Method for producing oilseed meal powder, oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer, animal feed and fertilizer

Abstract

The present invention provides oilseed meal powder derived from raw materials containing animal fat from livestock, feed and fertilizers containing oilseed meal powder, and manufacturing technologies thereof, which can be used as raw materials for at least one of the following: feed or fertilizer. [Solution] The process includes steps S2 to obtain oilseed meal raw material by heating and stirring a raw material containing animal fat obtained from the slaughtering process to dissolve the oil; step S3 to obtain pressed oilseed meal by compressing the oilseed meal raw material to further remove the oil; step S5 to obtain a mixture of oilseed meal powder and remaining particles by crushing the pressed oilseed meal; step S6 to separate the oilseed meal powder from the remaining particles; and step S7 to obtain oilseed meal powder by crushing the remaining particles.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for producing oil cake powder, oil cake powder for feed or fertilizer, feed, and fertilizer.

Background Art

[0002] There is a technology for converting the residue after producing animal fat from livestock by-products into oil cake useful as a raw material for resources.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] In order to use the residue of animal fat production as, for example, a raw material for fertilizer or feed, the oil cake as its processed product needs to be powdered. Livestock by-products may contain hard parts such as muscles including the cartilage part of the trachea and Achilles tendon of livestock. However, it is difficult to powder raw materials containing cartilage parts such as the trachea of livestock or muscles, and as far as the inventor knows, there is no appropriate powdering method that can be used as a raw material for fertilizer or feed.

[0004] One aspect of the present disclosure aims to provide a technology for producing oil cake powder derived from raw materials containing animal fat of livestock that can be used as a raw material for resources. Another aspect of the present disclosure aims to provide oil cake powder derived from raw materials containing animal fat of livestock that can be used as at least one of the raw materials for feed or fertilizer as a resource. A further aspect of the present disclosure aims to provide feed or fertilizer containing the oil cake powder.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is a method for producing oilseed meal powder. The oilseed meal powder may be for animal feed and / or fertilizer. One aspect of the present disclosure includes at least one or a combination of the following steps: obtaining an oilseed meal raw material; obtaining pressed oilseed meal; obtaining a mixture of oilseed meal powder and residual particles; separating the oilseed meal powder from the residual particles; and obtaining further oilseed meal powder. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these steps and may include other steps.

[0006] The process of obtaining oilseed meal raw material from raw materials containing animal fat from livestock is also called the elution process. Specifically, the elution process is the process of obtaining oilseed meal raw material by eluting and removing the oil from raw materials containing animal fat obtained from the slaughtering process of livestock. The process of obtaining oilseed meal raw material from raw materials may also involve stirring the raw materials. The process of obtaining pressed oilseed meal from oilseed meal raw material is also called the compression pressing process. Specifically, the compression pressing process is the process of obtaining pressed oilseed meal by compressing the oilseed meal raw material to further remove the oil.

[0007] The step of crushing the oil cake to obtain a mixture of oil cake powder and remaining particles is also called the first powdering step. The step of separating the oil cake powder from the remaining particles is also called the sieving step. The step of crushing the remaining particles to obtain oil cake powder further is also called the second powdering step. The pulverizers used in the first powdering step and the second powdering step may be the same or of different types.

[0008] In the step of obtaining a mixture of oilseed meal powder and residual particles, a first pulverizer for pulverizing the material to be pulverized can be used. The first pulverizer may be an impact pulverizer or other types of pulverizers, for example. However, the first pulverizer is not limited to these, and may be any other device that pulverizes the oilseed meal, which is the material to be processed, to obtain a mixture of oilseed meal powder and residual particles, such as other devices that do not use pulverization as the processing method, or other devices that combine pulverization with other processing methods. In this case, the processing method may be at least one of physical processing, chemical processing, or electrical processing, or a combination of several types of processing.

[0009] In the step of further obtaining oilseed meal powder, a second pulverizer can be used to pulverize the material to be pulverized. The second pulverizer may be an impact pulverizer or other pulverizers, for example. However, the second pulverizer is not limited to these, and may be any device that pulverizes any remaining particles in the material to be processed to further obtain oilseed meal powder, such as other devices that do not use pulverization as a processing method, or other devices that combine pulverization with other processing methods. In this case, the processing method may be at least one of physical processing, chemical processing, or electrical processing, or a combination of several types of processing.

[0010] One aspect of the present disclosure may further include a step of separating oil cake raw material from the oil removed by compression, to be reintroduced into the step of obtaining the pressed oil cake.

[0011] One aspect of the present disclosure may include a first step and a second step in the process of obtaining an oilseed meal raw material by eluting and removing oil from a raw material. The first step may be a step of eluting oil by heating the raw material. The first step may be a stirring treatment of the raw material. The second step may be a step of obtaining an oilseed meal raw material by further eluting oil by heating the raw material from which the oil was eluted in the first step again. The second step may be a stirring treatment of the raw material.

[0012] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the step of crushing the pressed oil cake to obtain a mixture of oil cake powder and residual particles may be performed by crushing with a first impact type crusher.

[0013] One aspect of the present disclosure is that the step of further obtaining oil cake powder by crushing the remaining particles may be performed by crushing with a second impact crusher that applies a stronger impact force to the remaining particles than the first impact crusher.

[0014] One aspect of this disclosure may further include a step of obtaining crushed raw materials for use in the step of mincing the raw materials to obtain the oil cake raw materials.

[0015] One aspect of the present disclosure is that the raw material may be at least one of chicken, pig, and cattle.

[0016] One aspect of the present disclosure is that the raw material comprising animal fat further comprises at least one of raw fat and processed fat, wherein the raw fat is fat obtained from the subcutaneous and visceral parts of the slaughtered animal, and the processed fat may be fat obtained by freezing the fat, bones and meat of the slaughtered animal and removing the bones and meat.

[0017] According to any aspect of the present disclosure described above, a technology for producing oilseed meal powder derived from raw materials containing animal fat from livestock can be realized. Furthermore, according to any aspect of the present disclosure described above, a technology for producing oilseed meal powder derived from raw materials containing at least one animal fat from chicken, pig, and cattle can be realized.

[0018] One aspect of the present disclosure is a powder made from animal fat of a slaughtered livestock, wherein the animal fat includes raw fat, and the raw fat includes at least one of cartilage and muscle.

[0019] According to one aspect of the present disclosure described above, it is possible to provide oilseed meal powder derived from a raw material containing animal fat of livestock, which can be used as a raw material for at least one of feed or fertilizer. Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present disclosure described above, it is possible to provide oilseed meal powder derived from a raw material containing at least one animal fat of chicken, pig, and cattle, which can be used as a raw material for at least one of feed or fertilizer.

[0020] One aspect of this disclosure is a powder made from a non-hydrolyzed, heated, de-oiling oilseed raw material derived from animal fat of slaughtered livestock.

[0021] According to this method, oilseed meal powder can be obtained without the need for hydrolysis treatment.

[0022] One aspect of this disclosure is an oil cake powder containing residual particles from a non-hydrolyzed, heated de-oiling treatment, which is made from animal fat of livestock that has been slaughtered.

[0023] According to this, it is possible to obtain oil cake powder that has been pulverized to a sufficiently small particle size.

[0024] One aspect of the present disclosure is an agricultural and livestock product material containing any of the above oil cake powders as a raw material. And one aspect of the present disclosure is a feed containing any of the above oil cake powders as a raw material. Furthermore, one aspect of the present disclosure is a fertilizer containing any of the above oil cake powders as a raw material.

[0025] According to this, it is possible to reduce the amount of livestock by-products containing residues of animal fat production and effectively utilize them as agricultural and livestock product materials, feeds, and fertilizers.

[0026] One aspect of the present disclosure is the use of oil cake powder obtained by any of the above methods as a raw material for at least one of feed and fertilizer.

[0027] According to this, it is possible to effectively utilize oil cake powder obtained from livestock by-products containing residues of animal fat production as a raw material for feed and fertilizer.

Advantages of the Invention

[0028] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a manufacturing technology for oil cake powder derived from a raw material containing animal fat of livestock that can be used as a raw material for materials. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide oil cake powder derived from a raw material containing animal fat of livestock that can be used as at least one of a raw material for, for example, feed or fertilizer as a material. According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a feed or fertilizer containing the above oil cake powder.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0029] [Figure 1] It is a photograph showing chicken raw fat, which is a raw material for oil cake powder for feed or fertilizer according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a photograph showing a state in which chicken raw fat, which is a raw material for oil cake powder for feed or fertilizer according to one embodiment, is crushed. ; [Figure 3]This is a photograph showing shaved pork fat, which is a raw material for oilseed meal powder used for animal feed or fertilizer, according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a photograph showing the state of crushed porcine fat, which is a raw material for oilseed meal powder used for animal feed or fertilizer, according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a photograph showing subcutaneous fat of pigs, which is a raw material for oilseed meal powder used for animal feed or fertilizer, according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a photograph showing the state of crushed subcutaneous fat, which is a raw material for oilseed meal powder used for animal feed or fertilizer, according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a photograph showing pork offal fat, which is a raw material for oilseed meal powder used for animal feed or fertilizer, according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a photograph showing the state of crushed pork offal fat, which is a raw material for oilseed meal powder used for animal feed or fertilizer, according to one embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a photograph showing cattle organs and internal fat, which are raw materials for oilseed meal powder used as animal feed or fertilizer, according to one embodiment. [Figure 10] This is a photograph showing the state of crushed bovine organs and internal fat, which are raw materials for oilseed meal powder used as animal feed or fertilizer, according to one embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a photograph showing beef offal fat, which is a raw material for oilseed meal powder used for animal feed or fertilizer, according to one embodiment. [Figure 12] This is a photograph showing the state of crushed beef offal fat, which is a raw material for oilseed meal powder used for animal feed or fertilizer, according to one embodiment. [Figure 13] This is a photograph showing trimmed beef fat, which is a raw material for oilseed meal powder used for animal feed or fertilizer, according to one embodiment. [Figure 14] This is a photograph showing the state of crushed beef fat, which is a raw material for oilseed meal powder used for animal feed or fertilizer, according to one embodiment. [Figure 15] This is a configuration diagram showing a manufacturing apparatus for oil cake powder for animal feed or fertilizer according to one embodiment. [Figure 16] This is a photograph showing the oilseed meal raw material after the oil has been extracted from chicken fat, which is the raw material for oilseed meal powder used for animal feed or fertilizer, according to one embodiment. [Figure 17]This photograph shows the oilseed meal raw material after extracting oil from chicken fat, which is the raw material for oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer according to one embodiment, and the oilseed meal raw material (cake) after centrifuging the pressed oilseed meal obtained after compressing chicken fat. [Figure 18] This is a photograph showing the oil cake obtained after pressing chicken fat, which is the raw material for oil cake powder used for animal feed or fertilizer, according to one embodiment. [Figure 19] This photograph shows the oil cake raw material after extracting oil from chicken fat, which is the raw material for oil cake powder used as feed or fertilizer according to one embodiment, and the supernatant liquid (oil and fat) after centrifuging the pressed oil cake, which is obtained by compressing chicken fat. [Figure 20] This is a photograph showing oilseed meal powder after crushing chicken fat, which is the raw material for oilseed meal powder used for animal feed or fertilizer, according to one embodiment. [Figure 21] This is a photograph showing the remaining particles after sieving chicken fat, which is the raw material for oilseed meal powder used for animal feed or fertilizer, according to one embodiment. [Figure 22] This is a flowchart showing the manufacturing process of oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer according to one embodiment. [Figure 23] This flowchart shows the process of obtaining oil cake raw material from crushed raw material using the first modified example. [Figure 24] This photograph shows the raw material for oilseed meal powder used for animal feed or fertilizer, obtained by the first modification, after the oil has been extracted from shaved pork fat and pork offal fat in the first step. [Figure 25] This is a photograph showing the oil cake obtained after compressing shaved pork fat and pork offal fat, which are raw materials for oil cake powder used as animal feed or fertilizer, according to the first modification. [Figure 26] This flowchart shows the manufacturing process for oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer using a second modified method. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0030] The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present disclosure of "oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer" and "a method for producing oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer." However, the following description is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, but should be understood as a description of exemplary embodiments. The following description is not intended to unduly limit the scope of the claims, and not all of the configurations described in this embodiment are necessarily essential as solutions.

