Automated system for capillary action-based fertigation using compost leachates in urban gardens

Abstract

The present invention allows crops in urban gardens to be automatically fertigated by mixing leachates and water, wherein the leachates are obtained from compost generated by organic waste placed in a composter (1) and matured in a leachate collection module (5). The water is obtained from atmospheric moisture using a module (6) for capturing water in the atmosphere. The water and leachate are mixed in a preparation module (7), and the mixture is pumped to growing beds (9) by means of a water pump (8).

Description

[0001] Automatic capillary fertigation system with compost leachate in urban gardens

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present invention is in the technical field of automated irrigation mainly in fertigation systems for urban gardens.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The increase in the generation of urban organic solid waste is a problem that leads to environmental impacts and health risks for the population. Additionally, food insecurity is endemic in various countries due to various factors. For example, in Peru, it is estimated that 51% of the population experiences food insecurity due to the unsupervised use of pesticides by more than 50% of producers.

[0006] Consequently, part of the population has opted to develop urban gardens in order to avoid consuming products with high pesticide use. There are proposals that attempt to utilize organic waste to improve the functioning of urban gardens. One of these proposals is patent document US2007 / 0059819A1, which describes an integrated irrigation system with biofertilizer (compost tea) that manages solid waste management through composting, using the final product in its system, and nourishing crops without chemical fertilizers, reducing the risk of food insecurity. However, these types of proposals do not take into account the availability or dependence on water resources for the development of these urban gardens.

[0007] There are cities or urban areas that concentrate a high population percentage but do not have an extensive source of water resources, for example in Peru 65.98% of the population is located on the Pacific slope, but only has 2.18% of the country's total water availability, which impacts urban garden systems that try to take advantage of solid waste and seek to reduce food insecurity.

[0008] This is why the challenge of developing an urban biogarden system that utilizes organic solid waste, reduces food insecurity, and, above all, is suitable for urban environments or areas with low water availability persists.

[0009] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] As a solution to the aforementioned problem, the present invention called "automated capillary fertigation system with compost leachate in urban gardens" was developed, which comprises the following components:

[0011] A compost bin with a lid, a mesh screen, grinders, incandescent bulbs, agitators, and an aeration module. pH, humidity, and temperature sensors.

[0012] A leachate collection module with an air pump. An atmospheric water collection module with a humid air inlet, carbon filters, and condensation coils.

[0013] A preparation module that has propeller stirrers and a motor.

[0014] A water pump.

[0015] Growing beds.

[0016] Seedbeds with cells, separators, molds and fastening elements.

[0017] A controller.

[0018] Solenoid valves.

[0019] Flowmeters.

[0020] The compost bin is divided into two chambers, an upper and a lower chamber, by means of a wire mesh with a variety of holes. The compost is processed in the upper chamber, while the lower chamber receives the leachate from the upper chamber.

[0021] The upper chamber has a lid. Inside the chamber and below the lid are grinders that reduce the volume of the waste input. The grinders are located above the other elements attached to the upper chamber. The section of the upper chamber walls between the lid and the grinders has a plurality of holes through which air passively enters, helping to oxygenate the compost.

[0022] A temperature sensor, a pH sensor, and a humidity sensor are located on an internal side wall of the upper chamber, below the grinders, to record the condition of the compost produced. Below the pH, temperature, and humidity sensors are incandescent bulbs on a wall of the upper chamber, which increase the chamber temperature and, consequently, the temperature of the compost produced when required. Also located below the sensors in the upper chamber are agitators that properly mix the organic waste to form the compost. The upper chamber features an aeration module that provides additional airflow into the chamber. This additional airflow allows for greater microbial degradation of the compost and prevents the compost from becoming too moist.

[0023] The upper chamber preferably has a cylindrical shape. The lower chamber preferably has an inverted conical shape so that the leachate, coming from the compost produced in the upper chamber and filtered through the wire mesh, can flow into a leachate outlet located at the bottom of the lower chamber. The composter outlet is connected by a pipe to a leachate collection module.

[0024] The leachate collection module features a turbidity sensor, a pH sensor, and a temperature sensor mounted on its interior and walls. It also features an air pump to reduce the percentage of bacteria in the leachate until the optimal percentage is reached based on the culture present.

[0025] In parallel to the leachate collection module, there is an atmospheric water collection module. This module features a humid air inlet connected to carbon filters interconnected with condensation coils, which facilitate the transition from gaseous to liquid. The resulting liquid flows to a water outlet located at the bottom of one of the walls of the atmospheric water collection module.

