Waste disposal equipment

Abstract

We proposed a waste treatment system suitable for waste that requires careful handling from a hygiene standpoint and is difficult to process as general food waste, such as used disposable diapers and medical waste. [Solution] A small chamber with a predetermined heat-resistant and heat-insulating structure (preferably with a furnace chamber volume of 1 to 5 m³) 3 The furnace consists of a furnace chamber 1 with one side being an opening / closing door 11, a superheated steam supply unit (superheated steam generator 21, supply passage 22) that supplies high-temperature superheated steam (preferably 900°C or higher) to the furnace chamber 1, a smoke exhaust unit (electric furnace body 31, smoke exhaust passage 32, discharge passage 33) that performs smoke and odor removal by heating, and a cooling unit 4 that supplies cooling nitrogen gas to the furnace chamber 1.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a waste treatment apparatus for carbonizing used paper diapers, medical waste, and the like.

Background Art

[0002] Used paper diapers are generally incinerated as ordinary waste. However, used paper diapers have a high moisture content, require a large amount of heat for incineration, and increase the burden on the incinerator. As a countermeasure, it has been proposed to perform waste treatment (carbonization treatment) of used paper diapers using superheated steam (Patent Document 1). In addition, treatment of medical waste by the same means has also been proposed (Patent Document 2).

[0003] In addition, a waste treatment apparatus using superheated steam for carbonization treatment of general food waste including paper diapers has also been proposed (Patent Documents 3 and 4).

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a heat treatment furnace is divided vertically, a preheating chamber provided with a superheated steam generation section is arranged above, a carbonization chamber is provided below, superheated steam at 200 to 500 °C is released into the carbonization chamber to carbonize the object (used paper diaper), and after the heat treatment is completed, cooling water is sprayed onto the treated object for cooling. A carbonization treatment of medical waste is disclosed in Patent Document 2 with a similar configuration and means.

[0005] In addition, Patent Document 3 is mainly for food waste, and superheated steam at 510 to 900 °C is sent to a heat treatment furnace equipped with a stirring mechanism to carbonize the treatment object while stirring, and after the carbonization treatment, cooling steam (100 to 120 °C) is sent into the furnace to cool the carbide. A configuration is disclosed.

[0006] Furthermore, Patent Document 4 discloses a configuration including a preheating and drying furnace and a heat treatment furnace equipped with a stirring mechanism, sending superheated steam at 900 to 1200 °C to the heat treatment furnace to carbonize the treatment object while stirring, and cooling the carbide by adopting a cooling jacket using cooling water on the way of the delivery path for sending the carbide outside the furnace after the carbonization treatment. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-250878. [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-251296 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-313884. [Patent Document 4] Special Publication No. 2005-063923. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] In local governments and large corporations, large-scale waste treatment facilities designed for plant specifications are already in operation. However, waste from nursing homes (mainly used disposable diapers) and medical institutions (mainly used gauze and injection equipment, etc.) requires special handling from a hygiene standpoint and cannot be treated in the same way as general food waste. For this reason, rather than large-scale treatment facilities as disclosed in Patent Documents 3 and 4, there is a demand for small-scale treatment devices that take into account the construction costs of the equipment.

[0009] For example, even if a small processing apparatus like those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 were adopted, this apparatus separates the heating furnace into a preheating chamber and a carbonization chamber vertically, and the material to be processed is dropped into the carbonization chamber after preheating. This structure incorporates the drive mechanism into the furnace chamber, resulting in high manufacturing costs. Furthermore, the temperature of the superheated steam used is low, requiring a long time for the carbonization process.

[0010] Furthermore, while the materials to be processed are packaged in cardboard boxes or similar containers for hygiene reasons and to ensure the safety of the handlers, transporting them to the processing facility (device installation location) is not necessarily an appropriate configuration. Moreover, since cooling after carbonization is done by spraying cooling water, there are many challenges, such as the need to dry the carbonized material before reuse.

[0011] Therefore, the present invention proposes a small-scale processing device that can be constructed at low cost and is suitable for processing unique waste such as used disposable diapers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The waste treatment apparatus according to the present invention comprises a small chamber with a predetermined heat-resistant and heat-insulating structure (preferably with a furnace chamber volume of 1 to 5 m³). 3 The furnace consists of a furnace chamber with an opening door on one side, a superheated steam supply unit that supplies high-temperature superheated steam (preferably 900°C or higher) to the furnace chamber, a smoke exhaust unit that performs smoke removal and deodorization by heating, and a cooling unit that supplies cooling nitrogen gas to the furnace chamber.

