Apparatus for producing solidified material produced by mixing biomass with plastic

Abstract

An apparatus 1 for producing a solidified material produced by mixing biomass with plastic includes: a plurality of molds 30; a material supply part 10 for supplying a mixed material in which biomass is mixed with plastic to the plurality of molds 30 in sequence; and a product take-out part 20 for sequentially discharging the products molded by the plurality of molds 30. The material supply part 10 is equipped with a screw 12, which is a screw 12 through which the mixed material is supplied, that feeds the mixed material supplied by rotation of the screw 12 while stirring the mixed material and with an external temperature control part 13 for adjusting the temperature of the mixed material.

Description

A manufacturing device for solidified materials made by mixing biomass with plastics

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing a solidified material produced by mixing biomass with plastic.

[0002] Conventionally, bio-coke production apparatuses have been known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

[0003] JP 2008-274107 A JP 2010-100808 A JP 2010-100815 A

[0004] The bio-coke produced by the apparatuses described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 is required to have an improved total calorific value as fuel. Meanwhile, the disposal of waste plastics has become an issue. To address this issue and improve the total calorific value of bio-coke as fuel and to solve the problem of waste plastic disposal, a solidified material produced by mixing plastic with biomass is known.

[0005] However, when actually producing a solidified material made by mixing biomass with plastic, the waste plastic must be sufficiently melted at high temperatures, and the molten waste plastic must be evenly mixed with the biomass. Specifically, to mix the biomass with the waste plastic and compact it, the mixed biomass and waste plastic must be continuously heated under pressure. Furthermore, the mixture must then be cooled for a certain period of time; if it is not cooled sufficiently, the resulting solidified material will crack. This series of steps requires approximately 20 minutes, making mass production of the solidified material difficult.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide an apparatus for manufacturing solidified materials produced by mixing plastic with biomass, which is capable of mass-producing solidified materials produced by sufficiently melting waste plastic and evenly mixing it with biomass.

[0007] The present invention relates to a manufacturing device for solidified material produced by mixing biomass with plastic, comprising: a plurality of molds; a material supply unit that supplies a mixed material obtained by mixing biomass with plastic to the plurality of molds in sequence; and a product removal unit that sequentially discharges products molded by the plurality of molds, wherein the material supply unit is a screw to which the mixed material is supplied, the screw rotating to agitate and feed the supplied mixed material; and an external temperature control unit that adjusts the temperature of the mixed material.

[0008] It is also preferable that the plurality of molds are arranged in a circle, and that a rotary table is provided for rotatably supporting the plurality of molds arranged in a circle, and that the mixed material is supplied from the material supply section to each of the plurality of molds in turn by rotating the plurality of molds by the rotary table.

[0009] It is also preferable that the product removal section includes a plunger that pushes out the solidified material molded in the plurality of circularly arranged molds from the molds, and a cam that drives the plunger.

[0010] The molds are preferably arranged parallel to the axial direction of the rotary table, and each mold is preferably provided with a pressure detection device that detects the pressure of the mixed material supplied to the mold.

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a manufacturing device for solidified material produced by mixing plastic with biomass, which is capable of mass-producing solidified material produced by sufficiently melting waste plastic and evenly mixing it with biomass.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a plan view showing an apparatus for producing solidified plastic-mixed bio-coke according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a side view showing an apparatus for producing solidified plastic-mixed bio-coke according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a first modified example of an apparatus for producing solidified plastic-mixed bio-coke according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 4 is a plan view showing a second modified example of an apparatus for producing solidified plastic-mixed bio-coke according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Hereinafter, a manufacturing apparatus 1 for solidified plastic-mixed bio-coke according to this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "manufacturing apparatus 1") will be described with reference to the drawings. For ease of explanation, the direction from the material supply section 10 (described below) toward the conveyor 21 of the product removal section 20 (leftward in FIGS. 1 and 2) is defined as the forward direction Fr, and the opposite direction is defined as the backward direction Rr. Furthermore, the vertically upward direction in the manufacturing apparatus 1 (upward in FIG. 2) is defined as the upward direction Up, and the opposite direction is defined as the downward direction Dw. Arrows indicating these directions are shown in the main drawings.

