Machine for sterilizing wool
By designing a machine for wool sterilization, employing a four-stage method involving rotating drums and ozone treatment, the problem of incomplete wool sterilization was solved, achieving sterility and quality assurance for organic fertilizers.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202480038512.9
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-06-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-20
AI Technical Summary
Existing technologies cannot achieve 100% sterilization of wool, and traditional methods such as high-temperature sterilization can lead to the degradation of organic compounds, while chemical sterilization is not suitable for organic fertilizer production.
A machine for sterilizing wool has been designed, employing a rotating drum and an ozone generator. Through a four-stage process—heating, cooling, ozonation, and ventilation—the wool is ensured to be exposed to ozone from all sides, achieving thorough sterilization.
The process achieves 100% sterilization of wool, removing bacteria, fungi, viruses and their spores, and does not use chemical reagents, thus ensuring the sterility and quality of the organic fertilizer.
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of the equipment and machines for wool sterilization and the wool sterilization method itself.
[0002] TECHNICAL PROBLEM The inventor is engaged in the processing of wool and the production of plant nutrient fertilizers in granular form. In this connection, the inventor has protected an invention called "Plant Nutrient Granules". During the production of these granules, it was found that despite the programmed production procedure, such granules did not achieve 100% sterility. In order to ensure 100% sterility of the granules, it was necessary to find a solution that would enable 100% sterilization of the wool to remove bacteria, fungi, viruses and their spores. The inventor found a solution to this problem in the form of a machine for wool sterilization as disclosed herein.
[0003] That is, raw wool is contaminated by various microorganisms. Some of these microorganisms are the source of infectious diseases. One particular problem is the presence of viral spores in the wool, making it impossible to sterilize it using some standard methods, such as exposure to hot air under pressure. Another problem is that wool cannot withstand high-temperature sterilization, as this would lead to the degradation of valuable organic compounds.
[0004] Chemical sterilization methods are not acceptable because it is an organic fertilizer and no chemicals, especially toxic ones, should be used in the production of such organic fertilizers, as they would remain in the wool if used. Therefore, it is necessary to find a method of sterilizing wool that does not involve the use of chemical reagents. BACKGROUND
[0005] The inventor is not aware of any patent or patent application that would provide a complete solution for wool sterilization based on the use of ecological procedures or organic materials.
[0006] There are technologies for sterilizing air using ozone generators or for sterilizing metal objects in healthcare and veterinary medicine using autoclaves, where sterilization is carried out under high-temperature pressure. However, none of these technologies alone ensures 100% sterilization of wool, and none of these methods has been used for wool sterilization as such. SUMMARY
[0007] The inventors acquired the knowledge from the prior art that ozone is a suitable agent for air sterilization. Using this property of ozone, the inventors considered the possibility of utilizing ozone as an oxidizing agent to destroy various types of bacteria, viruses, molds, fungi and insects that can be found in wool. Another useful property of ozone was also noted: it removes most unpleasant odors. The inventors learned through searching the internet that various studies have investigated the efficiency of ozone in sterilization. One study reported that the success of ozone treatment lies in placing Petri dishes containing a large number of microbial cultures on beds covered with bed linen and indicated that more than 99.96% of E. coli was destroyed, while effectiveness against S. aureus and C. albicans was 99.92% and 99.91%, respectively. In another study on the effectiveness of ozone treatment of wool carpets, it was found that the efficiency against coliform bacteria ranged from 95.7% to 99.3%, while the efficiency against S. aureus ranged from 98.6% to 99.5%. These data indicated to the inventors that there is a good potential for applying ozone sterilization to wool, where it is of significant importance that the sterilization efficiency must be raised to 100%. This can only be achieved by exposing the wool to the oxidizing effect of ozone from all sides. It is therefore necessary to design a system in which different parts of the wool will be exposed to ozone from all sides. This led the inventors to propose a solution in which the wool will constantly change its exposure to ozone and will rotate inside a drum.
[0008] Thus, the key part of the machine for wool sterilization disclosed herein is a multifunctional chamber with a rotating drum. The wool sterilization method occurs in four stages as follows: Stage one - wool heating The first stage begins by loading the wool into the multifunctional chamber. When the loading is complete, the chamber is sealed and the machine for wool sterilization is activated. The chamber rotates and mixes the material while the heater heats the wool to a set temperature of no more than 100°C. The built-in automatic control of the machine for wool sterilization mixes the wool at the set temperature for a selected period of time. The usual mixing time at a temperature of 100°C is one hour.
