Method for producing medium for raising plants, and medium for raising plants

Abstract

To provide a method for producing medium for raising plants which is capable of producing a medium for raising plants from a fiber waste material relatively easily, and a medium for raising plants which is relatively easily produced from a fiber waste material.SOLUTION: A method for producing medium for raising plants includes: a step of generating cotton-like fiber waste by performing fiber separation to a fiber waste material generated in a production process of underwear; a step of generating molded fiber waste by heating and pressurizing the cotton-like fiber waste without adding other materials; and a step of producing a medium for raising plants by breaking the molded fiber waste into a plurality of fiber grains, where the underwear contains at least cotton and polyurethane.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing a plant growing medium, and to a plant growing medium. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Patent No. 3679069 (Patent Document 1) discloses a planting material for plant cultivation, which is manufactured using waste textile fabric (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3679069 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the manufacturing process of the planting material disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, waste fabric scraps are opened to form fiber scraps, which are then pressed to form a fiber mat. When forming the fiber mat, synthetic fibers with a low melting point are added as a binder to bind the fibers together. The manufacturing process of the planting material is complicated because it includes a step of adding a binder.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and its object is to provide a method for producing a plant growth medium that can relatively easily produce a plant growth medium from waste textile materials, and a plant growth medium that is relatively easily produced from waste textile materials. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A method for producing a plant growth medium according to one aspect of the present invention includes the steps of generating cotton-like fiber waste by opening fiber waste generated during the underwear manufacturing process, generating molded fiber waste by applying heat and pressure to the cotton-like fiber waste without adding other raw materials, and producing a plant growth medium by crushing the molded fiber waste into a plurality of fiber granules, the underwear including at least cotton and polyurethane.

[0007] In this method for producing a plant growth medium, a shaped fiber waste is generated by heating and pressurizing a cotton-like fiber waste, and a plant growth medium is produced by crushing the shaped fiber waste into a plurality of fiber particles. Since the cotton-like fiber waste originates from underwear, the cotton-like fiber waste contains cotton and polyurethane. When the cotton-like fiber waste is heated and pressurized, the polyurethane melts and the cotton becomes a felt-like mass via the polyurethane. That is, in this method for producing a plant growth medium, the shaped fiber waste used for producing a plant growth medium is easily produced by simply heating and pressurizing the cotton-like fiber waste. As a result, according to this method for producing a plant growth medium, a plant growth medium can be produced relatively easily from waste fiber materials.

[0008] In the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a plant growth medium, the cotton content in the waste textile material may be greater than 0% by weight and less than 95% by weight, and the polyurethane content in the waste textile material may be greater than 0.5% by weight and less than 40% by weight.

[0009] A plant growing medium according to another aspect of the present invention is made from waste textile material generated during the manufacture of underwear, which contains at least cotton and polyurethane, with the cotton being bound into clumps by the polyurethane.

[0010] According to this plant growing medium, the cotton is bound into clumps by the polyurethane originally contained in the underwear, making it relatively easy to manufacture the plant growing medium using waste fiber materials. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for producing a plant growing medium that can relatively easily produce a plant growing medium from waste fiber materials, and a plant growing medium that is relatively easily produced from waste fiber materials. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a plant planted in a plant growth medium. [Diagram 2] 1 is a flow chart showing a procedure for producing a plant growth medium. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment according to one aspect of the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are given the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated. Also, each drawing is drawn in a schematic manner with objects appropriately omitted or exaggerated for ease of understanding.

[0014] [1. Overview of plant growth media] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a plant 30 planted in a plant cultivation medium 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the plant cultivation medium 10 is composed of a plurality of fiber grains 15. The plurality of fiber grains 15 constituting the plant cultivation medium 10 are housed in, for example, a pot 20. A plant 30 is planted in the plurality of fiber grains 15 housed in the pot 20. Examples of the plant 30 include ornamental plants, orchids, and fruit vegetables. The plant cultivation medium 10 is configured, for example, so that the water absorption and drainage properties each fall within an appropriate range for the plant 30.

[0015] Each of the plurality of fiber particles 15 is manufactured by using waste fiber material (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "waste fiber material") generated during the manufacturing process of underwear. The waste fiber material is, for example, scraps of fabric used in manufacturing underwear. The underwear contains at least cotton and polyurethane (thermoplastic polyurethane). The cotton content in the waste fiber material is, for example, greater than 0% by weight and not more than 95% by weight. The polyurethane content in the waste fiber material is, for example, greater than 5% by weight and not more than 40% by weight. Examples of underwear include shirts, pants, brassieres, camisoles, socks, underpants, and under-kimono. Note that so-called underwear (shirts, underpants, under-kimono, etc.) is included in underwear.

[0016] Each of the plurality of fiber grains 15 has numerous voids formed therein. This allows the water absorption and drainage properties of the plant growth medium 10 to fall within appropriate ranges for the plants 30. The average grain size of the plurality of fiber grains 15 is, for example, 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less. The average grain size of the fiber grains 15 is derived, for example, by measuring the length of the longest part of the fiber grains 15 with a metal ruler and calculating the average value of n=10 measurements. Note that the shape of each of the plurality of fiber grains 15 does not necessarily have to be the same as the shape of the other fiber grains 15.

