Environment improvement equipment, and iron unit cartridge for use in environment improvement equipment

Abstract

To provide environment improvement equipment that improves environment by providing humus liquid including fulvic acid iron to external environment, thereby activating living organisms, and to provide an iron unit cartridge for use in the environment improvement equipment.SOLUTION: Environment improvement equipment 2 includes a first pump 24 that sends humus solution including fulvic acid, a filter section 26 in which an iron-including material including divalent iron is placed and through which the humus solution sent from the first pump 24 passes, and an iron unit 27. The humus solution sent from the first pump 24 passes through the iron unit 27 to become an iron-including humus solution including divalent iron fulvic acid, and is supplied to the external environment. The iron unit 27 is detachably provided in the environment improvement equipment 2 as an iron unit cartridge.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an environment improvement device and an iron unit cartridge used in the environment improvement device, and more particularly to an environment improvement device that improves the water environment or soil environment by using a humus liquid containing iron fulvic acid, and an iron unit cartridge used in the environment improvement device. [Background technology]

[0002] In the natural world, plant matter such as fallen leaves and fallen trees accumulate, and humus is produced by the fermentation and decomposition process involving microorganisms and fungi. Humus is fractionated by alkali and acid, and the alkali-soluble and acid-soluble fractions are called fulvic acid. Fulvic acid contains a large amount of carboxyl groups, a complexing agent with strong chelating properties, which combine with iron (ionized divalent iron) dissolved in water in the anoxic conditions of the soil to become fulvic acid iron, a water-soluble substance formed by the chelation of fulvic acid and divalent iron ions, producing iron-containing humic matter. Iron fulvic acid dissolved from iron-containing humic matter is carried to the sea by rivers and contributes to the growth of phytoplankton and seaweed.

[0003] In nature, fulvic acid is produced by the combination of humus and divalent iron ions, but because it is largely dependent on chance, it is in short supply in some areas and is thought to be the cause of sludge in rivers, the generation of toxic gases in bottom sediments, and the devastation of marine resources. Attempts have been made to artificially produce fulvic acid in the sea, but a huge amount of divalent iron ions is required to improve the environment, making this a difficult situation. In Patent Documents 1 and 2, in order to produce humus containing fulvic acid, iron or a substance containing iron is added to the fermentation and decomposition process of organic waste, and artificial fulvic acid-containing humus is produced. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-254450 A [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5864811 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, even if ferrous iron ions that can be ingested by photosynthetic organisms are eluted by humus, the ferrous iron ions are easily oxidized by oxygen in the water, becoming ferrous iron ions, which immediately settle as solid iron and become impossible for organisms to ingest. Therefore, it is difficult to say that conventional techniques are efficient in supplying ferrous iron ions to organisms. If iron is to be supplied to an aquatic or soil environment, it is preferable to supply ferrous iron ions in a state in which they are difficult to oxidize, but it is difficult to say that the ferrous iron ions generated by conventional humus containing fulvic acid are difficult to oxidize.

[0006] In particular, in the aquatic environment, a type of marine desertification known as rocky shore denudation, in which seaweed disappears from rocky areas and is replaced by calcareous algae, is spreading rapidly in coastal waters, causing a noticeable decline in coastal fishery resources such as kelp, sea urchins, and abalone. Rocky shore denudation not only reduces the harvest of edible seaweed such as kelp and wakame, but also reduces the catch of abalone and turban shells that feed on them, causing serious effects on the fishing industry, and methods to improve the aquatic environment were required.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an environment improvement device that provides a humic liquid containing iron fulvic acid to the external environment to activate organisms and improve the environment, and an iron unit cartridge for use in the environment improvement device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an environmental improvement device comprising a transport section that transports humus liquid, and an iron unit in which an iron-containing material containing divalent iron is placed and through which the humus liquid transported from the transport section passes, wherein the humus liquid transported from the transport section passes through the iron unit to become iron-containing humus liquid containing divalent iron, and is supplied to the external environment.

[0009] It is also preferable that the device further has a main body in which the iron unit is provided, the transport section transports the humus liquid to the main body section, the main body section has a discharge section that supplies the iron-containing humus liquid to the external environment, and the iron unit is detachably provided on the main body section.

[0010] It is also preferable that the present invention comprises a first reaction section that soaks the humus liquid in the iron-containing substance for a predetermined period of time to convert the humus liquid into the iron-containing humus liquid, the iron unit, and the transport section, and that the transport section has a second reaction section that passes the iron-containing humus liquid of the first reaction section through the iron unit of the main body section.

[0011] It is also preferable that the apparatus further comprises a pH adjustment section that adjusts the pH value of the iron-containing humus liquid that has passed through the iron unit, and that the pH adjustment section adjusts the pH value of the iron-containing humus liquid based on the external environment.