[0031] In the following description, terms indicating directions such as "up," "down," "left," and "right" are used for explanatory purposes only and do not indicate a method or manner of use unless explicitly stated in the context. Terms such as "first," "second," ... "nth (where n is any natural number)" used in this specification and the claims are used as identifiers to distinguish different elements and do not indicate any particular order or superiority.

[0032] The terms used in the following description are intended solely to illustrate specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Components in any aspect described herein and in the claims are intended to include plural forms unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise. The term “and / or” refers to and is intended to include any and all possible combinations of one or more of the related enumerated elements. The terms “includes” and “comprises” as used herein and in the claims identify the presence of features, actions, elements, and steps. However, these terms are used not to exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, actions, elements, steps, and / or groups thereof.

[0033] As used herein and in the claims, “range” is limited in the form of a lower and upper limit, and a given range is limited by selecting one lower limit and one upper limit, which define the boundary of a particular range. The range thus limited may or may not include the endpoints, and any combination is possible, that is, any lower limit can be combined with any upper limit to form a range. For example, if the ranges 60-120 and 80-110 are listed for a particular parameter, it is understood that the ranges 60-110 and 80-120 are also conceivable. In this application, unless otherwise specified, the numerical range “a-b” represents an abbreviation for any combination of real numbers a-b. For example, the numerical range “0-5” means that all real numbers between “0-5” have already been listed herein, and “0-5” is an abbreviation for combinations of these numbers. Furthermore, expressing that a parameter is an integer ≥ 2 is equivalent to disclosing that this parameter is, for example, an integer such as 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, etc.

[0034] Numerical terms modified by “about,” “approximately,” “nearly,” and “substantially” as used in this specification and in the claims are understood to include the numerical value itself and the numerical values ​​before and after it. For example, when “about 3” is written, “3” and the numerical values ​​immediately following it may be included in “about 3,” as long as they possess the technical features of the invention as disclosed herein. Similarly, when “substantially identical B to A,” B may be included in the scope of “substantially” even if it differs from A, as long as it shares the same technical features as the invention as disclosed herein.

[0035] Manufacturing apparatus for oilseed meal powder for raw materials and animal feed or fertilizer [Figures 1-21]

[0036] The oilseed meal powder manufacturing apparatus 10 described herein as an "apparatus for manufacturing oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer" is an apparatus for manufacturing oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer from the residue remaining after producing animal fat from "livestock by-products".

[0037] Oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer is an example of its use and may include any of the following: oilseed meal powder for animal feed, oilseed meal powder for fertilizer, or oilseed meal powder for both animal feed and fertilizer. Here, "for animal feed" refers to, for example, pet food, and oilseed meal powder for animal feed can be used as an ingredient in pet food. "For fertilizer" refers to, for example, fertilizer used for soil improvement or soil eutrophication, and oilseed meal powder for fertilizer can be used as an example as an ingredient in soil conditioners. These uses are illustrative and not limited to them, and it can also be used as an ingredient for other uses other than animal feed and fertilizer.

[0038] Oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer may be made from livestock by-products. Livestock can include at least one by-product of chickens, pigs, or cattle. Other livestock include wild boars, horses, sheep, goats, and other animals, and their by-products can also be used as raw materials. Oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer may be made from pigs and chickens, and these two can be mixed at a predetermined stage in the manufacturing process. This embodiment will describe in detail the case where livestock by-products of chickens, pigs, and cattle are used as raw materials, but is not limited thereto. Livestock by-products may include fatty tissue obtained from the slaughtering process, specifically raw fat (including subcutaneous fat (bed fat), visceral fat, and animal tissue to which these are attached), shaped fat (including subcutaneous fat (bed fat), visceral fat, and animal tissue to which these are attached), etc.

[0039] Here, raw fat refers to fat obtained from the subcutaneous tissue and internal organs of a slaughtered animal, and is fat produced within the animal's body. Processed fat refers to processed animal fat obtained after slaughter, when the head, internal organs, etc. are removed, the skin is removed, and the remaining subcutaneous fat and the fat, bone, and meat covering the kidneys are stored in a freezer for a predetermined period. After the parts have hardened, the bones and meat are cut off and separated. Subcutaneous fat is a type of raw fat and refers to the layer of fat accumulated under the skin of a slaughtered animal. Visceral fat is a type of raw fat and refers to fat accumulated in and around the internal organs of a slaughtered animal, and mainly includes fat from internal organs such as the intestines, liver, kidneys, and the fat covering the kidneys. When raw fat contains at least one of cartilage and muscle, it means that cartilage or muscle is attached to the raw fat.

[0040] Chicken by-products include chicken fat (which may include cartilage such as the trachea). Pig by-products may include at least one of the following: pork fat (which may include cartilage such as the trachea), trimmed pork fat, subcutaneous pork fat, or pork visceral fat. Cattle by-products include beef fat (which may include cartilage such as the trachea), trimmed beef fat, or beef visceral fat. Oilseed meal powder for fertilizer is manufactured using at least one of these livestock by-products as a raw material. Oilseed meal powder for animal feed is manufactured using a combination of two or more of these livestock by-products as a raw material.

[0041] "A combination of two or more types" as used here may refer to a combination of different parts derived from a single livestock species (e.g., chickens only, pigs only, or cattle only), or a combination of parts derived from multiple livestock species (e.g., chickens, pigs, and cattle). In other words, feed oilseed meal powder made solely from chicken by-products, feed oilseed meal powder made solely from pig by-products, or feed oilseed meal powder made solely from cattle by-products are also included in embodiments of this disclosure.

[0042] The raw materials can be broadly divided into "first raw materials" and "second raw materials." When manufacturing oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer from "first raw materials" and "second raw materials," they may be processed separately from start to finish, or they may be processed together at a predetermined stage in the manufacturing process. "First raw materials" are livestock by-products of chicken, and may include, for example, raw chicken fat. "Second raw materials" are livestock by-products of pigs, and may include, for example, pork offal fat, pork trimmed fat, and pork subcutaneous fat.

[0043] Raw chicken fat is raw fat extracted from the body of a chicken and has not undergone processing or refining. As shown in Figure 1, for example, chicken tail fat is used as raw chicken fat. Chicken tail fat is fat extracted from around the tail of the chicken, also known as bonjiri. Raw chicken fat used as raw material can be that which has not undergone any pre-processing such as crushing. Raw chicken fat used as raw material has not undergone any pre-processing such as crushing, and as shown in Figure 1, the length and width are approximately 20 mm to 60 mm, and most are between 20 mm and 50 mm. As shown in Figure 2, the raw chicken fat used as raw material is processed into crushed raw material cut into lengths of approximately 20 mm to 50 mm by the crushing process described later.

[0044] Pork fat is raw fat obtained during slaughter from the subcutaneous fat layer of the pig's back and abdomen, as well as from the pig's internal organs, particularly the mesentery and the area around the kidneys, without any processing or refining. The pork fat used as raw material is obtained during slaughter from the subcutaneous fat layer of the pig's back and abdomen, as well as from the pig's internal organs, particularly the mesentery and the area around the kidneys, without any special pre-processing. Its size varies depending on the method of slaughter, but for ease of understanding, it is typically about 10 mm to 700 mm in length and width.

[0045] Pork trimmed fat is a mass of fat that is mainly attached under the skin, between and on the surface of muscles, and covering the kidneys. After slaughter and butchering, it is stored in a freezer for one day and then cut off from each part. The pork trimmed fat used as raw material is a mass of fat obtained after slaughter and butchering, stored in a freezer for one day and then cutting off the bone and meat from each part. It is not pre-processed and, as shown in Figure 3, has a size of approximately 10 mm to 200 mm in length and width. As shown in Figure 4, the pork trimmed fat used as raw material is processed into crushed raw material cut into lengths of approximately 1 mm to 100 mm by the crushing process described later.

[0046] Subcutaneous pig fat is fat obtained from the surplus after the hides of slaughtered and butchered pigs have been sold to raw hide dealers and processed into leather products. The subcutaneous pig fat used as raw material is obtained after the hides of slaughtered and butchered pigs have been processed into leather products, and does not undergo any special pre-processing. As shown in Figure 5, it has a size of approximately 1 mm to 1000 mm in length and width. As shown in Figure 6, the subcutaneous pig fat used as raw material is processed into crushed raw material cut into lengths of approximately 1 mm to 100 mm by the crushing process described later.

[0047] Pork visceral fat is fat obtained from the internal organs of pigs during slaughter and butchering, particularly from the mesentery and the area around the kidneys. The pork visceral fat used as raw material is obtained from the meat surrounding the internal organs of pigs during slaughter and butchering, particularly from the mesentery and the area around the kidneys, and is not pre-processed. As shown in Figure 7, it has a size of approximately 1 mm to 700 mm in length and width. As shown in Figure 8, the pork visceral fat used as raw material is processed into crushed raw material cut into lengths of approximately 1 mm to 500 mm by the crushing process described later.

[0048] Beef fat is raw fat collected from the body of a cow during slaughter and butchering, and has not undergone processing or refining. The beef fat used as a raw material can be beef fat that has not undergone any pre-processing such as crushing. The size of the beef fat used as a raw material varies depending on the butchering method, but as an example for ease of understanding, it is approximately 1 mm to 1000 mm in size in length and width.

[0049] Bovine organs and visceral fat are fats obtained from the internal organs of cattle and the animal tissues to which they are attached, particularly organs including the stomach, mesentery, and the area around the kidneys, during slaughter and butchering. Bovine organs and visceral fat are red in color. The bovine organs and visceral fat used as raw materials are obtained from the meat surrounding the internal organs of cattle during slaughter and butchering, particularly the meat around the stomach, mesentery, and kidneys, and are not pre-processed. As shown in Figure 9, they are approximately 20 mm to 700 mm in size. As shown in Figure 10, the bovine organs and visceral fat used as raw materials are processed into crushed raw materials cut into lengths of approximately 1 mm to 200 mm by the crushing process described later.

[0050] Beef visceral fat is fat obtained from the internal organs of cattle during slaughter and butchering, particularly from the mesentery and the area around the kidneys. Beef organs and visceral fat are white in color. The beef visceral fat used as raw material is obtained from the meat surrounding the internal organs of cattle during slaughter and butchering, particularly from the mesentery and the area around the kidneys, and is not pre-processed. As shown in Figure 11, it is approximately 1 mm to 700 mm in size. As shown in Figure 12, the beef visceral fat used as raw material is processed into crushed raw material cut into lengths of approximately 1 mm to 200 mm by the crushing process described later.

[0051] Beef trimmed fat is a mass of fat obtained by cutting off the bones and meat from each part of the animal after slaughter and butchering, and storing it in a freezer for two days. It is not pre-processed and, as shown in Figure 13, has a size of approximately 1 mm to 500 mm in length and width. The beef trimmed fat used as raw material is processed into crushed raw material cut into lengths of approximately 1 mm to 200 mm, as shown in Figure 14, through a crushing process described later.

