Method for producing granular material

Abstract

A method for producing a granular material according to the present invention includes: a heating and stirring step in which an object to be processed including waste is stirred while being heated in an accommodation part, which is the internal space of a processing tank, thereby generating a granular material; and a first accommodation step in which, after the heating and stirring step, a new object to be processed is accommodated in the accommodation part. In the heating and stirring step, the accommodation part is heated to 180°C to 400°C inclusive by a first heating unit that heats the wall part of the processing tank and a second heating unit that supplies heated gas to the accommodation part, and the object to be processed is stirred by rotating, in the accommodation part, a stirring shaft having a shaft portion and a plurality of blade portions provided on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion at intervals along the rotation axis. In the accommodation step, the new object to be processed is accommodated in the accommodation part with at least some of the granular material remaining such that the bulk of the generated granular material exceeds at least a part of the shaft portion.

Description

Granular material manufacturing method

[0001] The present invention relates to a waste recycling technology.

[0002] From the viewpoint of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it is desirable to recycle waste without incineration. Therefore, a technique for producing carbonized material by pyrolyzing waste is known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method for producing granular material using waste containing a thermoplastic resin, which includes a stirring step of stirring the material contained in a treatment tank. For example, Patent Document 2 describes a carbonization furnace including a main body for pyrolyzing the waste and an exhaust section for exhausting exhaust gases generated during the pyrolysis of the waste.

[0003] JP 2023-16295 A Patent No. 6578500

[0004] A method for producing granular material using waste according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a heating and stirring step of heating and stirring materials, including the waste, in a storage section, which is the internal space of a treatment tank, to produce granular material; and a storage step of storing new materials in the storage section after the heating and stirring step. In the heating and stirring step, the storage section is heated to a temperature of 180°C to 400°C by a first heating unit that heats the wall of the treatment tank and a second heating unit that supplies heated gas to the storage section. The material is agitated by rotating an agitation shaft in the storage section, the agitation shaft having a shaft portion rotatable about a rotation axis extending in a direction intersecting the vertical direction and a plurality of blade portions provided at intervals along the rotation axis on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion. In the storage step, the new material is stored in the storage section, leaving at least a portion of the granular material remaining, so that the volume of the generated granular material exceeds at least a portion of the shaft portion.

[0005] Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for producing granular material using combustible waste having a moisture content of 80% by mass or more, and includes a step of storing combustible waste having a moisture content of 80% by mass or more in a storage section, which is the internal space of a treatment tank, and a heating and stirring step of generating granular material by heating and stirring, within the storage section, a granular stirring medium generated by heating waste including used absorbent articles and a material to be treated that includes the combustible waste, at a temperature of 180°C or more and 400°C or less.

[0006] A recycling management system according to yet another embodiment of the present invention is a recycling management system for managing the recycling of used absorbent articles, comprising: a batch-type heat treatment device installed in a facility; and a management device located outside the facility and managing the heat treatment device. The heat treatment device has: a storage unit that stores objects to be treated, including the used absorbent articles; a heat treatment unit that heats the objects in the storage unit; a weight measurement unit that measures the weight of the objects in the storage unit; a temperature measurement unit that measures the temperature within the storage unit; a first communication unit that handles communication processing; and a first control unit that controls the heat treatment unit, the weight measurement unit, the temperature measurement unit, and the first communication unit. The management device has a second communication unit that handles communication processing, and a second control unit that controls the second communication unit. The second control unit receives from the heat treatment device the initial weight of the workpiece in the storage unit at the start of the heating treatment, receives from the heat treatment device the temperature in the storage unit during the heating treatment and the weight of the workpiece measured at predetermined time intervals, associated with time information about the time from the start of the heating treatment to the time the temperature and weight are measured, calculates the amount of change in weight of the workpiece relative to the initial weight at each predetermined time interval, generates feedback information for controlling the heating treatment device based on the calculated amount of change in weight, and transmits the feedback information to the heat treatment device.

[0007] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a management device is disposed outside a facility and manages a batch-type heat treatment device installed in the facility, and includes: a second communication unit that handles communication processing; and a second control unit that controls the second communication unit. The second control unit receives from the heat treatment device an initial weight of the objects to be treated, including used absorbent articles, in a storage unit of the heat treatment device that stores the objects to be treated at the start of the heat treatment, receives from the heat treatment device an associated temperature in the storage unit during the heat treatment and the weight of the objects to be treated, measured at predetermined time intervals, and time information about the time from the start of the heat treatment to the measurement of the temperature and the weight, calculates an amount of change in weight of the objects to be treated relative to the initial weight for each predetermined time interval, generates feedback information for controlling the heat treatment unit based on the calculated amount of change in weight, and transmits the feedback information to the heat treatment device.

