Methods and systems for the utilization of biological waste

Abstract

Method for the utilization of biological waste present in an area G in a plurality of storage facilities (20) comprising the following steps: a) Providing at least one waste collection vehicle (30) with a separation unit (40) with a compactor and a filter (50), b) Conveying the biological waste from the storage facilities (20) into at least one waste collection vehicle (30) c) Separation of the biological waste into an essentially liquid component and an essentially solid component using the separation unit (40) with a press and a filter (50), d) Removal of the substantially liquid component from the at least one waste collection vehicle (30) into a stationary storage facility (21) located in area G e) Transferring the essentially liquid component from the stationary storage tank (21) into a tank vehicle (22) f) Transporting the substantially liquid component by means of the tank vehicle (22) to a consumer g) Transporting the essentially solid component to a recycling facility.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and a system for the utilization of biological waste.

[0002] The term "biological waste" as used below refers specifically to household organic waste and green waste. Household organic waste includes, in particular, food scraps such as leftover sauces, potato peels, eggshells, old fruit, soup vegetables, lettuce leaves, coffee grounds, etc. Green waste includes, in particular, cut grass, branches, and leaves. Biological waste is produced, for example, by private households, businesses, and public institutions and must subsequently be disposed of.

[0003] Special waste containers – the so-called organic waste bin – are regularly provided for disposal, although businesses often use containers rather than bins for organic waste. A municipal department or a waste disposal company contracted by the city empties the waste containers in a specific area, such as a district, a town or municipality, or an entire county, at regular intervals, for example, weekly. Waste collection vehicles (colloquially: garbage trucks) are used for this purpose.

[0004] Such a waste collection vehicle is known, for example, from WO 2012 / 067506 A1. The waste collection vehicle has a waste collection container mounted on a vehicle chassis, in which a wall that can be moved longitudinally along the vehicle is located. The rear end of the collection container has an opening that can be closed by a mechanism. This mechanism also serves to gradually convey waste into the collection container. The waste is compacted between the movable wall and the mechanism.

[0005] The organic waste contained in the waste containers is first emptied into a waste collection vehicle, such as the one described in WO 2012 / 067506 A1. Since the waste containers are not located in one place but are distributed throughout the area, the waste collection vehicle usually follows a fixed route, visiting each container's location so that its contents can be emptied into the vehicle one after the other. Once the waste collection vehicle's capacity is exhausted, it must proceed to an unloading point where the waste is removed.

[0006] The unloading point can be part of a transfer station or a consumer facility. Consumers of biological waste include, in particular, biogas plants, landfills, waste incineration plants, and composting facilities. These consumers process the biological waste and convert it, for example, into biogas or electricity.

[0007] In practice, it often happens that the entire capacity of the waste collection vehicle is not filled, i.e., its volume capacity is not exhausted, but rather that the maximum permissible payload is reached. Therefore, considering the payload, the waste collection vehicle sometimes has to drive to the unloading point "half empty".

[0008] To load organic waste into the waste collection vehicles, at least one driver and one or two loaders (waste collectors) are regularly needed to drive the vehicle and empty the waste containers into the vehicle. When traveling to an unloading point, the loaders are not needed, but they usually accompany the vehicle. This unused labor incurs costs that are ultimately passed on to the producer of the organic waste (private households, etc.).

[0009] Consumers sometimes pretreat organic waste before it is sent for its final disposal (incineration, fermentation, biogas production, etc.). For example, the Kaiserslautern Central Waste Management Authority (ZAK) has installed a so-called VM press at one of its landfills, which separates organic waste into wet and dry fractions. These two fractions are then sent for different disposal methods, resulting in improved recycling. However, this does not change the disadvantages mentioned above.

[0010] German patent DE 197 50 591 A1 discloses a truck with a swap body and a collection container for biowaste. The collection container may have openings to separate the liquid component of the biowaste from the solid component and transfer the liquid component to a collection tank. The liquid in the collection tank is drained by means of a discharge device. However, the collection container of DE 197 50 591 A1 is designed such that, when unloaded (i.e., in a stationary state and no longer on the vehicle), the liquid component is separated from the waste passively using gravity.

