Protein-rich waste hydrolysis method

Abstract

A protein-rich waste hydrolysis method comprises the following steps: (A) receiving protein-rich waste and water by means of a hydrolysis furnace device; (B) extracting part of air in the shell of the hydrolysis furnace device by means of a negative pressure device; (C) introducing inert gas into the shell by means of a gas cylinder device; (D) introducing the heated steam into the shell by means of a steam boiler device; (E) stirring by a stirring module of the hydrolysis furnace device; (F) discharging the protein-rich waste after the hydrolysis reaction by means of the hydrolysis furnace device; (G) carrying out solid-liquid separation on the protein-rich waste subjected to the hydrolysis reaction by virtue of a separation device so as to separate out a protein-rich hydrolysate semi-finished product; and (H) drying the protein-rich hydrolysate semi-finished product by a drying device to produce a protein-rich hydrolysate finished product. Through the steps, the color of the finished product is maintained, and the quality of the finished product is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a hydrolysis method, and more particularly to a hydrolysis method for protein-rich waste. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, the use of hydrolysis technology to convert waste feather raw materials into feather powder or feather liquid that can be used as fertilizer or feed has gradually become widespread in related fields. One existing hydrolysis method uses chemical substances such as strong acids or strong alkalis in combination with low temperature and low pressure to hydrolyze the feather raw materials, thereby breaking down the keratin in the feather raw materials into crude protein.

[0003] However, the digestibility of the feather liquid produced by existing hydrolysis methods is mostly between 65% and 75%, which fails to effectively utilize the protein in the waste feather raw materials. On the other hand, the use of strong acids or alkalis generates related chemical waste, increasing additional cleanup costs. Clearly, existing hydrolysis methods still require research and improvement by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method for hydrolyzing protein-rich waste to improve the hydrolysis effect.

[0005] The present invention relates to a method for hydrolyzing protein-rich waste, which is implemented by means of at least one hydrolysis furnace device, a negative pressure device, a gas cylinder device for storing inert gas, a steam boiler device, a separation device, and a drying device. The hydrolysis furnace device includes a shell and a stirring module located inside the shell. The shell defines an exhaust port for connecting to the negative pressure device, an inlet for connecting to the gas cylinder device, a steam port for connecting to the steam boiler device, a feed inlet, and a discharge outlet. The method for hydrolyzing protein-rich waste includes the following steps: (A) using (A) The hydrolysis furnace device opens the feed port and closes the exhaust port, the air inlet, the steam outlet, and the discharge port. The hydrolysis furnace device then receives protein-rich waste and water through the feed port, placing the protein-rich waste and water inside the outer shell. The feed port is then closed by the hydrolysis furnace device. (B) The hydrolysis furnace device opens the exhaust port, and the negative pressure device extracts some air from inside the outer shell through the exhaust port. The exhaust port is then closed by the hydrolysis furnace device. (C) (A) The inlet of the hydrolysis furnace is opened by the gas cylinder device, and the inert gas is introduced into the outer shell through the inlet by the gas cylinder device, and then the inlet of the hydrolysis furnace device is closed; (B) The steam port of the hydrolysis furnace device is opened by the steam boiler device, and the heated steam is introduced into the outer shell through the steam port by the steam boiler device, and then the steam port of the hydrolysis furnace device is closed; (C) The stirring module of the hydrolysis furnace device stirs the protein-rich waste and water to produce a hydrolysis reaction. (F) The discharge port is opened by the hydrolysis furnace device to discharge the protein-rich waste after hydrolysis to the separation device; (G) The protein-rich waste after hydrolysis is subjected to solid-liquid separation by the separation device to separate the protein-rich hydrolysate semi-finished product, and the protein-rich hydrolysate semi-finished product is discharged to the drying device; and (H) The moisture content in the protein-rich hydrolysate semi-finished product is reduced by the drying device to produce the protein-rich hydrolysate finished product.

[0006] The method for hydrolyzing protein-rich waste according to the present invention utilizes a feeding device, multiple hydrolysis furnace devices, a negative pressure device, a gas cylinder device, a steam boiler device, a separation device, and a drying device to hydrolyze the protein-rich waste. The feeding device is connected to the hydrolysis furnace devices. The method for hydrolyzing protein-rich waste further includes a step (I) located before step (A), in which the protein-rich waste and water are discharged to the inlet of the hydrolysis furnace device via the feeding device.