[0009] Stage two - cooling and ventilation In the second stage, after the heating has been completed, the heating of the multifunctional chamber is turned off, the air passage opening is opened, and a fan is activated which blows air through the chamber, thereby reducing the temperature of the wool to 40°C. This ventilation lasts for a few minutes, usually 4 minutes. Then, the fan is turned off and the air passage opening is closed.
[0010] Stage three - ozonation of the wool The third phase starts by activating the ozone generator, which generates a high concentration of ozone in the chamber. At the same time, the wool in the mixing chamber is mixed to ensure that the ozone affects all parts of the wool present in the chamber. The duration of this phase is adjustable and usually lasts 15 minutes.
[0011] Phase four - chamber ventilation After switching off the ozone generator, the air passage opening is opened, the fan is activated, and the chamber is ventilated to remove any remaining ozone. The duration of the ventilation is adjustable and usually lasts three minutes. After the ventilation is complete, the chamber is opened, and the sterilized wool is removed from the chamber. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] The machine for wool sterilization of the present invention is made of PIR panels 50 mm thick, with a fire resistance temperature of up to 120°C. The external dimensions of one embodiment of the machine are 350 cm wide, 350 cm deep, and 250 cm high. The internal volume of the chamber is 8 cubic meters. The dimensions of the drum in the chamber are 125 cm x 125 cm x 300 cm. So far, tests have shown that the best results are achieved when the drum has an octagonal shape, which ensures the best mixing of the wool. The volume of the drum is 4.50 cubic meters. The rotation speed of the drum is adjustable to 3 ½ revolutions per minute. The machine is electric, three-phase, with a rated power of 32 kW. The position of the drum is adjusted via buttons to facilitate easier positioning for filling the drum with wool or emptying the drum. The rated power of the ozone generator is 480 W. The total power of the installed heaters is 27 kW, however, a total of 12 heaters are installed, each with a power of 2.22 kW. The heaters have a large ribbed surface to achieve easier and faster heat exchange.
[0013] The fan is designed as two air turbines, each with a capacity of 1,000.00 cubic meters per hour. The turbines have variable air flow and are integrated with aerodynamic flaps to adjust the air flow through the chamber according to the process phase. In one embodiment, the chamber weighs approximately three tons. In further embodiments, UV lamps can also be used for sterilization. Monitoring of the sterilization process is achieved through audible and visual signals. Automatic control manages and adjusts the actions of chamber heating, ventilation, ozonation, and opening and closing of the turbine flaps. The pneumatic system opens and closes the flaps to regulate the air flow in both the turbine and the ventilation system. In a typical embodiment, the machine weighs approximately three tons. The wool sterilization process occurs in four phases. In the first phase, the wool is loaded into the multifunctional chamber, which is sealed from the outside once filled. The machine for wool sterilization is then started, causing the drums in the chamber to begin rotating and mixing the wool while heating it. Upon completion of the wool heating, the automatic system initiates the second phase of the process, which involves cooling and ventilating the wool using air. This is achieved by blowing air through the chamber by the fan, thereby reducing the wool temperature to 40°C. After the wool has cooled, the process moves to the third phase, which involves ozonating the wool by activating an ozone generator that produces a high concentration of ozone in the chamber while mixing the wool in the chamber. This ensures that the ozone acts on all parts of the wool inside the chamber. Upon completion of the ozonation of the wool, the fourth phase begins, which involves ventilating or aerating the chamber to remove any remaining ozone.
[0014] The duration of the ventilation is adjustable and typically lasts three minutes. Once the ventilation is complete, the chamber is opened and the sterilized wool is removed from the chamber.
Claims
1. A machine for sterilizing wool, characterized in that, The machine for sterilizing wool comprises a chamber with a rotatable drum, wherein the air in the chamber is heated to a temperature of up to 100°C when the machine is in operation.
2. Machine for sterilizing wool according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drum has an octagonal shape.
3. Machine for the sterilization of wool according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The machine for sterilizing wool further comprises a fan, an air passage opening and an ozone generator, wherein the ozone generator generates a high concentration of ozone in the chamber when the machine is in operation and simultaneously the wool in the chamber is mixed, thus ensuring that the ozone affects all parts of the wool in the chamber.
4. A wool sterilization method in a chamber for the manufacture of plant nutrient granules, characterized by, The method for sterilizing wool involves four stages, wherein in the first stage the wool is heated while being mixed, in the second stage the chamber is cooled and ventilated, in the third stage the wool is exposed to a high concentration of ozone while being mixed in the chamber, and in the last fourth stage the chamber is ventilated to remove any residual ozone.
5. The method for sterilizing wool according to the preceding claim, characterized in that, The method for sterilizing wool is performed in a machine for sterilizing wool according to any one of claims 1 to 3.