Liquid absorption raw material processing system and method of operation thereof

Abstract

An aqueous feedstock processing system and method of operation are provided. [Solution] The absorbent raw material processing system and operating method of the present invention include a cutting module, a bulk pulping module, a salt slurry processing module, and an absorbent raw material production module connected in series, and the operating method of the absorbent raw material processing system processes absorbent articles such as disposable diapers and sanitary napkins, and turns them into cotton-like absorbent raw materials through purification and separation processes performed by the modules of the absorbent raw material processing system.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a water-absorbent raw material processing system and an operating method thereof, in particular, to a waste treatment system and method used for treating different types of absorbent articles, in which the system of the present invention can decompose, purify, recycle, and effectively reuse absorbent articles, and to a fiber raw material processing system and an operating method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] Commercially available absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers and sanitary napkins, are widely used in people's lives, and their usage is increasing day by day. For example, the aging society will face an increasing need for adult disposable diapers, which means more absorbent waste that needs to be carefully treated to prevent environmental pollution.

[0003] On the other hand, in the current technology, although equipment used for recycling absorbent articles has been developed, the recycling efficiency and performance itself cannot be said to be perfect. This is simply because it is not possible to successfully separate the materials that can be regenerated from absorbent articles. Disposable diapers are a good example. Disposable diapers, which are absorbent articles, are usually composed of a skin-friendly nonwoven fabric used for contact with the skin, an absorbent layer that shows excellent liquid absorption capacity, and a waterproof layer made of waterproof plastic, and excrement such as urine and feces are wrapped up by the absorbent article. Therefore, the aforementioned materials need to be separated into fibers, water-absorbing salts (e.g. sodium polyacrylate), or plastics, respectively, and then destroyed and recycled. The complexity of the recycling work increases the cost and burden of treating absorbent waste for the industry.

[0004] Specifically, water-absorbing salts such as sodium polyacrylate are the most difficult part to recycle. The difficulty in recycling water-absorbing salts is the problem of "water." That is, the clogged and sticky water-absorbing salts are quite difficult to purify and recycle. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In order to solve the problems of the prior art, the present invention aims to provide a water-absorbent raw material processing system and an operating method thereof.

[0006] The system of the present invention allows the decomposition and recycling of post-consumer absorbent sanitary products by using a method specific to each module to separate the absorbent raw materials, which are then regenerated and made into new reusable products, thus realizing the reuse of waste materials. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Therefore, the water-absorbing raw material processing system of the present invention includes a cutting module, a bulk pulping module, a salt slurry processing module, and a water-absorbing raw material production module. The bulk pulping module is composed of at least one spoiler, a rotor, and at least two blades. The water-absorbing raw material production module includes a centrifugal device, a temporary storage tank, a vibrating device, and a screening device, which are connected in sequence. The vibrating device further includes a sieve. The screening device further includes a tank, which includes a plurality of stirring blades, an inlet, a liquid outlet, and a discharge port.

[0008] The present invention further provides a method for operating the water-absorbent raw material processing system, which includes the following steps: In step (A), the above-mentioned water-absorbent raw material processing system is provided. In step (B), absorbent articles are fed into the cutting module. Then, in step (C), the cut absorbent articles are transferred to the bulk pulping module, which breaks and separates the absorbent articles by centrifugal force, leaving absorbent recycled materials. Then, in step (D), the absorbent recycled materials are transferred to the salt slurry processing module, which separates the absorbent recycled materials to form a primary water-absorbent material. In step (E), the centrifuge device further separates the secondary water-absorbent material and the first impurities from the primary water-absorbent material, and the secondary water-absorbent material is stored in the temporary storage tank. In step (F), the secondary water-absorbent material is taken out from the temporary storage tank and transferred to the vibration device, which filters the final water-absorbent material and the second impurities from the secondary water-absorbent material through eccentric vibration. Finally, in step (G), the final absorbent material is transferred to the screening device for purification, and the absorbent raw material is discharged from the discharge port.

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the accompanying drawings in which like reference symbols refer to similar elements and in which: FIG. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a component configuration of an embodiment of a water-absorbing raw material processing system of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a bulk pulping module of the water absorbent raw material processing system of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a flow chart of a method for operating the water-absorbing raw material processing system of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] In order to understand the technical features and practical effects of the present invention and to implement it in accordance with the contents of this specification, the following detailed description is given with reference to the drawings showing the best mode for carrying out the present invention.

