Filter cartridge and method for filtering cleaning wastewater from artificial turf and rubber granulate floors

Abstract

Filter cartridge (100, 200) for filtering cleaning wastewater from turf and rubber granulate floors, comprising - a filter cartridge container (110, 210), wherein the filter cartridge container (110, 210) - has a lid (120, 220) on the upper side when used as intended, and - has a drain (130) on the lower side when used as intended, - five sieve trays (150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254) with sieves of different mesh sizes, - wherein the sieve trays (150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254) are stackable inside the filter cartridge vessel (110, 210), and wherein the coarsest sieve of the sieve trays (151, 251) with the largest mesh size is arranged at the top when used as intended and the finest sieve of the sieve trays (154, 254) with the smallest mesh size is arranged at the bottom when used as intended, where five sieve trays (150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254) are available with a mesh size of the coarsest sieve from 500 µm to 1,500 µm, the next sieve with a mesh size of 300 µm to 500 µm, the next sieve with a mesh size of 100 µm to 300 µm, the next sieve with a mesh size of 50 µm to 150 µm and the finest sieve with a mesh size of 25 µm to 50 µm.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a filter cartridge for filtering cleaning wastewater from turf and rubber granulate floors and a method for cleaning cleaning wastewater from turf and rubber granulate floors using this filter cartridge.

[0002] Turf and rubber granulate surfaces are two different types of artificial sports surfaces commonly used in sports facilities, fitness centers, and playgrounds. Both offer advantages over natural grass surfaces, such as lower maintenance and improved weather resistance.

[0003] Turf (also called artificial grass) is an artificial grass surface made of synthetic fibers that mimics natural grass. There are various types of turf, which can vary depending on their intended use. Turf surfaces are commonly used in soccer, hockey, rugby, and American football fields, as well as in golf courses and landscaping. The main components of turf surfaces are fibers, infill, and the substructure. The synthetic fibers form the blades of grass and are often made of materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or nylon. The fibers are designed to resemble natural grass blades while also being resistant to wear and tear. Between the artificial grass blades is an infill material, often made of sand, rubber, or a mixture of both. The infill provides stability and shock absorption and plays a crucial role in the performance of the sports surface.Beneath the turf is an elastic layer that provides additional shock absorption and drainage. This layer can consist of various materials, such as rubber granules, foam, or a combination of both.

[0004] Rubber granulate flooring is a sports surface made primarily from recycled rubber materials, such as old tires. These floors are commonly used in playgrounds, running tracks, and fitness areas. Rubber granulate flooring offers shock absorption and slip resistance, making it ideal for high-impact activities and slippery conditions.

[0005] The main components of rubber granulate flooring are the rubber granulate and the binder. The base of these surfaces consists of small rubber particles, the rubber granulate, which is obtained from recycled tires or other rubber products. To hold the rubber granulate together and form a stable surface, a binder, often polyurethane-based, is used.

[0006] Turf and rubber granulate surfaces can cause several problems during cleaning and maintenance, particularly when materials from these surfaces enter the municipal sewer system. Some of the main issues are outlined below: When materials such as rubber and plastic particles or infills are worn away from these surfaces and enter the sewer system, they can cause pollution. These particles can enter rivers and streams and eventually reach the ocean, where they can impair water quality and harm marine life. Microplastics, derived from synthetic fibers and rubber, are a growing environmental concern and can enter the food chain. Materials such as rubber granulate or sand and rubber infills from turf surfaces can enter the sewer system and cause blockages.These blockages can lead to costly repairs and maintenance, disrupting the proper functioning of the municipal sewer system. Cleaning turf and rubber granulate floors can be complicated and time-consuming. Containing and removing eroded material can be difficult, especially over large areas. Often, specialized equipment or personnel are required to effectively clean and maintain these surfaces. Some turf and rubber granulate floors may have limited water permeability, particularly if poorly maintained or contaminated. This can cause water to pool on the surface or enter the sewer system instead of naturally seeping into the ground.

[0007] To minimize these problems, it is important to regularly maintain and clean turf and rubber granulate surfaces to reduce material loss. Using filters or collection systems near drainage openings can help trap particles before they enter the sewer system. Furthermore, operators of sports and leisure facilities should follow environmental regulations and best practices to reduce their impact on the environment and the sewer system.