[0012] The present invention further provides an iron unit cartridge including an iron unit that is detachably mounted on the above-mentioned environment improvement device. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to this configuration, the humus solution passes through the iron unit and becomes iron-containing humus solution, which is then supplied to the external environment. By using the iron-containing humus solution in a marine or soil environment, the divalent iron fulvic acid contained in the iron-containing humus solution is absorbed by organisms, which reduces soil diseases, resulting in fertile farmland and an abundant marine life. In addition, the humus solution transported by the transport unit becomes iron-containing humus solution in the iron unit, so that the iron-containing humus solution can be continuously supplied to the external environment. Furthermore, the iron-containing humus solution produced by this process can become trivalent iron ions and exist as divalent iron ions without immediately settling as solid iron, so that divalent iron ions can be efficiently supplied to the external environment.

[0014] According to this configuration, since the iron unit is detachably provided on the main body, when the divalent iron content of the iron-containing humus liquid decreases after a certain period of use, the environment improvement device can be reused by replacing the iron unit. Also, since the main body has a discharge part that provides the iron-containing humus liquid to the external environment, the iron-containing humus liquid can be supplied to the external environment by passing the humus liquid through the main body. This makes it possible to supply the divalent iron fulvic acid contained in the iron-containing humus liquid to organisms in the external environment, thereby improving the environment.

[0015] According to this configuration, by immersing the iron-containing material in the humus solution for a predetermined time in the first reaction section, the fulvic acid contained in the humus solution and the iron-containing material can be sufficiently reacted. In addition, by passing the iron-containing material in the first reaction section through the iron unit, the concentration of divalent iron fulvic acid can be increased. This makes it possible to supply the iron-containing humus solution containing a high concentration of divalent iron fulvic acid to the external environment.

[0016] According to this configuration, the pH adjustment unit adjusts the pH value of the iron-containing humus liquid in response to the external environment, so that the iron-containing humus liquid can be supplied to the external environment while minimizing the load on the external environment. Since the pH adjustment unit adjusts the pH value of the iron-containing humus liquid, the pH value is adjusted at the final stage of supplying the iron-containing humus liquid from the environment improvement device to the external environment. Here, even if the pH value of the humus liquid at the initial stage of the environment improvement device is adjusted, the pH value will change at the stage of passing through the iron unit. In contrast, the environment improvement device of the present invention adjusts the pH value of the iron-containing humus liquid at the final stage, so that the load on the external environment can be suppressed.

[0017] According to this configuration, the iron unit is replaceable in cartridge form, so that if the divalent iron fulvic acid content of the iron-containing humic solution decreases after a certain period of use, the iron unit cartridge can be replaced to reuse the environment improvement device.

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an environment improvement device which provides a humic liquid containing iron fulvic acid to an external environment to activate organisms and improve the environment, and an iron unit cartridge for use in the environment improvement device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of an environment improvement system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of an environment improvement system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view of an environment improvement device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the measurement results of the total organic carbon amount in an iron-containing humus solution by the environment improvement device of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the production conditions for the samples of the iron-containing humus solution shown in FIG. 6 of the environment improving device of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the organic carbon amount of each sample of the iron-containing humus solution of FIG. 5 in the environment improvement device of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 4 is a table showing the iron ion concentration of a humus solution in which slag iron of the environment improvement device of the first embodiment of the present invention has been soaked. [Figure 8] 4 is a table showing the iron ion concentration of a humus solution in which slag iron of the environment improvement device of the first embodiment of the present invention has been soaked. [Figure 9] 4 is a table showing the iron ion concentration of a humus solution in which slag iron of the environment improvement device of the first embodiment of the present invention has been soaked. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an environment improvement system of an environment improvement device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of an environment improvement system of an environment improvement device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an environment improvement system of an environment improvement device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] An environment improvement system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 9. The environment improvement system 1 is composed of an environment improvement device 2, a humus liquid generating section 3, and a dissolving section 4. The environment improvement system 1 improves the environment by having the environment improvement device 2 supply fulvic acid containing divalent iron ions to an external environment 100 including a water environment and a soil environment, where the fulvic acid is taken up by plants, animals, bacteria, microorganisms, etc. present in the water or ground.

[0021] The environment improvement device 2 has a reaction section 21, a control section 22, a storage section 23, and a first pump 24. The reaction section 21 has a main body section 25, a filter section 26, an iron unit 27, and a pH adjustment section 30. As shown in Fig. 3, the reaction section 21 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a gas-containing humus liquid 43 containing fulvic acid is supplied in the direction of the arrow. A lid 28 is provided at the downstream end of the main body section 25 in the flow direction, and the filter section 26 is removable.

