow fixed rod 14 and the air supply/exhaust hole 18 of each shelf, and the raw material deposits on each shelf are aerobically fermented. Once fermentation has progressed to a certain extent,
The decomposition of the input raw material progresses and the withering phenomenon progresses, and together with the evaporation of water in the raw material, this deposit becomes compacted, and at the same time, the deposit forms a bridge between the rotating rod 13 with claws and the fixed rod 14. become. At this stage, a deposited layer is formed for each shelf 12a, 12b, 12c for the first time, and each deposited layer 15a, 15
As the composting and concomitant consolidation of the deposit progresses above b, 15c, and 15d, a void is created between the upper layer and the state shown in FIG. 4. When the fermentation progresses further in this state, the damper 22 at the bottom of the tank is opened and the cutting paddle 23 of the cutting stage 12d
is rotated to drop the deposited layer 15d on the cutting stage 12d, and then the rotation is stopped. Next, the damper 22 is closed, and the pawl-equipped rotary rod 1 of the shelf 12c is closed.
3 is rotated to break the bridge of the deposited layer 15c on the shelf 12c, the deposited layer 15c is dropped onto the cutting step 12d to form a new deposited layer 15d, and then the rotation is stopped. Next, the rotating rod 13 with claws on the shelf 12b is rotated to remove the deposited layer 1 on the shelf 12b.
5b, this falling object falls further downward from the gap between the rotary rod 13 with a claw and the fixed rod 14 of the shelf 12c, and the deposited layer 1 on the cutting step 12d.
5d. After stopping the rotation of the rotating rod 13 with claws on the shelf 12b, the rotating rod 13 with claws on the shelf 12a is rotated to similarly drop the deposited layer 15a on the shelf 12a, and then its rotation is stopped.
A new raw material is introduced into the space thus formed in the upper part of the tank body 11 through the open upper surface of the tank body 11, and is again deposited above the uppermost stage 12a. Therefore, the deposits are distributed from the top of the cutting stage 12d to the top stage 12a.
One layer is formed above the . In this state, air is supplied or exhausted from each shelf through the hollow fixed rod 14 and the air supply/exhaust hole 18 to aerobically ferment the sediment, and the sediment is deposited on each shelf in the same manner as described above. A layer will be formed.

While repeating these operations, the fermentation state in the device becomes steady, and as the sediment is transferred from the top stage to the bottom stage, the degree of composting progresses. Fully-ripe compost can be discharged from. The discharged mature compost is transported by a dump truck or a conveyor (not shown).

The air supply and exhaust necessary for aerobic fermentation are
This can be done for each stage by using the holes 18 in the hollow fixed rods 14 that make up each stage, so the amount of pumped and exhausted air at each stage and the amount of air supplied can be adjusted to provide the optimum fermentation conditions for each stage. Temperature, humidity, etc. can be controlled independently for each stage. Further, for example, the shelf 12b,
If the air is circulated in such a way that air is supplied from the uppermost stage 12c and exhausted from the hole in the hollow fixed rod of the uppermost stage 12a, there is no substantial dissipation of the circulated air containing bad odor from the upper part of the tank, while the lower part of the tank is Since the fermenter is sealed to some extent by the deposited layer 15d on the cutting stage 12d, there is also the advantage that the fermenter does not necessarily have to be of a closed type in order to prevent the diffusion of bad odors.

Furthermore, in the present invention, since the rotating rods 13 are arranged above the fixed rods 14, as can be seen from FIG. can be increased, resulting in effective aerobic fermentation.

The temperature of the exhaust from the hollow fixed rod 14 is 40 to 60°C.
Since it can be taken out of the tank as a small amount of steam, it can be passed through a heat exchanger (not shown) and used to heat fresh supply air, or it can be recovered and effectively used as a heat source for heating. .

Also, when exhausting the air supplied into the tank,
It does not have to be carried out through the hole 18 of the hollow fixing rod 14, but may be carried out through an exhaust port (not shown) provided through the tank body 1 as required.

As can be seen from the above explanation, in the multi-stage vertical fermentation apparatus of the present invention, each shelf disposed in the fermenter is arranged with rotating rods with claws and fixed rods alternately parallel to each other and spaced apart. Because the structure is such that the rotating rods with claws are arranged in parallel and above the fixed rods, the amount of deposits on the tiers is reduced compared to when the rotating rods and fixed rods are arranged horizontally at the same level. It can be dropped downwards reliably. Furthermore, since the lower surface of the sediment layer on the shelf is corrugated and the area of contact between the sediment and air can be increased, there is also the advantage that effective aerobic fermentation can be carried out.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a front sectional view showing the device of the prior invention;
The figure is a sectional view taken along the line of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of scraping off deposits by the rotating rod with claws in the device of the prior invention, and FIG. 4 is a cross-section showing one embodiment of the device of the present invention. Figure 5 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view taken along the line of Figure 4, Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the fixing rod,
and FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which deposits are scraped off by a rotating rod with claws in the apparatus of the present invention. 11... Tank body, 12a, 12b, 12c... Shelf stage, 12d... Cutting stage, 13... Rotating rod with claw, 14... Fixed rod, 15a, 15b, 15c,
15d... Deposition layer, 16... Pawl, 18... Air supply/exhaust hole, 22... Damper, 23... Rotating rod with vane.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A raw material consisting of organic waste is supplied from the top to form a sediment layer, which is aerobically fermented, and then
It is a vertical fermentation device that discharges fermented compost from the bottom, and has multiple shelves in the vertical direction of the fermenter, each consisting of rotatably supported rotary rods with claws and fixed rods that are alternately arranged in parallel at intervals. Each of the fixing rods is a hollow tube, and a plurality of air supply and exhaust holes opening downward are bored in the hollow tube, and the lowest stage of the multi-tiered shelves is used to cut out fermented compost. A cutting stage is provided for discharging and preventing discharge, and the interval between the rotating rod with a claw and the fixed rod of each of the above-mentioned shelves is such that when the feed material or sediment in the tank is dropped onto the above-mentioned shelf, The deposit is substantially supported by the cut-out stage without being supported by the cutting stage, and during the fermentation process, bridges of sediment are formed on each of the stages, and the deposit layer is supported on each stage. 1. A multi-stage vertical fermentation apparatus having dimensions such that the rotating rods with claws of each shelf are arranged so as to be slightly above the fixed rods. 2 When fermenting fibrous organic waste as the organic waste, the spacing between the rotating rod with claws and the fixed rod is 60 to 100 cm, and the rotating rod is 30 to 50 cm above the fixed rod. 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it is located at.