[0012] Please refer to the schematic diagram of the component configuration of the embodiment of the water-absorbing raw material processing system of the present invention in FIG. 1. The water-absorbing raw material processing system 1 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The water-absorbing raw material processing system 1 includes a cutting module 2, a bulk pulping module 3, a salt slurry processing module 4, and a water-absorbing raw material production module 5. In this embodiment, the bulk pulping module 3 includes a spoiler 31, a rotor 32, and a blade 33. The water-absorbing raw material production module 5 includes a centrifugal device 51, a temporary storage tank 52, a vibration device 53, and a screening device 54. The vibration device 53 includes a sieve 531, and the screening device 54 includes a plurality of stirring blades 541, an inlet 542, a liquid outlet 543, and a discharge port 544.

[0013] Different modules with specific designs of this embodiment can continuously and systematically process used absorbent articles such as disposable diapers and sanitary napkins, that is, this embodiment can effectively decompose, separate and recycle absorbent articles with optimal regeneration capacity, especially, multiple separations are performed in the sequentially connected modules, so that water-absorbent raw materials (such as sodium polyacrylate) can be purified from the absorbent articles, and the efficiency of waste reuse can be improved.

[0014] First, the water-absorbent raw material processing system 1 of this embodiment starts with the cutting module 2. In this embodiment, the cutting module 2 is connected to the bulk pulping module 3. The cutting module 2 is used to break and separate the absorbent articles. Therefore, these materials are easily separated in the bulk pulping module 3, and the bulk pulping efficiency in the bulk pulping module 3 is improved. In fact, the disk blade in the bulk pulping module 3 breaks and separates the absorbent articles by the force of the liquid with high torque, and the floss-like fibers in the bulk pulping module 3 are separated and floated without being clogged.

[0015] FIG. 2 shows the internal structure of the bulk pulping module 3. Please refer to FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the bulk pulping module 3 of this embodiment includes a spoiler 31, a rotor 32, and a blade 33. The spoiler 31 may be a single or multiple board or plate structure. The multiple spoilers 31 configured in the bulk pulping module 3 may generate a vortex when the liquid in the bulk pulping module 3 rotates. Therefore, the material may be guided to the blade 33 installed on the bottom surface of the bulk pulping module 3 through the downward flow generated by the vortex. Meanwhile, the blade 33 prevents the separated material from curling and clogging.

[0016] In this embodiment, the blade 33 may be a spiral blade or a disk blade, and the number of the blades may be multiple. For example, the number of the blades 33 shown in FIG. 2 is two, and the blades 33 are symmetrically installed on the bottom surface of the bulk pulping module 3. Furthermore, when the spoiler 31 of this embodiment is designed to be installed on multiple boards, the multiple boards are independently and symmetrically installed on the inner wall of the bulk pulping module 3 at a certain distance from the center of the bulk pulping module 3. Therefore, the bulk pulping module 3 can be kept balanced during rotation.

[0017] Specifically, in the prior art, a chopper or shredder is used to break or cut the absorbent article, which may cause leakage of materials. However, soft absorbent articles may be finely crushed, making subsequent separation difficult. The bulk pulping module 3 of this embodiment is further provided with a rotor 32 and an inverter motor connected to the rotor 32. The rotor 32 may be a cylindrical rotor, and can use the force of liquid to agitate and separate the absorbent article and leak the fluff pulp therein. Meanwhile, this embodiment can detect the concentration of pulp at any time or in real time, so that optimal control of the operation can be maintained. For example, in this embodiment, a gravitational or optical level gauge may be used for monitoring.

[0018] Otherwise, in this embodiment, the bulk pulping module 3 further includes a gravity level meter. The gravity level meter can detect the liquid level through the weight of the liquid and control the amount of waste. That is, when the liquid level of the bulk pulping module 3 meets a preset value, the system can automatically supply waste thereto, and the rotor 32 can rotate at a preset rotation speed and rotation time. After the rotor 32 finishes its task, liquid can be added again up to the aforementioned preset value. At the same time, plastic pieces broken or separated from the absorbent article float on the liquid surface. Meanwhile, other substances such as fluff pulp and the primary water-absorbing material may naturally settle to the bottom of the bulk pulping module 3 by gravity. In the following description, the term "absorbent recycling material" can be used to represent the sediment. Specifically, an outlet may be provided on the bulk pulping module 3 to remove the plastic pieces from the bulk pulping module 3, in order to prevent the plastic pieces from clogging and hindering the purification process.