[0022] The main body 25 passes the gas-containing humus liquid 43 pumped by the first pump 24 through the reaction section 21 and discharges it to the external environment 100. The external environment 100 is a water environment and a soil environment, specifically, the sea, a river, a lake, a pond, a field, a forest, a sandy beach, a swamp, animal fertilizer, and plants.

[0023] The main body 25 has a substantially annular step 25A protruding radially inward at the rear, a cartridge lid 25B covering the iron unit 27, a discharge part 25C provided at the front end, and a control valve 25D. The iron unit 27 is an example of the iron unit cartridge of the present invention. The cartridge lid 25B is provided at the substantially center of the main body 25, and is opened and closed when replacing the iron unit 27. The pH adjustment part 30 is connected to the discharge part 25C, and water (seawater) or a pH adjuster is added by the pH adjustment control valve 30A to adjust the pH value of the iron-containing humus liquid 50 to a predetermined range. The pH value of the iron-containing humus liquid 50 can be adjusted according to the external environment 100. The amount of water or pH adjuster added is optimally set according to the pH value of the iron-containing humus liquid 50 or the pH value of the external environment 100. Specifically, the load on the external environment 100 is reduced by adjusting the pH value close to that of the external environment 100. The discharge section 25C discharges the iron-containing humus liquid 50, which is the gas-containing humus liquid 43 that has passed through the iron unit 27 and is bound to the divalent iron ions of the steel slag 29, into the external environment 100. The discharge section 25C is provided with a control valve 25D for adjusting the flow rate of the iron-containing humus liquid 50.

[0024] The filter section 26 is made of a plurality of resin or metal filters, each having a mesh size of 3 to 40. The mesh here refers to the number of squares per inch. The filters in each layer of the filter section 26 are arranged so that the mesh size increases from the upstream side to the downstream side. The configuration of the filter section 26 can be set arbitrarily depending on the state of the gas-containing humus liquid 43. The filter section 26 is sandwiched between a cylindrical presser 28A provided on the rear surface of the lid 28 and a step 25A provided inside the reaction section 21. The filter section 26 can be replaced by removing the lid 28.

[0025] The reaction section 21 is a mesh having a substantially cylindrical shape, and is detachably attached to the main body 25 via the cartridge lid 25B. The reaction section 21 stores steel slag 29 inside. The steel slag 29 is a by-product of steelmaking produced by dissolving specific components when reducing and refining metals from ores in steelworks, and includes converter slag, pre-treatment slag, decarburization slag, dephosphorization slag, desulfurization slag, desiliconization slag, electric furnace oxidation slag, electric furnace reduction slag, secondary refining slag, casting slag, and mixer slag. The steel slag 29 is used to dissolve divalent iron ions into the gas-containing humus liquid 43 in the main body 25 to produce the iron-containing humus liquid 50.

[0026] The control unit 22 is a microcomputer that controls the environment improvement device 2 and the humus liquid generating unit 3, and controls the driving and stopping of the first pump 24 and the second pump 36 described later, the control valve 25D, the pH adjusting unit 30, and the pH adjusting control valve 30A. The storage unit 23 stores the gas-containing humus liquid 43 from the dissolving unit 4, and a level sensor is disposed therein. The control unit 22 drives the first pump 24 according to a predetermined program, and drives the second pump 36 according to the level sensor of the storage unit 23. Specifically, the control unit 22 drives the first pump 24 for a predetermined time, stops the pump for a time sufficient for the fulvic acid contained in the gas-containing humus liquid 43 to chelate with divalent iron ions in the iron unit 27 to become fulvic acid iron, and then drives the pump again. The control unit 22 may continuously operate the first pump 24 according to the shape of the main body unit 25 and the length in the front-rear direction. The first pump 24 or the second pump 36 is an example of a transport unit of the present invention.

[0027] The control unit 22 controls the pH adjustment control valve 30A according to the pH value of the external environment 100, and adjusts the amount of water added to the iron-containing humus liquid 50 to bring the pH value into a desired range. The control unit 22 may detect the pH value of the external environment 100 with a sensor, and adjust the pH value of the iron-containing humus liquid 50 by feedback control.

[0028] In the humus solution production section 3, organic matter 32 is soaked in wood vinegar 31 to produce humus solution 33. The humus solution production section 3 has a production tank 34, a storage section 35, and a second pump 36. As shown in FIG. 2, organic matter 32 is soaked in wood vinegar 31 in the production tank 34 to produce humus solution 33. It is desirable that the wood vinegar 31 used has a moisture content of 80% or more, an organic acid content of 1.0% or more, a pH (H2O) of 5.0 or less, and an electrical conductivity of 1.0 mS / cm or more. In the following explanation, wood vinegar is a concept that includes bamboo vinegar obtained from bamboo materials.