[0011] German patent DE 12 34 621 A discloses a device for collecting and catching waste liquid, which is attached to the end of the waste container of a garbage truck. The catching and collecting is achieved by perforating the bottom of the conveying section with holes or slots, allowing the liquid to flow into the collection container during transport of the waste into the garbage truck. From there, the liquid can be drained by means of a swiveling drain hose.

[0012] The purpose of the invention is to improve the economic efficiency of the utilization of biological waste.

[0013] This problem is solved by a method according to claim 1 and a system according to claim 3.

[0014] The main advantage of the method according to the invention is that the essentially liquid component is removed from the waste collection vehicle. This is therefore preferably done before transporting the essentially solid component to the recycling facility (step d) before step e)). Step e) is preferably the last step of the method according to the invention.

[0015] A key reason for reaching the maximum loading capacity of waste collection vehicles is that organic waste regularly has a high water content. By removing the water (the essentially liquid component) from the waste collection vehicle, the payload is reduced, and the entire available loading volume of the vehicle can be utilized.

[0016] Steps a) to e) are preferably carried out in the listed order. However, it is possible, for example, that some steps are carried out in reverse order or at least partially in parallel, particularly steps b) and c).

[0017] Storing the essentially solid component in a first collection container can also refer to leaving the essentially solid component in a first collection container. This is particularly the case when the biological waste is transferred directly from the storage facilities into the collection container and separated there into the essentially liquid and the essentially solid components. The essentially liquid component is then removed from the collection container, while the essentially solid component remains in the collection container and is only removed from the container at the end user.

[0018] Separating organic waste is not usually a perfectly smooth process that produces only a dry and a purely liquid component. The predominantly liquid component may contain solid particles, such as small pieces of green waste. Similarly, the predominantly solid component may contain liquid particles, such as cell water. The crucial point is that the predominantly liquid component consists largely of liquid, and the predominantly solid component consists largely of solid.

[0019] The essentially solid component preferably remains in a collection container of the at least one waste collection vehicle. The collection container can be part of the separation unit. Preferably, in step b), the organic waste is conveyed directly into the collection container and separated there.

[0020] The essentially liquid component is preferably conveyed, at least temporarily (from the separation unit), into at least one dispensing device located in area G. This allows the essentially liquid component to be removed quickly and easily from the waste collection vehicle, so that the waste collection vehicle can continue to be filled with biological waste or moved to the consumer of the essentially dry component.

[0021] The at least one discharge device is preferably an intermediate storage unit of the waste collection vehicle and / or a stationary storage unit in area G and / or a sewer inlet in area G and / or a consumer for the substantially liquid component in area G. From the intermediate storage unit, the substantially liquid component is preferably pumped into a stationary storage unit in area G and / or a sewer inlet in area G and / or a consumer for the substantially liquid component in area G. In this way, it is not necessary to remove the substantially liquid component directly from the waste collection vehicle during each separation process. For example, a separation process can be carried out several times until the intermediate storage unit is full.Once the intermediate storage tank is full, the waste collection vehicle drives, for example, to a stationary storage tank in area G and transfers the primarily liquid component into the stationary storage tank. Subsequently, further organic waste can be transferred to the waste collection vehicle and separated there.

[0022] The consumer in area G is preferably a consumer exclusively for the substantially liquid component and, in particular, not a consumer for the substantially solid component.

[0023] The essentially liquid component is preferably pumped from the stationary storage tank into a tank truck and transported by tank truck to a consumer. The consumer is located, in particular, outside of area G. A tank truck can carry a larger quantity of the essentially liquid component compared to a waste collection vehicle. Furthermore, a tank truck typically requires only one operator. This improves the economic efficiency of the biological waste recovery process.