[0019] The absorbent recycling material processed by the bulk pulping module 3 may be transferred to the salt slurry processing module 4 in the next step. In this embodiment, the salt slurry processing module 4 includes a buffer tank 41 and a settling tank 42. The buffer tank 41 is connected to the bulk pulping module 3 and receives the absorbent recycling material transferred from the bulk pulping module 3. The settling tank 42 is connected to the buffer tank 41. The settling tank 42 can separate substances having different densities in the absorbent recycling material, such as a relatively high density primary water-absorbing material (such as sodium polyacrylate) and a relatively low density fibrous material (long fiber material / short fiber material). Specifically, the absorbent recycling material is precipitated in layers due to the difference in density, so that the primary water-absorbing material and fibrous material are formed and separated. The absorbent recycled material may be considered to include a fibrous material formed by fluff pulp (specific gravity 0.98) and a primary absorbent material with a specific gravity ranging from 1.4 to 1.8. The primary absorbent material forms a transparent and discernible layer at the bottom of the settling tank 42 among the fibrous materials suspended in the liquid. In practical use of this embodiment, the settling tank 42 may further be connected to a slurry storage tank for collecting the fibrous materials (long fiber material / short fiber material).

[0020] Therefore, the salt slurry treatment module 4 may control the input pressure (eg 0.13-0.36Mpa) according to the actual input amount of material, to control the flow rate of the absorbent recycle material in the salt slurry treatment module 4.

[0021] The primary water-absorbing material remaining in the salt slurry treatment module 4 is transferred back to the water-absorbing raw material production module 5 for purification. The purification here is depicted as first purification, second purification, and third purification, reflecting the different steps of the purification work. In this embodiment, the water-absorbing raw material production module 5 includes a centrifuge 51, a temporary storage tank 52, a vibration device 53, and a screening device 54. The first purification is performed in the centrifuge 51, the second purification is performed in the vibration device 53, and the third purification is performed in the screening device 54.

[0022] First, in the first purification, the primary water-absorbing material is transferred to the centrifugal device 51. A two-stage separation is carried out to separate a large amount of first impurities from the primary water-absorbing material to generate a secondary water-absorbing material (the purified primary water-absorbing material). The secondary water-absorbing material may be temporarily stored in the temporary storage tank 52 to ensure that the secondary water-absorbing material is not contaminated. Meanwhile, the separated first impurities should contain a specific ratio of fiber material (long fiber material / short fiber material) therein, such as 80%. Specifically, in this embodiment, the centrifugal device 51 is a cyclone separation unit connected in sequence, so as to purify the primary water-absorbing material to generate a secondary water-absorbing material. The number of cyclone separation units of the centrifugal device 51 of the present invention is not limited and may be adjusted by the user.

[0023] After the first purification, the secondary absorbent material is transferred to the vibration device 53 to carry out the second purification. In this embodiment, the vibration device 53 includes a sieve 531. The purpose of the sieve 531 is to effectively separate the second impurities from the secondary absorbent material through the eccentric vibration generated by the vibration device 53, and generate the final absorbent material. The second impurities should include the long fiber material of the fibrous material and the packed secondary absorbent material. In the practical use of the present invention, the sieve 531 may include a number of holes with different diameters. For example, the diameter of the hole is preferably designed to be shorter than 0.42 mm in the sieve 531.

[0024] Finally, in a third purification, the separator 54 receives the final absorbent material from the vibrator 53 and produces a water-absorbent raw material WR (such as sodium polyacrylate) from the final absorbent material.

[0025] In this embodiment, the sorting device 54 includes a plurality of stirring blades 541, an inlet 542, a liquid outlet 543, and an outlet 544. The final absorbent material may be input from the inlet 542 (e.g., 1 to 2 kg / time). Meanwhile, liquid (water) forms a vortex in the sorting device 54, and the liquid is provided from the liquid outlet 543. The short fiber material of the final absorbent material floats, and the stirring blade 541 removes the fiber material from the liquid. Therefore, the absorbent raw material WR having a higher specific gravity sinks to the bottom of the sorting device 54, and the absorbent raw material WR is collected from the outlet 544. Specifically, the sorting device 54 may include a guide pipe 545 connected to the outlet 544 to improve collection of the absorbent raw material WR.

[0026] In this embodiment, the sorting device 54 may further include a level control device for controlling the amount of the liquid in the sorting device 54. For example, the level control device may be designed as a siphon case.

[0027] Furthermore, the sorting device 54 of this embodiment may be provided with multiple air holes or multiple down-blow nozzles on the inlet 542 side, so that the liquid (water) and the final absorbent material can be agitated under aeration. By agitating under aeration, the separation efficiency of the fibrous material can be improved (the possibility of separation from the final absorbent material can be increased). The air holes or multiple down-blow nozzles may be designed to control the level or time of aeration to improve the purification of the absorbent raw material WR.