[0007] The method for hydrolyzing protein-rich waste according to the present invention includes a separation device comprising a sorting machine and a solid-liquid separator. Step (G) includes: (G-1) using the sorting machine of the separation device to screen the protein-rich waste after hydrolysis to separate a first screening material and a second screening material, and discharging the first screening material to the solid-liquid separator; and (G-2) using the solid-liquid separator of the separation device to perform solid-liquid separation on the first screening material to separate the protein-rich hydrolysate semi-finished product, and discharging the protein-rich hydrolysate semi-finished product to the drying device.

[0008] The method for hydrolyzing protein-rich waste according to the present invention includes a stirring module of a hydrolysis furnace device having a support rod rotatably disposed within the outer shell and a plurality of stirring rods spaced apart and fixed to the support rod. Step (E) includes: (E-1) driving the stirring rods to rotate around a first rotation direction by the hydrolysis furnace device and continuing for a first rotation time; (E-2) driving the stirring rods to stop by the hydrolysis furnace device and continuing for a first rest time; (E-3) driving the stirring rods to rotate around a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction by the hydrolysis furnace device. (E-4) The stirring rod is stopped by the hydrolysis furnace device and remains in motion for a second rotation time length; and (E-5) The sum of at least one first rotation time length, at least one first rest time length, at least one second rotation time length, and at least one second rest time length is defined as a cumulative time length. If the cumulative time length is less than the reaction time length, step (E-1) is resumed. If the cumulative time length is not less than the reaction time length, step (F) is continued.

[0009] In the method for hydrolyzing protein-rich waste according to the present invention, in step (A), the feed inlet is opened and the exhaust port, the air inlet, the steam port and the discharge port are closed by the hydrolysis furnace device. The protein-rich waste and water are received by the hydrolysis furnace device through the feed inlet. The feed inlet is then closed by the hydrolysis furnace device. The protein-rich waste and water are then stirred by the stirring module for a period of time.

[0010] In the method for hydrolyzing protein-rich waste according to the present invention, in step (A), the feed inlet is opened and the exhaust port, the air inlet, the steam port and the discharge port are closed by the hydrolysis furnace device. The protein-rich waste and water are received by the hydrolysis furnace device through the feed inlet and the protein-rich waste and water are located inside the shell. The feed inlet is then closed by the hydrolysis furnace device. The protein-rich waste consists of at least one of poultry and livestock feathers and poultry and livestock by-products.

[0011] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: by performing the above steps, the inert gas and the heated steam are successively introduced into the outer shell, thereby providing a high-pressure and high-temperature method to hydrolyze the protein-rich waste. This reduces the peroxidation reaction caused by the oxygen-containing gas contained in the hydrolysis reaction and the protein-rich waste, thereby avoiding poor color and quality degradation of the finished protein-rich hydrolysate, and also preventing the generation of related chemical waste. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Other features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0013] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a protein-rich waste hydrolysis system used in conjunction with an embodiment of the protein-rich waste hydrolysis method of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of one of the hydrolysis furnace devices in the protein-rich waste hydrolysis system;

[0015] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of one of the hydrolysis furnace devices;

[0016] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the embodiment described;

[0017] Figure 5 This is another flowchart, which specifically illustrates steps S5 to S7 of the embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0018] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 One embodiment of the protein-rich waste hydrolysis method of the present invention is implemented by a protein-rich waste hydrolysis system to hydrolyze protein-rich waste (not shown). The protein-rich waste hydrolysis system includes a feeding device 1, two hydrolysis furnace devices 2, a negative pressure device 3, a gas cylinder device 4 for storing inert gas, a steam boiler device 5, a separation device 6, and a drying device 7. It is worth noting that the number of hydrolysis furnace devices 2 can be adjusted to one or more depending on the amount of protein-rich waste used, and is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the protein-rich waste consists of at least one of poultry / livestock feathers and poultry / livestock by-products (e.g., head, claws).

[0019] The feeding device 1 is used to feed the protein-rich waste to the hydrolysis furnace device 2 at a fixed speed, so that the protein-rich waste can be quantitatively distributed to the hydrolysis furnace device 2. In this embodiment, the feeding device 1 is implemented by a hopper with a cover and a screw conveyor.