[0008] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a management method for managing a batch-type heat treatment device installed in a facility by an information processing device located outside the facility, wherein a control unit of the information processing device receives from the heat treatment device an initial weight of the objects to be treated, including used absorbent articles, in a storage unit of the heat treatment device at the start of the heat treatment, receives from the heat treatment device an initial weight of the objects to be treated, including used absorbent articles, in a storage unit of the heat treatment device that stores the objects, the initial weight of the objects to be treated, measured at predetermined intervals, associated with time information about the time from the start of the heat treatment to the measurement of the temperature and the weight in the storage unit, calculates a change in weight of the objects to be treated relative to the initial weight for each predetermined interval, generates feedback information for controlling the heat treatment unit based on the calculated change in weight, and transmits the feedback information to the heat treatment device.

[0009] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for producing granular material using waste includes a heating and stirring step of heating and stirring materials to be treated, including the waste, in a storage section, which is the internal space of a treatment tank, to produce granular material; and a first storage step of storing new materials to be treated in the storage section after the heating and stirring step. In the heating and stirring step, the storage section is heated to a temperature of 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower by a first heating unit that heats the wall of the treatment tank and a second heating unit that supplies heated gas to the storage section. The materials to be treated are stirred by rotating an agitation shaft in the storage section, the agitation shaft having a shaft portion rotatable about a rotation axis extending in a direction intersecting the vertical direction and a plurality of blade portions provided at intervals along the rotation axis on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion. In the first storage step, the new materials to be treated are stored in the storage section, leaving at least a portion of the granular material remaining, so that the volume of the generated granular material exceeds at least a portion of the shaft portion.

[0010] A recycling management system according to yet another aspect of the present invention is a recycling management system for managing the recycling of used absorbent articles, comprising: a batch-type heat treatment device installed in a facility; and a management device located outside the facility and managing the heat treatment device. The heat treatment device comprises: a storage section for storing objects to be treated, including the used absorbent articles; a heat treatment section for heating the objects to be treated in the storage section; a weight measurement section for measuring the weight of the objects to be treated in the storage section; a temperature measurement section for measuring the temperature in the storage section; a detection section for detecting the volume of the objects to be treated in the storage section; an agitation treatment section for agitating the objects to be treated in the storage section during heat treatment; a first communication section for performing communication processing; and a first control section for controlling the heat treatment section, the weight measurement section, the temperature measurement section, the detection section, the agitation treatment section, and the first communication section. The heat treatment section comprises: a first heating unit for heating a wall of the treatment tank; and a second heating unit for supplying heated gas to the storage section. The stirring processing section includes an agitation shaft including a shaft section rotatable about a rotation axis extending in a direction intersecting the vertical direction and a plurality of blade sections provided on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft section at intervals along the rotation axis, and a drive section for rotating the agitation shaft. The first control section controls the agitation processing section to rotate the agitation shaft to agitate the object to be processed in the storage section, while controlling the first heating unit and the second heating unit to heat the inside of the storage section to 180°C or more and 400°C or less to generate granular material. After the generation of the granular material, the first control section determines, based on an input signal from the detection section, whether a volume of the granular material remaining in the storage section exceeds at least a portion of the shaft section. If it is determined that the volume of the remaining granular material exceeds at least a portion of the shaft section, the first control section determines, based on the input signal from the detection section, whether a new object to be processed has been stored in the storage section in addition to the remaining granular material. If it is determined that the new object to be processed has been stored in the storage section, the first control section permits the start of a heating and agitation process for the new object to be processed. The management device includes a second communication unit that handles communication processing, and a second control unit that controls the second communication unit.The second control unit receives from the heat treatment device the initial weight of the workpiece in the storage unit at the start of the heating treatment, receives from the heat treatment device the temperature in the storage unit during the heating treatment and the weight of the workpiece measured at predetermined time intervals, associated with time information about the time from the start of the heating treatment to the time the temperature and weight are measured, calculates the amount of change in weight of the workpiece relative to the initial weight at each predetermined time interval, generates feedback information for controlling the heating treatment device based on the calculated amount of change in weight, and transmits the feedback information to the heat treatment device.