[0028] In this embodiment, a method for operating the water-absorbent raw material processing system 1 is provided. A preferred embodiment is shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the method for operating the water-absorbent raw material processing system 1 includes the following steps. In step (A), the above-mentioned water-absorbent raw material processing system 1 is provided. In step (B), absorbent articles to be cut are input into the cutting module 2. In step (C), the cut absorbent articles are transferred to the bulk pulping module 3, which breaks and separates the absorbent articles by centrifugal force, leaving absorbent recycled materials. In step (D), the absorbent recycled materials are further transferred to the salt slurry processing module 4, and the absorbent recycled materials are separated to generate primary water-absorbent materials. In step (E), the centrifugal device 51 further separates secondary water-absorbent materials and first impurities from the primary water-absorbent materials, and the secondary water-absorbent materials are stored in the temporary storage tank 52. In step (F), the secondary absorbent material is taken out from the temporary storage tank 52 and transferred to the vibration device 53, and the final absorbent material and second impurities are filtered from the secondary absorbent material through eccentric vibration. Finally, in step (G), the final absorbent material is transferred to the sorting device 54 for purification, and the absorbent raw material WR (such as sodium polyacrylate) is discharged from the discharge port 544. That is, the absorbent raw material processing system 1 further purifies the primary absorbent material into the absorbent raw material WR such as sodium polyacrylate, and improves the reuse of the absorbent material, such as metal precipitating agent of industrial wastewater.

[0029] Referring again to FIG. 3, as shown in FIG. 3, in step (A), the water-absorbent raw material processing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is provided. Then, in step (B), the absorbent article is introduced into the water-absorbent raw material processing system 1. The absorbent article may be a personal hygiene product such as, but not limited to, a diaper, a disposable diaper, a nursing pad, a sanitary napkin, etc. The absorbent article may include a fiber material (such as cotton-like fibers), a water-absorbent material, and a plastic. The cutting module 2 of this embodiment first cuts the absorbent article (such as a disposable diaper or a sanitary napkin) to facilitate separation of various contents (such as cotton-like fibers, a primary water-absorbent material, plastic pieces, etc.) contained in the absorbent article in the subsequent steps (C) to (G).

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, in step (C), the cut absorbent articles are transferred to the bulk pulping module 3. The centrifugal force of the liquid is used to break and separate the absorbent articles, and the absorbent recycling material is filtered. The absorbent recycling material is then processed in the salt slurry processing module 4 in the next step (D). Specifically, the cut absorbent articles are transported by a transport tool such as an overhead crane, and after step (B), they are transported to the bulk pulping module 3 where they are broken and separated by the force of the liquid. The bulk pulping module 3 breaks and separates the absorbent articles by the force of the liquid with high torque, and the cotton-like fibers in the bulk pulping module 3 are separated and floated without clogging. Therefore, the salt slurry processing module 4 can further separate the absorbent articles in step (D).

[0031] In step (C), the bulk pulping module 3 is designed to effectively remove plastic debris (e.g., a plastic outlet provided under the bulk pulping module 3) to produce the absorbent recycled material. The plastic debris may be a waterproof material, such as a waterproof layer in a disposable diaper of the absorbent article. The absorbent recycled material may include a floss-like fiber material and a primary water-absorbent material. That is, the absorbent recycled material does not include the plastic material of the absorbent article.

[0032] Meanwhile, the bulk pulping module 3 in step (C) may automatically control the rotation speed, time, and liquid level in the bulk pulping module 3 when the bulk pulping module 3 operates. For example, the "intermittent discharge" of the pulp used in step (C) prevents clogging of the pulp discharge outlet as well as the inlet of the absorbent article by continuous discharge.

[0033] In step (D), the absorbent recycle material produced in step (C) is transferred to the buffer tank 41 of the salt slurry treatment module 4 by a transport tool such as an overhead crane. The movement of the "trace mixture" contained in the absorbent recycle material is temporarily stopped and is retained at the bottom of the buffer tank 41. In the next step, the mixture is placed in the settling tank 42 for separation. In the settling tank 42, the cotton-like fiber material and the primary absorbent material, which have different specific gravities, are separated by natural settling due to gravity. The settled primary absorbent material is then transferred to the absorbent raw material production module 5.