[0014] 1 and 2, the manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a material supply unit 10, a product removal unit 20, a mold 30, and a control device 90. The material supply unit 10 includes a cylindrical tubular portion 11, a screw 12, an external temperature adjustment unit 13, and a hopper portion 14. The screw 12 is disposed inside the tubular portion 11 so as to be rotatable relative to the tubular portion 11 and movable forward and backward in the longitudinal direction. The rear end of the screw 12 is connected to an actuator (not shown) configured by a cylinder or the like. When the actuator is driven, the screw 12 moves forward and backward in the longitudinal direction.

[0015] A pulley 121 is provided at the rear end of the screw 12 in the form of a flange and fixed to the screw 12. The pulley 121 is connected by a belt 122 to a pulley 126 fixed to the output shaft of a rotating part of a drive part constituted by a motor 125 electrically connected to the control device 90.

[0016] The rotating section is driven to rotate under the control of the control device 90, and the screw 12 is configured to rotate and feed the mixed material of biomass and plastic (hereinafter referred to as "mixed material") supplied from the hopper section 14 to the screw 12 while stirring and kneading it. Here, biomass refers to all materials formed from plants that result from photosynthesis, such as grass clippings, pruned branches, coffee grounds after brewing, and waste materials such as fruit peels after juice has been extracted.

[0017] 1, a pressure detection device 128 is provided at the rear end of the pulley 121 to detect the pressure of the mixed material supplied to the cavity 301. The pressure detection device 128 is electrically connected to the control device 90, and the numerical data of the pressure of the mixed material detected by the pressure detection device 128 is configured to be output to the control device 90.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 2 and other figures, the hopper section 14 is connected to the upper part of the peripheral surface of the rear part of the cylindrical section 11. The internal space of the hopper section 14 is connected to a material feed space 16 formed between the outer peripheral surface of the screw 12 and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical section 11. The mixed material supplied to the hopper section 14 is supplied from the hopper section 14 to the material feed space 16.

[0019] The external temperature adjustment unit 13 is configured by a heater 115 that is annularly arranged around the circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 11. Note that the heater 115 is illustrated schematically in Figures 1, 2, etc. for convenience. A plurality of heaters 115 are formed at predetermined intervals in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 11. Therefore, the heaters 115 are arranged so as to surround the screw 12 from the outside of the cylindrical portion 11.

[0020] The external temperature adjustment unit 13, which is constituted by a heater 115, has its temperature controlled by the control device 90, and thereby adjusts the temperature of the mixed material fed by the screw 12. A gate block 15, which has a gate 32 formed therein and which can introduce the mixed material fed in the material feeding space 16 of the material supply unit 10 into the cavity 301 of the mold 30, is connected to the end of the cylindrical portion 11 in the forward direction Fr.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 1, the mold 30 is supported by a mold support portion 31 having a cylindrical shape with its axis oriented in the vertical direction, with eight molds arranged at equal intervals in a circular shape in a plan view around the periphery. The lower end of the mold support portion 31 is fixed to and supported by an upper plate 41 of a turntable 40. The axis of the mold support portion 31, the axis of the upper plate 41 of the turntable 40 (see Fig. 2), the axis of a rotation shaft 42 of the turntable 40, and the axis of a lower gear 43 fixed to the upper plate 41 are aligned in a positional relationship.

[0022] 2, the rotation shaft 42 passes through three cam plates 46. The three cam plates 46 have the same shape and are fixed to the rotation shaft 42 in a positional relationship in which the long radius portions 461 and the short radius portions 462 are aligned in a plan view. The lower gear 43 meshes with a pinion 441 that is coaxially fixed to the output shaft of a motor 44 that is electrically connected to a control device 90. When the motor 44 is driven under the control of the control device 90, the mold support portion 31, the upper plate 41, the lower gear 43, the rotation shaft 42, and the three cam plates 46 are configured to rotate integrally about the axis of the rotation shaft 42.