[0026] The leachate collection module and the atmospheric water harvesting module are individually connected to a preparation module. Both the leachate collection module and the atmospheric water harvesting module are individually connected to the fertilizer preparation module by means of pipes. The pipe connecting the leachate collection module to the preparation module and the pipe connecting the atmospheric water harvesting module to the preparation module have a flow meter and a solenoid valve. The solenoid valves regulate the inflow of fluids (water or leachate, depending on the source module), while the flow meters detect the flow rate of the liquid in the pipes entering the fertilizer preparation module.The preparation module has inside propeller agitators coupled to a motor so that when the motor is activated the propellers rotate, mixing the water and leachate until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.

[0027] A water pump is connected to the preparation module, which propels the water-leachate mixture through distribution pipes connected to the pump. The distribution pipes end in a connection to irrigation pipes located inside compartments located in the lower section of the growing beds. Likewise, these growing bed compartments house gravel beds on which a permeable geotextile is placed in each compartment so that the geotextile prevents the soil placed above the gravel bed from falling into the bed. The irrigation pipe has a plurality of holes along its length in contact with the gravel bed such that the mixture propelled by the pump and transmitted by the distribution pipes reaches said section and is distributed through the holes to the gravel bed and the soil, achieving fertigation with the water-leachate mixture.

[0028] Below the growing beds are seed trays that include seeding trays with removable, independent cells divided by dividers and a removable mold. The seed trays have a retaining element for opening and closing without affecting the integrity of the seeds or roots inside, and the selected cells can be removed for transfer to the growing bed.

[0029] A controller is presented, electrically connected to the flow meter and all the pH, temperature, and humidity sensors located in both the compost bin and the collection module. These elements, connected to the controller, send the data obtained individually to the controller, so that the operating system loaded in the controller processes the information and sends the appropriate drive signals to the actuators connected to it. The actuators electrically connected to the controller are the grinders, incandescent light bulbs, agitators, the aeration module, the air pump, the water pump, the motor, and the solenoid valves.Additionally, the controller presents a database with information regarding the waste to be placed in the composter according to the crop family, as well as the appropriate compost, leachate, and water-leachate mixture conditions required for each crop family, and the fertigation periods required for each crop family. The system operates sequentially by adding wet and dry organic waste to the composter. This waste is ground by the grinders, and the ground waste falls into agitators that mix the waste to form the compost.In parallel, the humidity, temperature, and pH sensors located in the composter collect humidity, temperature, and pH values, and the captured values ​​are sent to a controller. If it registers that the temperature value is below the optimum, it turns on incandescent lights to increase the temperature in the composter. If the controller determines that the humidity is below the desired thresholds, it activates an aeration module that oxygenates and increases the humidity inside the composter. The leachate generated by the compost is filtered through the mesh and falls from the lower chamber of the composter to the leachate collection module, where the controller activates an air pump to accelerate leachate maturation and reduce the percentage of bacteria in the leachate. In parallel with the leachate maturation, water is obtained from the ambient humidity in the atmospheric collection module.After obtaining the water and maturing the leachate, both fluids enter independently through pipes to a fertilizer preparation and distribution module. Each pipe has a flow meter. This allows the controller to record the incoming flow of water and leachate to the preparation and distribution module, and the controller can regulate the incoming flow of both fluids by partially or completely opening and closing each flow meter installed in the pipe. Subsequently, in the collection module, there are propellers coupled to a motor that is activated by the controller after the total amount of water and leachate required has entered; the propellers mix the water and leachate until a homogeneous mixture is formed.When the mixture is homogeneous and according to the distribution times preset in the controller, the controller activates the water pump that drives the homogeneous mixture through the distribution pipe towards the irrigation pipes placed in the growing beds and thanks to the holes in the irrigation pipes the water-leachate mixture is distributed to the gravel bed and the crop soil that is in the growing bed achieving fertilisation and the crop receiving the adequate nutrients.

[0030] In parallel with obtaining the leachate, water, mixing, and distributing said mixture, the system has seedbeds below the growing beds so that different seeds can be conditioned independently thanks to the seedbed's independent alveoli. When required, the user can remove the seeds and place them in the growing beds. The present invention has the advantage that the water required for the fertigation mixture is obtained from ambient humidity and not from a direct connection to an external water supply. This is beneficial for reducing the water requirement in urban gardens located in urban areas with low water availability, but with a high percentage of humidity, as is the case in Lima, for example.In this way, the invention takes advantage of the high humidity level to capture the water resource for the fertigation of the urban garden, reducing the water requirement required by the system in areas with a low water resource availability index, unlike other fertigation systems that do require a direct water connection and, consequently, do influence the total water requirements required by urban areas with low water resource availability.

[0031] Furthermore, the proposal is advantageous because the leachate required for the mixture to be fertigated is obtained from the compost generated by organic waste and because the entire process of compost formation, obtaining leachate, obtaining water from humidity, preparing the mixture to be fertigated and the fertigation process is carried out automatically thanks to a control system integrated with a controller and various actuators and sensors.

