Waste transport system

Abstract

To provide a waste transport system that incorporates water-saving measures. [Solution] The waste transport system includes a crusher for crushing waste, a first transport device for transporting the waste crushed by the crusher in a sealed container using transport water, a second transport device connected downstream of the first transport device and transporting the waste by vibrating a transport section having multiple openings, and separating the transport water from the waste, and a return device for returning the transport water separated by the second transport device to an upstream position of the first transport device, wherein the transport water returned by the return device is supplied to the first transport device and reused as transport water.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] One embodiment of the present invention relates to a waste conveyance system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a means for transporting organic waste such as kitchen waste (raw garbage) to a treatment facility, a means for hermetically transporting the organic waste crushed by a disposer or the like through a pipe or the like by means of transport water is known (for example, Patent Document 1). Such a transport means has an advantage that it can transport kitchen waste discharged from, for example, a food factory using a sealed space such as a pipe, so that no strange odor leaks into the factory.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above prior art, the transported kitchen waste is separated into solid and liquid components in a solid-liquid separation tank, and the separated liquid component is transferred to a solid component recovery device or an aerobic treatment tank. In this case, since the separated liquid component is consumed in the solid component recovery device or the aerobic treatment tank, the transport water used for transporting the kitchen waste cannot be recovered. That is, in the prior art, a large amount of transport water is required for transporting the kitchen waste, so there is a problem that the operating cost of the device is high.

[0005] One of the problems of the present invention is to provide a waste conveyance system with water-saving measures.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A waste transport system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a crusher for crushing waste, a first transport device for transporting the waste crushed by the crusher in a sealed container using transport water, a second transport device connected downstream of the first transport device and transporting the waste by vibrating a transport section having a plurality of openings, and separating the waste from the transport water, and a return device for returning the transport water separated by the second transport device to an upstream position of the first transport device, wherein the transport water returned by the return device is supplied to the first transport device and reused as transport water.

[0007] The second conveying device may be a vibrating conveyor.

[0008] The returned transport water may be supplied to the first transport device together with newly supplied replenished water.

[0009] Preferably, the amount of the replenishment water is equal to the amount of waste supplied to the first conveying device.

[0010] It is preferable that the waste transported by the second transport device is supplied to the methane fermentation treatment device.

[0011] The return device may include a tank for storing the transported water separated by the second transport device, and a pump for sending the transported water stored in the tank to an upstream position of the first transport device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the waste transport system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the second transport device in the waste transport system according to the first embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its essence, and is not to be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments described below. In order to make the explanation clearer, the drawings may schematically represent the size, width, thickness, shape, etc. of each part compared to the actual embodiment, but these are merely examples and do not limit the interpretation of the present invention. In this specification and in each drawing, elements having the same function as those described with respect to previously shown drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations may be omitted.

[0014] In this specification and in the drawings, "up" refers to the direction opposite to the direction of gravity, and "down" refers to the direction of gravity. Also, "left" and "right" refer to directions perpendicular to "up" and "down."

[0015] (First Embodiment) [Configuration of the waste transport system] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the waste transport system 100 according to the first embodiment. The waste transport system 100 is a system for transporting organic waste, such as food waste generated in a food factory, for example. In this embodiment, the waste transport system 100 is installed in a food factory and transports waste generated during the food processing process to a waste treatment facility (in this embodiment, a methane fermentation treatment device) installed outdoors or indoors. In Figure 1, the arrows shown by the dashed lines indicate the flow of water (transport water or replenishment water).

[0016] The waste transport system 100 includes a crusher 110, a first transport device 120, a second transport device 130, and a return device 140. The waste transported by the waste transport system 100 is sent to a methane fermentation treatment device 150 and used for the production of methane gas, i.e., biogas. The configuration of the waste transport system 100 is not limited to the example shown in Figure 1, and other components may be added.

[0017] The crusher 110 is a machine that finely crushes waste materials discarded during the food processing process. Examples of waste materials include vegetable scraps, leftover rice after cooking, and disposable chopsticks. In this embodiment, not only food-derived waste but also wood-derived waste such as disposable chopsticks is crushed together. In other words, the organic waste in this embodiment is a mixture of wood-derived waste and food-derived waste.

[0018] Traditionally, when transporting the aforementioned organic waste in food factories and other facilities, it was transported using conveyor belts, with sorting areas set up along the way where waste was manually sorted. Specifically, workers would sort and separate disposable chopsticks and other foreign objects from the food-derived waste before discarding them. As a result, problems arose such as the unpleasant odor emanating from the food-derived waste being transported on the conveyor belts filling the factory, and the need to secure personnel to sort out foreign objects such as disposable chopsticks.

[0019] However, in this embodiment, as will be described later, the transported waste is supplied directly to the methane fermentation treatment device, so there is no need to separate food-derived waste from wood such as chopsticks. In particular, in this embodiment, since wood such as chopsticks is also crushed by the crusher 110, it can be handled in the same way as food-derived waste, and there is no need to incur labor costs for sorting wood as in the conventional method.