[0023] 2, the molds 30 are provided in the mold support section 31 in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the rotary table 40, i.e., three molds are arranged in the vertical direction. Therefore, a total of 24 molds are provided in the mold support section 31. Each mold 30 has a cavity 301 formed by a cylindrical space whose axis is oriented in the radial direction of the mold support section 31, which has a cylindrical shape.

[0024] A plunger 35 that can move back and forth in the axial direction of the cavity 301, i.e., in the radial direction of the mold support portion 31, is provided at the radially inner end of the mold support portion 31 of the mold 30. The end of the plunger 35 on the radially outer side of the mold support portion 31 and the end of the plunger 35 on the radially inner side of the mold support portion 31 have flange portions 351 and 352, respectively. Furthermore, a heater 302 that heats the gate block 15 is provided at the radially outer end of the mold support portion 31 within the cavity 301 of the mold 30, as shown in FIG. 2 .

[0025] A compression spring 353 is disposed between the flange portion 352 and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical mold support portion 31 so as to surround the shaft portion of the plunger 35, with one end of the compression spring 353 abutting against the inner peripheral surface of the mold support portion 31 and the other end of the compression spring 353 abutting against the flange portion 352. The flange portion 352 abuts against the peripheral surface of the cam plate 46 due to the biasing force of the compression spring 353.

[0026] The product removal unit 20 is configured to sequentially remove products molded in the mold 30. Specifically, the product removal unit 20 includes a plunger 35, a cam plate 46, a conveyor 21, etc. When the motor 44 is driven to rotate the rotary table 40, which rotates the mold support unit 31, the plungers 35 of the multiple molds 30 sequentially come into contact with the long radius portion 461 of the cam plate 46. As a result, the multiple plungers 35 are pushed sequentially by the long radius portion 461, and the flange portion 351 moves radially outward of the mold support unit 31 within the cavity 301, so that the solidified material M, which is the product molded in the cavity 301 of the mold 30, is extruded from the cavity 301.

[0027] The control device 90 is composed of a central processing unit (CPU), a volatile memory device (RAM), a non-volatile memory device (ROM), a storage medium, etc. Under the control of the control device 90, the motors 125 and 44, which constitute the rotating part of the drive unit (not shown) that rotates the pulley 121 fixed to the screw 12, are driven and rotated. The control device 90 also inputs numerical data on the pressure of the mixed material detected and output by the pressure detection device 128. The control device 90 also controls the temperature at which the mixed material is heated by the external temperature adjustment unit 13.

[0028] In the manufacturing apparatus 1 configured as described above, a solidified material M is manufactured from a mixed material in which biomass and plastic are mixed as follows: First, biomass and waste plastic are supplied as a mixed material to the hopper section 14. The biomass used may be any material formed from plants that is produced by photosynthesis, such as grass clippings, pruned branches, coffee grounds after brewing, and waste materials such as fruit peels after squeezing juice.

[0029] The biomass and waste plastic supplied to the hopper section 14 are supplied to the material feed space 16 of the material supply section 10. Then, the screw 12 is rotated under the control of the control device 90, and the mixed material of biomass and waste plastic is stirred and kneaded. At this time, the external temperature adjustment section 13 is controlled by the control device 90 to heat the stirred and kneaded biomass and waste plastic, and the waste plastic melts. In this way, with the waste plastic in a sufficiently melted state, the mixed material that has been stirred and kneaded evenly with the biomass is fed toward the cavities 301 of the mold 30 by the rotation of the screw 12 and filled into each of the cavities 301 of the mold 30 via the gates 32.

[0030] When the mixed material is filled into the cavity 301, the pressure of the mixed material is detected by the pressure detection device 128. Data on the detected pressure value is output to the control device 90. When the detected pressure reaches or exceeds a predetermined pressure, the rotation of the screw 12 is stopped under control of the control device 90, and filling of the cavity 301 of the mold 30 is stopped. Next, the motor 44 is driven under control of the control device 90, and the rotary table 40 is rotated 45°. As a result, of the molds 30 arranged in a circle, the mold 30 filled with the mixed material is moved to a position offset from the position facing the gate 32, and the mold 30 adjacent to the mold 30 filled with the mixed material is positioned at a position facing the gate 32.

