A whole coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate and its preparation method

Abstract

This invention relates to a whole coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate and its preparation method, belonging to the field of soilless cultivation substrate technology. The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention directly crushes whole coconut husks without separating the coconut husk fibers, producing a whole coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate with a short fiber content as high as 40%~60% in one step. This overcomes the long-standing technical biases that "coconut husk fibers are difficult to crush directly" and "coconut coir should have its fibers removed as much as possible." The short fibers in the product form a three-dimensional network structure, significantly improving the substrate's aeration and root development environment, increasing crop root density by more than 50%. Simultaneously, it eliminates the fiber separation and re-mixing processes, reducing equipment investment by approximately 30% and energy consumption by approximately 40%. It utilizes ambient temperature mechanical cold pressing for desalination and dehydration, without thermochemical damage, resulting in a product with an EC value as low as 0.5~1.5 mS / cm and a resilience rate ≥99%, combining excellent cultivation performance, simplified process, and convenient storage and transportation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of soilless cultivation substrate technology, specifically to a whole coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate and its preparation method. Background Technology

[0002] Coconut coir is a soilless cultivation substrate made from coconut shells. Due to its good water retention, air permeability and biodegradability, it is widely used in vegetable seedling cultivation, flower planting and plant factories.

[0003] The traditional processing of coconut coir is as follows: The coconut husk fibers (commonly known as coconut flakes) are mechanically separated from the coconut medulla (lignin). The separated coconut husk fibers are used as industrial raw materials for ropes, padding, mattresses, etc., while the coconut medulla is crushed, sieved, soaked for desalination, and sun-dried or oven-dried to obtain fine-granular coconut coir. In this process, the coconut husk fibers are completely or mostly removed; therefore, the mass percentage of short fibers (fiber fragments <10mm in length) in traditional coconut coir products is typically less than 10%.

[0004] To improve product structure, existing technologies also include processes that re-mix crushed coconut marrow particles with shredded coconut husk fibers in a certain ratio (such as 7:3 or 6:4) before processing (such as the inventor's previously filed patent for "a coconut coir processing technology"). While this approach increases the fiber content of the product, it still has the following drawbacks: First, the fibers need to be separated beforehand. The coconut husk fibers must be completely separated from the coconut skin, then shredded separately, and finally remixed. The process is complicated, requires a large investment in equipment, and consumes a lot of energy.

[0005] Second, the short fiber content is still limited. Even when mixed in a 6:4 ratio, the short fiber content in the product is at most about 40%, and because the fiber and medulla are "acquired mixtures" rather than "naturally interwoven," the structural uniformity is insufficient.

[0006] Third, the cultivation effect is not good. Traditional low-fiber coconut coir (fiber content <10%) has a very fine substrate and poor air permeability, which leads to slow root growth and low root density, thus affecting yield.

[0007] Furthermore, coconut shell fibers possess extremely high toughness and tensile strength. When processing coconut husks using conventional crushing equipment (such as ordinary hammer crushers), the fibers easily become entangled, clog the screen, and even damage the equipment. Therefore, those skilled in the art have long believed that coconut shell fibers are difficult to directly crush into uniform short fibers and must be pre-separated before processing. This technical bias has further solidified the traditional process route of "separation first, then mixing."

[0008] In summary, the existing technology lacks a coconut coir-based substrate and its preparation method that can significantly simplify the process, significantly increase the short fiber content in the product, and have excellent cultivation effects. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings and defects of the existing technology by providing a whole coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate and its preparation method.

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a whole coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate, wherein the cultivation substrate is composed of coconut husk short fibers and coconut marrow, wherein the mass ratio of coconut husk short fibers is 40%~60%, the length of the coconut husk short fibers is 1~10mm, and the cultivation substrate is obtained by directly crushing whole coconut husks without fiber separation steps.

[0011] Furthermore, the mass percentage of the short coconut shell fibers is 50% ± 5%.

