Inorganic culture soil

Abstract

Provided is an inorganic culture soil which can prevent the mixing of unexpected organisms and which is not inferior to a culture soil for cultivation in terms of plant growth. The inorganic culture soil comprises acid extract particles of acidic clay and porous inorganic particles, wherein the acid extract particles and the porous inorganic particles are not integrated. The particle diameter of the porous inorganic particles according to the JIS Z8815-1994 standard may be 0.30 mm or more and 8.0 mm or less.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an inorganic culture soil. Background Art

[0002] Acid clay is a clay composed mainly of montmorillonite clay with a three-layer structure of silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide and soluble silicic acid. Activated clay obtained by treating acid clay with acid to remove some components can be used as an adsorbent or a catalyst in oil refining processes, for example. On the other hand, the acid extract removed from acid clay is basically regarded as unnecessary industrial waste.

[0003] There have been attempts to disperse industrial waste extracted from the acid clay into soil to prevent flying sand (e.g., Non-Patent Document 1). In addition, Patent Document 1 proposes a fired body obtained by firing an extract extracted from the acid clay as an inorganic binder together with a glass foam for the purpose of using it as a roof greening material.

[0004] Prior Art Literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-516683

[0007] Non-patent literature

[0008] Non-patent document 1: "Development of measures to prevent dust blowing using soil improvement materials composed of industrial waste" Bulletin of Niigata Institute of Technology, December 1998, No. 3, pp. 89-96 Summary of the invention

[0009] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0010] By the way, when importing and exporting plant seedlings, it is necessary to remove the soil attached to the plants for the purpose of plant quarantine. Therefore, it is necessary to use specific planting materials such as peat moss for plant seedlings to prevent the mixing of unexpected organisms. However, when such planting materials are used to plant plants, plant growth is generally not sufficient compared to commercially available culture soil for cultivation. Therefore, in the past, it was necessary to germinate and cultivate plants in culture soil for cultivation, and remove the culture soil and cover the roots with planting materials for import or export. If there is an artificial culture soil that can be used for import and export and is not inferior to commercially available culture soil for cultivation in terms of plant growth, the above-mentioned removal of the culture soil and the work of using planting materials are no longer necessary.

[0011] In addition, in the cultivation of crops in plant factories or the cultivation of ornamental plants indoors, a culture soil that can prevent the infiltration of unexpected organisms and is comparable to commercially available culture soils for cultivation in terms of plant growth is also useful.

[0012] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an inorganic culture soil which can prevent the incorporation of unexpected organisms and which is comparable to a cultivation culture soil in terms of plant growth.

[0013] Technical means for solving technical problems

[0014] To achieve the above object, the inventors have conducted in-depth research and found that when the acid extract removed from the acidic clay is granulated, the growth of plants is good. On the other hand, the acid extract is clayey and the granules are easy to be integrated when subjected to pressure, which is a problem that the acid extract cannot be used as culture soil. That is, if the acid extract is packed into a bag, etc., piled up, transported, and stored, the acid extract is easy to clump and needs to be granulated again to be used as culture soil, so it is unrealistic to use it as culture soil.

[0015] In order to solve this problem, the present inventors discovered that by mixing porous inorganic particles with particles of an acid extract removed from acidic clay, the acid extract can be made into granular form and retained, and the resulting mixture can be used as culture soil, and is not inferior to cultivation culture soil in terms of plant growth, thereby completing the present invention.

[0016] The gist of the present invention is as follows.

[0017] [1] An inorganic culture soil comprising acid extract particles of acidic clay and porous inorganic particles, wherein the acid extract particles are not integrated with the porous inorganic particles.

[0018] [2] The inorganic culture soil according to [1],

[0019] The porous inorganic particles include at least one selected from the group consisting of inorganic foamed particles, layered inorganic particles, and porous silica-based particles.

[0020] [3] The inorganic culture soil according to [1] or [2], wherein the porous inorganic particles include glass foam particles.