[0011] A management device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention is a management device located outside a facility for managing a batch-type heating treatment device installed in the facility, and includes: a second communication unit that handles communication processing; and a second control unit that controls the second communication unit. The heat treatment device is configured to: control a stirring processing section within the storage section to rotate the stirring shaft of the stirring processing section to stir the materials to be treated, including used absorbent articles, within the storage section, while controlling a first heating unit that heats the wall of the treatment tank that forms the storage section and a second heating unit that supplies heated gas to the storage section to heat the inside of the storage section to between 180°C and 400°C, thereby generating granular material; after generating the granular material, determine whether the volume of the granular material remaining in the storage section exceeds at least a portion of the shaft portion of the stirring shaft based on an input signal from a detection section that detects the volume of the materials to be treated within the storage section; if it is determined that the volume of the granular material exceeds at least a portion of the shaft portion, determine whether new materials to be treated have been stored in the storage section in addition to the granular material based on the input signal from the detection section; and if it is determined that new materials to be treated have been stored in the storage section, allow the start of heating and stirring treatment for the new materials to be treated. The second control unit receives from the heat treatment device the initial weight of the workpiece in the storage unit at the start of the heat treatment, receives from the heat treatment device the temperature in the storage unit during the heat treatment and the weight of the workpiece measured at predetermined time intervals, associated with time information about the time from the start of the heat treatment to the time the temperature and weight are measured, calculates the amount of change in weight of the workpiece relative to the initial weight at each predetermined time interval, generates feedback information for controlling the heat treatment device based on the calculated amount of change in weight, and transmits the feedback information to the heat treatment device.

[0012] A management method according to still another embodiment of the present invention is a management method in which a batch-type heat treatment device installed in a facility is managed by an information processing device located outside the facility. The heat treatment device is configured to: control a stirring processing section within the storage section to rotate the stirring shaft of the stirring processing section to stir the materials to be treated, including used absorbent articles, within the storage section, while controlling a first heating unit that heats the wall of the treatment tank that forms the storage section and a second heating unit that supplies heated gas to the storage section to heat the inside of the storage section to between 180°C and 400°C, thereby generating granular material; after generating the granular material, determine whether the volume of the granular material remaining in the storage section exceeds at least a portion of the shaft portion of the stirring shaft based on an input signal from a detection section that detects the volume of the materials to be treated within the storage section; if it is determined that the volume of the granular material exceeds at least a portion of the shaft portion, determine whether new materials to be treated have been stored in the storage section in addition to the granular material based on the input signal from the detection section; and if it is determined that new materials to be treated have been stored in the storage section, allow the start of heating and stirring treatment for the new materials to be treated. The control unit of the information processing device: receives from the heat processing device the initial weight of the workpiece in the storage unit at the start of the heat processing; receives from the heat processing device the temperature in the storage unit during the heat processing and the weight of the workpiece measured at predetermined time intervals, associated with time information about the time from the start of the heat processing to the time the temperature and weight are measured; calculates the amount of change in weight of the workpiece relative to the initial weight at each predetermined time interval; generates feedback information for controlling the heat processing unit based on the calculated amount of change in weight; and transmits the feedback information to the heat processing device.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a processing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a processing tank of the processing device, showing a cross-section of the processing tank as seen from the front. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the processing tank of the processing device, showing a cross-section of the processing tank as seen from the side. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing granular material using the processing device. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a processing device according to a modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the processing tank of the processing device, showing a cross-section of the processing tank as seen from the front. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram explaining a method for manufacturing granular material according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing granular material according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing the action and effect of a stirring medium containing a superabsorbent polymer used in the manufacturing method, where (A) shows the state before the superabsorbent polymer has absorbed water, and (B) shows the state after the superabsorbent polymer has absorbed water. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing granular material according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for manufacturing granular material according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a recycling management system according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a heat treatment device of the recycling management system. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the heat treatment device. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a management device of the recycling management system. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow of the recycling management system. FIG. 11 is a graph showing the relationship between time and the weight of the object to be processed in the heat treatment by the heat treatment device. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a heat treatment device according to a modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of a recycling management system (management device) according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a recycling management system according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the management device of the recycling management system. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of a recycling management system (management device) according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a heat treatment device of a recycling management system according to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0014] In order to further promote waste recycling, there is a need for technology that can more efficiently produce recycled materials with a high carbon content.

[0015] The present invention relates to a technology that can efficiently produce recycled materials with a high carbon content.

[0016] <Outline of First to Third Embodiments of the Present Invention> A method for producing granular material according to one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that it generates granular material by agitating materials to be treated, including waste, while heating a treatment tank using two heating units (described below), and then storing new materials to be treated in the treatment tank while leaving a predetermined amount of the generated granular material in the treatment tank. This improves the efficiency and controllability of heating in the treatment tank, allowing for the efficient production of carbides with a high carbon content. Therefore, the method for producing granular material according to this embodiment contributes to promoting waste recycling and ultimately contributes to the realization of a resource-circulating society.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, "granular" refers to the shape of each fragment of the crushed material to be treated. Furthermore, "granular body" refers to an aggregate of multiple fragments that are separated from each other. By forming a waste-derived product into a granular body, it is possible to make it into a form that is easy to handle as a recycled material. The particle size of the granular body is preferably 10 μm or more, more preferably 30 μm or more, and preferably 5 cm or less, more preferably 1 cm or less, and even more preferably 0.5 cm or less. The particle size of the granular body refers to the maximum diameter of each fragment that makes up the granular body. The detailed structure of the granular body will be described later.