[0008] The use of filters to treat wastewater from turf and rubber granulate surfaces can help reduce pollution and blockages in wastewater systems. However, there are also some problems and challenges associated with the implementation and use of such filter systems. Here are some of the main issues: Selecting the right filter can be difficult, as it must be able to effectively filter out various types and sizes of particles from the wastewater. This can require careful consideration of factors such as flow rate, particle size, and filter material. Filters for treating wastewater from turf and rubber granulate surfaces require regular maintenance and cleaning to maintain their effectiveness. Removing and disposing of the trapped particles can be time-consuming and labor-intensive.Furthermore, filters may need to be replaced or cleaned regularly to prevent blockages or reduced performance. Purchasing, installing, and maintaining filtration systems can be expensive, especially for large or multiple sports and leisure facilities. Long-term operating costs, including filter replacement and disposal, must be factored into the overall assessment. Filter efficiency can vary depending on how well they can remove particles from the wastewater. Efficiency can be affected by factors such as particle size, filter type, and wear. Some filtration systems may not be able to completely remove smaller particles, particularly microplastics, which will continue to enter the wastewater system. Installing filtration systems may require additional space, which can be problematic in some cases, especially in urban or confined areas.To overcome these problems, it is important to carefully select the most suitable filter systems and to maintain and monitor them regularly.

[0009] US patent 2017 / 0128863 A1 discloses a water purification filter. This filter consists of several filter screens, each mounted in a conical ring with a different diameter, placed in a conical bucket with a tap. The conical rings ensure that the filters fit precisely into a specific position within the bucket, with the angle of the bucket's cone corresponding to the angle of the conical rings. This filter comprises coarse, medium, and fine filters.

[0010] German patent application DE 44 09 124 A1 discloses a cascade filter for filtering rainwater from a gutter. Mesh sizes of 5 mm (coarse), 0.5 mm (medium), and 0.1–0.2 mm (fine) are disclosed. If the filter becomes clogged by debris, the sieves within the filter are designed to overflow.

[0011] The object of the invention is to provide a filter cartridge for filtering cleaning wastewater from turf and rubber granulate floors, which minimizes the aforementioned problems.

[0012] The problem according to the invention is solved by a filter cartridge for filtering cleaning wastewater from turf and rubber granulate floors, having the features of claim 1. Further advantageous embodiments are specified in the dependent claims to claim 1. A method for filtering cleaning wastewater from turf and rubber granulate floors is specified in claim 8.

[0013] According to the invention, a filter cartridge contains more than one sieve tray, for example, three to seven, or even exactly five, with the mesh size decreasing from top to bottom, in the direction of flow through the filter cartridge. The main problem with filters for cleaning wastewater from turf and rubber granulate surfaces is that the abrasion from the surface to be cleaned includes elastic granules with a grain size of 1 mm (1,000 µm) to 2 mm (2,000 µm). Furthermore, smaller grain sizes of abrasion are also present, as well as sand from the infill or windblown sand that has been blown onto the turf and rubber granulate surface. The elastic granules become trapped in the mesh of a sieve and clog it very quickly. This clogs the filter or filter cartridge, making further cleaning and wastewater disposal impossible.The invention is based on the idea of ​​a cascade of sieves to prevent filter clogging. With a cascade of sieves, only granules of a narrow particle size distribution collect on the individual sieves. According to the theory of closest packing of spheres, water can still pass through the gaps in a close-packed structure, so clogging does not occur or occurs much later. If the various sieves had the same mesh size, granules with a wide particle size distribution would collect on all levels. Smaller granules would then become trapped in the gaps of larger granules, thus clogging the sieve very effectively. The use of a cascade sieve allows wastewater to continue flowing even when the sieve on each level already contains a significant amount of granules with a narrow particle size distribution.

[0014] To facilitate cleaning and maintenance of the filter cartridge, the individual sieves can be designed as stackable sieve trays. Each sieve tray has a foldable handle, allowing the top sieve to be removed from the filter cartridge for emptying.

[0015] The upper edge of the filter cartridge housing can be designed as a flange, with a filter cartridge lid resting on the flange with a soft seal and optionally featuring a B-connection or a C-connection. The filter cartridge can thus be connected to a wastewater pump or to the wastewater tank of a municipal cleaning vehicle, and the wastewater, filtered through the filter cartridge, can be discharged into the municipal stormwater system. The B-connection (bayonet-type water connection for water hoses with a flow rate of approximately 2,400 l / min) or the C-connection (bayonet-type water connection for water hoses with a flow rate of approximately 600 to 1,200 l / min) prevents unfiltered water from accidentally overflowing or entering the municipal sewer system from the wastewater tank unfiltered.