[0021] [4] The inorganic culture soil according to any one of [1] to [3],

[0022] The particle size of the porous inorganic particles based on JIS Z8815-1994 is 0.30 mm or more and 8.0 mm or less.

[0023] [5] The inorganic culture soil according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the content of the acid extract particles relative to the porous inorganic particles is 10% by mass or more and 1000% by mass or less.

[0024] [6] The inorganic culture soil according to any one of [1] to [5], which is seedling culture soil.

[0025] [7] The inorganic culture soil according to any one of [1] to [6], which is used for the import and export of plants. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 These are photographic images showing the results of a cultivation test using the inorganic culture soil of Example 1.

[0027] Figure 2 These are photographic images showing the results of a cultivation test using the inorganic culture soil of Comparative Example 3.

[0028] Figure 3 These are photographic images showing the results of a cultivation test using the inorganic culture soil of Comparative Example 5.

[0029] Figure 4 These are photographic images showing the results of a cultivation test using the inorganic culture soil of Comparative Example 7. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the inorganic culture soil according to the present invention will be described in detail.

[0031] The inorganic culture soil of this embodiment contains acid extract particles of acidic clay and porous inorganic particles. Each component will be described in detail below.

[0032] First, the inorganic culture soil of this embodiment contains acid extract particles of acid clay. Acid clay is a clay mainly composed of montmorillonite clay with a three-layer structure of silicon dioxide-alumina-silicon dioxide and soluble silicic acid. Montmorillonite is represented by Al2O3.4SiO2.H2O.nH2O, and acid clay is montmorillonite in which a part of Al is replaced by alkali ions or alkaline earth ions.

[0033] Then, the acid extract of acid clay is a clay mineral generated when the activated clay is produced from the acid clay. Specifically, the acid extract is obtained by neutralizing the treatment liquid (filtrate) obtained by treating the acid clay with an acid. Such an acid extract of acid clay is rich in alkaline components (such as Al, Mg, Fe, Ca, etc.) contained in the acid clay, and these alkaline components act as nutrients for plants in the inorganic culture soil. In addition, the acid extract of acid clay has excellent water retention.

[0034] In addition, the acid extract particles of the acidic clay contained in the inorganic culture soil of this embodiment are of course in granular form. In this way, by forming the acid extract particles of the acidic clay into granular form, the roots of plants can easily spread in the inorganic culture soil of this embodiment, which can promote the germination and growth of plants.

[0035] Furthermore, acid extracts of acidic clay are generally industrial waste generated when producing activated clay. Utilizing such industrial waste is extremely meaningful from the perspective of environmental load and recycling.

[0036] Incidentally, the acid extract of acid clay is clayey, and the granular material is easily integrated under pressure, and cannot be used alone as culture soil. That is, when the acid extract of acid clay is put into bags and piled for transportation and storage, the individual particles of the acid extract will be pressed and easily become large lumps, and need to be granulated again before it can be used as culture soil. However, by using the acid extract particles of acid clay described later and inorganic porous particles together, it is possible to effectively prevent the individual particles of the acid extract particles of acid clay from being pressed and agglomerated.

[0037] The particle size of the acid extract particles of the acid clay is not particularly limited, and can be, for example, the same as or smaller than the particle size of the inorganic porous particles. Specifically, based on JIS Z8815-1994, it can be, for example, 0.050 mm to 5.0 mm, preferably 0.10 mm to 3.0 mm. As described above, since the acid extract particles of the acid clay are clay-like and easily deformable, there is no particular limitation on the particle size as long as they are in a granular form.

[0038] In addition, as described above, the inorganic culture soil of the present embodiment contains porous inorganic particles in addition to the acid extract particles of the acidic clay. The porous inorganic particles have excellent water retention due to their porosity. In addition, since the porous inorganic particles are inorganic, it is also possible to prevent the mixing of unexpected organisms. Moreover, the porous inorganic particles also play a role as a buffer material between the particles of the acid extract particles of the acidic clay, inhibiting the deformation of the particles of the acid extract particles, the compression bonding between the particles, and the enlargement of the particle size.