[0020] See Figure 2 and Figure 3 Each hydrolysis furnace device 2 includes a housing 21, an exhaust valve (not shown) disposed on the housing 21, an inlet valve (not shown) disposed on the housing 21, a steam valve (not shown) disposed on the housing 21, a feed valve (not shown) disposed on the housing 21, a discharge valve (not shown) disposed on the housing 21, a stirring module 22 located inside the housing 21, and a control module (not shown) electrically connected to the exhaust valve, the inlet valve, the steam valve, the feed valve, the discharge valve and the stirring module 22. The outer casing 21 defines an exhaust port 211 for connecting to the negative pressure device 3, an inlet port 212 for connecting to the gas cylinder device 4, a steam port 213 for connecting to the steam boiler device 5, a feed port 214, and a discharge port 215. An exhaust valve is located at the exhaust port 211, an inlet valve at the inlet port 212, a steam valve at the steam port 213, a feed valve at the feed port 214, and a discharge valve at the discharge port 215. The stirring module 22 has a support rod 222 rotatably disposed within the outer casing 21, and a plurality of stirring rods 223 spaced apart and fixed to the support rod 222.

[0021] In this embodiment, the suction valve, the inlet valve, the steam valve, the feed valve, and the discharge valve are all ball valves. The control module can be implemented using hardware or firmware such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a microprocessor, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC). This is common knowledge in the field of automatic control and is not a feature of this invention, so it will not be elaborated upon here.

[0022] See Figure 1 and Figure 3 The negative pressure device 3 is used to perform vacuum extraction on the hydrolysis furnace device 2 via the exhaust port 211. In this embodiment, the negative pressure device 3 is a vacuum pump or an induced draft fan.

[0023] The gas cylinder device 4 is used to replenish inert gas into the outer casing 21 via the air inlet 212. In this embodiment, the gas cylinder device 4 is a high-pressure steel cylinder.

[0024] The steam boiler device 5 is used to introduce heated steam into the outer shell 21 through the steam port 213, so that the pressure inside the outer shell 21 is between 14 and 22 kgf / cm².

[0025] The separation device 6 includes a sorting machine 61 and a solid-liquid separator 62. The sorting machine 61 is used to screen the protein-rich waste after hydrolysis based on particle size to separate a first screening material and a second screening material. The particle size of the second screening material is larger than that of the first screening material, and therefore it must be collected and sent back to the hydrolysis furnace device 2 for further hydrolysis. The solid-liquid separator 62 is used to perform solid-liquid separation on the first screening material to separate a protein-rich hydrolysate semi-finished product.

[0026] The drying device 7 is used to reduce the moisture content in the protein-rich hydrolysate semi-finished product to produce the protein-rich hydrolysate finished product.

[0027] To briefly describe the operation of the embodiments, unless otherwise specified, one of the hydrolysis furnace devices 2 will be used as an example for explanation.

[0028] Specifically, see Figures 1 to 4 This embodiment includes the following steps:

[0029] Step S1: The protein-rich waste and water are discharged into the feed port 214 of the hydrolysis furnace device 2 by means of the feeding device 1.

[0030] Step S2: The hydrolysis furnace device 2 opens the feed port 214 and closes the exhaust port 211, the air inlet 212, the steam port 213 and the discharge port 215. The hydrolysis furnace device 2 then receives the protein-rich waste and water through the feed port 214, so that the protein-rich waste and water are located inside the outer shell 21. The hydrolysis furnace device 2 then closes the feed port 214.

[0031] Step S3: The air extraction port 211 is opened by the hydrolysis furnace device 2, and then some of the air inside the outer shell 21 is extracted by the negative pressure device 3 through the air extraction port 211. Then the air extraction port 211 is closed by the hydrolysis furnace device 2.

[0032] In step S4, the inlet 212 is opened by the hydrolysis furnace device 2, and the inert gas is introduced into the outer casing 21 through the inlet 212 by the gas cylinder device 4. Then, the inlet 212 is closed by the hydrolysis furnace device 2. In this step, by introducing inert gas, the peroxidation reaction caused by the oxygen-containing gas contained in the hydrolysis reaction and the protein-rich waste is reduced, thereby avoiding poor color and quality degradation of the protein-rich hydrolysate product.

[0033] In step S5, the steam port 213 is opened by the hydrolysis furnace device 2, and the heated steam is introduced into the outer shell 21 through the steam port 213 by the steam boiler device 5. Then, the steam port 213 is closed by the hydrolysis furnace device 2. At this time, the pressure inside the outer shell 21 of the hydrolysis furnace device 2 is between 14 and 22 kgf / cm².

[0034] It is worth mentioning that, in a variation of this embodiment, as soon as the protein-rich waste and water are received by the hydrolysis furnace device 2 through the feed inlet 214, the stirring module 22 can begin stirring the protein-rich waste and water, and this stirring continues for an auxiliary reaction time. The auxiliary reaction time depends on the time spent in steps S2 to S5.