[0020] The first conveying device 120 is a conveying device for sealed and conveying waste discharged from the crusher 110. Specifically, the first conveying device 120 supplies waste along with a large amount of water (hereinafter referred to as "conveying water") inside a pipe or the like, and conveys the waste using the conveying water. In this embodiment, crushers 110 are placed in various locations in the food factory (for example, near multiple processing devices that generate waste, or on each floor if the food factory is divided into multiple floors), and the waste crushed by each crusher 110 is collected at the methane fermentation processing device 150 via the first conveying device 120. At this time, because the first conveying device 120 conveys the waste in a sealed manner, problems such as the food factory being filled with unpleasant odors do not occur.

[0021] The second conveying device 130 is a conveying device connected to the subsequent stage of the first conveying device 120. Specifically, the second conveying device 130 is continuously arranged at the downstream end of the first conveying device 120, and receives the conveyed water and waste conveyed by the first conveying device 120. In most sections from the crusher 110 to the methane fermentation treatment device 150, the waste is conveyed by the first conveying device 120. The second conveying device 130 conveys the waste only in the section immediately before the methane fermentation treatment device 150. Here, the second conveying device 130 of the present embodiment has a function of physically separating the conveyed water and the waste, and selectively conveying only the waste to the methane fermentation treatment device 150.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the second conveying device 130 in the waste conveying system 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, at least the portion of the second conveying device 130 that contacts the waste is constituted by a vibrating conveying section 132. The vibrating conveying section 132 is a portion that is vibrated by a driving device (not shown) and vibrates regularly as a whole. Therefore, the waste placed on the vibrating conveying section 132 moves in the downstream direction (that is, the direction approaching the methane fermentation treatment device 150) due to the vibration of the vibrating conveying section 132. That is, the second conveying device 130 corresponds to a conveying device called a vibrating conveyor. Further, the vibrating conveying section 132 corresponds to the "trough" in the vibrating conveyor.

[0023] Furthermore, at least a part of the vibrating conveying section 132 is constituted by a mesh vibrating section 132a. The mesh vibrating section 132a is a member including a plurality of openings 132b. The mesh vibrating section 132a may be a plate in which a plurality of openings 132b are arranged at a predetermined interval, such as a punching sheet, or may be a net-like member, such as a mesh belt. However, it is desirable that the diameter of the plurality of openings 132b is such that the waste to be conveyed does not fall.

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, the transported water that has flowed downstream along with the waste by the first transport device 120 reaches the second transport device 130 and falls through multiple openings 132b provided in the mesh vibrating section 132a. Specifically, as shown in Figure 1, the fallen transported water is supplied to the water storage tank 142 of the return device 140, which will be described later. In this way, in the second transport device 130, the transported water falls through the mesh vibrating section 132a, while the waste remains on top of the mesh vibrating section 132a. In other words, the second transport device 130 has the function of separating the transported water from the waste.

[0025] As described above, the waste remaining on the mesh vibrating section 132a moves downstream due to the vibration of the mesh vibrating section 132a and is ultimately supplied to the methane fermentation treatment device 150. At this time, the second conveying device 130 only separates the conveyed water that has fallen from the mesh vibrating section 132a, so the waste and the conveyed water are not completely separated. In other words, the conveyed water adhering to the waste moves directly to the methane fermentation treatment device 150, so the amount of conveyed water separated in the second conveying device 130 is approximately 85-95% (typically about 90%) of the total conveyed water supplied to the second conveying device 130.

[0026] Returning to the explanation of Figure 1, the return device 140 is a means for returning the transported water separated by the second transport device 130 back to the upstream position of the first transport device 120. Here, the "upstream position of the first transport device 120" is, for example, the vicinity of the supply port where the waste crushed by the crusher 110 is supplied to the first transport device 120. In other words, the return device 140 can return the transported water separated by the second transport device 130 to a position where it can be used again as transported water in the first transport device 120.

[0027] However, as mentioned above, the amount of transported water that can be reused using the return device 140 is only about 85-95% of the total transported water supplied to the second transport device 130. Therefore, repeated reuse will gradually reduce the amount of transported water. In this embodiment of the waste transport system 100, new replenishment water is supplied to the crusher 110 in conjunction with the reuse of transported water. In this embodiment, the replenishment water is supplied to the crusher 110. This allows the crusher 110 to crush the waste while mixing it with the replenishment water. However, this is not the only example; the replenishment water can also be supplied to the first transport device 120 (specifically, near the inlet of the first transport device 120 immediately after discharge from the crusher 110) in addition to the crusher 110. In this case, the replenishment water can also be used as the driving force for waste transport. Preferably, the amount of replenishment water is enough to compensate for the amount of transported water reduced by the second transport device 130. In this embodiment, from the viewpoint of ensuring fluidity without excessively diluting the organic matter concentration, the amount of replenishment water is equal to the amount of waste supplied to the first conveying device 120 (including a range of ±10% based on the amount of waste). That is, it is preferable that the amount of replenishment water is 1 liter per 1 kg of waste.