[0039] There is no particular limitation on such porous inorganic particles, and examples thereof include inorganic foamed particles such as glass foam, obsidian pearlite, perlite pearlite, pumice sand (for example, Kanuma soil, Hyuga soil, Yezo sand, etc.), layered inorganic particles such as vermiculite, porous silica, porous silica particles such as diatomaceous earth, zeolite, granular alkali stone, etc. These materials may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0040] Among the above substances, the porous inorganic particles preferably include one or more selected from the group consisting of inorganic foamed particles, layered inorganic particles, and porous silica particles, more preferably glass foam and / or diatomaceous earth, and further preferably glass foam. Thus, the inorganic culture soil can have appropriate water retention and air permeability.

[0041] In particular, the glass foam particles have an appropriate bulk density and will not float in the water even when the inorganic culture soil is watered. As a result, the separation of the glass foam particles and the acid extract particles of the acid clay during watering can be effectively prevented. In addition, the glass foam particles have excellent light scattering properties. When the plant is planted in the inorganic culture soil and irradiated with light, the light diffusely reflected in the inorganic culture soil is directed toward the plant. As a result, the inorganic culture soil using the glass foam particles can further promote the photosynthesis of the plant, thereby promoting the growth of the plant.

[0042] Furthermore, the glass foam particles can be manufactured from various types of glass waste and scraps in the manufacturing process, such as glass bottles, glass tableware, glass for lighting and other daily use glass, glass for ships and vehicles such as automobile glass, building materials and materials for solar cells, etc. From the perspective of environmental impact and recycling, it is extremely meaningful to utilize these wastes and scraps.

[0043] The particle diameter according to JIS Z8815-1994 of the above-mentioned porous inorganic particles is not particularly limited, for example, 0.30mm or more and 8.0mm or less, preferably 0.50mm or more and 6.0mm or less, more preferably 1.0mm or more and 3.0mm or less. By making the particle diameter of the porous inorganic particles below the above-mentioned upper limit value, it is possible to more reliably prevent plant seeds from accidentally falling into the depths of the inorganic culture soil when sowing. In addition, by making the particle diameter of the porous inorganic particles below the above-mentioned upper limit value, the inorganic culture soil and water are easily affinity when irrigating. In addition, by making the particle diameter of the porous inorganic particles above the above-mentioned lower limit value, it is possible to appropriately prevent the compaction of the inorganic culture soil caused by irrigating.

[0044] In addition, regarding the acid extract particles and porous inorganic particles of the above-mentioned acidic clay, the content of the acid extract particles relative to the porous inorganic particles is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 10% by mass or more and 1000% by mass or less, preferably 50% by mass or more and 500% by mass or less, and more preferably 70% by mass or more and 150% by mass or less. Thus, the effects of the acid extract particles and porous inorganic particles of the acidic clay can be fully taken into account. In addition, when the content of the acid extract particles relative to the porous inorganic particles is below the above-mentioned upper limit value, the acid extract particles are further prevented from contacting each other and deforming and integrating, and the acid extract particles are more likely to maintain a granular shape.

[0045] In addition, in the inorganic culture soil of the present embodiment, the acid extract particles of the acidic clay and the porous inorganic particles are each in a granular form and therefore are not integrated. For example, when the acid extract of the acidic clay and the porous inorganic particles are integrated by calcination or the like, their respective functions cannot be fully exerted, the effect of the present invention cannot be fully achieved, and the growth of plants cannot be fully promoted.

[0046] Furthermore, the inorganic culture soil of the present embodiment is basically composed of only inorganic substances, but may also contain a portion of organic substances, such as various organic materials.

[0047] However, the inorganic culture soil of this embodiment preferably has an organic matter content of 10 mass % or less, more preferably 5.0 mass % or less. In particular, the inorganic culture soil of this embodiment preferably consists essentially of only inorganic matter, more preferably consists essentially of only inorganic matter.

[0048] The inorganic culture soil of the present embodiment described above can be obtained by mixing acid extract particles of acidic clay, porous inorganic particles, and other components as necessary.