[0029] The organic matter 32 includes, but is not limited to, various biomass raw materials and their residues, seaweed and algae, algae residues resulting from collection, cultivation and processing in the fishing industry, wood, bamboo, herbaceous plants, vegetable waste, or fallen leaves and branches. In the humus liquid generating unit 3, the organic matter is mixed with the wood vinegar 31 in a volume ratio of 1.0 to 0.5 or more in the production tank 34, stirred with a stirrer or the like, and soaked for at least 3 hours, or up to 600 hours depending on the type of organic matter 32. By soaking for a long period of time, wood, grass, residues, etc. that have not yet been humified can be impregnated with the wood vinegar 31. The solution in the production tank after the curing period has passed becomes the humus liquid 33. The humus liquid 33 is mainly composed of humin, humic acid, and fulvic acid, and can be used for soil improvement, chelating marine, fruit cultivation, fish and livestock farming, etc.

[0030] Humin, fulvic acid, and humic acid contained in humus liquid 33 are classified according to their solubility in alkali and acid, based on the classification of the International Humic Substances Society, to which the Japanese Humic Substances Society belongs. Humic acid is an organic substance (non-living organic matter) whose chemical structure is not specified and is produced when living organic matter is decomposed by microbial and chemical action. Fulvic acid is a component that is soluble in alkali and soluble in acid, and humic acid is also a component that is soluble in alkali but insoluble in acid. Humin is a component that is insoluble in alkali and in acid. The level of fulvic acid contained in fulvic acid liquid, etc. is not appropriate to specify in terms of the concentration of each specific component, since fulvic acid is a mixed substance and is greatly affected by the presence or absence of other organic matter, and in some cases it cannot be specified in terms of a specific numerical value.

[0031] Humin, fulvic acid, and humic acid contain many carboxyl groups (-COOH) and phenolic hydroxyl groups (R-OH), and the bonding strength between the oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H) at the ends of these bonds is extremely weak, so when the hydrogen at the end is separated from the bond, the oxygen left behind develops a negative charge. Since iron ions such as ferrous iron are cationic, they bond with negatively charged humus. A substance in which fulvic acid and iron ions are bonded in this way is called ferric fulvic acid.

[0032] In the dissolution section 4, carbon dioxide 40 is dissolved in the humus liquid 33. The dissolution section 4 is composed of a dissolution tank 41 that dissolves gas in the humus liquid 33, and a carbon dioxide supply source 42. The dissolution tank 41 is a sealed container filled with gas from the carbon dioxide supply source 42, and the humus liquid 33 is dropped or sprayed from above to generate a gas-containing humus liquid 43 in which carbon dioxide 40 is dissolved in the humus liquid 33. In this embodiment, carbon dioxide separated and recovered from exhaust gas of a biomass power generation facility is used, but the present invention is not limited to this and other gases may be used. The gas-containing humus liquid 43 is an example of the humus liquid of the present invention.

[0033] In the dissolution tank 41, the carbon dioxide 40 is supplied in a sealed device, so that the carbon dioxide 40 is more efficient than the conventional supply method by aeration. When the carbon dioxide 40 is supplied by aeration, it escapes before dissolving in the liquid, but in the present invention, since the dissolution tank 41 is sealed, only the supplied amount dissolves in the liquid and there is no waste. This allows a high dissolved carbon dioxide concentration to be achieved in the gas-containing humus liquid 43. In this embodiment, the Oxygen Fighter (registered trademark) of Iwatani Corporation is used as the dissolution tank 41, but this is not limited to this, and other bubble-free dissolution devices may be used. According to the dissolution tank 41, the gas dissolved in the humus liquid 33 can be replaced with carbon dioxide 40 to obtain the gas-containing humus liquid 43, so that a higher carbon dioxide concentration can be achieved compared to aeration. The amount of carbon dioxide 40 supplied from the carbon dioxide supply source 42 to the dissolution tank 41 does not necessarily have to be constant, and the supply amount may be changed according to the equipment and the external environment 100.