[0031] Then, in the same manner as the previous filling of the mixed material into the cavity 301 of the mold 30, the mixed material is filled into the cavity 301 of the mold 30 arranged at a position opposite the gate 32. In this manner, the mixed material is supplied to and filled into each of the molds 30 in turn. After the mixed material has been supplied to and filled into the mold 30 in turn, the mixed material filled into the cavity 301 of the mold 30 is cooled and solidified from the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the cylindrical mold support portion 31 while the mold 30 is being rotated by the rotation of the mold support portion 31.

[0032] When the rotary table 40 is rotated under the control of the control device 90, and the plunger 35, while in contact with the peripheral surface of the cam plate 46 at the periphery of the cam plate 46, comes into contact with a portion of the cam plate 46 near the long radius portion 461, the plunger 35 is pushed outward in the radial direction of the mold support portion 31 by the peripheral surface of the cam plate 46, and within the cavity 301 of the mold 30 in which the plunger 35 is provided, the flange portion 351 at the end of the plunger 35 is pushed outward in the radial direction of the mold support portion 31. As a result, the material (solidified material M) produced by solidifying the mixed material in the cavity 301 is pushed out of the cavity 301 of the mold 30 by the flange portion 351.

[0033] Then, when the plunger 35 comes into contact with the long radius portion 461 of the cam plate 46, the solidified material M, which is the product molded in the cavity 301 of the mold 30, is pushed out of the cavity 301 and falls onto the conveyor 21, is transported by the conveyor 21, and is discharged from an outlet not shown, and the solidified material M is removed from the product removal section 20.

[0034] The manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment having the above-described configuration can provide the following effects: The manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a material supply unit 10 that supplies a mixed material obtained by mixing biomass and plastic to a plurality of molds 30 in sequence, and a product removal unit 20 that sequentially discharges products molded by the plurality of molds 30. The material supply unit 10 includes a screw 12 to which the mixed material is supplied, which rotates to agitate and feed the supplied mixed material, and an external temperature adjustment unit 13 that adjusts the temperature of the mixed material.

[0035] This allows the external temperature control unit 13 to sufficiently melt the waste plastic at a high temperature, and at the same time, the rotation of the screw 12 allows the sufficiently melted waste plastic to be uniformly stirred and mixed with the biomass. In addition, since this simultaneous operation is possible, it is possible to shorten the time until the mixed material to be filled into the mold 30 is completed, and as a result, it becomes possible to mass-produce the solidified material M. Furthermore, since the waste plastic is cooled in the completed solidified material M, it is possible to maintain the solidified state.

[0036] The manufacturing apparatus 1 of this embodiment has a plurality of molds 30 arranged in a circle, and is equipped with a rotary table 40 that rotatably supports the plurality of molds 30 arranged in a circle, and as the plurality of molds 30 are rotated by the rotary table 40, the mixed material is supplied from the material supply section 10 to each of the plurality of molds 30 in sequence.

[0037] This allows the location where the multiple molds 30 are arranged to be circular, thereby preventing the space occupied by the manufacturing apparatus 1 from becoming too large. Furthermore, the configuration of rotating the turntable 40 allows the multiple molds 30 to be arranged in order at positions facing the gate, and also allows the multiple molds 30 to be arranged in order at positions where the solidified material M can be discharged onto the conveyor 21.

[0038] Furthermore, the solidified material M can be filled by supplying the mixed material sequentially into a plurality of circularly arranged molds 30, and the filled mixed material can be cooled while the plurality of molds 30 filled with the mixed material are rotated by the turntable 40. Therefore, the cooled and solidified solidified material M can be discharged and taken out sequentially from the product take-out section 20. This makes it possible to realize mass production of the solidified material M.

[0039] In the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the product removal section 20 includes a plunger 35 that pushes out the solidified material M formed in the plurality of circularly arranged molds 30 from the molds 30, and a cam plate 46 that is a cam that drives the plunger 35. This makes it possible to easily realize a configuration in the product removal section 20 that discharges the solidified material M from the molds 30 with a simple configuration.