[0049] In addition, the acid extract of acid clay can use commercial products, or can also be appropriately prepared from acid clay. In the latter case, it is obtained by subjecting the acid clay to acid treatment and neutralizing the extract. As the acid, an inorganic acid such as sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid can be used. In addition, as the condition of the acid treatment, an acid aqueous solution with a concentration of 10% to 60% by mass can be used, for example, at 60°C to 120°C for 2 hours to 72 hours. In addition, the extract can be neutralized by mixing a known inorganic base, such as an alkali metal compound such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, or an alkaline earth metal compound with the extract.

[0050] As described above, according to the inorganic culture soil of this embodiment, by making the acid extract of acidic white clay into granules for use, the roots of plants can extend more easily in the inorganic culture soil of this embodiment, and can fully utilize the nutrients and water retention contained in the acid extract granules, which can promote the germination and growth of plants.

[0051] Furthermore, by using porous inorganic particles as a buffer material between the acid extract particles of the acid clay, particle deformation, compression adhesion between particles, and enlarged particle size of the acid extract particles can be suppressed. Furthermore, the porous inorganic particles themselves have excellent water retention and are suitable as a component of the culture soil.

[0052] The above-mentioned acid extract particles of acidic clay and the porous inorganic particles work synergistically, so that the inorganic culture soil of this embodiment is comparable to the culture soil for cultivation in terms of plant growth.

[0053] In addition, whether it is the acid extract particles of acidic clay or the porous inorganic particles, the possibility of biological mixing is extremely low, and the inorganic culture soil of this embodiment can be suitable for the import and export of plants (for example, plant seedlings, etc.), crop cultivation in plant factories, and indoor cultivation of ornamental plants, etc. Especially when plants are imported and exported, the culture soil needs to be removed and replaced with planting materials to prevent the mixing of organisms, and the planting materials have strict restrictions, while the inorganic culture soil of this embodiment does not need to be replaced with planting materials and can be used for the import and export of plants.

[0054] The inorganic culture soil of the present embodiment may be, for example, culture soil for raising seedlings or culture soil for cultivation, and is particularly preferably culture soil for raising seedlings.

[0055] The present invention has been described in detail above based on the preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and each structure can be replaced by any structure that can perform similar functions, or any structure can be added.

[0056] Example

[0057] The present invention will be described in more detail below by way of examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0058] 1. Preparation of culture soil

[0059] (Example 1)

[0060] The inorganic culture soil of Example 1 was obtained by mixing acid extract particles of acidic white clay (Galeonite HK, manufactured by Mizusawa Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) previously micronized into a particle size of 1 to 3 mm and glass foam particles (manufactured by Porous Infinity Co., Ltd.) having a particle size of 1 to 3 mm in weight ratio of 1:1.

[0061] (Examples 2 to 6)

[0062] Except changing the mixing ratio (weight ratio) of the glass foam particles, the acid extract particles of acidic clay and the glass foam particles as shown in Table 1, the inorganic culture soils of Examples 2 to 6 were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1.

[0063] (Comparative Examples 1 to 4)

[0064] As the culture soil of Comparative Examples 1 to 4, commercially available culture soils shown in Table 1 were used.

[0065] (Comparative Examples 5 and 6)

[0066] As the inorganic culture soil of Comparative Examples 5 and 6, the glass foam particles shown in Table 1 were used as they were.

[0067] (Comparative Example 7)

[0068] Acid extract particles of acidic clay (Galeonite HK, manufactured by Mizusawa Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) and glass foam particles with a particle size of 1 to 3 mm (manufactured by Porous Infinity Co., Ltd.) were mixed and kneaded at a weight ratio of 1:2, and pellets with an extrusion diameter of 10 mm and a length of 6 mm were obtained using a disc rotor pelletizer. The pellets were fired at 800°C for 50 minutes to obtain a fired body of the pellets.

[0069] Next, the fired body of the pellets was crushed using a hammer or the like so as to have a particle size of 1 to 3 mm, thereby obtaining an inorganic culture soil of Comparative Example 7.