[0034] The first pump 24 supplies the gas-containing humus liquid 43 to the main body 25, the filter 26 removes contaminants, and the iron unit 27 converts the gas-containing humus liquid 43 into an iron-containing humus liquid 50. The steel slag 29 stored in the iron unit 27 is a by-product generated in the steelmaking process, and contains a large amount of iron that is dissolved and ionized by organic acids, and has a high solubility of iron ions, so it is considered to be suitable as a material for eluting divalent iron ions. Divalent iron is easily eluted in the oxidation process in water, and is absorbed by living organisms in the form of divalent iron ions, but divalent iron is a very unstable substance. The fulvic acid contained in the gas-containing humus liquid 43 has a carboxyl group or a carbonyl group, and divalent iron ions generated under anoxic conditions bind to the fulvic acid as a complex to become fulvic acid iron. Divalent iron ions become stable fulvic acid iron by chelating with fulvic acid, and can exist stably even under aerobic conditions. Since the steel slag 29 is alkaline, humic acid, which is present in greater amounts in the gas-containing humus liquid 43 than fulvic acid but does not dissolve in water unless the atmosphere is alkaline, can also be used as a chelating agent for ferrous iron. As a result, the iron-containing humus liquid 50 contains a wealth of fulvic acid iron and humic acid iron, and since it has stable ferrous iron ions, it can be used for various purposes. In order to increase the concentration of fulvic acid iron in the iron-containing humus liquid 50, the weight ratio of the gas-containing humus liquid 43 to the steel slag 61 in the main body 25 is preferably in the range of 50:1 to 50:50.

[0035] FIG. 4 shows the measurement results of the total organic carbon (TOC) content in the iron-containing humus liquid 50. A specific steel slag 29 is added to the humus liquid 33 adjusted to 700 mg / mL with artificial seawater, and the liquid is filtered after three hours. Iron bound to organic matter is separated and collected by solid-phase extraction, eluted with acid, and the iron is measured by a coloring method. As shown in FIG. 4, the solid line is the adjusted iron-containing humus liquid 50, the dotted line is the humus liquid 33, and the dashed line is the eluate of the steel slag 29. The iron-containing humus liquid 50 shows a higher carbon content than the other solutions. FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show the organic carbon content when steel slag 29 with different pH values ​​is used. FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the pH of the steel slag 29 of the four prepared samples and the soaking time in the humus liquid 33. FIG. 6 shows the results of the iron-containing humus liquid in which steel slag 29 with different pH values ​​was soaked in the humus liquid 33 for 6 hours or 24 hours. As a result of the test, the iron ion content of the solution in which the iron and steel slag 29 with a weak alkaline pH value was soaked in the humus solution 33 for 24 hours was 1000 ppm, which was the highest. In contrast, even when the iron and steel slag 29 with a strong alkaline pH value was soaked in the humus solution 33 for more than 24 hours, the iron ion content was only about 200 ppm.

[0036] 7 to 9 show the relationship between the time for which the steel slag 29 was soaked in the humus liquid 33 and the pH and divalent iron ion concentration. FIG. 7 shows the results of soaking the humus liquid 33 and the steel slag 29 in a weight ratio of 1:1. After 7 days of soaking, the divalent iron ion concentration reaches a maximum, and the pH is 7.05, which is approximately neutral. After 3 days, the pH value is acidic to weakly acidic, and the divalent iron ion concentration is 1000 to 2000 ppm.

[0037] Figure 8 shows the results of soaking the humus solution 33 and steel slag 29 in a weight ratio of 2:1. After 7 days of soaking, the concentration of divalent iron ions was at its maximum, and the pH value was 5.3, which is slightly acidic. After 3 days, the pH value was acidic to slightly acidic, and the concentration of divalent iron ions was 1000 to 2000 ppm.

[0038] FIG. 9 shows the results of soaking in a weight ratio of 10:1 humus liquid 33 and steel slag 29. After 7 days of soaking, the concentration of divalent iron ions reaches a maximum, and the pH value is 4.11, which is weakly acidic. After 3 days, the pH value is acidic to weakly acidic, and the concentration of divalent iron ions is 1000 to 3000 ppm. From the above, even with a mixing ratio of humus liquid 33 and steel slag 29 of 10:1, a sufficient concentration of divalent iron ions can be obtained after 7 days, compared to when there is a large amount of steel slag 29.

[0039] Next, the flow of the environment improvement system 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. After a predetermined pretreatment is performed in the production tank 34 of the humus liquid production section 3, organic matter 32 is soaked in wood vinegar 31 for a predetermined time to produce humus liquid 33. The humus liquid 33 produced in the production tank 34 is stored in the storage section 35. The second pump 36 is driven by the control section 22 in accordance with the liquid level position in the storage section 23. When the liquid level in the storage section 23 falls below a predetermined level, the second pump 36 is driven to send the humus liquid 33 to the dissolution tank 41.

[0040] In the dissolution tank 41, carbon dioxide 40 is dissolved in the humus liquid 33 to become a gas-containing humus liquid 43, which is stored in the storage section 23. When the first pump 24 is driven by the control section 22, the gas-containing humus liquid 43 reacts with the steel slag 29 in the iron unit 27 to become an iron-containing humus liquid 50, which is discharged from the discharge section 25C to the external environment 100. When the iron unit 27 is replaced, the steel slag 29 remaining in the iron unit 27 can be used as chelated precipitated iron 29A containing a large amount of divalent iron ions by the gas-containing humus liquid 43. Specifically, by supplying the chelated precipitated iron 29A to the sea or river, or to farmland, divalent iron ions are supplied to organisms in the external environment 100, and the environment can be improved.