[0018] The waste used in one embodiment of the present invention includes, for example, general waste generated from households, businesses, etc. From the viewpoint of improving processing efficiency and carbonization efficiency, the waste preferably includes combustible waste. Combustible waste here refers to waste primarily containing organic matter classified as combustible garbage, such as food waste, paper, fabrics, resin products, plants, wood products, rubber products, leather products, and mixtures thereof. Thus, combustible waste may be cellulose-containing waste such as paper, some fabrics, plants, and wood products. The combustible waste content in the waste is preferably 30% by mass or more, more preferably 40% by mass or more, and even more preferably 50% by mass, from the viewpoint of improving the carbonization rate of the generated granules.

[0019] Furthermore, the waste used in one embodiment of the present invention is preferably waste containing a thermoplastic resin. Examples of waste containing a thermoplastic resin include used packaging containers (food containers, bottles, etc.), used absorbent articles (disposable diapers, sanitary napkins, etc.), and marine debris. Of these, the waste preferably includes used absorbent articles, which are generated in childcare or nursing care and can be problematic for disposal. The thermoplastic resin contained in the waste is not limited to a specific type, and examples include polyolefin, polyester, polyacrylic acid, and sodium polyacrylate. Furthermore, the waste may contain two or more types of thermoplastic resins.

[0020] The waste used in one embodiment of the present invention also includes, for example, non-infectious waste and infectious waste generated by medical institutions, etc. Examples of sources of such waste include hospitals, clinics, hygiene testing centers, nursing homes for the elderly, nursing care centers, and midwifery clinics. Infectious waste includes waste containing or potentially contaminating pathogens that can infect humans, waste contaminated with such pathogens, and waste that may be contaminated. Specific examples include used absorbent articles used by patients with infectious gastroenteritis, as well as disposable products such as syringes contaminated with blood or body fluids. Non-infectious waste includes waste other than infectious waste (e.g., combustible materials), such as paper and food waste, non-infectious bandages, absorbent cotton, gloves, surgical masks, aprons, commonly used absorbent articles, and other plastic products.

[0021] 1 to 3, a processing apparatus 100 that can be used in the granular material manufacturing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The processing apparatus 100 includes a processing tank 101, a first heating unit 110, a second heating unit 120, an exhaust treatment unit 130, and a control unit 140. The processing apparatus 100 is configured as, for example, a batch-type carbonization apparatus (pyrolysis apparatus).

[0022] The treatment tank 101 has a wall 101a and a storage section 101b. The storage section 101b can store the object to be treated by the treatment device 100, and is configured as an internal space of the treatment tank 101 surrounded by the wall 101a. Each of Figures 1 to 3 shows the interior of the storage section 101b by showing a vertical cross section of the wall 101a. In the treatment tank 101, a portion of the wall 101a is configured to be openable and closable as an inlet and / or outlet for the object to be treated.

[0023] The treatment tank 101 further includes one or more agitation shafts 102. The agitation shaft 102 includes a shaft portion 102a and multiple blade portions 102b. The shaft portion 102a is configured as a rod-shaped member that can rotate around a rotation axis C extending horizontally to the side. Both ends of the shaft portion 102a are supported by the wall portion 101a on the sides of the storage portion 101b, and the portion between the both ends supported by the wall portion 101a is located within the storage portion 101b. The multiple blade portions 102b are spaced apart along the longitudinal direction. Each blade portion 102b protrudes in various radial directions from the outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion 102a.

[0024] From the viewpoint of increasing the efficiency of stirring, the treatment tank 101 preferably has a plurality of stirring shafts 102. These stirring shafts 102 are preferably arranged, for example, along a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, with the shaft portions 102a being approximately parallel. In the example shown in Figure 3, the treatment tank 101 has two stirring shafts 102.

[0025] The first heating unit 110 heats the wall 101a of the treatment tank 101. In other words, the first heating unit 110 has the function of externally heating the accommodation section 101b. In this embodiment, the first heating unit 110 has a heater 111 that heats the wall 101a. Although the heating method of the heater 111 is not limited, an electric heater is preferable from the viewpoint of facilitating temperature control. Note that the various configurations of the heater 111, such as the installation position, can be determined in various ways depending on the configuration of the treatment tank 101 and the properties of the workpiece. For example, in FIG. 2, the heater 111 is disposed at the bottom of the wall 101a, but it may also be disposed to the side or above the wall 101a.