[0070] The above production conditions are collectively shown in Table 1. In Table 1, "AC" represents acid extract particles of acidic clay (Galeonite HK, manufactured by Mizusawa Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), "GF1" represents glass foam particles (product name "Bioporous", manufactured by Porous Infinity Co., Ltd.), "GF2" represents glass foam particles (equivalent to the product name "Bub Glass" (manufactured by Porous Infinity Co., Ltd.)), "PS1" represents commercially available culture soil (product name "culture soil for flowers and vegetables", manufactured by Akagi Horticulture Co., Ltd.), "PS2" represents commercially available culture soil (product name "culture soil for producing delicious vegetables", manufactured by Takamura Co., Ltd.), "PS3" represents commercially available seedling culture soil (product name "potted seedling culture soil", manufactured by Mili Co., Ltd.), and "PS4" represents commercially available artificial culture soil (product name "reusable culture soil Soil Again", manufactured by Nakajima Shoji Co., Ltd.). In addition, all particle sizes described in this example, including Table 1, are based on JIS Z8815-1994.

[0071] [Table 1]

[0072]

[0073] 2. Cultivation test

[0074] Cultivation tests were conducted using the inorganic cultivation soils of Examples 1 to 6 and the cultivation soils of Comparative Examples 1 to 7.

[0075] First, the upper part of a 360 ml plastic cup was cut off and used as a seedling pot. 100 cc of each of the inorganic culture soil of Examples 1 to 6 and the culture soil of Comparative Examples 1 to 7 were taken out and placed in the prepared seedling pot, and 20 pushes (about 0.4 cc per push) of water were sprayed with a spray bottle, and the pot was covered and placed on a seedling heating mat with a surface temperature of about 25°C for 24 hours.

[0076] Next, remove the lid, poke five holes about 5mm deep with chopsticks, and place a komatsuna seed in each hole. Then, cover the seeds with about 2mm to 3mm of culture soil, spray 5 to 6 pushes of water with a spray bottle, cover the lid, and start cultivation. In addition, the lid is made by cutting off the bottom of a 500ml plastic bottle. In addition, exposure is done by sunlight. Every morning, remove the lid, spray the plant with three pushes of water with a spray bottle, and observe the germination and growth of the plant.

[0077] When observing the germination and growth of the plants, the growth of the cotyledons, true leaves (the first and second leaves) and stems was mainly observed, and the growth degree of each was evaluated according to the following criteria 25 days after sowing.

[0078] (cotyledon)

[0079] 5: All the cotyledons that germinated can be seen growing to a width of more than 10 mm

[0080] 4: More than 50% of the germinated cotyledons can be seen growing to a width of more than 10 mm

[0081] 3: You can see the cotyledons growing to a width of more than 10 mm

[0082] 2: Grow cotyledons with a width of 8 to 10 mm

[0083] 1: The cotyledons are generally small (less than 8mm)

[0084] (First and second true leaves)

[0085] 5: Leaves longer than 5mm can be seen in all buds

[0086] 4: Leaves longer than 5 mm can be seen in more than 50% of the buds

[0087] 3: Leaves longer than 3mm can be seen

[0088] 2: Leaves can be seen slightly between the cotyledons (leaf length is 1 to 3 mm)

[0089] 1: The true leaves cannot be seen with the naked eye

[0090] (stem)

[0091] 5: All sprouts have grown to a height of more than 30 mm, and their cotyledons are fully expanded (more than 10 mm).

[0092] 4: More than 50% of the sprouted buds have grown to a height of more than 30 mm, and the cotyledons are fully expanded (more than 10 mm).

[0093] 3: All sprouted stems have reached a height of about 15mm

[0094] 2: Height of 10 to 15 mm (more than 50% of the sprouted buds)

[0095] 1: Just sprouted (height less than 5mm)

[0096] The total score was calculated based on the above scores, and the growth degree of the plants in each culture soil was evaluated. The results are shown in Table 1. Figure 1 to Figure 4 The photographic images of Example 1, Comparative Examples 3, 5, and 7 at 25 days after sowing are respectively shown.