[0040] In the manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the multiple molds 30 are arranged parallel to the axial direction of the turntable 40. This allows the multiple molds 30 to be arranged in the circumferential direction of the turntable 40, and also arranged in the axial direction of the turntable 40, making it possible to mass-produce a larger amount of solidified material M.

[0041] The manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is provided with a pressure detection device 128 that detects the pressure of the mixed material supplied to the mold 30. This makes it possible to detect whether the mixed material supplied to and filled in the cavity 301 of the mold 30 has been properly filled. This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of defective products in the finished immobilized material due to an insufficient supply amount of the mixed material.

[0042] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be modified within the technical scope defined by the claims. For example, the configurations of the mold, material supply unit, product removal unit, etc. are not limited to those of the mold 30, material supply unit 10, product removal unit 20, etc., in this embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, two manufacturing apparatuses 1 may be arranged with their hoppers 14 positioned adjacent to each other and their cylindrical portions 11 of the material supply units 10 positioned parallel to each other, and the two hoppers 14 may be connected by a mixed material supply flow path F1, so that the mixed fuel can be supplied to the hoppers 14 of the two manufacturing apparatuses 1 via the supply flow path F1. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, three manufacturing apparatuses 1 may be arranged with their hoppers 14 positioned adjacent to each other and their cylindrical portions 11 of the material supply units 10 positioned parallel to each other, and the three hoppers 14 may be connected by a mixed material supply flow path F2, so that the mixed fuel can be supplied to the hoppers 14 of the three manufacturing apparatuses 1 via the supply flow path F2.

[0043] In the present embodiment, the mold support section 31 has eight molds 30 arranged in a circular shape as shown in Fig. 1, and three molds 30 arranged in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the rotary table 40, i.e., in the vertical direction as shown in Fig. 2, but the number and configuration are not limited to these. For example, the molds do not have to be arranged in a circular shape.

[0044] In this embodiment, the cam is configured with three cam plates 46, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, the cam may be configured with a number of cam plates other than three, and the shape of the cam may be changed appropriately depending on the position where the solidified material, which is the product, is to be removed, the stroke amount of the plunger, etc. Also, instead of a cam, another configuration that can drive the plunger may be used.

[0045] 2 and other figures, in this embodiment, the cylindrical portion 11 and the mold support portion 31 are arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction and connected, but this configuration is not limited to this. For example, the axis of the cylindrical portion may be oriented vertically, and the upper end of a cylindrical mold support portion whose axis is oriented horizontally may be connected to the lower end of the cylindrical portion. In this case, the solidified material, which is the product molded in the mold of the mold support portion, is extruded vertically downward and transported by a conveyor.

[0046] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Manufacturing device 10 Material supply section 12 Screw 13 External temperature control section 20 Product removal section 30 Mold 35 Plunger 40 Rotary table 46 Cam plate (cam) 128 Pressure detection device

Claims

1. A manufacturing device for a solidified material produced by mixing biomass with plastic, comprising: a plurality of molds; a material supply unit that supplies a mixed material obtained by mixing biomass with plastic to the plurality of molds in sequence; and a product removal unit that sequentially discharges products molded by the plurality of molds, wherein the material supply unit comprises: a screw to which the mixed material is supplied, the screw rotating to agitate and feed the supplied mixed material; and an external temperature control unit that adjusts the temperature of the mixed material.

2. A manufacturing device for a solidified material produced by mixing biomass with plastic, as described in claim 1, comprising: a rotary table that rotatably supports the plurality of circularly arranged molds; and a rotary table that rotates the plurality of molds, thereby supplying the mixed material from the material supply unit to each of the plurality of molds in turn.

3. The manufacturing device for a solidified material produced by mixing biomass with plastic, as described in claim 2, wherein the product removal section comprises: a plunger that pushes out the solidified material molded in the plurality of circularly arranged molds from the mold; and a cam that drives the plunger.

4. A manufacturing device for a solidified material produced by mixing biomass with plastic, as described in claim 2, wherein the plurality of molds are arranged parallel to the axial direction of the rotary table.

5. The apparatus for producing a solidified material produced by mixing biomass with plastic, as described in claim 1, further comprising a pressure detection device for detecting the pressure of the mixed material supplied to the mold.

Images