[0052] As described above, all of the raw materials are by-products of slaughter and butchering, and with this embodiment, oilseed meal powder of the quality described later can be produced without any pre-treatment as a pre-processing step for producing oilseed meal powder. Note that the above raw materials (raw chicken fat, raw pork fat, trimmed pork fat, subcutaneous pork fat, pork visceral fat, raw beef fat, beef organs and visceral fat, beef visceral fat, trimmed beef fat) are examples, and other body tissues of chickens, pigs, and cattle obtained as by-products of slaughter and butchering (for example, meat pieces remaining after fat removal) may also be included as raw materials.

[0053] As shown in Figure 15, the oil cake powder manufacturing apparatus 10 includes a chopper 11, a pressure vessel 12, a compressor 13, a separation device 14, a first impact pulverizer 15, a sieving machine 16, and a second impact pulverizer 17.

[0054] Chopper 11 is a device for crushing raw materials. Chopper 11 is used to mince raw materials and obtain crushed raw materials. The "first raw material" is used as the raw material. Although this example shows the use of the "first raw material," the "second raw material" or other types of raw materials mentioned above can also be used as raw materials.

[0055] For example, a meat chopper can be used as chopper 11, but it is not limited to this, and other choppers can be used. In this embodiment, an example using the following meat chopper as an example of chopper 11 will be described. The meat chopper has a body, a roll, a knife, a plate, and a fixing ring.

[0056] The body is a hollow cylindrical shape. The body is configured to accommodate rolls, knives, plates, and raw materials inside its hollow interior. The meat chopper is configured to feed raw materials from the first end of the body in the axial direction (direction of the cylinder) upstream toward the second end of the body in the axial direction toward the downstream. The rolls, knives, and plates are arranged inside the body in this order from upstream to downstream. The rolls, knives, and plates are arranged coaxially inside the body with respect to the axis from upstream to downstream. The rolls and knives are configured to be able to rotate together around an axis.

[0057] The roll functions as a feed rod, moving the raw material from the upstream side to the downstream side. The roll has an axial shape, and is provided with helical projections that protrude radially outward from its outer surface. As the roll rotates, the helical projections are configured to push the raw material axially from upstream to downstream.

[0058] The knife, paired with the plate, functions to cut the raw material. The knife has multiple blades extending radially outward from the center of the axis. The knife may have a cross shape with, for example, four blades, or a star shape with five or six blades. The knife functions as a rotating blade, with the blades rotating around an axis.

[0059] The plate has the function of setting the coarseness of the grind (mincing) of the raw material. The plate is disc-shaped. Multiple holes are formed in the plate, penetrating in the direction of the plate's thickness (upstream-downstream direction). The diameter of the holes can be, for example, 35 mm to 40 mm. The edges between the plate surface and the holes are formed to be sharp. The plate functions as a fixed blade. The surface of the plate is positioned so that the blade of the knife lightly touches it.

[0060] A meat chopper combines the above-described components and is configured to finely grind (mince) the raw material, which is pushed in by the spiral projections of the rolls and passes through the holes in the plate, with a knife. As shown in Figure 2, the meat chopper is configured to process the raw material into crushed raw material with a larger surface area through crushing. Therefore, the meat chopper can form crushed raw material that extracts oil and fat with higher efficiency in the pressure vessel 12 used in the next process. As long as it is possible to form crushed raw material that extracts oil and fat with higher efficiency in the pressure vessel 12, various devices other than the illustrated meat chopper can be used for the chopper 11.

[0061] The pressure vessel 12 is a device that has a predetermined internal volume and body dimensions and creates a pressurized environment by holding gas at or above a predetermined gauge pressure inside it. The pressure vessel 12 may also be a device that creates a low-pressure or vacuum reduced-pressure environment by degassing its interior. The pressure vessel 12 is used to obtain oil cake raw material shown in Figure 16 by heating crushed raw material under a predetermined pressure to dissolve liquid oil. As raw material, for example, the crushed raw material shown in Figure 2, obtained by crushing the "first raw material" shown in Figure 1, can be used. Similarly, the crushed raw materials shown in Figures 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14, obtained by crushing the raw materials shown in Figures 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13, respectively, can also be used.

[0062] As the pressure vessel 12, for example, a double-boiled pressure vessel 12 can be used, but is not limited to this, and other pressure vessels can be used. Furthermore, as the pressure vessel 12, either a first-class pressure vessel or a second-class pressure vessel may be used. In this embodiment, an example using the following double-boiled second-class pressure vessel 12 will be described as an example of the pressure vessel 12. The pressure vessel 12 has an outer casing, an inner casing, a high-pressure gas inlet, a stirring device, a hopper, and a ball valve.

[0063] The pressure vessel 12 has a double-walled structure in which an inner kettle is housed inside an outer kettle. The pressure vessel 12 is configured to be able to seal the space formed between the outer kettle and the inner kettle, as well as each of the inner kettle, to the outside air, and is pressure-resistant. The inner kettle has a predetermined internal volume and is configured to accommodate materials to be processed, such as solids and liquids. The inner kettle has a cylindrical shape, for example, with a diameter of 1500 mm and a height of 2200 mm. The outer kettle is provided with a high-pressure gas inlet. The high-pressure gas inlet is located, for example, 1345 mm from the bottom end of the outer kettle. The high-pressure gas is introduced between the outer kettle and the inner kettle. The agitator is a device for agitating the materials to be processed housed in the inner kettle. The agitator has an agitator body. The agitator body is located within the area of ​​the inner kettle.

[0064] A hopper is positioned above the inner kettle. The hopper is configured to accommodate the crushed raw material. The hopper may be integrated with the pressure vessel 12 or it may be a separate unit. A ball valve is attached to the lower end of the inner kettle at its radial center. By opening the ball valve, the liquid contained in the inner kettle can be discharged to the outside of the pressure vessel 12. The oilseed meal raw material shown in Figure 16 can be obtained from the inner kettle after the liquid has been discharged. The oilseed meal raw material contains numerous oilseed meal lumps ranging from approximately 2 mm to 50 mm in size, as shown in Figure 16. The oilseed meal lumps are formed as a mixture of fibrous tissue and cell tissue, muscle tissue, collagen and other connective tissue proteins that constitute adipose tissue.

[0065] As described above, the pressure vessel 12 can place the crushed raw material, which is the material to be processed, into a high-temperature, high-pressure environment while it is immersed in a liquid of oil and fat. Furthermore, by placing the crushed raw material into a high-temperature, high-pressure environment, the pressure vessel 12 can extract oil from the crushed raw material. The pressure vessel 12 can then separate the heat-treated crushed raw material into oil and fat and oil cake raw material.

[0066] Here, the oilseed meal raw material obtained by extracting oil from animal fats under high-temperature conditions without hydrolysis can also be called oilseed meal raw material that has undergone de-oiling treatment under non-hydration and heating conditions.

[0067] Non-hydrogenated, heated de-oiling treatment is more suitable for solid fertilizers and applications where long-term fertilizer effects are desired. This is because, without hydrolysis, the basic structure of the proteins is relatively preserved, while primarily physical separation of oil occurs. Although some protein denaturation occurs due to high-temperature treatment, the cleavage of molecular chains is limited. As a result, the proportion of insoluble proteins is high, and a coarser particle structure is maintained.

[0068] In other words, the powdered oilseed meal raw material, which has been de-oiled under non-hydration and heating conditions, retains its protein structure relatively well, making it easier to maintain a coarse and stable particle shape. This improves the binding and moldability when processing it into pelletized or granular solid fertilizers such as animal feed. In contrast, fine powders with low molecular weight, such as hydrolyzed products, are difficult to solidify and tend to scatter easily.

[0069] Furthermore, in applications such as fertilizers, the powdered form of oilseed meal raw material, which is de-oiled under non-hydrogenated and heated conditions, retains long protein molecular chains. This means that it takes time to decompose in the soil, and nutrients such as nitrogen are gradually released through gradual decomposition by soil microorganisms. This "slow-release" property allows for a supply of nutrients for several months with a single application, resulting in less loss due to rapid nutrient release and eliminating the need for frequent top dressing. In contrast, fine powders with low molecular weight, such as hydrolyzed products, are absorbed by plants immediately after application to the soil, resulting in a shorter period of effectiveness.

[0070] Therefore, powdered oilseed meal raw material, processed without water addition and heating to remove oil, can be used in solid fertilizers and contribute to the long-term effects of fertilizers.

[0071] The compressor 13 is a device that separates the liquid from the liquid-solid mixture of raw materials and concentrates the solid content. The compressor 13 is used to remove the liquid oil from the oil cake raw material, which is a liquid-solid mixture. Furthermore, the compressor 13 is used to remove the liquid oil from the oil cake raw material (cake) (Figure 17) after the oil has been removed in the separation device 14 described later. As the compressor 13, for example, an expeller that performs continuous compression by the rotation of a screw shaft can be used, but it is not limited to this, and other types of compressors can be used. In this embodiment, an example in which the following expeller is used as the compressor 13 will be described. The compressor 13 only needs to be able to remove the oil contained in the oil cake raw material until it is below a predetermined amount, and is not limited to an expeller, but may be other types of devices, such as a ball clamping machine.

[0072] The expeller comprises a cage, a worm, a raw material inlet, a liquid discharge port, and a compressed material discharge port. The cage is a hollow cylindrical shape. The expeller is installed so that the cylindrical axis of the cage extends horizontally. The cage is configured to accommodate the worm and oilseed meal raw material inside its hollow interior. The expeller is configured to send the oilseed meal raw material downstream, with the first end of the cage in the axial direction (axial direction) being upstream, and the second end of the cage in the axial direction being downstream. A raw material inlet is provided at the first end of the cage. The raw material inlet extends upward along a vertical line from the first end of the cage. Therefore, the expeller is configured so that the oilseed meal raw material introduced into the raw material inlet is continuously supplied to the first end of the cage.

[0073] The worm feeds the oilseed meal material from the upstream to the downstream side and also functions as a pressurizing rod that pressurizes the oilseed meal material toward the second end of the cage. The worm has an axial shape that extends in the axial direction of the cage, and is provided with helical projections (screw blades) that protrude radially outward from its outer surface. The worm is configured to be rotationally driven around its axis. Therefore, the expeller is configured such that, as the worm rotates, the oilseed meal material is transported along the helical projections and displaced in the axial direction of the cage and worm from the upstream end to the downstream end.

[0074] The diameter of the worm shaft is larger on the downstream side than on the upstream side. In contrast, the diameter of the screw blades is the same on both the upstream and downstream sides. As a result, the length of the gap between the cage and the worm shaft, or in other words, the depth of the groove from the outer edge of the screw blade to the outer surface of the worm shaft, decreases from the upstream side to the downstream side. Furthermore, the spacing between adjacent screw blades in the axial direction is narrower on the downstream side than on the upstream side. This worm configuration allows the expeller to compress the oilseed meal raw material, gradually increasing the compression ratio of the oilseed meal raw material from the upstream side to the downstream side.

[0075] The cage has liquid discharge holes. These are numerous through-holes that penetrate the bottom wall of the cage, connecting the outside to the inside of the cage. The liquid discharge holes are configured to allow the liquid oil, which has been compressed by the worm and separated from the oilseed meal raw material, to pass through and be discharged to the outside. A press discharge port is formed at the second end of the cage. The press discharge port is configured to discharge the pressed oil cake, shown in Figure 18, which is the solid material (cake) remaining after the oil has been removed from the oilseed meal raw material inside the cage. The pressed oil cake is cracker-shaped (disc-shaped). Pressed oil cake that does not contain animal bones can be used. Pressed oil cake that does not contain animal bones is also called a livestock processing by-product, and in the case of chickens in particular, it is also called a chicken processing by-product.