[0032] Finally, the system is also advantageous because it features seed trays in which various seeds can be placed and removed independently, so the user has immediate access to seeds to place in the garden, located in the growing beds, whenever they see fit.

[0033] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0034] To complement the description being made and with the aim of helping to better understand the characteristics of the invention, the following figures are attached, in which the following has been represented for illustrative and non-limiting purposes:

[0035] Figure 1: Isometric view of the system

[0036] Figure 2: Cross-sectional view of the compost bin

[0037] Figure 3: Cross-sectional view of the leachate collection module

[0038] Figure 4: Cross-sectional view of the atmospheric water collection module

[0039] Figure 5: Cross-sectional view of the preparation and pump module

[0040] Figure 6: Cross-sectional view of the growing bed

[0041] Figure 7: Top view of the seedbed

[0042] PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention can be embodied in the following manner:

[0043] The invention features a compost bin (1) that is divided into an upper chamber (1.a) and a lower chamber (1.b) by means of a metal mesh (1.2) having a plurality of holes. The compost bin has a lid (1.1) in its upper section.

[0044] Inside the upper chamber (1.a) and below the lid there are some crushers (1.3) and below these crushers and on the internal walls of the upper chamber there are a pH sensor (2), a humidity sensor (3) and a temperature sensor (4). Below the sensors (2) (3) (4) there are, internally of the upper chamber (1.a), incandescent bulbs (1.4) that raise the temperature inside the composter (1), agitators (1.5) that mix the organic waste for the formation of compost and an aeration module (1.6) that allows an entry of additional air flow to the upper chamber (1.a) of the composter (1) in order to generate a greater microbial degradation of the compost and prevent the compost from reducing its humidity to the point of dryness.

[0045] The leachate produced by the compost in the upper chamber (1.a) is filtered through the mesh (1.2) into the lower chamber (1.b) until the outlet of the composter (1).

[0046] The composter outlet (1) is connected by a pipe to a leachate collection module (5) that has a pH sensor (2), a humidity sensor (3) and a temperature sensor (4) inside to monitor the state of the leachate. In addition, the leachate collection module (5) has an air pump (5.1) that reduces the percentage of bacteria in the leachate.

[0047] In parallel to the leachate collection module (5) there is an atmospheric water collection module (6) composed of a humid air inlet (6.1) that is connected to carbon filters (6.2) interconnected with condensation coils (6.3) that facilitate the transition from gaseous to liquid state and the liquid obtained flows towards an outlet located in the lower area of ​​the atmospheric water collection module (6).

[0048] The leachate collection module (5) and the atmospheric water collection module (6) are connected to a preparation module (7). The pipe connecting the leachate collection module (5) to the preparation module (7) and the pipe connecting the atmospheric water collection module (6) to the preparation module (7) have a solenoid valve (11) and a flow meter (12) coupled to them so that the flow of water and leachate entering the preparation module (7) can be known and regulated.

[0049] The preparation module (7) has inside propeller agitators (7.1) coupled to a motor (7.2) so that when the motor (7.2) is activated, the propeller agitators (7.1) rotate, mixing the water and leachate until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.

[0050] A water pump (8) is connected to the preparation module, which drives the mixture (leachate - water) from the preparation module (7) through distribution pipes connected to the water pump (8). The mixture flows through the distribution pipes to irrigation pipes (9.1) located inside compartments located in the lower section of crop beds (9). Gravel beds are also housed in said compartments of the crop beds (9). The irrigation pipes (9.1) have a plurality of holes along their length in contact with the gravel bed such that the mixture driven by the water pump (8) is distributed over the gravel bed and the soil located in the crop beds (9), achieving fertigation of the crops located in the crop beds (9).

[0051] The soil for the crops is placed on the gravel bed in the growing beds. A permeable geotextile mesh (9.2) is placed between the gravel bed and the growing soil to prevent the soil from falling onto the bed.

[0052] Below the growing beds (9) are seedbeds (10) that include sowing trays with removable and independent alveoli (10.1) divided by separators (10.2) and a mold (10.3) that can be removed from the mold. The seedbeds (10) have a holding element (10.4) for opening and closing the trays without affecting the integrity of the seeds or roots.