[0041] The iron-containing humus liquid 50 contains divalent iron ions and is supplied to the sea or river as nutrients, or to agricultural land, which is the external environment 100. The iron-containing humus liquid 50 may be provided to the external environment 100 by an automatic pipeline transport system after passing through the reaction section 21. The algae cultivated in the sea are seaweeds or symbiotic algae such as green algae such as Green Laver and Ulva, which are multicellular organisms, red algae such as Porphyra japonica, Porphyra serrata, Funori, and Agar, and brown algae such as Laminaria tularensis, Hijiki, Mozuku, and Wakame. Shellfish include oysters, scallops, abalone, corbiculatus, and clams, and echinoderms include sea urchins and sea cucumbers. When cultivating fish in the sea, it is desirable to divide a fish cage in the sea with a net or the like and add the iron-containing humus liquid 50 to the cage. Since the iron-containing humus liquid 50 is rich in divalent iron ions and fulvic acid iron and has a high concentration of dissolved carbon dioxide, the productivity of photosynthetic organisms in the surrounding sea area increases, and the water quality is purified by the organisms. Furthermore, the outflow of divalent iron ions from the iron-containing humus liquid 50 suppresses the generation of toxic gases such as hydrogen sulfide, and sludge is improved by the proliferation of anaerobic attached diatoms in the bottom sediment. This chain reaction creates a marine forest rich in biological resources. Furthermore, by supplying the iron-containing humus liquid 50 rich in divalent iron ions to farmland, plants can absorb minerals (trace elements) in the soil through chelation, and carbon dioxide necessary for photosynthesis is also supplied, resulting in effects such as soil improvement and recovery from salt damage.

[0042] According to this configuration, the gas-containing humus liquid 43 passes through the iron unit 27 to become the iron-containing humus liquid 50, which is then supplied to the external environment 100. By using the iron-containing humus liquid 50 in a marine or soil environment, the divalent fulvic acid iron contained in the iron-containing humus liquid 50 is absorbed by organisms, which reduces soil diseases, resulting in fertile farmland and an abundant marine life. In addition, the humus liquid 33 transported by the first pump 24 reacts with the steel slag 29 in the iron unit 27 to become the iron-containing humus liquid 50, so that the iron-containing humus liquid 50 can be continuously supplied to the external environment 100. Furthermore, the iron-containing humus liquid 50 produced by this process can exist as divalent iron ions without becoming trivalent iron ions and immediately settling as solid iron, so that the divalent iron ions can be efficiently supplied to the external environment 100.

[0043] According to this configuration, since the iron unit 27 is detachably provided to the main body 25, when the divalent iron content of the iron-containing humus liquid 50 decreases after a predetermined period of use, the environment improvement device 2 can be reused by replacing the iron unit 27. Furthermore, since the main body 25 has the discharge section 25C that provides the iron-containing humus liquid 50 to the external environment 100, the iron-containing humus liquid 50 can be supplied to the external environment 100 by passing the gas-containing humus liquid 43 through the main body 25. This makes it possible to supply the divalent iron fulvic acid contained in the iron-containing humus liquid 50 to organisms in the external environment 100, thereby improving the environment.

[0044] According to such a configuration, the pH adjustment unit 30 adjusts the pH value of the iron-containing humus liquid 50 in accordance with the external environment 100, so that the iron-containing humus liquid 50 can be supplied to the external environment 100 while minimizing the load on the external environment 100. The pH adjustment unit 30 adjusts the pH value of the iron-containing humus liquid 50, so that the pH adjustment unit 30 adjusts the pH value at the final stage of supplying the iron-containing humus liquid 50 from the environment improvement device 2 to the external environment 100. Here, even if the pH value is adjusted in the humus liquid 33, which is an initial stage in the environment improvement device 2, the pH value will change at the stage of passing through the iron unit 27. In contrast, in the environment improvement device 2 of this embodiment, the pH value of the iron-containing humus liquid 50 supplied to the external environment 100 is adjusted, so that the load on the external environment 100 can be suppressed.

[0045] According to this configuration, the first pump 24 is operated intermittently, so that the divalent iron and the gas-containing humus solution 43 can be sufficiently reacted in the iron unit 27. This allows the iron-containing humus solution 50 containing a high concentration of divalent iron to be supplied to the external environment 100.

[0046] According to this configuration, the iron unit 27 is of cartridge type and can be replaced, so that if the divalent iron content of the iron-containing humus liquid 50 decreases after a certain period of use, the iron unit 27 can be replaced and the environment improvement device 2 can be reused.