[0012] Furthermore, the electrical conductivity (EC value) of the cultivation substrate is 0.5~1.5 mS / cm, and the resilience is ≥99%.

[0013] A method for preparing a whole coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate includes the following steps: direct crushing of whole coconut husks: whole coconut husks that have not been desilted are directly fed into a crushing device to obtain a mixture of coconut shell short fibers and coconut marrow, wherein the mass proportion of coconut shell short fibers is 40%~60%; water treatment: water is added to the mixture obtained in step S1 until it is saturated; drainage and desalination: the water-treated mixture is injected into an open mold with drainage holes and squeezed by mechanical cold pressing to expel the water carrying the salt; compaction and molding: after desalination, further pressure is applied to compress the material into a block-shaped finished product.

[0014] Furthermore, in the direct crushing of whole coconut husks, the crushing equipment includes a hammer crusher and a shredder, with a screen aperture of 5~15mm.

[0015] Furthermore, in the direct crushing of whole coconut husks, the mass percentage of short coconut husk fibers in the mixture is 50% ± 5%, and the length of the short fibers is 1~5 mm.

[0016] Furthermore, in the desalination process, the mechanical cold pressing is carried out without any heat input and at room temperature.

[0017] Furthermore, in the desalination process, the mechanical cold pressing pressure is 5~20MPa, and the pressing time is 0.1~0.5 hours.

[0018] Furthermore, in the compaction molding process, the moisture content of the final product is 15% to 25%.

[0019] After adopting the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are at least as follows: 1. This invention proposes a method to obtain a mixed matrix by directly crushing whole coconut husks without separating the coconut husk fibers. The product contains 40% to 60% short fibers, far exceeding the content of traditional coconut coir (<10%). The short fibers form a three-dimensional network structure within the matrix, significantly improving its air permeability and structural stability, which is beneficial for crop root penetration and respiration. Experiments show that crops using the matrix of this invention exhibit root density increases by more than 50% and growth rate increases by more than 30%.

[0020] 2. This invention does not separate the fibers; instead, it directly crushes the whole coconut husk using a hammer mill and / or shredder, successfully obtaining a uniform short-fiber-marrow mixture. Furthermore, the high short-fiber content of the substrate results in far superior cultivation compared to traditional low-fiber coconut coir.

[0021] 3. It eliminates the multiple steps of "fiber separation → individual shredding → remixing" in traditional processes, achieving one-step crushing and molding. This reduces energy consumption by approximately 40% and shortens processing time from several hours to less than 30 minutes.

[0022] 4. Utilizing a mechanical cold-pressing desalination and dehydration process, the entire process involves no heat input and is carried out at room temperature, avoiding fiber deterioration caused by traditional sun-drying or baking. The product maintains a low EC value, high resilience, and excellent water absorption performance. Furthermore, because the fiber network acts as a "water-conducting channel," the desalination efficiency of this invention is approximately 30% higher than that of traditional coconut pith matrix.

[0023] 5. After compaction, the moisture content of this invention is controlled at 15%~25%, resulting in a significant reduction in volume, which facilitates storage and transportation. The rebound rate is ≥99%, meaning the original volume can be restored simply by adding water, making it convenient to use with extremely low volume loss. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the process flow of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0026] See Figure 1 As shown, the technical solution adopted in this specific embodiment is: Example 1

[0027] Raw material preparation: Take 100kg of fresh coconut husks that have not been desiccated, with the natural mass ratio of coconut husk fiber to coconut marrow being approximately 50:50.

[0028] S1. Whole coconut husks are directly crushed: The coconut husks are fed into a hammer crusher (45kW power, 10mm screen aperture) for coarse crushing; Then it is fed into a shredder (300 rpm, 5 mm blade gap) for fine shredding; A uniform mixture was obtained. Testing revealed that short coconut husk fibers comprised 48% of the total mass, with lengths primarily ranging from 1 to 6 mm, while coconut marrow particles ranged in size from 2 to 8 mm.