[0053] The system has a controller (13) that is electrically connected and receives information captured by the flow meters (12) and the pH (2), humidity (3) and temperature (4) sensors located in the compost bin (1). The controller processes the captured information and sends activation signals to the crushers (1.3), incandescent bulbs (1.6), agitators (1.5), aeration module (1.6), air pump (5.1), water pump (8), motor (7) and solenoid valves (11)

Claims

CLAIMS 1. An automated capillary fertigation system with compost leachates in urban gardens characterized in that it comprises: a composter (1) having a lid (1.1) in its upper section and the composter (1) is divided by means of a mesh (1.2), which has a plurality of holes, into an upper chamber (1.a) in which the compost is processed and a lower chamber (1.b) that receives the compost leachate from the upper chamber where inside the upper chamber and below the lid (1.1) there are crushers (1.3) and on the internal walls of the upper chamber and below the crushed (1.3) there are a pH sensor (2), a humidity sensor (3) and a temperature sensor (4) that record the condition of the compost produced and below said sensors (2) (3) (4) there are internally in the upper chamber (1.a) incandescent bulbs (1.4) that raise the temperature inside the composter (1) when necessary and there are also agitators (1.5) below the sensors (2) (3) (4) that mix the organic waste to form the compost and an aeration module (1.6) that allows an additional air flow to enter the upper chamber (1.a) in order to generate greater microbial degradation of the compost and prevent the compost from reducing its humidity to the point of dryness and the leachate produced by this compost is filtered by the mesh (1.2) towards the lower chamber (1.b) to the outlet of the composter (1) where this outlet is connected by a pipe to a leachate collection module (5) that has an air pump (5.1) which reduces the percentage of bacteria in the leachate, in addition the leachate collection module (5) has pH (2), humidity (3) and temperature (4) sensors to monitor the state of the leachate; and in parallel to the leachate collection module (5) there is an atmospheric water collection module (6) composed of a humid air inlet (6.1), which is connected to carbon filters (6.2) interconnected with condensation coils (6.3) that facilitate the transition from gaseous to liquid state and the liquid obtained flows towards an outlet located in the lower area of ​​the atmospheric water collection module (6); and both the leachate collection module (5) and the atmospheric water collection module (6) are individually connected to a preparation module (7) through pipes, where both the pipe that connects the atmospheric water collection module (6) with the preparation module (7) and the pipe that connects the leachate collection module (5) with the preparation module (7) have a solenoid valve (11) and a flow meter (12) coupled so that the incoming water flow can be known and regulated. leachate to the preparation module (7) which contains inside propeller agitators (7.1) coupled to a motor (7.2) such that when the motor is activated the water is mixed with the leachate until a homogeneous mixture is obtained and this homogeneous mixture is driven by a water pump (8) which is connected to the preparation module and to distribution pipes such that the homogeneous mixture flows through the distribution pipes towards irrigation pipes (9.1) located inside compartments in the lower section of crop beds (9) where said compartments house a gravel bed and the irrigation pipe (9.1) has a plurality of holes in the length in contact with the gravel bed such that the mixture driven by the water pump (8) is distributed over the gravel bed and the soil located in the crop beds (9) achieving fertigation to the crops located in the crop bed (9).

2. An automated capillary fertigation system with compost leachates in urban gardens according to claim 1, characterized in that beneath the cultivation beds (9) there are seedbeds (10) that include sowing trays with removable and independent alveoli (10.1) divided by separators (10.2) and a mold (10.3) that can be removed from the mold, and because the seedbeds (10) have a fastening element (10.4) for opening and closing them without affecting the integrity of the seeds or roots.

3. An automated capillary fertigation system with compost leachates in urban gardens according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a controller (13) that is electrically connected and receives the data captured by the flow meters (12) and the pH (2), humidity (3) and temperature (4) sensors in such a way that the controller (13) processes the information and, depending on the operating system loaded into the controller (13) and the processed data, sends activation signals to the crushers (1.3), the incandescent bulbs (1.6), the agitators (1.5), the aeration module (1.6), the air pump (5.1), the water pump (8), the motor (7.2) and the solenoid valves (11); the controller also has a database loaded with the waste to be placed in the compost bin according to the crop family and the appropriate conditions of the compost, leachate and water-leachate mixture required for each crop family and the fertigation periods required by each crop family.

4. An automated capillary fertigation system with compost leachates in urban gardens according to claim 1, characterized in that preferably the upper chamber (1.a) of the composter (1) has a cylindrical shape and the chamber The lower part (1.b) of the composter preferably has an inverted conical shape so that the leachate flows towards the leachate outlet of the composter (1) 5. An automated capillary fertigation system with compost leachates in urban gardens according to claim 1, characterized in that the section of the walls of the upper chamber (1.a) that is located between the lid (1.1) and the crushers (1.3) has a plurality of holes through which air enters for the oxygenation of the compost.

6. An automated capillary fertigation system with compost leachates in urban gardens according to claim 1, characterized in that a permeable geotextile mesh (9.2) is placed between the gravel bed and the soil for cultivation of the crop beds (9) so that the placed soil does not fall onto the gravel bed.

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