[0028] The return device 140 includes a water storage tank 142, a discharge pump 144, and a return pipe 146. The transported water separated by the first transport device 120 is stored in the water storage tank 142 and discharged by the discharge pump 144 at a predetermined timing (for example, when the crusher 110 is operating). The transported water discharged from the water storage tank 142 is returned to the upstream position of the first transport device 120 via the return pipe 146. In other words, in the waste transport system 100 of this embodiment, the return device 140 enables the reuse of the transported water. The return pipe 146 is connected to the first transport device 120 via piping. At that time, a slope is used to create a water level difference to prevent backflow of transported water from the first transport device 120 to the return pipe 146. However, the backflow may be prevented by other methods, such as using a check valve, and the return device 140 is not limited to this example. For example, the return pipe 146 may be fitted with an on / off valve, a flow control meter, or the like.

[0029] The methane fermentation treatment device 150 is a device that decomposes organic waste transported by the waste transport system 100 using the action of microorganisms and performs methane fermentation treatment. Specifically, the waste discharged from the waste transport system 100 is supplied to the raw water storage tank (not shown) of the methane fermentation treatment device 150. The methane gas extracted by methane fermentation treatment can be used as biogas. However, this is not the only example, and other waste treatment devices may be provided instead of the methane fermentation treatment device 150. Alternatively, transport containers for waste to incineration plants or other waste treatment facilities may be provided instead of the methane fermentation treatment device 150.

[0030] As described above, the waste transport system 100 of this embodiment crushes food-derived organic waste such as vegetable scraps and wood-derived organic waste such as disposable chopsticks together using a crusher 110 to form a single organic waste product. Therefore, there is no need to separate disposable chopsticks and the like from food-derived waste, and costs such as labor costs for sorting can be reduced. Furthermore, the waste transport system 100 of this embodiment has a second transport device 130 positioned downstream of the first transport device 120 that transports waste, as a transport mechanism equipped with a solid-liquid separation function, and also includes a return device 140 for returning the separated transported water to the upstream position of the first transport device 120. As a result, according to this embodiment, the transported water can be reused, and a waste transport system 100 with water-saving measures can be provided.

[0031] Furthermore, when using the waste transport system 100 of this embodiment, the transported water can be separated before the waste is supplied to the methane fermentation treatment device 150. This allows for an increase in the organic matter concentration of the raw water to be treated in the methane fermentation treatment, thereby improving the efficiency of methane fermentation.

[0032] (Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment, an example was shown in which a vibrating conveyor was used as the second conveying device 130. However, the second conveying device 130 can be any device that can separate the waste and the conveyed water and convey the waste to the methane fermentation treatment device 150. For example, the second conveying device 130 may be a type of conveying device that conveys waste by a rotating screw, such as a screw conveyor. In this case, multiple openings should be provided in a part of the pipe (trough) in which the screw is placed inside, so that the conveyed water can be separated. That is, when a screw conveyor is used as the second conveying device 130, the conveyed water can be separated from the multiple openings provided in the pipe and returned to the first conveying device 120 by the return device 140, while the waste can be conveyed to the methane fermentation treatment device 150 by the action of the rotating screw.

[0033] The embodiments of the present invention described above can be combined and implemented as appropriate, insofar as they do not contradict each other. Based on the embodiments described above, any additions, deletions, or design changes made by those skilled in the art, or additions, omissions, or changes in processes, are also included within the scope of the present invention, as long as they retain the essence of the invention.

[0034] Furthermore, any effects or benefits other than those brought about by the embodiments described above, if they are clear from the description herein or easily predictable to a person skilled in the art, are naturally considered to be brought about by the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0035] 100...Waste transport system, 110...Crusher, 120...First transport device, 130...Second transport device, 132...Vibration transport section, 132a...Mesh vibration section, 132b...Opening, 140...Return device, 142...Water storage tank, 144...Discharge pump, 146...Return pipe, 150...Methane fermentation treatment device

Claims

1. A crusher for crushing waste, A first conveying device that uses conveying water to seal and convey the waste crushed by the crusher, A second conveying device is connected downstream of the first conveying device and vibrates a conveying section having multiple openings to convey the waste and separate the conveyed water from the waste, A return device that returns the transported water separated by the second transport device to the upstream position of the first transport device, Includes, A waste transport system that supplies the transported water returned by the return device to the first transport device for reuse as transported water.

2. The waste transport system according to claim 1, wherein the returned transport water is supplied to the first transport device together with newly supplied replenished water.

3. The waste transport system according to claim 2, wherein the amount of the replenishment water is equivalent to the amount of waste supplied to the first transport device.

4. The waste transport system according to claim 1, wherein the waste transported by the second transport device is supplied to a methane fermentation treatment device.

5. The waste transport system according to claim 1, wherein the return device includes a tank for storing transported water separated by the second transport device, and a pump for sending the transported water stored in the tank to an upstream position of the first transport device.

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