[0076] If the oil content of the pressed oil cake is not sufficiently removed, the remaining oil may seep out during pulverization by the first impact-type pulverizer 15 and the second impact-type pulverizer 17 described later, potentially causing the pressed oil cake and the pulverized oil cake powder to adhere to each other and solidify (clogging) within the apparatus. However, because the expeller properly removes the oil content of the pressed oil cake, the first impact-type pulverizer 15 and the second impact-type pulverizer 17 can efficiently pulverize the pressed oil cake.

[0077] As described above, the expeller can extract liquid oil not only from the oilseed meal raw material but also from the oilseed meal raw material (cake) (Figure 17) after the oil has been removed in the separation device 14 described later. The expeller can obtain pressed oilseed meal in particular from the oilseed meal raw material (cake) after centrifugal separation. Thus, because the oilseed meal powder manufacturing apparatus for animal feed or fertilizer of this embodiment has an expeller, the yield of oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer can be increased.

[0078] The separation device 14 is a device that separates a liquid from solid particles suspended in that liquid. The separation device 14 is used to obtain oil cake raw material (Figure 17) remaining in the liquid from the liquid discharged from the pressure vessel 12. Furthermore, the separation device 14 is used to obtain oil cake raw material (cake) remaining in the oil from the oil in the liquid removed by the expeller.

[0079] As the separation device 14, for example, a centrifuge that uses centrifugal force to separate a liquid from solid particles suspended in that liquid can be used. However, the separation device 14 is not limited to a centrifuge; a pressure filter, belt press, vacuum dewatering machine, screw press, multi-disc dewatering machine, a static method that separates by gravity, or a device using filter paper or filter media can also be used. Furthermore, as a centrifuge, for example, a decanter-type centrifuge that performs continuous solid-liquid separation by a slight difference in rotation between the outer bowl and the inner screw conveyor can be used, but it is not limited to this, and other centrifuges can be used. In this embodiment, an example using the following decanter-type centrifuge as an example of the separation device 14 will be described.

[0080] The separation device 14 only needs to be able to obtain oil cake raw materials (cake) containing meat pieces, fat chunks, proteins, etc. from the liquid material discharged from the pressure vessel 12 and the oily liquid material removed by the expeller (hereinafter referred to as "liquid material, etc."). The separation device 14 is not limited to a decanter-type centrifuge, but may be another type of device, such as a cylindrical, disc-type, or vertical type.

[0081] A decanter-type centrifuge comprises an outer bowl, an inner screw conveyor, a supernatant outlet, a sediment outlet, and a raw liquid supply pipe.

[0082] The outer bowl is a hollow cylindrical shape. The outer bowl may have a shape that combines, for example, a cylindrical shape and a frustoconical shape. The decanter-type centrifuge is installed so that the cylindrical axis of the outer bowl extends horizontally. The outer bowl is configured to accommodate an inner screw conveyor and liquids inside its hollow interior. The decanter-type centrifuge has a first end on one side in the axial direction of the outer bowl and a second end on the other side in the axial direction of the outer bowl. The outer bowl may have a frustoconical shape, for example, located on the side of the second end. A supernatant outlet is formed at the first end of the outer bowl, spaced radially from the cylindrical circumferential wall of the outer bowl. A precipitate outlet is formed on the circumferential wall, for example, the frustoconical shape, on the side of the second end of the outer bowl.

[0083] The inner screw conveyor has an axial shape that extends in the axial direction of the outer bowl. The inner screw conveyor is arranged coaxially with the outer bowl. A raw liquid supply pipe is formed inside the inner screw conveyor. Therefore, one side of the inner screw conveyor is hollow and cylindrical in its axial direction, while the other side is solid and columnar. The inner screw conveyor has a through hole that penetrates from, for example, the first end of the outer bowl to an intermediate position in the axial direction of the inner screw conveyor. The through hole opens radially outward from the inner screw conveyor at the boundary between the hollow and solid parts of the inner screw conveyor.

[0084] Thus, the stock solution supply pipe is composed of a through-hole that passes through the inside of the inner cylinder screw conveyor. The stock solution supply pipe is configured to supply a liquid substance, which is the stock solution, from the outside of the decanter-type centrifuge to the inside of the outer cylinder bowl. The stock solution supply pipe only needs to be able to supply the liquid substance to the inside of the outer cylinder bowl, and may be configured to introduce the liquid substance from the second end side of the outer cylinder bowl.

[0085] The outer bowl is configured to be rotatable around its axis. This allows the outer bowl to exert centrifugal force on the liquid inside. When centrifugal force acts on the liquid, the precipitate of solid particles accumulates on the inner wall of the outer bowl, and the supernatant of the oily liquid collects towards the radial center of the outer bowl. Therefore, the decanter-type centrifuge is configured so that the supernatant of the oily liquid passes over the supernatant outlet at the first end of the outer bowl and is discharged to the outside as shown in Figure 19.

[0086] The inner cylinder screw conveyor has helical projections (screw blades) on the outer circumference of its axial shape. The inner cylinder screw conveyor is configured to be rotationally driven around its axis. The inner cylinder screw conveyor is configured to rotate at a speed slightly slower than that of the outer cylinder bowl. Therefore, the decanter-type centrifuge is configured such that, as the inner cylinder screw conveyor rotates, the precipitate of solid particles accumulated on the inner wall of the outer cylinder bowl travels along the helical projections, moving axially from the first end to the second end of the outer cylinder bowl. The decanter-type centrifuge is then configured so that the precipitate of solid particles is dewatered as it passes through the frustoconical circumferential wall and discharged from the precipitate outlet. That is, the precipitate outlet is configured to discharge the oil cake raw material (shown in Figure 17) to the outside after the oil has been removed from the liquid. The oil cake raw material (cake) is formed as a mass of mixed fibrous material and cellular tissue that constitute adipose tissue, as shown in Figure 17. Its size varies depending on the amount of solid matter contained in the material added.

[0087] As described above, the decanter-type centrifuge can process not only the liquid discharged from the pressure vessel 12, but also the oil in the liquid removed by the expeller, separating it into an oil supernatant and a precipitate of solid particles. In particular, the decanter-type centrifuge can obtain oilseed meal raw material (cake) remaining in the liquid oil. Thus, because the oilseed meal powder manufacturing apparatus for animal feed or fertilizer according to this embodiment has a decanter-type centrifuge, the yield of oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer can be increased. Furthermore, because the oilseed meal powder manufacturing apparatus for animal feed or fertilizer according to this embodiment has a decanter-type centrifuge, the purity of the oil as a by-product can be increased, improving the quality of animal feed oils and fats that can be used as a product.

[0088] The "first pulverizer" is a device that pulverizes the material to be pulverized to a predetermined particle size. For example, the first impact pulverizer 15 can be used as the "first pulverizer," but it is not limited to this, and other pulverizers can be used. The first impact pulverizer 15 has the function of pulverizing the material to be pulverized into a fine powder by applying a combination of mechanical actions such as impact force and shear force to the material to be pulverized. The first impact pulverizer 15 is used to pulverize oil cake to obtain a mixture (granular material) of powdered oil cake powder shown in Figure 20 and residual particles as particulate foreign matter shown in Figure 21. Here, "powdered" refers to an aggregate of fine solids whose individual shapes are difficult to distinguish visually. Furthermore, "particulate" refers to particles that are larger than powder and large enough that their individual shapes can be distinguished visually.

[0089] As the first impact pulverizer 15, for example, a pin mill, a pulverizer, or an atomizer can be used. If the first impact pulverizer 15 is a pin mill, a pulverizer, or an atomizer, it is preferable because it can efficiently pulverize the oil cake. However, the first impact pulverizer 15 is not limited to a pin mill, a pulverizer, or an atomizer; other mechanical pulverizers can also be used. In this embodiment, an example in which the following pulverizer is used as the first impact pulverizer 15 will be described. The pulverizer has a hopper, a screw feeder, a pulverizing chamber, a rotor, a pulverizing hammer, a liner, a screen, and a discharge port.

[0090] The hopper is the input port for the oil cake, which is the material to be crushed. The screw feeder functions as a feed rod that sends the oil cake from the bottom of the hopper towards the crushing chamber. The screw feeder is axial in shape and has helical projections that protrude radially outward from its outer surface. The pulverizer is installed so that the shaft of the screw feeder extends horizontally. As the screw feeder rotates, the helical projections push the oil cake axially from the bottom of the hopper towards the crushing chamber.

[0091] The crushing chamber is configured to accommodate a rotor, a crushing hammer, a liner, a screen, and the oil cake. The rotor is cylindrical in shape. The rotor is positioned so that its cylindrical axis extends perpendicular to the direction in which the oil cake is supplied and horizontal to the ground.

[0092] A crushing hammer is attached to the outer circumference of the rotor. The crushing hammer is U-shaped (stirrup-shaped). The two legs of the U-shaped crushing hammer are pivotably attached to the rotor with an axis in the direction along the cylindrical axis of the rotor. Multiple crushing hammers are provided in parallel in the axial direction of the rotor. The number of crushing hammers is not limited to four, fewer than four, or more than four in the axial direction of the rotor. Multiple crushing hammers are provided spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the rotor. The number of crushing hammers is not limited to sixteen, fewer than sixteen, or more than sixteen. The rotor is configured to rotate around its axis. The rotor is configured to rotate at a peripheral speed of, for example, 60 m / s. However, the peripheral speed of the rotor may be configured to exceed, for example, 70 m / s, 80 m / s, or 90 m / s.

[0093] A liner is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the crushing chamber, opposite the upper half of the rotor. The liner has multiple uneven surfaces that extend along the axial direction of the rotor. The pressed oil cake is crushed between the crushing hammer, which rotates around the rotor's axis, and the liner. That is, the high-speed rotating crushing hammer applies impact force to cartilage, muscle, etc., attached to the animal fat. The oil cake powder launched by the crushing hammer receives further impact force upon impact with the liner. Strong shear forces are generated in the narrow space between the crushing hammer and the liner. The vortices generated by the uneven surface of the liner generate shear forces from multiple directions. In this way, the pulverizer as the first impact crusher 15 functions to crush the pressed oil cake through these combined mechanical actions.

[0094] One reason why conventional techniques have made it difficult to cut cartilage, muscle, and other tissues attached to animal fat is the unique physical properties of these tissues. Specifically, cartilage and muscle have strong elasticity, allowing them to deform and dissipate external forces, and their surfaces are slippery, making it difficult for cutting blades to penetrate. Therefore, even if shear force is applied from a single direction using a cutting blade, the tissue deforms or the blade slips, preventing effective cutting. In this embodiment, this problem is solved by the combined action of impact force and shear force from the first impact-type crusher 15, enabling efficient crushing of animal fat to which cartilage and muscle are attached.

[0095] The screen has a filtering function that allows a mixture of oil cake powder (Figure 20), which has become a powder below a predetermined particle size after the oil cake has been crushed, and particulate residual particles (Figure 21) to pass through. The screen is installed below the rotor. The screen is formed in the shape of a thin plate. Multiple through holes are formed in the screen, penetrating in the direction of the screen's thickness.

[0096] The diameter of the through-holes is typically set to be between 5 mm and 10 mm. Generally, impact pulverizers are designed to pulverize materials into powder, and the diameter of the through-holes in their screens is typically 1 mm. However, when using livestock by-products as the material to be pulverized, the through-holes can become clogged, making it difficult to efficiently achieve the desired pulverization effect. On the other hand, if the diameter of the through-holes is too small, it can overload the pulverizer, slowing down the process and potentially reducing the pulverization efficiency of livestock by-products. Furthermore, if the diameter of the through-holes is too small, the material to be pulverized may clog the through-holes in the pulverizer screen. Therefore, when using livestock by-products as the material to be pulverized, setting the diameter of the through-holes to be between 5 mm and 10 mm eliminates the problem of clogged through-holes and makes it easier to efficiently achieve the desired pulverization effect.