[0026] The second heating unit 120 supplies heated gas to the storage section 101b. That is, the second heating unit 120 has the function of directly heating the interior of the storage section 101b with hot air. In this embodiment, the second heating unit 120 has an air supply section 121, an exhaust section 122, an air blower section 123, and a heating section 124. In this embodiment, the second heating unit 120 constitutes a hot air circulation type heating unit that heats gas exhausted from the storage section 101b by operating the air blower section 123 and supplies the gas to the storage section 101b. By supplying the circulated gas to the storage section 101b, exhaust heat can be recovered and energy efficiency can be improved. The gas used in the second heating unit 120 is not particularly limited and may be air, an inert gas such as nitrogen, or the like.

[0027] The gas supply unit 121 supplies gas to the storage unit 101b. In this embodiment, the gas supply unit 121 is configured as a gas passage connecting the storage unit 101b and the blower unit 123 (heater unit 124). The gas supply unit 121 is configured with one or more tubular members, for example, including a tubular member provided to penetrate the wall 101a of the treatment tank 101.

[0028] The exhaust section 122 exhausts gas from the storage section 101b. In this embodiment, the exhaust section 122 is configured as a gas passage connecting the blower section 123 and the storage section 101b. The exhaust section 122 is configured, for example, with one or more tubular members including a tubular member provided to penetrate the wall section 101a of the treatment tank 101. From the viewpoint of efficient gas circulation, the exhaust section 122 is preferably arranged on the wall section 101a so as to face the air supply section 121 across the storage section 101b.

[0029] The blower 123 blows gas to the air supply unit 121. The blower 123 is formed of a blower such as a fan, a blower, or a compressor. The blower 123 is disposed between the air supply unit 121 and the exhaust unit 122.

[0030] The heating unit 124 heats the gas supplied to the accommodation unit 101b. The heating unit 124 may be disposed on the exhaust side or the intake side of the air blower 123 as shown in FIG. 1 . The heating unit 124 may be connected to the air blower 123 as shown in FIG. 1 , or may be disposed separately. The heating unit 124 is composed of a heater that heats the gas, and is preferably composed of an electric heater from the viewpoint of facilitating temperature control. The configuration of the heater constituting the heating unit 124, such as the heating method and installation position, can be determined in various ways depending on the configuration of the treatment tank 101 and the properties of the workpiece.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second heating unit 120 has a flow rate adjustment unit 125 that adjusts the flow rate of the gas supplied to the accommodation unit 101b. The flow rate adjustment unit 125 may be disposed in the gas supply unit 121 as shown in FIG. 1 , or in the exhaust unit 122. The flow rate adjustment unit 125 is configured with a flow rate adjustment member such as a damper or a valve, and is configured to be able to adjust the flow rate of the gas in the gas supply unit 121. By having the flow rate adjustment unit 125 in the second heating unit 120, the flow rate of the gas supplied to the accommodation unit 101b can be adjusted, which can contribute to temperature control of the accommodation unit 101b.

[0032] The exhaust treatment unit 130 removes harmful substances contained in the gas exhausted from the accommodation unit 101b and discharges the treated gas to the outside of the treatment device 100. In the illustrated example, the exhaust treatment unit 130 has a branch path 131, a catalytic treatment unit 132, and an exhaust path 133.

[0033] The branch path 131 connects the second heating unit 120 and the catalytic treatment section 132. The branch path 131 is composed of a tubular member or the like that branches from the second heating unit 120 to the exhaust treatment section 130. As shown in FIG. 1 , the branch path 131 may be connected to the air supply section 121 of the second heating unit 120, or may be connected to the exhaust section 122 (see FIG. 5 ). By arranging the branch path 131 on the exhaust side of the flow rate adjuster 125, the flow rate of gas adjusted by the flow rate adjuster 125 can adjust the inflow of gas into the exhaust treatment section 130.

[0034] The catalytic treatment unit 132 has a heat source and a catalyst, and removes harmful substances contained in the gas by bringing the gas heated by the heat source into contact with the catalyst. The catalyst can be, for example, a solid catalyst containing fine particles of a precious metal (platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, etc.) on its surface. Such a solid catalyst can remove harmful substances such as carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC), thereby increasing the safety of the gas. The heat source can be, for example, a heater, as long as it can heat the gas to a temperature at which the catalyst exerts its catalytic effect.

[0035] The exhaust path 133 exhausts the gas that has passed through the catalytic treatment section 132 and been treated to the outside of the treatment device 100. The exhaust path 133 is also made up of a tubular member or the like.