[0024] The storage facilities are preferably each assigned to at least one private household and / or one business and / or one public institution.

[0025] Steps b), c), and d) are preferably carried out at least partially simultaneously and / or multiple times. For example, it is conceivable that the essentially liquid component is conveyed into a dispensing unit while, at the same time, the biological waste is conveyed from other storage facilities into the waste collection vehicle. It is also possible that biological waste is conveyed from other storage facilities into the waste collection vehicle while the biological waste already in the waste collection vehicle is being separated.

[0026] In advantageous further developments, the separation unit comprises a press and a filter. Alternatively, the filter can also be part of the press. The press can be constructed like the one known from WO 2012 / 067506 A1. The press compresses and squeezes the biological waste. The filter retains the essentially dry component and allows only the essentially liquid component to pass through. The filter can, for example, be a grid. The essentially liquid component preferably passes from the collection container of the waste collection vehicle through the filter into the intermediate storage compartment of the waste collection vehicle.

[0027] The object of the invention is also achieved by a waste collection vehicle for the recycling of biological waste comprising a vehicle chassis, a separation unit arranged on the vehicle chassis which is designed for at least partial separation of the biological waste into a substantially liquid component and a substantially solid component, and an intermediate storage unit for the substantially liquid component.

[0028] Waste collection vehicles known from the prior art are currently only designed to compress the waste they contain. However, the waste collection vehicle according to the invention enables the separation of the biological waste into a substantially liquid component and a substantially solid component. This allows the high-density liquid components of the biological waste to be removed from the waste collection vehicle.

[0029] The advantageous further developments of the waste collection vehicle described with regard to the method according to the invention can also be used advantageously for the further development of the waste collection vehicle according to the invention.

[0030] The separation unit of the waste collection vehicle preferably comprises a collection container for the organic waste and a filter. The intermediate storage unit is preferably in fluidic communication with the collection container. The filter is advantageously arranged in the flow path between the collection container and the intermediate storage unit. As described above, this allows the essentially liquid component from the collection container to pass through the filter into the intermediate storage unit. The essentially dry component, on the other hand, is retained by the filter and remains in the collection container.

[0031] The at least one waste collection vehicle preferably has a lifting and tipping device by means of which biological waste is conveyed from the storage facilities into the at least one waste collection vehicle.

[0032] The system according to the invention for the utilization of biological waste present in a region G in a plurality of spatially separated storage facilities comprises at least one waste collection vehicle with a separation unit designed for at least partial separation of the biological waste into a substantially liquid component and a substantially solid component, at least one storage facility for the substantially liquid component that can be arranged at least temporarily in the region G, and at least one utilization device (outside the region G) for at least the substantially solid component.

[0033] The at least one storage facility is preferably an intermediate storage unit of the waste collection vehicle and / or a stationary storage facility and / or a sewer inlet and / or a consumer in area G, in particular a reactor. The essentially liquid component can be pumped from the intermediate storage facility into a stationary storage facility, for example, when the intermediate storage facility is completely or largely full.

[0034] It is not impossible that the essentially liquid component and the essentially dry component are processed by the same consumer. However, the process according to the invention separates the two components in area G, enabling separate transport of the two components. This separate transport allows for specialization tailored to the requirements of each component, improving the economic efficiency of biological waste processing compared to the prior art. The process according to the invention is particularly advantageous if the consumer of the essentially liquid component is located at a minimum distance of > 1 km, and in particular > 5 km, from area G.

[0035] The waste collection vehicle, in particular the intermediate storage unit, preferably has at least one discharge point for the essentially liquid component. The discharge point is designed such that a fluidic connection can be established to a stationary storage unit and / or a sewer inlet and / or a consumer. The discharge point can, for example, be part of a coupling.

[0036] The method according to the invention preferably uses a waste collection vehicle and / or a system according to the invention. The system according to the invention preferably comprises a waste collection vehicle according to the invention. Advantageous embodiments of the method, the system, and / or the waste collection vehicle according to the invention can be applied to each other in an equally advantageous manner.