[0016] To mechanically secure the filter trays within the filter cartridge, the individual trays can be cylindrical and feature corresponding serrations of one to six teeth along a circumference of the tray's rim, allowing two trays to be stacked securely against each other. For ease of handling, the filter cartridge housing can be made of plastic, such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, or polyamide, or of a fiberglass composite material. This allows the filter cartridge, which has a volume of approximately 100 liters or more, to be carried by one person from one location to another.

[0017] To save space when using the filter cartridge, the cartridge housing can be designed with an outer diameter that corresponds to a standard 610 mm or 800 mm diameter drain shaft, allowing the entire filter cartridge to be inserted into a standard 300 mm drain shaft. This allows the filter cartridge to disappear into a drain. For all embodiments, the cartridge housing can be equipped with feet to allow the filter cartridge to stand upright on a flat surface. Even for a filter cartridge intended for placement in a drain, the feet are advantageous for keeping the cartridge upright during installation, removal, and storage.

[0018] In a specific embodiment of the invention, the following sieve cascade can be used, which, when used for filtering wastewater from turf and rubber granulate surfaces, does not tend to clog and yet effectively filters microplastics from this wastewater: Five sieve trays are provided with a mesh size of the coarsest sieve from 500 µm to 1,500 µm, the next sieve with a mesh size of 300 µm to 500 µm, the next sieve from 100 µm to 300 µm, the next sieve from 50 µm to 150 µm, and the finest sieve from 25 µm to 50 µm. The following sieve sequence has proven to be particularly effective: first sieve in flow direction 1,000 µm, second sieve in flow direction 400 µm, third sieve in flow direction 200 µm, fourth sieve in flow direction 100 µm, and the last, bottom sieve in flow direction 50 µm.

[0019] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the following figures. They show: Fig. 1 Five stacked sieve trays in an exploded view, Fig. 2 a filter cartridge container with a view of the lid from two perspectives, Fig. 3. Another embodiment of a filter cartridge in use in a standard gully shaft, Fig. 4 A view of the meshes of the sieves with different mesh sizes.

[0020] In Fig. Figure 1 shows five stacked sieve trays 150, 151, 152, 153, 154 in an exploded view. These sieve trays 150, 151, 152, 153, 154 correspond to the sieve trays 250, 251, 252, 253, 254 in Fig. 3. The top sieve tray 150 has the largest mesh size and also the greatest capacity, determined by its high rim. Larger particles, such as pebbles and plant debris, collect in the wastewater from turf and rubber granulate treatments and fill the top sieve tray 150. This is followed by a second sieve tray 151 with a slightly smaller capacity and a smaller mesh size. Below this are three further sieve trays 152, 153, and 154, each with an even smaller mesh size. Sieve trays 150, 151, and 152 have the same capacity. All sieve trays 150, 151, 152, 153, and 154 have a foldable handle 160, allowing them to be removed from a filter cartridge container. Furthermore, the sieve trays 150, 151, 152, 153, 154 are stacked inside each other in a rotationally fixed manner via a toothed connection 170.

[0021] Fig. Figure 2 shows a sketch of a filter cartridge container 110 with a view of the lid 120 from two perspectives. The top view shows a perspective side view of the lid 120 of the filter cartridge container 110. The bayonet-type hose connection, here B-connection 123 according to standard EN 124, is clearly visible, allowing the entire filter cartridge 100 to be connected to a wastewater tank of a municipal cleaning vehicle. The second element from the top is shown in Fig. Figure 2 shows a view of the underside of the lid 120, in which the opening to the B-connection 123 can be seen and a soft seal 122, which rests on the flange 121 of the cartridge container 120 and is clamped to the flange 121 of the cartridge container 120 by clamping means not shown here. At the bottom is the filter cartridge container 110, which contains the five sieve trays 150, 151, 152, 153 and 154 made of Fig. 4 in stacked form. Cleaning wastewater from turf or rubber granules flows from above through the B-connection of the lid 120 into the cartridge container 120, passes through the various sieve trays 150, 151, 152, 153 and 154 and leaves the cartridge container 120 via the drain 130.

[0022] In Fig. Figure 3 shows a further embodiment of a filter cartridge 200 in use in a standard gully shaft 300. The entire filter cartridge 200 is fitted snugly into the standard gully shaft 300. The outer diameter of the filter cartridge, either 610 mm or 800 mm, fits precisely into the standard gully shaft 300, thus preventing wastewater from turf and rubber granulate flooring from entering the municipal sewer system unfiltered. An opening to an underground wastewater channel 310 is located beneath the filter cartridge 200.