[0017] [2. Method for producing plant growth medium] 2 is a flowchart showing the procedure for producing the plant cultivation medium 10. Each step shown in this flowchart is performed by an operator using, for example, a processing device or the like.

[0018] 2, a worker collects waste textile materials, for example, from an underwear factory (step S100). The worker spreads the collected waste textile materials (step S110). Spreading includes, for example, crushing and defatting. By spreading the waste textile materials, cotton-like fiber scraps (hereinafter also referred to as "cotton-like fiber scraps") are generated.

[0019] The worker applies heat pressing to the cotton-like fiber waste by using, for example, a heat press machine (step S120). By applying heat pressing to the cotton-like fiber waste, felt-like fiber waste (hereinafter also referred to as "felt-like fiber waste") is generated. "Felt-like" refers to a state like felt. Also, "felt" refers to a sheet-like fiber product manufactured by compressing animal hair. In the felt-like fiber waste, numerous voids are formed so that the water absorption and drainage properties of the plant growth medium 10 are each within an appropriate range for the plant 30. That is, in the heat pressing process, the temperature, pressure, and time are adjusted so that numerous voids are formed in the felt-like fiber waste. For example, in the heat pressing process, the temperature may be 140°C or higher and 240°C or lower, the pressure may be 5 kN or higher and 10 kN or lower, and the time may be 1 minute or higher and 10 minutes or lower. The heat pressing is an example of "heating and pressing". When "heating and pressing" is used, heating and pressing do not necessarily have to be performed simultaneously as in the heat pressing. Felt-like fiber waste is an example of "formed fiber waste."

[0020] The worker crushes the felt-like fiber waste, for example, by using a crusher (step S130). The felt-like fiber waste is crushed to generate a plurality of fiber particles 15. That is, the plant growth medium 10 is produced by crushing the felt-like fiber waste into a plurality of fiber particles 15.

[0021] If the fiber waste material contains only cotton, the cotton-like fiber waste will not become formed fiber waste such as felt-like fiber waste even after the heat pressing process is completed. In other words, no fiber mass is formed. This is because there is no binder to bind the fibers together. Therefore, in such a case, for example, low-melting synthetic fibers must be added to the cotton-like fiber waste before the heat pressing process. When low-melting synthetic fibers are added, the synthetic fibers melt in the heat pressing process and function as a fiber binder. As a result, when the heat pressing process is completed, the cotton-like fiber waste becomes felt-like fiber waste. However, in such a manufacturing method, a binder (for example, low-melting synthetic fibers) must be added to the cotton-like fiber waste, which complicates the manufacturing process of the plant growth medium.

[0022] In the method for manufacturing a plant growth medium 10 according to the present embodiment, felt-like fiber waste is generated by heat pressing cotton-like fiber waste, and the felt-like fiber waste is crushed into a plurality of fiber particles 15 to manufacture the plant growth medium 10. Since the cotton-like fiber waste originates from underwear, the cotton-like fiber waste contains cotton and polyurethane. When the cotton-like fiber waste is heat pressed, the polyurethane melts and the cotton becomes a felt-like mass via the polyurethane. That is, in the method for manufacturing a plant growth medium 10, the felt-like fiber waste used to manufacture the plant growth medium 10 is easily generated by simply heat pressing the cotton-like fiber waste, even if a binder is not added later. As a result, according to the method for manufacturing a plant growth medium 10, the plant growth medium 10 can be manufactured relatively easily from waste fiber materials.

[0023] [3. Features] As described above, according to the method for manufacturing plant growth medium 10 according to the present embodiment, waste textile materials that are generated during the manufacturing process of underwear containing cotton and polyurethane are used to manufacture plant growth medium 10, so that plant growth medium 10 can be manufactured relatively easily from waste textile materials.

[0024] [4. Other embodiments] The concept of the above embodiment is not limited to the embodiment described above. Hereinafter, an example of another embodiment to which the concept of the above embodiment can be applied will be described.

[0025] <4-1> In the above embodiment, the plant growth medium 10 is composed only of a plurality of fiber granules 15. However, the configuration of the plant growth medium 10 is not limited to this. The plant growth medium 10 may contain a plurality of fiber granules 15 and other substances. For example, the plant growth medium 10 may contain at least a portion of perlite, ceramic, and zeolite in addition to the plurality of fiber granules 15.

[0026] <4-2> In the above embodiment, the underwear may contain other materials in addition to cotton and polyurethane. For example, the underwear may contain small amounts of chemical fibers such as nylon, polyester, and acrylic, plant fibers such as hemp, animal fibers such as silk and wool, and regenerated fibers such as rayon and cupra, in addition to cotton and polyurethane. The content of materials other than cotton and polyurethane in the underwear is 30% by weight or less, preferably 20% by weight or less, more preferably 10% by weight or less, and even more preferably 5% by weight or less.