[0036] The control unit 140 is configured as a processor that controls each unit of the processing device 100, and specifically includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), etc. Furthermore, the processing device 100 may have an operation panel (not shown) that is connected to the control unit 140 and allows a user to perform input operations.

[0037] The configuration of the processing device 100 is not limited to the above example and can be modified in various ways. For example, in the processing device 100, the rotation axis C of the shaft portion 102a does not necessarily have to extend horizontally; it may be tilted relative to the horizontal plane. However, to effectively obtain the stirring effect of gravity in the processing device 100, it is necessary that at least the rotation axis C of the shaft portion 102a be tilted relative to the vertical direction, and it is preferable that the angle of the rotation axis C of the shaft portion 102a relative to the horizontal plane is small. Specifically, in the processing device 100, it is preferable that the angle of the rotation axis C of the shaft portion 102a relative to the horizontal plane is 30° or less. Other configuration modifications will be described later.

[0038] [Method for Producing Granular Material] In this embodiment, the method for producing granular material includes a preparation step S01, a heating and stirring step S02, a cooling step S03, a storage determination step S04, and a storage step (first storage step) S05, as shown in Fig. 4. The method for producing granular material in this embodiment is performed using the processing apparatus 100 described above.

[0039] In the preparation step S01, the material to be treated is accommodated in the accommodation section 101b, which is the internal space of the treatment tank 101. The amount of the material to be treated can be set so that the volume of the granular material to be produced exceeds at least a portion of the stem section 102a. Note that this step is not performed in the second or subsequent treatments that are performed after the accommodation step S05, which will be described later.

[0040] In the heating and stirring step S02, the object to be processed accommodated in the accommodation section 101b is heated and stirred to generate granular material.

[0041] In this step, the accommodation section 101b is heated to 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower by a first heating unit 110 that heats the wall 101a of the treatment tank 101 and a second heating unit 120 that supplies heated gas to the accommodation section 101b. By setting the heating temperature to 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower, the object to be treated can be thermally decomposed while suppressing the volatilization of carbon compounds, thereby producing a carbide with a high carbon ratio. Note that the heating temperature in this step may be any temperature as long as the maximum temperature is 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower, and may be maintained at the maximum temperature or may vary within the above temperature range.

[0042] In this step, the heater 111 of the first heating unit 110 heats the wall 101a, thereby heating the storage section 101b from the outside. Furthermore, in the second heating unit 120, the air blower 123 and the heating section 124 are activated, causing the exhaust section 122 to exhaust gas from the storage section 101b, the exhausted gas to be heated by the heating section 124, and the heated gas to be supplied to the storage section 101b from the air supply section 121. This allows the interior of the storage section 101b to be directly heated by the heated gas (hot air), allowing the storage section 101b to be heated efficiently and, as will be described later, making it easier to control the temperature rise rate.

[0043] In this step, the material to be treated is stirred by rotating the stirring shaft 102 in the storage section 101b. This crushes the material to be treated, increasing heating efficiency, and the material can be heated uniformly by stirring. Furthermore, stirring the material to be treated suppresses adhesion of the material during the evaporation of water and thermal decomposition process, making it easier to generate granules.

[0044] In the cooling step S03, after the heating and stirring step S02 and before the storing step S05, the storing section 101b is cooled to 100° C. or less, thereby cooling the produced granules.

[0045] In this step, for example, the air blower 123 of the second heating unit 120 is operated to supply cooling gas from the air supply unit 121 of the second heating unit 120 to the storage unit 101b. The cooling gas can be a gas such as an inert gas or air adjusted to a temperature lower than that in the heating and stirring step S02. Specifically, the cooling gas can be obtained by stopping the heating unit 124 or setting the heating unit 124 to a temperature lower than that in the heating and stirring step S02 (for example, 100°C or lower). The temperature reached in the storage unit 101b in the cooling step S03 is preferably a temperature at which the production status of the granular material can be confirmed and the granular material can be recovered, and the granular material has accumulated heat in the storage step S05 described below, and is preferably, for example, between 20°C and 80°C.

[0046] In this step, the workpiece may be agitated while being cooled by rotating the agitation shaft 102. This allows the viscosity to be reduced and finely crushed granules with small particle size to be formed, even if the workpiece contains a thermoplastic resin that tends to increase in viscosity during the cooling process. Another advantage of cooling the workpiece while agitating it is that the cooling efficiency can be improved.