[0047] Next, an environment improvement system 101 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 10 to 12. Components that are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0048] The environment improvement device 102 of the environment improvement system 101 has a first reaction section 131 and a second reaction section 121. The first reaction section 131 has a reaction tank 132, a support section 133, and a third pump 134. In the first reaction section 131, the iron-containing humus liquid 150 is generated by immersing the steel slag 29 in the humus liquid 33 in the reaction tank 132 for a predetermined time. As shown in FIG. 12, the mesh-shaped support section 133 on which the steel slag 29 is arranged is immersed for a predetermined time in the reaction tank 132 filled with the humus liquid 33. At this time, it is preferable that the weight ratio of the humus liquid 33 to the steel slag 61 is in the range of 50:1 to 50:50. The immersion time is set according to the weight ratio of the humus liquid 33 to the steel slag 29, the pH value of the steel slag 29, and the like, as in the first embodiment.

[0049] 12, a support part 133 on which the steel slag 29 is placed is detachably provided as a lid to the reaction tank 132. The third pump 134 sends the iron-containing humus liquid 50 in the reaction tank 132 to the first reaction part 121. The third pump 136 is an example of a transport part of the present invention.

[0050] The second reaction section 121 includes a main body 25, a first filter section 126, a second filter section 127, and an iron unit 27. As shown in FIG. 12, the second reaction section 121 is substantially cylindrical, and a humus liquid 33 containing fulvic acid is supplied from the direction of the arrow. A lid 28 is provided at the upstream end of the main body 25 in the flow direction, making the first filter section 126 replaceable, and a downstream lid 128 is provided at the downstream end of the main body 25 in the flow direction, making the second filter section 127 replaceable. On the inside of the main body 25, a step 25A and a downstream step 125A are provided, which are substantially annular and protrude inward in the radial direction.

[0051] Next, the flow of the environment improvement system 101 will be described. After a predetermined pretreatment is performed in the production tank 34 of the humus liquid production unit 3, the organic matter 32 is soaked in wood vinegar 31 for a predetermined time to produce humus liquid 33. The humus liquid 33 produced in the production tank 34 is stored in the storage unit 35. The second pump 36 is driven by the control unit 22 in accordance with the liquid level position of the reaction tank 132. When the liquid level in the reaction tank 132 falls below a predetermined level, the second pump 36 is driven to send the humus liquid 33 to the reaction tank 132.

[0052] In the first reaction section 131, the steel slag 29 and the humus liquid 33 react with each other to generate the iron-containing humus liquid 150. The steel slag 29 stored in the support section 133 is a by-product generated in the steelmaking process, and contains a large amount of iron that is dissolved and ionized by organic acids, and has high solubility of iron ions, so it is considered to be suitable as a material for eluting divalent iron ions. Divalent iron is easily eluted during the oxidation process in water and absorbed by living organisms in the form of divalent iron ions, but divalent iron is a very unstable substance. The fulvic acid contained in the humus liquid 33 has a carboxyl group or a carbonyl group, and divalent iron ions generated under anoxic conditions bind to the fulvic acid as a complex to become fulvic acid iron. Divalent iron ions become stable fulvic acid iron by chelating with the fulvic acid, and can exist stably even under aerobic conditions. Since the steel slag 29 is alkaline, humic acid, which is present in greater amounts in the humus liquid 33 than fulvic acid but does not dissolve in water unless the atmosphere is alkaline, can also be used as a chelating agent for divalent iron. The steel slag 29 that has settled in the reaction tank 132 can be used as chelated precipitated iron 29A containing a large amount of divalent iron ions by the humus liquid 33. Specifically, by supplying the chelated precipitated iron 29A to the sea or rivers, or to farmland, divalent iron ions are supplied to organisms in the external environment 100, thereby improving the environment.

[0053] The third pump sends the iron-containing humus liquid 150 from the first reaction section 131 to the second reaction section 121. In the second reaction section 121, foreign matter is removed by passing through the first filter section 126, and the concentration of fulvic acid iron in the iron-containing humus liquid 150 can be further increased by passing through the iron unit 27. The iron-containing humus liquid 150 that has passed through the iron unit 27 has large particle size iron and steel slag 29 and foreign matter removed by the second filter section 127, and is sent to the dissolving section 4.

[0054] In the dissolution tank 41, carbon dioxide 40 supplied from a carbon dioxide supply source 42 is dissolved in the iron-containing humus liquid 150 to form a gas-containing humus liquid 143. The pH value of the gas-containing humus liquid 143 is adjusted by the pH adjustment unit 30, and the gas-containing humus liquid 143 is discharged to the external environment 100.