[0037] The invention is illustrated and explained below with reference to the drawings. It shows: Fig. 1: schematically a waste collection vehicle for the system according to the invention; Fig. 2: schematically an embodiment of a system according to the invention.

[0038] The in Fig. Figure 1 shows a waste collection vehicle 30 with a chassis 31, a cab 32, and a separation unit 40 arranged on the chassis 31. The separation unit 40 has a collection container 41 in which a piston 42 is arranged to be displaceable towards a wall 43.

[0039] In a base area 44, the collection container 41 has a filter 50. The contents 100 (biological waste) conveyed into the waste collection vehicle 30 are squeezed between the piston 42 and the filter 50. When the contents 100 are squeezed, a substantially liquid component 200 emerges and flows downwards towards the filter 50. The component 200 does not consist solely of liquid but also contains solid particles from the contents 100. A portion of the solid particles, as well as the remainder of the contents 100, a substantially solid component, is retained by the filter 50. The substantially solid component still contains liquid even after the compression process.

[0040] In the illustrated embodiment, the filter 50 is a grid, for example a perforated grid.

[0041] Component 200 flows through an outlet 45 of the container 41 into an intermediate storage tank 60. The intermediate storage tank 60 has an outlet 61. Component 200 can be pumped out of the intermediate storage tank 60 through the outlet 61.

[0042] The in Fig. The embodiment of the system 10 according to the invention shown in Figure 2 has a plurality of storage facilities 20 for organic waste. The storage facilities 20 are arranged together in an area G, which can be, for example, a residential area or a city. The storage facilities 20 are organic waste bins into which residents of the adjacent private households throw their organic waste, thus temporarily storing and collecting it.

[0043] Typically, every private household or building has its own storage facility 20. The storage facilities 20 of adjacent buildings are therefore spaced apart from each other.

[0044] System 10 also includes a waste collection vehicle 30 according to Fig. 1. The waste collection vehicle 30 travels along a route R1 from one storage facility 20 to the next. At each storage facility 20, the waste collection vehicle 30 stops so that one or more loaders (loading personnel) can transfer the contents of the storage facility 20 into the waste collection vehicle 30. The waste collection vehicle 30 is thus gradually filled. The contents can be transferred, for example, by means of a lifting and tipping device (not shown) on the waste collection vehicle 30 into the collection container 41.

[0045] From time to time, or after each filling or stop, the contents of the waste collection vehicle are pressed out. This process separates the contents of the waste collection vehicle into a substantially liquid component and a substantially solid component.

[0046] The essentially liquid component 200 enters the intermediate storage tank 60 of the waste collection vehicle 30 as described. When the intermediate storage tank 60 is full, or when the waste collection vehicle 30 passes a stationary storage tank 21 along its route R1, the component 200 is transferred from the intermediate storage tank 60 to the stationary storage tank 21. The essentially solid component remains in the waste collection vehicle 30. By removing the component 200 from the waste collection vehicle 30, it loses weight, allowing further biological waste to be transferred from storage facilities 20 into the waste collection vehicle 30.

[0047] System 10 includes a tanker truck 22. The tanker truck 22 travels along a route R2 to the stationary storage tank, or, if there are several, successively to the stationary storage tanks 21, and pumps the essentially liquid component 200 contained therein into a tank of the tanker truck 22. When the tanker truck 22 is full or all stationary storage tanks 21 are empty, the tanker truck 22 travels to a consumer (not shown) outside the area G and is emptied there. Reference symbol list 10 System 20 Storage equipment 21 stationary storage units 22 Tanker truck 30 waste collection vehicles 31 Vehicle chassis 32 Vehicle cabin 40 separation units 41 collection containers 42 pistons 43 wall 44 Floor area 45 Outlet 50 filters 60 buffers 61 Outlet 100 Contents 200 components G area R1 Route R2 Route

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