[0034] Finally, steps (E) and (G) are carried out in the water-absorbing raw material production module 5. The main purpose of these steps is to purify the water-absorbing raw material, such as sodium polyacrylate, from the primary water-absorbing material. The primary water-absorbing material is transferred to the centrifugal device 51 to carry out a first purification. A secondary water-absorbing material is formed in the temporary storage tank 52. Then, the secondary water-absorbing material is transferred to the vibration device 53 to carry out a second purification, producing a final water-absorbing material. Meanwhile, a third purification is carried out by the sorting device 54 to produce the water-absorbing raw material WR from the received final water-absorbing material.

[0035] In summary, the object of the present invention is to provide a water-absorbent raw material processing system and its operating method. The present invention uses a system of the present invention to break down and recycle used absorbent sanitary products. The system completely separates the water-absorbent raw materials by using a method specific to each module. The raw materials can be regenerated and regenerated into new usable materials. The present invention can effectively recycle waste. Considering the complexity of the absorbent sanitary product material itself, multiple modules are installed to separate and purify the contents in sequence based on the gravity, density and material size of the contents.

[0036] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the above-described discretionary embodiment of the present invention is intended to illustrate the present invention, rather than to limit the present invention. It is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, and the claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements. Although the best mode of the present invention has been described above, it should be understood that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1. Water-absorbent raw material processing system 2 Cutting Module 3 Bulk pulping module 31 Spoilers 32 rotor 33 Blade 4. Salt Slurry Treatment Module 41 Buffer tank 42 Sedimentation tank 5. Water-absorbent raw material production module 51 Centrifugal device 52 Temporary Storage Tank 531 Sieve 53 Vibration device 54 Sorting Equipment 541 Mixing blade 542 Introduction 543 Liquid outlet 544 Outlet 545 Guide tube WR Water-absorbent raw material

Claims

1. A water absorbent raw material processing system, comprising: a cutting module; a bulk pulping module; a salt slurry processing module; and a water absorbent raw material production module; the bulk pulping module is connected to the cutting module and includes at least one spoiler, a rotor, and at least two blades; the salt slurry treatment module is connected to the bulk pulping module; The water-absorbing raw material production module is connected to the salt slurry treatment module; A centrifuge device; A temporary storage tank connected to the centrifuge device; a vibrating device connected to the temporary storage tank and including a sieve; a sorting device including a tank; The tank includes a plurality of stirring blades, an inlet, a liquid outlet, and a discharge port. A water-absorbent raw material processing system.

2. 2. The water absorbent raw material processing system of claim 1, wherein the salt slurry processing module further comprises a buffer tank, a settling tank, or a combination thereof.

3. 2. The water absorbent raw material processing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one spoiler is a spoiler board located separately within the bulk pulping module.

4. 2. The water-absorbing raw material processing system according to claim 1, wherein the rotor is a cylindrical rotor.

5. 2. The water absorbent raw material processing system of claim 1, wherein said at least two blades are provided on a bottom surface of said bulk pulping module.

6. 2. The water-absorbing raw material processing system according to claim 1, wherein the sorting device further includes a guide pipe connected to the discharge port.

7. 1. A method of operating a water absorbent raw material processing system, comprising: (A) providing a water-absorbent raw material processing system according to claim 1; (B) placing absorbent articles to be cut into the cutting module; (C) transferring the cut absorbent articles to the bulk pulping module, which uses centrifugal force to break down and separate the absorbent articles, leaving absorbent recycled material; (D) transferring said absorbent recycle material to said salt slurry treatment module and separating said absorbent recycle material to produce a primary water absorbent material; (E) further separating the secondary absorbent material and the first impurities from the primary absorbent material by the centrifugal device, and storing the secondary absorbent material in the temporary storage tank; (F) removing the secondary absorbent material from the temporary storage tank and transferring it to the vibration device, and filtering the final absorbent material and second impurities from the secondary absorbent material through eccentric vibration; (G) transferring the final absorbent material to the sorting device for purification, and discharging the absorbent raw material from the outlet; A method for operating a water-absorbing raw material processing system, comprising:

8. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the bulk pulping module filters plastic debris after centrifugal separation in step (C).

9. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the bulk pulping module further comprises a rotor to prevent the absorbent articles from curling and clogging after centrifugal separation in step (C).

10. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the bulk pulping module further comprises at least one spoiler to form at least one vortex and a downward flow of liquid during rotation of the bulk pulping module in step (C).

11. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the bulk pulping module further comprises at least two blades to accelerate the centrifugal separation of the absorbent articles in step (C).

12. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the salt slurry processing module further comprises a settling tank, and in step (D), the primary water absorbent material of the absorbent recycle material is allowed to settle by gravity.

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