[0055] According to this configuration, by immersing the iron-containing material in the humus solution for a predetermined time in the first reaction section, the fulvic acid contained in the humus solution and the iron-containing material can be sufficiently reacted. In addition, by passing the iron-containing material in the first reaction section through the iron unit, the concentration of divalent iron fulvic acid can be increased. This makes it possible to supply the iron-containing humus solution containing a high concentration of divalent iron fulvic acid to the external environment.

[0056] The environment improvement device and the iron unit cartridge used in the environment improvement device according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention described in the claims.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the second pump 36 transports the gas-containing humus liquid 43 from the storage section 35 to the storage section 23 via the dissolving section 4, and the first pump 24 supplies the iron-containing humus liquid 50 from the storage section 23 to the external environment 100 via the environment improving device 2, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the first pump 24 and the storage section 23 may be omitted, and the humus liquid 33 may be supplied from the storage section 35 to the external environment 100 via the dissolving section 4 and the environment improving device 2 only by the second pump 36. In this case, it is preferable to control the carbon dioxide 40 supplied from the carbon dioxide supply source 42 to the dissolving tank 41 according to the driving state of the second pump 36.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the filter unit 26 for removing foreign matter is provided in the main body 25, but the present invention is not limited to this. Instead of the filter unit 26, a strainer, a filter device, or the like may be provided upstream of the environment improvement device 2.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the filter part 26 and the iron unit 27 are provided separately and detachably on the main body part 25, but this is not limited thereto. The iron unit 27 and the filter part 26 may be integrated into a cartridge. This makes it possible to prevent clogging by periodically replacing the filter part 26 and to reduce the maintenance burden of the environment improvement device 2.

[0060] In the above embodiment, carbon dioxide 40 is separated and collected from the carbon dioxide supply source 42 and dissolved in the humus liquid 33, but the gas to be dissolved is not limited to carbon dioxide 40. For example, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, etc. may be used. Gases such as nitrogen and oxygen can be extracted using a PSA method that is selective adsorption by an adsorbent, a membrane method that uses filtration, a cryogenic method that extracts gases by differences in liquefaction temperature, etc.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the organic matter 32 is soaked in the wood vinegar 31 in the production tank 34 to produce the humus liquid 33, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a vibration device can be placed in the lower part of the production tank 34 to increase the reaction rate between the wood vinegar 31 and the organic matter 32. This can increase the production efficiency of the humus liquid 33.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the iron-containing humus liquid 14 is generated by placing the steel slag 29 in the iron unit 27 and passing the gas-containing humus liquid 13 through it, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a vibration device can be placed at the bottom of the main body 25 to increase the reaction rate between the steel slag 29 and the iron-containing humus liquid 50. This can reduce the downtime of the first pump 24 and increase the production efficiency of the iron-containing humus liquid 50. Similarly, in the second embodiment, a vibration device can be placed at the bottom of the reaction tank 132 of the first reaction section 131 to increase the reaction rate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1, 101 Environmental Improvement System 2, 102 Environmental improvement equipment 3 Humus liquid generation section 4 Melting part 21 Reaction section 24 First Pump 26 Filter section 27 Iron Unit 29 Steel slag 31 Wood vinegar 32 Organic matter 33 Humic liquid 34 Production Tank 35 Storage Department 36 Second Pump 41 Dissolution tank 42 Carbon Dioxide Sources 43 Gas-containing humus liquid 50 Iron-containing humus liquid 100 External environment 121 First reaction section 131 Second reaction section 134 3rd Pump

Claims

1. A transport section for transporting humus liquid; an iron unit in which an iron-containing material containing divalent iron is disposed and through which the humus liquid sent from the transport section passes; An environment improvement device characterized in that the humus liquid sent from the transport section passes through the iron unit to become iron-containing humus liquid containing divalent iron, and is supplied to an external environment.

2. The iron unit further includes a main body portion provided thereon, The transport section transports the humus liquid to the main body section, The main body has a discharge part for supplying the iron-containing humus liquid to an external environment, 2. The environment improvement device according to claim 1, wherein the iron unit is detachably attached to the main body.

3. a first reaction section for immersing the humus liquid in the iron-containing substance for a predetermined time to convert the humus liquid into the iron-containing humus liquid; 2. The environment improvement device according to claim 1, comprising: the iron unit; and the transport section, wherein the transport section has a second reaction section that passes the iron-containing humus liquid of the first reaction section through the iron unit.

4. 2. The environmental improvement device according to claim 1, further comprising a pH adjustment section for adjusting a pH value of the iron-containing humus liquid that has passed through the iron unit, the pH adjustment section adjusting the pH value of the iron-containing humus liquid based on the external environment.

5. An iron unit cartridge including an iron unit that is detachably mounted to the environment improvement device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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