[0097] As shown in Table 1, the inorganic culture soils of Examples 1 to 6 were comparable to the commercially available culture soils of Comparative Examples 1 to 4 and promoted plant growth. Figure 1 When the inorganic culture soil of Example 1 is used Figure 2 The growth of the plants is comparable to that of the commercially available culture soil of Comparative Example 3 shown in the figure. Commercially available culture soils generally contain fertilizers, but the inorganic culture soils of Examples 1 to 6 do not contain fertilizers, so the inorganic culture soils of Examples 1 to 6 can omit the addition of fertilizers. In addition, the culture soil of Comparative Example 4 is a commercially available inorganic culture soil, but the growth of the plants is insufficient compared to the inorganic culture soils of Examples 1 to 6.

[0098] In addition, in the inorganic culture soils of Comparative Examples 5 and 6 using only glass foam particles, plant growth was also insufficient compared to the inorganic culture soils of Examples 1 to 6. Figure 1 When the inorganic culture soil of Example 1 is used Figure 3 Compared with the inorganic culture soil of Comparative Example 5 shown in FIG. 1 , the growth of the plant was promoted. The inorganic culture soil of Comparative Example 7 is equivalent to the material obtained by pulverizing the calcined body described in Patent Document 1. Figure 1 The inorganic culture soil of Example 1 shown in the following example is used Figure 4 As can be seen from the comparison of the inorganic culture soil of Comparative Example 7 shown and the results of Table 1, the inorganic culture soil of Comparative Example 7 also cannot provide sufficient plant growth compared with the inorganic culture soils of Examples 1 to 6.

[0099] In particular, the inorganic culture soil of Comparative Example 7 is inferior to the inorganic culture soil of Examples 1 to 6 in terms of the growth of the first and second true leaves and stems. The growth of plants depends more on the growth of true leaves and stems rather than the growth of cotyledons that develop after germination. Therefore, it is predicted that after this test, the komatsuna cultivated in the inorganic culture soil of Comparative Example 7 will grow slower than the komatsuna cultivated in the inorganic culture soil of Examples 1 to 6. The reason for this difference between the inorganic culture soils of Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Example 7 is not clear, but it is speculated that this is because the acid extract of the acidic white clay in the inorganic culture soil of Comparative Example 7 is integrated with the glass foam, making it difficult for them to exist separately as particles, and their respective characteristics cannot be fully exerted.

[0100] 3. Stacking test

[0101] 10L (6kg) of the inorganic culture soil of Example 1 was packed into bags, and 6 bags were prepared. The prepared bags of inorganic culture soil were stacked in six layers and left for a week. After leaving, the inorganic culture soil in the bag at the bottom was observed, and it was found that the acid extract particles of the acidic clay and the glass foam particles were not crushed, and were the same as the state before the stacking test. It can be seen from this that the inorganic culture soil of the present invention can be transported, stored, etc., and can be used as culture soil. On the other hand, the inventors conducted the same test on the acid extract particles of the acidic clay, and the results confirmed that the acid extract particles of the acidic clay placed in the bag at the bottom were crushed and produced large pieces.

Claims

1. An inorganic culture soil, comprising acid extract particles of acidic clay and porous inorganic particles, wherein the acid extract particles are not integrated with the porous inorganic particles.

2. The inorganic culture soil according to claim 1, The porous inorganic particles include at least one selected from the group consisting of inorganic foamed particles, layered inorganic particles, and porous silica-based particles.

3. The inorganic culture soil according to claim 1, The porous inorganic particles include glass foam particles.

4. The inorganic culture soil according to claim 1, The particle size of the porous inorganic particles based on JIS Z8815-1994 is 0.30 mm or more and 8.0 mm or less.

5. The inorganic culture soil according to claim 1, The content of the acid extract particles relative to the porous inorganic particles is 10 mass % or more and 1000 mass % or less. The inorganic culture soil according to claim 1 , which is seedling culture soil.

7. The inorganic culture soil according to claim 1, which is used for the import and export of plants.

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