[0047] In the accommodation determination step S04, it is determined whether or not a new workpiece is accommodated (S04). If it is determined that a new workpiece is accommodated (Yes in S04), the next accommodation step S05 is performed. If it is determined that a new workpiece is not accommodated (No in S04), the process ends. In this step, the user of the processing device 100 may make the determination, or the control unit 140 may perform the determination process. If the control unit 140 makes the determination, the control unit 140 may determine the end of the process based on information from a monitoring device, such as a weighing scale that measures the weight of the workpiece in the accommodation unit 101b or an imaging device that captures image information of the inside of the accommodation unit 101b. Furthermore, the control unit 140 may be configured to determine whether the heating and stirring step S02 and / or the cooling step S03 have been performed a predetermined number of times, and to end the process if it is determined that the predetermined number of times have been performed.

[0048] In the storing step S05, new objects to be processed including waste are stored in the storage section 101b. Note that the storing step S05 in this embodiment corresponds to the "first storing step."

[0049] In this step, the new processing object is accommodated in the storage section 101b with at least a portion of the granular material remaining so that the volume of the generated granular material exceeds at least a portion of the shaft portion 102a. That is, the new processing object is accommodated in the storage section 101b with the granular material remaining in the storage section 101b so that the volume exceeds at least a portion of the shaft portion 102a. The volume of the generated granular material is determined as the vertical height L of the surface of the granular material smoothed along a horizontal plane. The volume of the granular material that results in this volume is set according to the position of the stirring shaft 102, but is preferably, for example, 25% or more of the volume of the storage section 101b. In this step, it is sufficient that the generated granular material that exceeds at least a portion of the shaft portion 102a remains in the storage section 101b; any granular material exceeding this volume may be collected.

[0050] After the accommodation step S05, the heating and stirring step S02, the cooling step S03, and the accommodation determination step S04 are repeatedly performed.

[0051] As described above, in the heating and stirring step S02 of this embodiment, by using the second heating unit 120 in addition to the first heating unit 110 for heating, the temperature uniformity within the storage unit 101b can be improved even when the volume of the storage unit 101b is increased. This allows for accurate control of the temperature within the storage unit 101b, thereby controlling the progress of thermal decomposition of the workpiece and the accompanying volatilization of carbon compounds. Furthermore, by using two heating units for heating, the temperature rise rate within the storage unit 101b and the carbonization rate of the workpiece can be increased, thereby improving processing efficiency. Furthermore, by shortening the processing time, energy consumption during processing can be reduced.

[0052] Furthermore, in the storage step S05 of this embodiment, a new workpiece is stored in the storage section 101b while leaving a sufficient amount of the generated granular material, allowing the generated granular material to function as a stirring medium in the subsequent heating and stirring step S02. Specifically, by stirring both the granular material and the workpiece, contact with the granular material creates fine scratches on the surface of the workpiece, forming starting points for crushing. This facilitates the crushing of the workpiece, and the surface area of ​​the workpiece is increased, thereby improving heating efficiency. Furthermore, by stirring the granular material and the workpiece, the granular material covers a wide area of ​​the crushed workpiece, allowing the heat stored in the granular material to be transferred to a wide area of ​​the workpiece. This improves the uniformity of heating of the workpiece and improves heating efficiency. Furthermore, by leaving the generated granular material beyond at least a portion of the shaft portion 102a, the entire remaining granular material is stirred by the rotation of the stirring shaft 102, allowing it to effectively function as a stirring medium. Therefore, according to the storing step S05 of this embodiment, the objects to be processed can be crushed, stirred, and heated efficiently, and the generation of granules can be promoted.

[0053] In this way, in this embodiment, by crushing and granulating the material to be treated through the heating and stirring step S02, a highly uniform recycled material can be produced, and the produced granules can be effectively used as a stirring medium for subsequent treatments. Therefore, the method for producing granules of this embodiment can efficiently produce recycled material with a high carbon content.

[0054] [Configuration Example for Controlling Heating Temperature] In the heating and stirring step S02, the temperature rise rate of the storage section 101b can be controlled by the first heating unit 110, the second heating unit 120, and the flow rate adjustment unit 125. Using two heating units, as described above, can uniformly maintain the temperature within the storage section 101b and increase the number of parameters for controlling the heating temperature, making it easier to control the temperature rise rate. For workpieces with a high moisture content, the flow rate adjustment unit 125 can be opened, for example, by widening the valve of the flow rate adjustment unit 125 during the process of drying the moisture, thereby increasing the airflow speed and accelerating the drying of the workpieces. After the drying of the workpieces has progressed, the airflow speed can be reduced, and uniform pyrolysis can be achieved by coordinating the temperatures of the first heating unit 110, which heats the storage section 101b from the outside, and the second heating unit 120, which heats the storage section 101b from the inside. In this case, the temperature difference between the heating temperatures of the first heating unit 110 and the second heating unit 120 is preferably within ±20°C, more preferably within ±10°C, in order to prevent uneven heating of the workpiece.