[0029] S2. Water treatment: Soak the mixture in a water tank for 30 minutes until saturated, then remove it and drain off the excess free water. At this point, the moisture content is about 75%.

[0030] S3, Drainage and Desalination: Pour the saturated mixture into an open mold with drainage holes (60cm×40cm×30cm, with 3mm diameter drainage holes evenly distributed on the bottom and around the sides). Use a hydraulic press to press at a pressure of 10MPa for 15 minutes; During the pressing process, the water carrying salt flows out from the drain hole; The EC value after desalination was 0.8 mS / cm.

[0031] S4. Compacting and molding: Continue to apply pressure to 15MPa to compress the material into block products of 60cm×40cm×12cm with a moisture content of about 20%, and directly bag them.

[0032] Product performance testing: Short fiber content: 48% EC value: 0.8 mS / cm Rebound rate (water recovery after compression): 99.2% Volume loss rate (after simulating transport vibration): <1% Cultivation effect experiment: Tomato (variety: Provence) was used as the experimental crop. The product described in this example (experimental group) and traditional low-fiber coconut coir (control group, short fiber content 8%) were used as cultivation substrates. Each pot was filled with the same volume (5L), and one tomato seedling of the same age was transplanted into each pot. The same water and fertilizer management was applied (drip irrigation once daily, EC value 1.5 mS / cm nutrient solution), with an ambient temperature of 25±2℃ and humidity of 60%±5%. After 30 days: Experimental group: root dry weight 14.2g / plant, root density 2.84g / L, plant height 35cm, stem diameter 8.2mm; Control group: root dry weight 8.5g / plant, root density 1.70g / L, plant height 26cm, stem diameter 6.5mm; The root dry weight of the experimental group increased by 67%, and the plant height increased by 34.6%. Example 2

[0033] Raw material preparation: Take 200kg of unspun coconut skin.

[0034] S1. Whole coconut husks are directly crushed: It is crushed in one step using a hammer crusher (8mm screen aperture), without going through a shredder; The mixture contained 52% coconut shell short fiber by mass, with a short fiber length of 1-4 mm.

[0035] S2. Water treatment: Add water by spraying at a material-to-water ratio of 1:1.2 and stir until saturated.

[0036] S3, Drainage and Desalination: Press with a 20MPa hydraulic press for 10 minutes until the EC value drops to 1.0mS / cm.

[0037] S4. Compaction molding: Compress to 1 / 5 of the original volume to obtain a block-shaped product.

[0038] Product performance: Short fiber content 52%, EC value 1.0mS / cm, resilience 99.5%. Example 3

[0039] Raw material preparation: Select 100kg of old coconut skin with a high fiber content (natural fiber accounts for about 60%).

[0040] S1. Whole coconut husks are directly crushed: a hammer crusher (12mm screen aperture) is used in conjunction with a shredder to crush the husks, resulting in a short fiber content of 58% and a length of 2~8mm.

[0041] S2~S4: The operation steps are the same as in Example 1.

[0042] Product performance: Short fiber content 58%, EC value 0.9mS / cm, resilience 99.0%. Cultivation trial: Tomato root density 3.1g / L, plant height 37cm.

[0043] Comparative Example 1 (Traditional Pure Coconut Coir) Take coconut husks from the same batch and process them using traditional methods: first separate the coconut husk fibers from the coconut marrow, then crush the coconut marrow, pass it through an 8mm sieve, soak it to desalinate for 48 hours, and sun-dry it until the moisture content is 20%. The resulting product has a short fiber content of approximately 6%, an EC value of 3.2 mS / cm, and a resilience of 87%.

[0044] Comparative Example 2 (Existing Hybrid Process) Following the method described in the published Chinese invention patent "A Processing Technology for Coconut Coir" (Publication No.: CN120283628A), the separated coconut marrow fragments and shredded coconut husk fibers are mixed in a 6:4 ratio, and then cold-pressed for desalination. The product contains approximately 38% short fiber, has an EC value of 1.2 mS / cm, and a resilience rate of 96%. Cultivation experiment: Tomato root density 2.2 g / L, plant height 30 cm.