[0023] Fig.Figure 4 shows a view of the mesh sizes of the five sieve trays 150, 151, 152, 153, and 154 with different mesh sizes. The mesh sizes of the sieves shown here for the five sieve trays 150, 151, 152, 153, and 154 are indicated as square meshes. Different sieve types are possible for the sequence of mesh sizes. It is possible to equip the sieves of trays 150, 151, 152, 153, and 154 with square meshes, triangular meshes, or even hexagonal meshes. Filter tests have shown that the average mesh size cannot be directly transferred between the different mesh types: triangular, square, and hexagonal. Each mesh type has a different sequence of ideal mesh sizes to prevent clogging or to delay it.The ideal sequence has been found to be the following distribution of mesh sizes between the individual sieve trays 150, 151, 152, 153 and 154: The mesh size of the coarsest sieve of sieve tray 150 ranges from 500 µm to 1,500 µm, the mesh size of the next sieve of sieve tray 151 ranges from 300 µm to 500 µm, the mesh size of the next sieve of sieve tray 152 ranges from 100 µm to 300 µm, the mesh size of the next sieve of sieve tray 153 ranges from 50 µm to 150 µm and the mesh size of the finest sieve of sieve tray 154 ranges from 25 µm to 50 µm. Ideal mesh size parameters for sieves in sieve trays 150, 151, 152, 153 and 154 with square meshes in the range of 1,000 µm, 400 µm, 200 µm, 100 µm and 50 µm. REFERENCE MARK LIST 100 filter cartridges 110 cartridge container 113 Stand 120 lids 121 Flange 122 Soft seal 123 B-connection 130 Drain 150 sieve trays 151 sieve tray 152 sieve tray 153 sieve tray 154 sieve tray 160 Henkel 170 toothing 200 filter cartridges 210 cartridge container 213 Stand 220 lids 221 Flange 222 Soft seal 223 B-connection 230 Drain 250 sieve tray 251 sieve tray 252 sieve tray 253 sieve tray 254 sieve tray 260 Henkel 270 toothing 300 standard gully shaft 310 Sewer

Claims

Filter cartridge (100, 200) for filtering cleaning wastewater from turf and rubber granulate flooring, comprising: - a filter cartridge container (110, 210), wherein the filter cartridge container (110, 210) has: - a lid (120, 220) on the upper side when in use, and - a drain (130) on the lower side when in use, - five sieve trays (150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254) with sieves of different mesh sizes, - wherein the sieve trays (150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254) are located inside the filter cartridge container (110, 210) are stackable one above the other, wherein the coarsest sieve of the sieve trays (151, 251) with the largest mesh size is arranged at the top when used as intended, and the finest sieve of the sieve trays (154, 254) with the smallest mesh size is arranged at the bottom when used as intended, wherein five sieve trays (150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 250, 251, 252, 253,254) are available with a mesh size of the coarsest sieve of 500 µm to 1,500 µm, the next sieve with a mesh size of 300 µm to 500 µm, the next sieve with a mesh size of 100 µm to 300 µm, the next sieve with a mesh size of 50 µm to 150 µm and the finest sieve with a mesh size of 25 µm to 50 µm. Filter cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that each individual sieve tray (150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254) has a foldable handle (160, 260). Filter cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the upper edge of the filter cartridge vessel (110, 210) is designed as a flange (121), wherein the lid (120) rests on the flange (121) with a soft seal (122) and optionally has a B-connection (123) or a C-connection. Filter cartridge according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the individual sieve shells (150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254) are cylindrically designed and have corresponding toothing (170, 270)) consisting of one to six teeth along a circumference of the edge of the sieve shells (150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254), with which two sieve shells 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254) can be stacked on top of each other in a rotationally secure manner. Filter cartridge according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the filter cartridge container (210) has an outer diameter that corresponds to a standard gully shaft of 610 mm or 800 mm diameter, so that the entire filter cartridge (200) can be inserted into a standard gully shaft in a form-fitting manner. Filter cartridge according to claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the filter cartridge vessel (110, 210) is made of plastic, such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride or polyamide or of a glass fiber composite material. Filter cartridge according to claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the filter cartridge container (110, 210) has feet (113, 213) with which the filter cartridge (100, 200) can be placed on a flat surface. Method for filtering cleaning wastewater from turf and rubber granulate floors with a filter cartridge according to one of claims 1 to 7.

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