[0013] Used disposable diapers, medical waste, and other materials to be processed are collected in appropriate containers and placed in the furnace chamber. High-temperature superheated steam is then supplied to the furnace chamber for an appropriate amount of time (determined according to the superheated steam temperature and the amount of materials to be processed), causing the materials to be carbonized. Decomposition gases and other substances generated in the furnace chamber during the carbonization process are deodorized and removed from the exhaust flue. After the carbonization process is complete, cooling nitrogen gas is supplied to the furnace chamber from the cooling section to cool the carbonized material, and after cooling, it is removed from the furnace chamber. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] As described above, the present invention involves transporting waste into a furnace chamber, carbonizing it with superheated steam, and heating and discharging the decomposition gases generated in the furnace chamber. This process does not emit carbon dioxide, and by cooling with nitrogen gas, the carbonized material can be used directly as a soil conditioner or fuel for a carbon boiler. In particular, waste requiring careful hygienic handling, such as used disposable diapers and medical waste, can be stored in the furnace chamber in their original cardboard packaging and carbonized. This provides a compact, low-cost processing device suitable for the treatment of unique types of waste. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] An overall diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Diagram illustrating the processing steps. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described. The waste treatment apparatus shown in the embodiment consists of a furnace chamber 1, a superheated steam supply unit 2, a smoke exhaust unit 3, a cooling unit 4, and a waste storage box 5. Furnace chamber 1 is a box-shaped structure with heat-resistant and heat-insulating properties, with an internal volume of 1 to 5 m³. 3 It is a small furnace of a certain size, with an opening and closing door 11 on the front. The superheated steam supply unit 2 is equipped with an existing superheated steam generator 21 that generates superheated steam at 600 to 1200°C, a supply passage 22 that supplies superheated steam to the generator 21 and the furnace chamber 1, and a steam water supply pipe 23.

[0017] The exhaust section 3 comprises an electric furnace body 31 that performs smoke removal and deodorization at approximately 800°C, an exhaust passage 32 that introduces the exhaust gas from the furnace chamber 1 into the electric furnace body 31, an exhaust passage 33 for the smoke removal and deodorization treated gas from the electric furnace body 31, and a blower 34 that provides air to the exhaust passage 33 to promote the release of the gas inside the exhaust passage into the outside air.

[0018] The cooling unit 4 includes a nitrogen gas generator 41, a cooling pipe 42 for supplying nitrogen gas into the furnace chamber 1, and an on-off valve 43 for the cooling pipe 42. The nitrogen gas generator 41 may adopt an existing nitrogen generator of the separation method or PSA method, or a nitrogen gas cylinder may be adopted.

[0019] The waste storage box 5 is a heat-resistant box body formed of expanded metal having an appropriate mesh size, and is sized to be stored in the furnace chamber 1.

[0020] Objects to be processed such as used paper diapers and medical waste are stored in a cardboard box or the like so that handlers do not come into contact with them from a hygienic perspective, and are carried into the treatment facility (the location where the device of the present invention is installed). The objects to be processed thus carried in are stored in the waste storage box 5 as they are carried in, and are put into the furnace chamber 1 through the opening and closing door 11 of the furnace chamber 1 where the waste storage box 5 is opened (storage in the furnace in FIG. 2).

[0021] Next, the opening and closing door 11 is closed to make the inside of the furnace chamber 1 airtight, and the superheated steam generator 21 is operated to send high-temperature (preferably 900 ° C) superheated steam into the furnace chamber 1 for a predetermined time to perform carbonization treatment on the objects to be processed. The carbonization treatment time is determined by the capacity (rated output) of the superheated steam generator 21 and the processing amount of the objects to be processed. The smoke and decomposition gas generated by heating the objects to be processed during the carbonization treatment are sent out to the outside air by the operation of the blower 34 of the smoke exhaust unit 3, and the furnace interior air is attracted to the smoke exhaust path 32 and is de-smoked and deodorized by passing through the electric furnace body 31, and is discharged from the discharge path 33 (carbonization treatment in FIG. 2).

[0022] When the carbonization treatment of the objects to be processed is performed by supplying superheated steam into the furnace chamber 1 for a predetermined time, the supply of superheated steam is stopped, and cooling nitrogen gas is released from the cooling unit 4 into the furnace chamber 1. For the cooling nitrogen gas, for example, extremely low-temperature nitrogen gas using liquefied nitrogen may be used, or normal-temperature high-pressure nitrogen gas may be used, and the gas may be injected into the furnace chamber to cool the inside of the furnace chamber. Even during cooling, the gas inside the furnace chamber is appropriately discharged (cooling in FIG. 2).

[0023] Once cooling is complete, the door 11 is opened and the waste storage box 5 containing the carbonized material to be processed is removed. Then, before the temperature of the inner wall of the furnace chamber 1 decreases, the waste storage box 5 containing the next material to be processed is placed inside the furnace chamber 1, the door is closed, and the material to be processed is preheated.

[0024] Furthermore, since the carbonized treated material is in a dry state, it can be used directly as a soil conditioner or charcoal fuel. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 1 Furnace room 11 Opening and closing doors 2. Superheated steam supply unit 21 Superheated steam generator 22 Supply route 23 Steam water supply pipe 3 Smoke exhaust section 31 Electric furnace body 32 Smoke exhaust path 33 Exhaust channel 34 Blower 4 Cooling section 41 Nitrogen gas generator 42 Cooling pipe 43. Shut-off valve 5. Waste storage box

Claims

1. A small chamber with a volume of 1 to 5 m³ and a specified heat-resistant insulation structure, comprising a furnace chamber with an opening door on one side, A superheated steam supply unit supplies high-temperature superheated steam with a superheated steam temperature of 900°C or higher to the furnace chamber for the time required for the carbonization treatment of the material to be processed inside the furnace chamber. During the carbonization process and the subsequent supply of cooling gas, the exhaust gas section heats and deodorizes the gas inside the furnace before discharging it. A waste treatment apparatus comprising a cooling unit that supplies only low-temperature nitrogen gas or high-pressure nitrogen gas to the furnace chamber after carbonization treatment to cool the inside of the furnace chamber.

2. The waste treatment apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a waste storage box formed of a heat-resistant perforated container that is stored in and removed from the furnace chamber.

Images