[0045] III. Summary of Examples and Comparative Examples IV. Results Analysis As can be seen from the comparison between the above embodiments and the comparative examples: 1. Short fiber content: The short fiber content of Examples 1 to 3 of the present invention is 48% to 58%, which is significantly higher than that of Comparative Example 1 (6%) and Comparative Example 2 (38%).

[0046] 2. EC value and rebound rate: All embodiments of the present invention are desalinated by mechanical cold pressing at room temperature, and the EC value is controlled at 0.8~1.0mS / cm, which meets the requirement that the electrical conductivity (EC value) of the cultivation substrate is 0.5~1.5mS / cm and the rebound rate is ≥99%, which is far better than the 87% of Comparative Example 1.

[0047] 3. Cultivation effect: The root density (2.84~3.10g / L) and plant height (35~37cm) of the tomatoes in the embodiments of the present invention are significantly better than those of Comparative Example 1 (1.70g / L, 26cm) and Comparative Example 2 (2.20g / L, 30cm), with the root density increased by more than 50%, which fully demonstrates the excellent cultivation performance of the product of the present invention.

[0048] 4. Simplified process: The embodiments of the present invention require only 4 steps, without fiber separation and separate drying steps, while Comparative Example 1 requires 6 steps plus drying, and Comparative Example 2 requires 5 steps. The process of the present invention is greatly simplified.

[0049] In summary, this invention successfully obtained a whole coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate with a high short fiber content (40%~60%) by directly crushing whole coconut husks without separating the coconut husk fibers. The product has advantages such as low EC value, high resilience, and excellent cultivation performance. At the same time, the process is simplified and the cost is reduced, demonstrating significant inventiveness and practicality. The above description is only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention and is not intended to limit it. Any other modifications or equivalent substitutions made by those skilled in the art to the technical solution of the present invention, as long as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A whole coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate, characterized in that: The cultivation substrate is composed of short coconut husk fibers and coconut marrow, wherein the short coconut husk fibers account for 40% to 60% of the total mass and the length of the short coconut husk fibers is 1 to 10 mm. The cultivation substrate is obtained by directly crushing whole coconut husks without a fiber separation step.

2. The all-coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mass percentage of the short coconut shell fibers is 50% ± 5%.

3. The all-coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The length of the short coconut shell fibers is 1~5mm.

4. The all-coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cultivation substrate has an electrical conductivity of 0.5~1.5 mS / cm and a resilience of ≥99%.

5. A method for preparing a whole coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Direct crushing of whole coconut husks: Whole coconut husks that have not been desilted are directly fed into a crushing device to obtain a mixture of short coconut husk fibers and coconut marrow, wherein the mass percentage of short coconut husk fibers is 40% to 60%. S2. Water treatment: Add water to the mixture obtained in step S1 until it is saturated; S3, Drainage and Desalination: The mixture after watering is injected into an open mold with drainage holes and squeezed by mechanical cold pressing to expel the water and salt. S4. Compaction molding: After desalination, the material is further compressed into a block-shaped finished product.

6. The method for preparing a whole coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate according to claim 5, characterized in that: In step S1, the crushing equipment includes a hammer crusher and a shredder, with a screen aperture of 5~15mm.

7. The method for preparing a whole coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate according to claim 5, characterized in that: In step S1, the mass percentage of short coconut shell fibers in the mixture is 50% ± 5%, and the length of the short fibers is 1~5 mm.

8. The method for preparing a whole coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate according to claim 5, characterized in that: In step S3, the mechanical cold pressing process involves no heat input and is carried out at room temperature.

9. The method for preparing a whole coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate according to claim 5, characterized in that: In step S3, the mechanical cold pressing pressure is 5~20MPa, and the pressing time is 0.1~0.5 hours.

10. The method for preparing a whole coconut husk mixed cultivation substrate according to claim 5, characterized in that: In step S4, the moisture content of the final product is 15% to 25%.

Images