[0097] The pulverizer is configured to further pulverize the oil cake that cannot pass through the screen's perforations in the pulverizing chamber. Specifically, the pulverizer is configured to reduce the oil cake to a particle size smaller than that which can pass through the screen's perforations by repeatedly pulverizing it through impact from a high-speed rotating pulverizing hammer and through shearing between the pulverizing hammer and the liner. The pulverizer is then configured to discharge a mixture of the powdered oil cake that has passed through the screen's perforations and the remaining particulate particles from the discharge port.

[0098] Here, we can also consider a configuration in which the manufacturing apparatus for oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer does not have a pulverizer.

[0099] However, the animal fat of livestock, which is the raw material for the oilseed meal powder in this embodiment, includes cartilage and muscle. Because cartilage and muscle are flexible and have slippery surfaces, they have the characteristic of simply deforming rather than being cut by the compressive and impact forces of the crushing blades. Furthermore, due to their elasticity and slipperiness, cartilage and muscle may simply bend or crush inside the crushing machine without being effectively cut.

[0100] Therefore, if the oil cake is fed directly into the second impact pulverizer 17 without going through primary crushing by the pulverizer, there is a risk that the oil cake will not be crushed to a size smaller than the desired particle size. Furthermore, if the oil cake is fed directly into the second impact pulverizer 17 without going through crushing by the pulverizer, there is a risk that the motor and mechanism of the second impact pulverizer 17 will be subjected to an excessive load. As a result, the second impact pulverizer 17 may consume more energy than necessary, which may lead to a decrease in manufacturing efficiency.

[0101] In contrast, the oilseed meal powder manufacturing apparatus 10, by having a pulverizer, can produce oilseed meal powder in advance when crushing the pressed oilseed meal, without requiring the high-performance crushing capacity of the second impact crusher 17. This reduces the load on the motor and mechanism of the second impact crusher 17. Consequently, the energy consumed by the second impact crusher 17 can be kept to a minimum, suppressing a decrease in manufacturing efficiency. Furthermore, the processing efficiency of the second impact crusher 17 can be improved.

[0102] The pulverizer may be equipped with a dust collector to collect the powder that scatters when the pressed oil cake is fed into the hopper. The same applies to the second impact pulverizer 17, which will be described later. The powder collected by the dust collector is filled into, for example, a flexible container bag. The powder filled into the flexible container bag is mixed with the oil cake powder discharged from the discharge port of the second impact pulverizer 17. The powder filled into the flexible container bag may also be mixed with the oil cake powder discharged from the sieve-pass discharge port of the sieving machine 16. In this way, by having a dust collector in the oil cake powder production apparatus for animal feed or fertilizer of this embodiment, the yield of oil cake powder for animal feed or fertilizer can be increased.

[0103] As described above, the pulverizer can pulverize the oil cake, which is the material to be pulverized, to a particle size below a predetermined size. Furthermore, the pulverizer can pulverize the oil cake to a size suitable for use as a fertilizer raw material.

[0104] The sieving machine 16 is a device for sieving (classifying) granular material that is to be sieved. The sieving machine 16 is used to sieve out residual particles that have not been completely pulverized from a mixture of oil cake powder pulverized by the first impact-type pulverizer 15 and residual particles. As the sieving machine 16, for example, an electrically powered vibrating sieving machine can be used. A vibrating sieving machine 16 is preferable because it can sufficiently sieve out residual particles. However, the sieving machine 16 is not limited to a vibrating sieving machine; ultrasonic sieving machines, centrifugal sieving machines, rotap sieving machines, etc., can also be used. Furthermore, among vibrating sieving machines, a three-dimensional vibrating sieving machine that vibrates in three directions—up and down, front and back, and left and right—is preferable because it can achieve efficient and high-performance sieving. However, the sieving machine 16 is not limited to a three-dimensional vibrating type; linear vibrating type, rotary vibrating type, etc., can also be used.

[0105] The sieving machine 16 comprises a main body, a screen (sieving mesh), a motor, a weight (unbalanced weight), a spring, an input port, a sieving pass-through discharge port, and a sieving residue discharge port. The main body supports each of the above-mentioned components and maintains the overall structure. The main body is hollow cylindrical in shape. There are no particular limitations on the shape of the main body; it is not limited to a cylindrical shape, but can also be a rectangular prism shape, etc. The sieving machine 16 may have a lid that covers the upper end of the main body.

[0106] The screen (sieve) is the part that separates the oilseed meal powder from the remaining particles. The screen has a filtering function that allows only oilseed meal powder that has become powdery (powdered) below a predetermined particle size to pass through. The screen is thin and disc-shaped. The screen is installed so that its circular surface is parallel to the bottom surface of the main body. Multiple through holes (mesh) are formed in a mesh-like pattern that penetrates between the two sides of the disc. The upper surface of the screen forms a sieving surface for sorting the size of the oilseed meal powder particles that have been crushed by the pulverizer.

[0107] The mesh size, which indicates the size of the screen openings, is typically set to between 14 and 18 mesh. A mesh size of 18 or less helps to suppress clogging of the oilseed meal powder in the screen, improving the efficiency of sieving the oilseed meal powder. On the other hand, a mesh size of 14 or more allows for the production of oilseed meal powder with a desired particle size or smaller, thereby improving the quality of the oilseed meal powder.

[0108] The sieving machine 16 consists of a single (single-stage) screen. However, the sieving machine 16 may also have a second screen with a finer mesh than the first screen, located below the first screen. Furthermore, the sieving machine 16 may have multiple (multiple-stage) screens.

[0109] The motor is the power source for the screen's vibration. The motor is built into the main body and is located below the screen. A weight (unbalanced weight) is attached to the end of the motor's shaft. The weight converts the motor's rotational motion into three-dimensional vibrations in three directions: up and down, forward and backward, and left and right, and transmits this motion to the screen via the main body. By changing the weight, mounting position, etc., the strength and direction of the sieving machine 16's vibration can be controlled. In this way, the vibration generating mechanism, including the motor and the weight, can vibrate the sieve surface, promoting the movement and separation of oil cake powder and residual particles.

[0110] The springs absorb vibrations from the sieving machine 16, enabling efficient sieving. Metal coil springs are used for the springs. There are no particular limitations on the type of spring used; for example, rubber springs can be used. The springs are installed on the lower side (outer wall) of the main body. The springs consist of multiple springs. For example, the springs consist of 16 springs, which are installed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the main body.

[0111] The input port is an opening provided at the upper end of the sieving machine 16. The input port is configured to accept a mixture of oil cake powder crushed by the pulverizer and remaining particles into the sieving machine 16. The input port is located in the radial center of the lid, opposite the screen, and opens upward. Therefore, the sieving machine 16 is configured so that the mixture of oil cake powder and remaining particles is introduced from the input port onto the sieve surface.

[0112] The sieve discharge port is an opening provided on the side of the main body. The sieve discharge port is configured to discharge the oil cake powder that has passed through the mesh of the screen from the sieving machine 16. The sieve discharge port is provided projecting radially outward from the outer peripheral wall of the main body below the screen.

[0113] The sieve residue discharge port is an opening provided on the side of the main body. The sieve residue discharge port is configured to discharge residual particles that did not pass through the screen mesh from the sieving machine 16. The sieve residue discharge port is provided projecting radially outward from the outer circumferential wall of the main body at a position above the screen.

[0114] As described above, the sieving machine 16 can sieve out residual particles that have not been completely crushed from the mixture of oilseed meal powder and residual particles, which are the material to be processed. In other words, the sieving machine 16 can classify the oilseed meal powder crushed by the pulverizer, which is the first impact-type crusher 15, into a particle size or smaller than a predetermined size. Thus, because the oilseed meal powder manufacturing apparatus for animal feed or fertilizer of this embodiment has a sieving machine 16, it is possible to obtain oilseed meal powder with a particle size suitable for animal feed (pet food). Therefore, the oilseed meal powder manufacturing apparatus for animal feed or fertilizer of this embodiment can improve the quality of the oilseed meal powder.

[0115] As the "second pulverizer," for example, a second impact pulverizer 17 can be used, but it is not limited to this, and other pulverizers can be used. The second impact pulverizer 17 has the function of pulverizing the material to be pulverized into a fine powder by applying a combination of mechanical forces such as impact force and shear force. The second impact pulverizer 17 is used to pulverize the remaining particles that the pulverizer, which is the first impact pulverizer 15, could not completely pulverize into a powder, in order to obtain the oil cake powder shown in Figure 20. The remaining particles shown in Figure 21 are hard enough that they cannot be easily crushed by compressing them with a finger (hard particles). However, the second impact pulverizer 17 uses the remaining particles as the material to be pulverized and pulverizes them by applying a stronger impact force than the pulverizer, which is the first impact pulverizer 15.

[0116] Here, the second impact pulverizer 17 differs from the first impact pulverizer 15 in the peripheral speed of the rotor and the diameter of the through-holes in the screen, but in other respects, it is the same as the first impact pulverizer 15. However, the second impact pulverizer 17 can have a different configuration from the first impact pulverizer 15 in respects other than those described above, as long as it can pulverize the remaining particles that the first impact pulverizer 15 could not completely pulverize into a powder. Furthermore, the second impact pulverizer 17 is not limited to a pin mill, pulverizer, or atomizer, but can also be any other mechanical pulverizer. In this embodiment, an example using the following pulverizer as the second impact pulverizer 17 will be described. The pulverizer has a hopper, a screw feeder, a pulverizing chamber, a rotor, a pulverizing hammer, a liner, a screen, and a discharge port.

[0117] The peripheral speed of the rotor of the pulverizer of the second impact pulverizer 17 is greater than the peripheral speed of the pulverizer of the first impact pulverizer 15. The higher peripheral speed of the rotor of the second impact pulverizer 17 allows for a stronger impact force to be applied to the material being pulverized than that of the first impact pulverizer 15. The rotor of the pulverizer of the second impact pulverizer 17 is configured to rotate at a peripheral speed of, for example, 100 m / s. However, the peripheral speed of the rotor may be configured to exceed, for example, 110 m / s, 130 m / s, or 150 m / s.

[0118] The remaining particles are crushed between the crushing hammer, which rotates around the rotor axis, and the liner. That is, the high-speed rotating crushing hammer applies an impact force to the remaining particles that could not be completely crushed, such as cartilage and muscle attached to the animal fat. The oil cake powder launched by the crushing hammer receives an additional impact force upon impact with the liner. A strong shear force is generated in the narrow space between the crushing hammer and the liner. The vortex flow generated by the uneven shape of the liner generates shear forces from multiple directions. In this way, the pulverizer as the second impact crusher 17 functions to crush the remaining particles through these combined mechanical actions. At this time, the pulverizer of the second impact crusher 17 is capable of applying a stronger impact force to the remaining particles than the first impact crusher 15, so it can crush even the remaining particles that could not be completely crushed by the first impact crusher 15.

[0119] The difficulty in cutting residual particles such as cartilage and muscle after primary pulverization lies in the changes in the physical properties of the particles. After primary pulverization, the residual particles, which have been reduced in size to some extent, become compacted and hardened on the surface, and their small size limits the contact area with the cutting blade. As a result, when a force is applied from a single direction, the residual particles are not cut but repelled, and the shear force from the cutting blade is lost as a repulsive force. In this embodiment, this problem is solved by the action of a combination of forces, such as a stronger impact force from the second impact-type pulverizer 17, enabling efficient pulverization of residual particles that could not be processed in primary pulverization.

[0120] The screen has a filtering function that allows only the oil cake powder, which has been reduced to a powdery state (powdered) of a predetermined particle size or smaller after the remaining particles have been crushed, to pass through. The screen is installed below the rotor. The screen is formed in the shape of a thin plate. Multiple through holes are formed in the screen, penetrating in the direction of the screen's thickness.