[0035] Step S6 involves using the stirring module 22 of the hydrolysis furnace device 2 to stir the protein-rich waste and water, initiating a hydrolysis reaction that lasts for a specified reaction time. In other words, the stirring process of the stirring module 22 on the protein-rich waste and water corresponds to the sum of the auxiliary reaction time and the actual reaction time.

[0036] See Figures 3 to 5 Step S6 includes the following sub-steps:

[0037] In sub-step S6-1, the stirring rod 223 is driven to rotate in a first rotation direction (forward rotation) by the hydrolysis furnace device 2 for a first rotation time.

[0038] In sub-step S6-2, the stirring rod 223 is stopped by the hydrolysis furnace device 2 and continues for a first rest period.

[0039] In sub-step S6-3, the stirring rod 223 is driven by the hydrolysis furnace device 2 to rotate (reverse rotation) around a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction, and this rotation continues for a second rotation time.

[0040] In sub-step S6-4, the stirring rod 223 is stopped by the hydrolysis furnace device 2 and continues for a second rest period.

[0041] Sub-step S6-5 defines a cumulative time length as the sum of at least one first rotation time length, at least one first rest time length, at least one second rotation time length, and at least one second rest time length. If the cumulative time length is less than the reaction time length, sub-step S6-1 is executed again. If the cumulative time length is not less than the reaction time length, step S7 is executed.

[0042] It is worth mentioning that the first rotation time and the second rotation time are preset to 5 minutes, the first rest time and the second rest time are preset to 15 seconds, and the reaction time is between 30 and 60 minutes. In other words, executing one sub-step S6-1 to S6-4 takes 10 minutes and 30 seconds, so after executing three to six sub-steps S6-1 to S6-4, the reaction time will exceed the preset reaction time, and step S7 will then be executed.

[0043] Step S7, see Figures 1 to 4 The discharge port 215 is opened by the hydrolysis furnace device 2, thereby discharging the protein-rich waste after the hydrolysis reaction to the separation device 6.

[0044] In step S8, the protein-rich waste after hydrolysis is screened by the sorting machine 61 of the separation device 6 to separate the first screening material and the second screening material, and the first screening material is discharged to the solid-liquid separator 62.

[0045] Step S9: The first screened raw material is separated into solid and liquid components by the solid-liquid separator 62 of the separation device 6 to separate the protein-rich hydrolysate semi-finished product, and the protein-rich hydrolysate semi-finished product is discharged to the drying device 7.

[0046] Step S10: The drying device 7 is used to reduce the moisture content in the protein-rich hydrolysate semi-finished product to produce the protein-rich hydrolysate finished product.

[0047] In summary, by performing the steps of this embodiment, the inert gas and the heated steam are sequentially introduced into the outer shell 21, thereby providing high pressure and high temperature to hydrolyze the protein-rich waste and reducing the peroxidation reaction between the oxygen-containing gas contained in the outer shell 21 and the protein-rich waste. This avoids poor color and quality degradation of the finished protein-rich hydrolysate, and prevents the discharge of related chemical waste, thus achieving both the effect of improving the quality of the finished protein-rich hydrolysate and reducing chemical waste.

[0048] Furthermore, by executing the steps of this embodiment, the hydrolysis furnace device 2 drives the stirring rod 223 to perform a stirring process of rotating around the first rotation direction (forward rotation) - stopping - rotating around the second rotation direction (reverse rotation) - stopping - determining whether to continue. This not only improves the uniformity of the protein-rich waste by changing the rotation direction, but also allows the protein-rich waste to naturally stratify and undergo hydrolysis when stopped. It also avoids overheating or mechanical fatigue caused by prolonged operation of the hydrolysis furnace device 2, thus achieving the dual benefits of improving the quality of the protein-rich hydrolysate product and extending the service life of the hydrolysis furnace device 2.

[0049] Furthermore, the protein-rich hydrolysate can be further processed into products such as feed, fertilizer, or artificial joints, which has a wide range of applications.

[0050] Therefore, the method for hydrolyzing protein-rich waste of the present invention has a good hydrolysis effect and can indeed achieve the purpose of the present invention.