[0027] The above describes the embodiments of the present invention by way of example. That is, the detailed description and the accompanying drawings are disclosed for the purpose of illustrative description. Therefore, some components described in the detailed description and the accompanying drawings may be non-essential components for solving the problem. Therefore, just because the non-essential components are described in the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, it should not be immediately determined that the non-essential components are essential.

[0028] Moreover, the above-described embodiments are merely examples of the present invention in every respect. Various improvements and modifications of the above-described embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, at least a part of the configuration of any of the embodiments may be combined with at least a part of the configuration of any of the other embodiments. In other words, in implementing the present invention, specific configurations can be appropriately adopted according to the embodiment. EXAMPLES

[0029] Examples of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0030] [1. Examples and Comparative Examples] The plant growth medium of Example 1 was manufactured using underwear made of cotton and polyurethane. In the underwear used for manufacturing the plant growth medium of Example 1, the cotton content was 60% by weight and the polyurethane content was 40% by weight. The average particle size of the multiple fiber particles constituting the plant growth medium of Example 1 was 7 mm.

[0031] In Comparative Example 1, an attempt was made to produce a plant growth medium using underwear made of cotton. The cotton content of this underwear was 100% by weight. In Comparative Example 1, the cotton-like fiber waste did not form a lump, and a plant growth medium could not be produced.

[0032] The plant growth medium of Comparative Example 2 was manufactured using underwear made of nylon and polyurethane. In the underwear used to manufacture the plant growth medium of Comparative Example, the nylon content was 85% by weight and the polyurethane content was 15% by weight. The average particle size of the multiple fiber particles constituting the plant growth medium of Comparative Example 2 was 7 mm.

[0033] In each of Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2, the plant growth medium was manufactured by a common manufacturing procedure. That is, waste fiber material from underwear was collected, and the collected waste fiber material was opened (pulverized and depilated). Then, the opened waste fiber material (cotton-like fiber waste) was hot-pressed to generate felt-like fiber waste. The hot-pressing was performed by using a hot-press machine. In the hot-pressing, the temperature was 150°C, the time was 10 minutes, and the load was 10 kN. Then, the felt-like fiber waste was crushed to produce the plant growth medium. The crushing was performed by using a crusher. As described above, in Comparative Example 1, the cotton-like fiber waste did not form a lump, and the plant growth medium could not be manufactured.

[0034] [2. Measurement content] <2-1. Measurement of initial water absorption rate> 50 g of each of the plant growth media of Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 was filled into a No. 2 seedling pot with a bottom hole, 100 g of water was added thereto, and after waiting for the water to completely drain from the bottom hole, the weight X of the seedling pot filled with the plant growth media was measured using a precision balance, and the initial water absorption rate was calculated using the following formula (1). Initial water absorption rate (%)={(X-50) / 100}×100 (1)

[0035] <2-2. Measurement of initial drainage> 50 g of each of the plant growth media of Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 was filled into a No. 2 seedling pot with a bottom hole, and 100 g of water was added to the pot. The drainage volume Y was measured by collecting the water draining from the bottom hole in 10 seconds in a measuring cylinder, and the drainage rate was calculated using the following formula (2). Drainage rate (ml / sec)=Y / 10 (2)

[0036] [3. Measurement results] In each of Example 1 and Comparative Example 2, the measurement results of the initial water absorption are shown in Table 1 below.

[0037] [Table 1] Moreover, in each of Example 1 and Comparative Example 2, the results of measuring the initial drainage properties are shown in Table 2 below.

[0038] [Table 2] In general plant cultivation, the initial water absorption rate is preferably 50% or more and 95% or less. As shown in Table 1, the initial water absorption rates of Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 are within the preferred range for plant cultivation.

[0039] In general plant cultivation, the initial drainage is preferably 1 ml / sec or more and 5 ml / sec or less. As shown in Table 2, the initial drainage of Example 1 is within a preferable range for plant cultivation. On the other hand, the initial drainage of Comparative Example 2 is not within a preferable range for plant cultivation. In other words, it was found that by producing a plant cultivation medium using underwear composed of cotton and polyurethane, rather than using underwear composed of nylon and polyurethane, a plant cultivation medium having both initial water absorption and initial drainage within a preferable range for plant cultivation can be produced. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 10 plant growing medium, 15 fiber granules, 20 pots, 30 plants.

Claims

1. A step of generating cotton-like fiber waste by opening fiber waste material generated during the manufacturing process of underwear; applying heat and pressure to the flocculent waste material without the addition of other ingredients to produce a shaped waste material; and producing a plant growing medium by crushing the formed fiber waste into a plurality of fiber granules; The method for producing a medium for growing plants, wherein the underwear comprises at least cotton and polyurethane.

2. The cotton content in the textile waste material is greater than 0% by weight and less than 95% by weight, 2. The method for producing a plant growing medium according to claim 1, wherein the polyurethane content in the waste fiber material is 5% by weight or more and 40% by weight or less.

3. The material is made from waste textile materials generated during the manufacturing process of underwear, which contains at least cotton and polyurethane. A growing medium made of cotton bound into a mass by polyurethane.

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