[0121] The diameter of the through-holes is set to, for example, 2.0 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less. For example, when crushing raw chicken fat, hard parts such as tracheal cartilage and Achilles tendon tendons are not crushed, resulting in residual particles (hard particles) as foreign matter, making it difficult to efficiently obtain the desired crushing effect. On the other hand, as mentioned above, impact crushers generally crush the material to be crushed into a powder, and the diameter of the through-holes in their screen is set to, for example, 1 mm. However, if the diameter of the through-holes is too small, it can put a load on the second impact crusher 17, slowing down the process and potentially reducing the crushing efficiency of livestock by-products. Furthermore, if the diameter of the through-holes is too small, the material to be crushed may clog the through-holes in the screen of the second impact crusher 17. Therefore, when the material to be crushed is livestock by-products, setting the diameter of the through-holes to, for example, 2.0 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less eliminates the problem of residual foreign matter and makes it easy to efficiently obtain the desired crushing effect.

[0122] The pulverizer, acting as a second impact-type pulverizer 17, is configured to further pulverize any remaining particles in the pulverizing chamber that cannot pass through the screen's perforations. Specifically, the pulverizer is configured to reduce the remaining particles to a powdery oil cake powder with a particle size smaller than that that can pass through the screen's perforations by repeatedly performing pulverization by impact from a high-speed rotating pulverizing hammer and pulverization by shearing between the pulverizing hammer and the liner. The pulverizer is then configured to discharge the oil cake powder that has passed through the screen's perforations from the discharge port.

[0123] Thus, the pulverizer, acting as the second impact pulverizer 17, can pulverize the remaining particles that have been sieved by the sieving machine 16, which is the material to be pulverized, into a powder (powder) of a predetermined particle size or smaller. Furthermore, the pulverizer, acting as the second impact pulverizer 17, can pulverize the remaining particles that could not be completely pulverized by the first impact pulverizer 15 to a size suitable for animal feed ingredients (pet food). In other words, the remaining particles that could not be completely pulverized by the first impact pulverizer 15 can be pulverized and effectively utilized as oil cake powder for animal feed, thereby increasing the yield.

[0124] This embodiment is a "production apparatus for oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer," and includes a pressure vessel 12 for obtaining oilseed meal raw material by heating and stirring a raw material containing animal fat obtained from the slaughtering process to dissolve the oil; a compressor 13 for further removing the oil contained in the input oilseed meal raw material to obtain pressed oilseed meal; a "first pulverizer" for pulverizing the pressed oilseed meal to obtain a mixture of oilseed meal powder and residual particles; a sieve 16 for separating the oilseed meal powder from the residual particles; and a "second pulverizer" for pulverizing the residual particles to obtain further oilseed meal powder. According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a production apparatus for livestock-derived oilseed meal powder that can be used as a raw material for animal feed or fertilizer.

[0125] Method for producing oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer [Figures 22-26]

[0126] First embodiment [Figure 22]

[0127] The method for producing oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer according to this embodiment includes steps S1 to S7, as shown in Figure 22. Specifically, the method for producing oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer according to this embodiment includes a crushing step, an elution step, a compression pressing step, a separation step, a first pulverization step, a sieving step, and a second pulverization step.

[0128] The process of obtaining crushed raw materials is achieved by mincing the raw materials, including the "first raw material" which is a "livestock by-product" obtained from slaughter and butchering. The process of obtaining crushed raw materials is also called the crushing process. In other words, the crushing process is the process of mincing the raw materials to obtain crushed raw materials for use in the process of obtaining oilseed meal raw materials (step S1). The dimensions of the crushed raw materials cut in the crushing process affect the oil extraction efficiency in the subsequent extraction process. Therefore, the crushing process has significance in that it processes the raw materials into crushed raw materials with a larger surface area, thereby forming crushed raw materials that can extract oil and fat with higher efficiency.

[0129] In the crushing process, the raw materials are crushed first. For example, raw chicken fat cut into pieces 20 mm long and 60 mm wide is used as the raw material. A "second raw material" including raw pork fat and processed pork fat, as shown in Figure 3, can also be used as the raw material. A meat chopper, acting as chopper 11, is used for crushing. The raw material is pushed towards the plate by the spiral projections of the meat chopper's rolls and cut by a rotating knife as it is pushed out of the holes in the plate. The raw material becomes crushed raw material cut into lengths of approximately 20 mm to 50 mm.

[0130] The raw materials may be prepared by pouring hot water over the mass of raw materials to soften them, then drying them in a dryer to separate them into individual pieces before putting them into the meat chopper, or they may be put into the meat chopper all at once without any pre-processing.

[0131] The process of obtaining oilseed meal raw material is achieved by heating the crushed raw material to dissolve the oil. This process is also called the dissolution process. Specifically, the dissolution process is the process of obtaining oilseed meal raw material by heating the crushed raw material to dissolve the oil (Step S2). More precisely, it is the process of obtaining oilseed meal raw material by heating and stirring the crushed raw material containing animal fat to dissolve and remove the oil. The amount of oil and fat dissolved from the crushed raw material in the dissolution process affects the yield of the oilseed meal powder that is ultimately obtained in the subsequent powdering process. Therefore, the dissolution process is significant because it processes the crushed raw material into oilseed meal raw material from which the oil and fat has been appropriately removed, thereby forming oilseed meal raw material that can yield oilseed meal powder.

[0132] In the elution process, for example, a double-walled pressure vessel 12 is used. This pressure vessel 12 allows the crushed raw material to be processed under predetermined temperature and pressure conditions. Feed oil is introduced into the inner kettle. If the amount of feed oil is too small, the agitator may stop due to overload, or problems may occur where the oil is not easily eluted from the crushed raw material. Conversely, if the amount of feed oil is too large, the relative amount of crushed raw material to be eluted decreases, thus reducing the efficiency of the elution process. For this reason, the amount of feed oil to be introduced should be, for example, 0.5 m³. 3 It is said that by appropriately adjusting the amount of feed oil and fat introduced into the inner pot in this way, the oil and fat can be reliably extracted from the crushed raw materials, and the extraction process can be carried out with high efficiency.

[0133] The crushed raw material is introduced into the feed oil liquid from a hopper above the inner kettle, for example, by a screw. As raw material, for example, the crushed raw material shown in Figure 2 is obtained by crushing the "first raw material" shown in Figure 1. Similarly, the crushed raw materials shown in Figures 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 are also available, which are obtained by crushing the raw materials shown in Figures 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13, respectively. The amount of crushed raw material introduced is, for example, 300 kg. An agitator is placed in the feed oil liquid. This allows the crushed raw material to be heated and agitated at the same time. That is, as the agitator rotates, the crushed raw material is moved so that it is not unevenly distributed in the feed oil liquid, and the water is evaporated. The rotation speed (agitation speed) of the agitator is, for example, 100 revolutions per minute.

[0134] With the crushed raw materials and feed oils and fats placed in the inner pot, a high-temperature, high-pressure gas is introduced between the outer and inner pots through the high-pressure gas inlet. For example, steam is used as the gas introduced into the pressure vessel 12. The steam introduced between the outer and inner pots is, for example, at a gauge pressure (positive pressure) of 6 atmospheres. When the high-temperature, high-pressure steam comes into contact with the outer surface of the inner pot, the temperature of the crushed raw materials and feed oils and fats rises, and the internal pressure of the inner pot also rises. This allows the crushed raw materials to be both heated and pressurized. The crushed raw materials are processed by, for example, being left at a temperature of 120°C for 30 minutes or more. The crushed raw materials become oilseed meal raw materials as the oils and fats dissolve into the feed oils and fats. As shown in Figure 16, after the oils and fats have dissolved, the crushed raw materials become oilseed meal raw materials, for example, between 2 mm and 30 mm in size.

[0135] The oil and grease dissolved in the pressure vessel 12 are discharged to the outside of the pressure vessel 12 by opening a ball valve located at the bottom of the inner casing. When discharging the oil and grease from the inner casing to the outside, the stirring speed of the agitator is gradually reduced. The stirring speed of the agitator is set to, for example, 100 revolutions per minute in the initial stage of oil and grease discharge, and to, for example, 80 revolutions per minute in the final stage of oil and grease discharge.

[0136] When the stirring speed of the agitator in the feed oil liquid is reduced, the centrifugal force acting on the oilseed meal raw material in the feed oil liquid is weakened. When the centrifugal force acting on the oilseed meal raw material is weakened, the oilseed meal raw material moves toward the radial center of the inner pot. In this case, if the deceleration (negative acceleration) of the stirring speed of the agitator is large, for example, if the stirring speed of the agitator is reduced in a step function manner from 100 revolutions per minute to 80 revolutions per minute, the oilseed meal raw material will move toward the radial center of the inner pot all at once, and there is a risk that the ball valve will become clogged. As a result, there is a risk that the oil dissolved in the pressure vessel 12 will not be discharged to the outside of the pressure vessel 12. For this reason, it is preferable to reduce the stirring speed of the agitator in a ramp function or sigmoid function manner. This suppresses the accumulation of oilseed meal raw material toward the radial center of the inner pot, and allows the oil to be efficiently discharged to the outside of the pressure vessel 12.

[0137] The process of obtaining pressed oil cake is achieved by compressing the oil cake raw material to further remove the oil. The process of obtaining pressed oil cake is also called the compression pressing process. In other words, the compression pressing process is the process of compressing the oil cake raw material to further remove the oil and obtain pressed oil cake (step S3). The elution process and the compression pressing process together are also called the rendering process.

[0138] In the compression pressing process, an expeller is used as the compressor 13. The oilseed meal raw material obtained in the elution process (Figure 16), that is, the oilseed meal raw material remaining after the oil has been discharged in the pressure vessel 12, is fed into the raw material inlet of the expeller. The oilseed meal raw material is pushed from the upstream side to the downstream side by the screw blades of the expeller's worm. The compression ratio of the oilseed meal raw material is gradually increased as the gap between the cage and the worm shaft gradually narrows, the spacing between adjacent screw blades in the axial direction gradually narrows, and more oilseed meal raw material is fed in one after another. As a result, the oilseed meal raw material is pressed and the oil is removed. After the oil is removed, the oilseed meal raw material becomes pressed oilseed meal as shown in Figure 18.

[0139] If the oilseed meal raw material is compressed too much during the pressing process, it may become difficult to discharge the pressed oilseed meal from the press outlet. On the other hand, if the oilseed meal raw material is not compressed enough during the pressing process, it may not be possible to effectively remove the oil from the oilseed meal raw material. However, in the pressing process, the oilseed meal raw material is compressed appropriately, so that the pressed oilseed meal from which the oil has been effectively removed can be smoothly discharged from the press outlet.

[0140] Furthermore, if the oil content of the pressed oil cake is not sufficiently removed during the compression pressing process, the remaining oil content may adhere to the perforations of the screen during the subsequent powdering process, potentially clogging the holes and preventing the pressing oil cake and oil cake powder from being properly pulverized. However, the compression pressing process ensures that the oil content of the pressed oil cake is properly removed, allowing for efficient pulverization of the pressing oil cake and oil cake powder during the powdering process.

[0141] In the compression pressing process, it is preferable to compress the oil cake until the oil content remaining is less than, for example, 12.7%, and particularly preferable to compress it until the oil content remaining is between, for example, 0.1% and 5.0%, in order to efficiently pulverize the oil cake in the powdering process. Furthermore, in order to prevent the oil cake from solidifying in the compression pressing process and becoming difficult to discharge from the expeller, and to efficiently pulverize the oil cake in the powdering process, it is preferable to compress the oil cake until the oil content remaining is between, for example, 7.0% and 12.7%, and particularly preferable from the viewpoint of achieving the best quality processing, it is preferable to compress it until the oil content remains between 7.0% and 10.9%. The oil content remaining is applied in the field of organic fertilizers and can be determined by the diethyl ether extraction method based on feed analysis standards.