[0051] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. Any simple equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the claims and description of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for hydrolyzing protein-rich waste, implemented by means of at least one hydrolysis furnace device, a negative pressure device, a gas cylinder device for storing inert gas, a steam boiler device, a separation device, and a drying device, wherein the hydrolysis furnace device includes a shell and a stirring module located within the shell, the shell defining an exhaust port for connecting to the negative pressure device, an inlet for connecting to the gas cylinder device, a steam port for connecting to the steam boiler device, a feed inlet, and a discharge outlet, characterized in that: The method for hydrolyzing protein-rich waste includes the following steps: (A) The feed inlet is opened and the exhaust port, the air inlet, the steam port and the discharge port are closed by the hydrolysis furnace device. The protein-rich waste and water are received through the feed inlet by the hydrolysis furnace device so that the protein-rich waste and water are located inside the shell. The feed inlet is then closed by the hydrolysis furnace device. (B) The exhaust port is opened by the hydrolysis furnace device, and then part of the air inside the outer shell is extracted through the exhaust port by the negative pressure device, and then the exhaust port is closed by the hydrolysis furnace device. (C) The inlet is opened by the hydrolysis furnace device, and the inert gas is introduced into the outer shell through the inlet by the gas cylinder device, and then the inlet is closed by the hydrolysis furnace device. (D) The steam port is opened by the hydrolysis furnace device, and the heated steam is introduced into the outer shell by the steam boiler device through the steam port. The steam port is then closed by the hydrolysis furnace device. (E) The protein-rich waste and water are stirred by the stirring module of the hydrolysis furnace device to produce a hydrolysis reaction, and the reaction lasts for a reaction time. (F) The discharge port is opened by the hydrolysis furnace device to discharge the protein-rich waste after hydrolysis reaction to the separation device; (G) The protein-rich waste after hydrolysis reaction is separated into solid and liquid by the separation device to separate the protein-rich hydrolysate semi-finished product, and the protein-rich hydrolysate semi-finished product is discharged to the drying device. and (H) The moisture content in the protein-rich hydrolysate semi-finished product is reduced by the drying device to produce the protein-rich hydrolysate finished product.

2. The method for hydrolyzing protein-rich waste according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protein-rich waste is hydrolyzed by a feeding device, multiple hydrolysis furnaces, a negative pressure device, a gas cylinder device, a steam boiler device, a separation device, and a drying device. The feeding device is connected to the hydrolysis furnaces. The protein-rich waste hydrolysis method also includes a step (I) located before step (A). In step (I), the protein-rich waste and water are discharged to the inlet of the hydrolysis furnace by the feeding device.

3. The method for hydrolyzing protein-rich waste according to claim 1, characterized in that: The separation device includes a separator and a solid-liquid separator, and step (G) includes: (G-1) The protein-rich waste after hydrolysis is screened by the sorting machine of the separation device to separate the first screening material and the second screening material, and the first screening material is discharged into the solid-liquid separator; and (G-2) The first screened raw material is separated into solid and liquid by the solid-liquid separator of the separation device to separate the protein-rich hydrolysate semi-finished product, and the protein-rich hydrolysate semi-finished product is discharged to the drying device.

4. The method for hydrolyzing protein-rich waste according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stirring module of the hydrolysis furnace apparatus has a support rod rotatably disposed within the outer casing, and a plurality of stirring rods spaced apart and fixed to the support rod. Step (E) includes: (E-1) The stirring rod is driven to rotate around a first rotation direction by the hydrolysis furnace device and continues for a first rotation time length; (E-2) The stirring rod is stopped by the hydrolysis furnace device and the stop is maintained for a first rest period. (E-3) The stirring rod is driven to rotate in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction by the hydrolysis furnace device, and this rotation continues for a second rotation time. (E-4) The stirring rod is stopped by the hydrolysis furnace device and remains in place for a second pause period; and (E-5) Define at least one first rotation time length, at least one first rest time length, at least one second rotation time length and at least one second rest time length as a cumulative time length. If the cumulative time length is less than the reaction time length, return to step (E-1). If the cumulative time length is not less than the reaction time length, continue to step (F).

5. The method for hydrolyzing protein-rich waste according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step (A), the feed inlet is opened and the exhaust port, air inlet, steam inlet and discharge port are closed by the hydrolysis furnace device. The protein-rich waste and water are received by the hydrolysis furnace device through the feed inlet. The feed inlet is then closed by the hydrolysis furnace device. The protein-rich waste and water are stirred by the stirring module for a period of time.

6. The method for hydrolyzing protein-rich waste according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step (A), the feed inlet is opened and the exhaust port, the air inlet, the steam port and the discharge port are closed by the hydrolysis furnace device. The protein-rich waste and water are received by the hydrolysis furnace device through the feed inlet so that the protein-rich waste and water are located inside the shell. The feed inlet is then closed by the hydrolysis furnace device. The protein-rich waste consists of at least one of poultry and livestock feathers and poultry and livestock by-products.

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