[0142] The raw material inlet of the expeller can also accept the oilseed meal raw material (cake) (Figure 17) from which the oil has been removed in the separation process described later. This allows the compression pressing process to obtain pressed oilseed meal from which the oil has been removed from the oilseed meal raw material (cake) after centrifugal separation. Thus, because the method for producing oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer in this embodiment includes a compression pressing process, the yield of oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer can be increased.

[0143] The process of obtaining oilseed meal raw materials for reuse in the process of obtaining pressed oilseed meal is achieved by separating the oilseed meal raw materials (cake) from the oil removed in the pressing process. The process of obtaining pressed oilseed meal is also called the separation process. In other words, the separation process is the process of obtaining oilseed meal raw materials (cake) from the oil removed in the pressing process to reuse in the process of obtaining pressed oilseed meal (Step S4).

[0144] In the separation process, a decanter-type centrifugal separator is used as the separation device 14. The oil removed in the compression pressing process is supplied to the inside of the outer bowl of the decanter-type centrifugal separator from the raw liquid supply pipe. The oil is separated into a precipitate of solid particles and the supernatant liquid of the oil (Figure 19) by the rotation of the outer bowl of the decanter-type centrifugal separator. At this time, the precipitate of solid particles accumulates on the inner wall of the outer bowl. The precipitate of solid particles is conveyed toward the precipitate discharge port by the screw blades of the inner screw conveyor of the rotating decanter-type centrifugal separator. The liquid oil removed in the compression pressing process becomes oil cake raw material as shown in Figure 17 by recovering the solid particles remaining in the oil. This oil cake raw material is used as raw material in the compression pressing process.

[0145] In many cases, decanter-type centrifuges are used to obtain oilseed meal raw material (cake) remaining in the liquid from the oils and fats eluted in the elution process. However, in the method for producing oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer according to this embodiment, the oil removed in the compression pressing process is also used as raw material in the separation process. As a result, in the separation process, oilseed meal raw material (cake) remaining in the oil can also be obtained from the oil removed in the compression pressing process. Therefore, because the method for producing oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer according to this embodiment includes a separation process, the yield of oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer can be increased.

[0146] The process of obtaining oilseed meal powder is achieved by grinding the pressed oilseed meal into a powder. The process of obtaining oilseed meal powder is also called the powdering process. In other words, the powdering process is the process of grinding the pressed oilseed meal into a powder to obtain oilseed meal powder (steps S5-S7).

[0147] In the pulverization process, a pulverizing device 20 is used (Figure 15). The pulverizing device 20 is, for example, a first impact pulverizer 15, a second impact pulverizer 17, etc., as shown in Figure 15. The oil cake shown in Figure 18 is supplied to the pulverizing device 20. The oil cake is pulverized by the pulverizing device 20. By pulverizing the oil cake to a particle size or smaller than a predetermined size, it becomes oil cake powder for animal feed or fertilizer, as shown in Figure 20. In the pulverization process, in the case of oil cake other than that which is preferably used alone, such as beef raw material, for example, chicken raw material and pork raw material, mixed oil cake may be pulverized.

[0148] The process for obtaining oilseed meal powder may include a step of obtaining a mixture of oilseed meal powder and residual particles, and a step of further obtaining oilseed meal powder. The step of obtaining a mixture of oilseed meal powder and residual particles is also referred to as the first pulverization step. The step of further obtaining oilseed meal powder is also referred to as the second pulverization step. That is, the pulverization step may include a first pulverization step and a second pulverization step, as shown in Figure 22. In this embodiment, the pulverization step can obtain oilseed meal powder by progressively pulverizing the material to be pulverized.

[0149] The first pulverization step is to crush the pressed oil cake to obtain a mixture of oil cake powder and remaining particles (step S5). The second pulverization step is to crush the remaining particles to obtain more oil cake powder (step S7). The first pulverization step can be a step of crushing pressed oil cake having a length of 2 mm or more and 150 mm or less into a mixture of oil cake powder having a particle size of less than 5 mm and remaining particles. The second pulverization step can be a step of crushing the oil cake powder to a particle size of less than 1 mm.

[0150] The first pulverization step can be primary pulverization using a first impact pulverizer 15. Multiple first impact pulverizers 15 can be installed depending on the processing volume of pulverized oil cake. In this case, a pulverizer is used as the first impact pulverizer 15.

[0151] The hopper of the pulverizer, which serves as the first impact pulverizer 15, is fed with, for example, disc-shaped pressed oil cake (Figure 18) obtained by the compression pressing process. The pressed oil cake is supplied to the pulverizer's crushing chamber by the pulverizer's screw feeder. In the crushing chamber, the pressed oil cake collides with a crushing hammer that is pivotably mounted on the outer circumference of a rotating rotor. The rotor's rotation speed is, for example, 3600 revolutions per minute. The crushing chamber is provided with a screen having multiple through-holes. If the pressed oil cake cannot pass through the through-holes of the screen, it is repeatedly crushed by collisions between the crushing hammer, liner, and oil cake particles, and by the shear force of vortices generated by the gap between the crushing hammer and the liner and the uneven shape of the liner. The pressed oil cake becomes smaller than the particle size that can pass through the through-holes of the screen and is discharged from the discharge port when it passes through the through-holes of the screen.

[0152] The pulverization process, by having a first pulverization step, allows for the pre-pulverization of the portion of the oilseed meal that does not require the high-performance pulverization capabilities of the second impact pulverizer 17. As a result, the raw material (Figure 21) introduced into the second pulverization step will not contain the oilseed meal powder already pulverized in the first pulverization step. Therefore, the method for producing oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer in this embodiment, by having a first pulverization step, can reduce the load on the motor and mechanism of the second impact pulverizer 17 in the second pulverization step. This minimizes the energy consumed by the second impact pulverizer 17 and suppresses a decrease in manufacturing efficiency.

[0153] In the first pulverization step, the powder that scatters when the pressed oil cake is fed into the hopper can be collected by a dust collector. The same applies to the second pulverization step, which will be described later. The powder collected by the dust collector is filled into, for example, a flexible container bag. The powder filled into the flexible container bag is mixed with the oil cake powder discharged from the discharge port of the second impact-type pulverizer 17. The powder filled into the flexible container bag may also be mixed with the oil cake powder discharged from the sieve-pass discharge port of the sieving machine 16. In this way, in the method for producing oil cake powder for animal feed or fertilizer according to this embodiment, the yield of oil cake powder for animal feed or fertilizer can be increased by using a dust collector.

[0154] As described above, in the first powdering step, the oil cake to be crushed can be crushed to a particle size or smaller than a predetermined size. Furthermore, in the first powdering step, the oil cake can be crushed to a size that will be obtained as oil cake powder with a particle size or smaller when classified in the subsequent sieving step.

[0155] Oilseed meal powder produced by the first powdering process method from raw materials such as livestock by-products, including raw chicken fat containing tracheal cartilage, raw pork fat containing tendons, and shaping pork fat containing bone fragments, is rich in collagen and proteoglycan-derived proteins and can therefore be used as animal feed. Furthermore, oilseed meal powder produced by the first powdering process method of this embodiment from raw materials such as raw chicken fat containing tracheal cartilage, raw pork fat containing tendons, and shaping pork fat containing bone fragments, is rich in nitrogen-containing proteins and can therefore be used as fertilizer.

[0156] These properties are not limited to by-products derived from chickens, pigs, or cattle, but also apply equally to oilseed meal powder made from animal fats derived from other livestock such as sheep and goats.

[0157] The step of separating the oil cake powder from the remaining particles is also called the sieving step. The sieving step is the step of separating the oil cake powder crushed by the first impact pulverizer 15 from the remaining particles (step S6).

[0158] In the sieving process, a sieving machine 16 is used. Multiple sieving machines 16 can be installed depending on the processing volume required to separate the oil cake powder from the remaining particles. The mixture of oil cake powder and remaining particles, which has been crushed by the first impact-type pulverizer 15, is fed into the sieving surface of the sieving machine 16 through the inlet. The sieving surface vibrates due to the vibration generating mechanism of the sieving machine 16. The oil cake powder and remaining particles are separated as they move across the sieving surface. That is, the oil cake powder, which is in powder form (powdered) with a particle size of a predetermined size or smaller, passes through the mesh of the screen and is discharged from the sieving residue outlet. On the other hand, the remaining particles, which are larger than the predetermined particle size, move across the sieving surface and are discharged from the sieving residue outlet.

[0159] As described above, the sieving process allows for the separation of unpulverized residual particles from the mixture of oilseed meal powder pulverized by the first impact-type pulverizer 15 and the remaining particles. In other words, the sieving process allows for the classification of the oilseed meal powder pulverized by the first impact-type pulverizer 15 into a predetermined particle size or smaller. Thus, because the method for producing oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer according to this embodiment includes a sieving process, it is possible to obtain oilseed meal powder with a particle size suitable for animal feed (pet food). Therefore, the method for producing oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer according to this embodiment can improve the quality of the oilseed meal powder.

[0160] The second pulverization step can be a secondary pulverization using a second impact pulverizer 17. Multiple second impact pulverizers 17 can be installed depending on the amount of remaining particles to be pulverized.

[0161] The hopper of the pulverizer, which serves as the second impact pulverizer 17, receives the remaining particles (Figure 21) that have been sieved out in the sieving process. The remaining particles are supplied to the pulverizer's crushing chamber by the pulverizer's screw feeder. In the crushing chamber, the remaining particles collide with a crushing hammer that is pivotably mounted on the outer circumference of a rotating rotor. The rotor's rotation speed is, for example, 4600 revolutions per minute. The crushing chamber is provided with a screen having multiple through-holes. If the remaining particles cannot pass through the through-holes of the screen, they are repeatedly crushed by collisions between the crushing hammer, liner, and oil cake powder particles, and by the shear force of vortex flow generated by the gap between the crushing hammer and the liner and the uneven shape of the liner. The remaining particles become powdery oil cake powder with a particle size smaller than that which can pass through the through-holes of the screen (Figure 20), and are discharged from the discharge port when they pass through the through-holes of the screen.

[0162] As described above, in the second powdering process, the remaining particles that were sieved in the sieving process, which are the material to be pulverized, can be pulverized into a powder (powder) of a predetermined particle size or smaller. Furthermore, in the second powdering process, any remaining particles that could not be pulverized in the first powdering process can be pulverized to a size suitable for animal feed ingredients (pet food).

[0163] Here, the oil cake powder obtained after grinding a mixture of oil cake powder formed from oil cake raw materials that have undergone de-oiling treatment under non-hydration and heating conditions, and residual particles, can also be called oil cake powder containing residual particles from de-oiling treatment under non-hydration and heating conditions.

[0164] Oilseed meal powder produced by the second powdering process method from raw materials such as livestock by-products, including raw chicken fat containing tracheal cartilage, raw pork fat containing tendons, and shaping pork fat containing bone fragments, is rich in collagen and proteoglycan-derived proteins and can therefore be used as animal feed. Furthermore, oilseed meal powder produced by the second powdering process method of this embodiment from raw materials such as raw chicken fat containing tracheal cartilage, raw pork fat containing tendons, and shaping pork fat containing bone fragments, is suitable for use as fertilizer because its proteins contain nitrogen.

[0165] These properties are not limited to by-products derived from chickens, pigs, or cattle, but also apply equally to oilseed meal powder made from animal fats derived from other livestock such as sheep and goats.

[0166] The mixture of oilseed meal powder (Figure 20) and residual particles (Figure 21) produced by the first powdering process is of a size sufficient to meet the quality requirements for fertilizer. In other words, the residual particles separated by the sieving process can be mixed into the oilseed meal powder for fertilizer. However, when using oilseed meal powder for animal feed, a higher level of fineness may be required. In contrast, the oilseed meal powder (Figure 20) produced by the second powdering process has even the residual particles that could not be completely crushed in the first powdering process crushed, making it easier to use for animal feed. Furthermore, since the residual particles that could not be completely crushed in the first powdering process can be crushed and effectively utilized as oilseed meal powder for animal feed, the yield can be increased.

[0167] As described above, this embodiment provides a technology for producing oilseed meal powder derived from raw materials containing at least one animal fat from chicken, pig, and beef.

[0168] First modified example [Figures 23-25]

[0169] Modified examples of this embodiment will now be described. Parts identical to those in the previous embodiment will be omitted from the description, and only parts that can be modified will be described.

[0170] The step of obtaining the oilseed meal raw material (step S2) in the method for producing oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer according to this embodiment may include a first step and a second step, as shown in Figure 23.

[0171] Here, we have the Codex Alimentarius international food standards, formulated by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, an international food standards organization established by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. Within these standards is the "Standard for Named Animal Fats (CSX 211-1999)," which applies to animal fats from pigs (wild boar), cattle, and / or sheep. Within this standard, for example, the acid value (1.3 mg KOH / g fat) and the maximum permissible amount of free fatty acids (ffa (Free Fatty Acids) max 0.65%) for lard are specified. This standard is used as an indicator of the quality and freshness of the fat, and generally, the lower the content, the higher the quality of the fat.

[0172] For example, in the case of pork raw materials such as shaved pork fat and pork offal fat, if too much heat is applied during the elution process (step S2), the fat may no longer meet the above-mentioned standards for edible fat. Therefore, in order to meet the standards for edible fat, the quality of the fat can be controlled by interrupting the elution process once while the fat is still partially cooked, and then eluting the oil from the pork raw material in a second elution process. In other words, the elution process can include a first step and a second step.

[0173] The first step can be, for example, introducing steam at a gauge pressure (positive pressure) of 6 atmospheres between the outer and inner pots, and heating the crushed raw material shown in Figures 4 and 8, etc., in the inner pot at a temperature of 120°C for 30 minutes or more (step S21). This step of heating at a temperature of 120°C for 30 minutes or more is a standard set by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) for processing and handling animal residues.

[0174] The second step involves immediately returning the oilseed meal raw material (Figure 24) remaining after the dissolved oils and fats have been discharged to the inner pot, introducing steam at, for example, a gauge pressure of 6 atmospheres (positive pressure) between the outer and inner pots, and heating the raw material in the inner pot at a temperature of 120°C for 30 minutes or more (Step S22). The second step may be carried out under the same conditions as the first step, or under different conditions.

[0175] Multiple pressure vessels 12 can be installed depending on the amount of oil to be extracted from the crushed raw material. For example, one pressure vessel 12 can be installed for each of the first and second processes, allowing the first and second processes to be processed in parallel.

[0176] As described above, in the first step, the oil from the crushed raw materials can be dissolved into the feed oil before the crushed raw materials and feed oils are subjected to excessive heat. Therefore, it is possible to obtain oilseed meal raw materials while suppressing the deterioration of the quality of the by-product oils.

[0177] Furthermore, in the second step, before the crushed raw materials and feed oils are subjected to excessive heat, the oil from the crushed raw materials that could not be completely dissolved in the first step can be dissolved into the feed oil liquid. Therefore, it is possible to obtain oilseed meal raw materials while suppressing the deterioration of the quality of the by-product oils and improving the efficiency of oil production.

[0178] The oilseed meal raw material obtained by the first modification is subjected to the following compression pressing step (step S3) to become the pressed oilseed meal shown in Figure 25. This pressed oilseed meal (Figure 25) can be mixed with the pressed oilseed meal (Figure 18) obtained by the first embodiment, which has undergone only one elution step (step S2) and compression pressing step (step S3), and then used as the raw material for the subsequent first powdering step (step S5). This ensures that even if the amount of at least one of the oilseed meal raw material from the first embodiment and the oilseed meal raw material from the first modification is insufficient, a sufficient amount of pressed oilseed meal can be obtained.

[0179] Second modified example [Figure 26]

[0180] This embodiment can also be modified as follows.

[0181] In this embodiment, the method for producing oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer can also omit the separation step (step S4), as shown in Figure 26. By omitting the separation step, the time, effort, and cost associated with the separation step can be reduced. Specifically, by omitting the separation step, the oilseed meal raw material can be quickly advanced to the next step, the compression pressing step (step S3). Similarly, by omitting the separation step, the pressed oilseed meal can be quickly advanced to the next step, the first pulverization step (step S5). Furthermore, if the purity of the oil removed from the oilseed meal raw material in the compression pressing step is high, there is a risk that solid particles will not be separated from the oil in the separation step. In such cases, omitting the separation step can be done without reducing cost-effectiveness. Therefore, according to this modified method, oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer can be produced more quickly, more easily, and more cheaply.

[0182] The second variation can also be combined with the first variation described above.

[0183] As described above, this embodiment provides a technology for producing oilseed meal powder derived from raw materials containing at least one animal fat from chicken, pig, and beef.

[0184] Oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer [Figure 20]

[0185] The oilseed meal powder of this embodiment is "oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer" produced by the apparatus described above. According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide oilseed meal powder derived from raw materials containing animal fat that can be used as a raw material for animal feed or fertilizer. That is, oilseed meal powder according to one aspect of this disclosure is a powder made from animal fat of livestock that has been slaughtered.

[0186] The raw material for the oilseed meal powder in this embodiment may be at least one of chicken, pig, and cattle. According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide oilseed meal powder derived from any of chicken, pig, or cattle that can be used as feed or fertilizer raw material.

[0187] The oilseed meal powder of this embodiment may further contain at least one of raw fat and processed fat as raw materials containing animal fat. Raw fat is fat removed from the subcutaneous tissue and internal organs of livestock during the slaughtering process, and processed fat may be fat obtained by freezing the fat, bones, and meat of slaughtered livestock and removing the bones and meat. According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide oilseed meal powder derived from raw materials containing animal fat of livestock that can be used as feed or fertilizer.

[0188] The oilseed meal powder of this embodiment can be provided as chicken-derived, pig-derived, or cattle-derived oilseed meal powder that can be used as a raw material for at least one of the following: animal feed or fertilizer.

[0189] According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide agricultural and livestock materials containing any of the above-mentioned oilseed meal powders as a raw material. Furthermore, it is possible to provide feed containing any of the above-mentioned oilseed meal powders as a raw material. In addition, it is possible to provide fertilizer containing any of the above-mentioned oilseed meal powders as a raw material.

[0190] According to this, the amount of waste from livestock by-products, including residues from animal fat production, can be reduced and effectively utilized as agricultural and livestock materials, feed, fertilizer, etc.

[0191] In another view, this embodiment involves the use of oilseed meal powder obtained by any of the above methods as a raw material for at least one of feed and fertilizer.

[0192] According to this, oilseed meal powder obtained from livestock by-products, including the residue from animal fat production, can be effectively utilized as a raw material for animal feed and fertilizer. [Examples]

[0193] The method for producing oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer, and the oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer, according to this embodiment will be described in more detail and specifically below with reference to examples. These examples illustrate specific embodiments of the above-described embodiments and are intended to objectively demonstrate the technical effects of this disclosure. However, this disclosure is not limited to the following examples.

[0194] Example 1: Observation of the surface shape of oil cake powder [Figures 18, 20-21]

[0195] The shape and particle size of the oilseed meal powder were observed visually. Visual observation was performed on samples at three stages: the oilseed meal obtained in the step prior to the powdering process, the residual particles obtained in the sieving process, and the oilseed meal powder obtained in the second powdering process.

[0196] As shown in Figure 18, oil cake lumps with lengths between 20 mm and 120 mm were observed in the oil cake, which is the preliminary stage before the powdering process.

[0197] As shown in Figure 21, particulate oil cake clumps with a length of 2 mm to 5 mm were observed in the remaining particles obtained by the sieving process.

[0198] As shown in Figure 20, the oilseed meal powder obtained by the second powdering step contained almost no oilseed meal lumps with a particle size large enough to be individually identifiable. The oilseed meal powder produced by the method of the second powdering step in this embodiment was sufficiently pulverized to a powdery state, and was therefore confirmed to be easy to use as animal feed.

[0199] As described above, this embodiment demonstrates that oilseed meal powder can be pulverized to a size suitable for use as a feed ingredient (pet food). The oilseed meal powder produced by the second powdering step of this embodiment is easy to use as feed because even the remaining particles that were not completely pulverized in the first powdering step and were separated in the sieving step are pulverized. Therefore, this embodiment demonstrates that it is possible to provide a manufacturing technology for oilseed meal powder derived from raw materials containing animal fat that can be used as a feed or fertilizer ingredient.

[0200] Although embodiments and examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications are possible without substantially departing from the novel aspects and effects of the present invention. Therefore, all such modifications are considered to fall within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0201] 10. Oilseed meal powder manufacturing apparatus (equipment for manufacturing oilseed meal powder for animal feed or fertilizer) 11 Chopper 12 Pressure Vessels 13 Compressor 14 Separation device 15. First Impact Crusher (First Crusher) 16. Sieving machine 17. Second Impact Crusher (Second Crusher) 20 Powdering equipment

Claims

1. A process to obtain oilseed meal raw material by heating and stirring a raw material containing animal fat, which includes at least one of cartilage and muscle, obtained from the butchering process of slaughtered animals, to dissolve the oil, The process involves compressing the aforementioned oilseed meal raw material to further remove the oil and extract oilseed meal, A step of crushing the oil cake with a first impact-type crusher to obtain a mixture of oil cake powder and residual particles that were not completely crushed by the first impact-type crusher and were compacted, A step of separating the oil cake powder and the remaining particles, The process includes a step of supplying the separated, compacted remaining particles to a second impact-type pulverizer equipped with a rotating pulverizing hammer and a liner having an uneven shape, and further obtaining oil cake powder by applying impact force and shear force to the remaining particles in the narrow space between the rotating pulverizing hammer and the liner to pulverize the remaining particles. Method for producing oilseed meal powder.

2. Furthermore, the oil residue contained in the oil removed in the process of obtaining the pressed oil cake is obtained by centrifugation and added to the process of obtaining the pressed oil cake. A method for producing oilseed meal powder according to claim 1.

3. The process for obtaining the oilseed meal raw material is as follows: The first step, Including the second step, The first step is a step of dissolving oil by heating and stirring the raw material, The second step is to obtain the oil cake raw material by further dissolving the oil by heating and stirring the raw material from which the oil has been dissolved in the first step. A method for producing oilseed meal powder according to claim 1.

4. The process further includes mincing the aforementioned raw materials to obtain crushed raw materials for use in the process of obtaining the oil cake raw materials. A method for producing oilseed meal powder according to claim 1.

5. The raw material is at least one of chicken, pork, and beef. A method for producing oilseed meal powder according to claim 1.

6. The raw material containing the animal fat further comprises at least one of raw fat and processed fat, The raw fat is fat obtained from the subcutaneous tissue and internal organs of the slaughtered animal. The shaped fat is fat obtained by freezing the fat, bones, and meat of the slaughtered animal and removing the bones and meat. The method for producing oil cake powder according to claim 5.

7. Use of oilseed meal powder obtained by the method described in any one of claims 1 to 6 as a raw material for at least one of animal feed and fertilizer.

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