[0055] In this embodiment, a specific method for controlling the temperature rise rate in the heating and stirring step S02 may be, for example, to maintain the parameters of the first heating unit 110 and the second heating unit 120 constant. Alternatively, the parameters of one of the first heating unit 110 and the second heating unit 120 may be maintained constant while the parameters of the other heating unit 110 are changed. Alternatively, the parameters of both the first heating unit 110 and the second heating unit 120 may be changed. Specific parameters of the first heating unit 110 include the set temperature (output) of the heater 111. Specific parameters of the second heating unit 120 include the set temperature (output) of the heating unit 124, the output of the air blower 123, and the flow rate of the flow rate adjuster 125. These controls may be performed by the control unit 140 based on input operations via an operation panel (not shown), or may be automatically performed by the control unit 140 based on monitoring results of the temperature of the storage unit 101b, etc.

[0056] Alternatively, the temperature of the accommodation section 101b may be monitored by, for example, monitoring the temperature of the gas in the exhaust section 122 and controlling the temperature rise rate of the accommodation section 101b based on the monitored temperature. In this example, the second heating unit 120 further includes a temperature sensor, such as a thermocouple, for measuring the temperature of the gas disposed in the exhaust section 122 (not shown). Because the gas in the exhaust section 122 is exhausted from the accommodation section 101b, the temperature reflects the temperature inside the accommodation section 101b. This allows the temperature inside the accommodation section 101b to be measured indirectly by utilizing the configuration of the second heating unit 120, even without disposing a temperature sensor inside the accommodation section 101b. Therefore, even if the workpiece contains a thermoplastic resin, adhesion of the molten thermoplastic resin to the temperature sensor can be prevented, thereby suppressing deterioration in the maintenance ease and measurement accuracy of the temperature sensor.

[0057] Furthermore, from the viewpoint of more accurate temperature monitoring of the accommodating section 101b, the temperature of the gas in the gas supply section 121 may be monitored in addition to the temperature in the exhaust section 122, and the rate of temperature rise of the accommodating section 101b may be controlled based on the temperatures monitored in the exhaust section 122 and the gas supply section 121. In this case, the second heating unit 120 further includes a temperature sensor (not shown) disposed in the gas supply section 121. By calculating the difference in temperature between the gas supply section 121 and the exhaust section 122, it is possible to detect the temperature rise of the accommodating section 101b due to the supply of heated gas. This makes it possible to more accurately control the rate of temperature rise of the accommodating section 101b.

[0058] [Configuration Example for Controlling Temperature Dropping] In the cooling step S03, the gas temperature in the exhaust section 122 may be monitored, and the temperature drop rate of the storage section 101b may be controlled based on the monitored temperature. This temperature monitoring may be performed using a temperature sensor disposed in the exhaust section 122. The temperature drop rate of the storage section 101b may be adjusted by, for example, adjusting the output of the air blower 123 of the second heating unit 120. For example, the temperature drop rate is preferably 1°C / min or more, more preferably 5°C / min or more, from the viewpoint of improving processing efficiency. To obtain stable granular materials, the temperature drop rate is preferably 1°C / min or less, more preferably 0.5°C / min or less. In this case, the gas temperature may also be monitored in the gas supply section 121 in addition to the gas exhaust section 122, and the temperature drop rate of the storage section 101b may be controlled based on the temperatures monitored in the exhaust section 122 and the gas supply section 121.

[0059] [Configuration Example for Exhaust Treatment] In this embodiment, it is preferable to perform an exhaust treatment to remove harmful substances contained in the gas exhausted from the storage section 101b. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the gas exhausted from the storage section 101b may be gas exhausted by the exhaust section 122 of the second heating unit 120. The exhaust treatment is performed, for example, in at least one of the heating and stirring step S02 or the cooling step S03. In the exhaust treatment of this embodiment, gas containing water vapor is generated by evaporation or thermal decomposition of the treated material, and excess gas in the exhaust section 122 flows into the branch path 131, where harmful substances such as carbon monoxide (CO) are removed in the catalytic treatment section 132. This improves the safety of the gas exhausted from the exhaust path 133 to the outside of the treatment device 100, thereby achieving a carbonization treatment with low environmental impact.

[0060] [Example of Treatment Tank Configuration] In this embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 2, the height H2 of the shaft 102a in the vertical direction from the bottom surface 101c of the storage section 101b is preferably 1 / 2 or less of the maximum height H1 of the storage section 101b in the vertical direction. This makes it easier to leave the generated granules so that their volume exceeds at least a portion of the shaft 102a, and further makes it easier to store a sufficient amount of new processing material in the storage section 101b. Note that the height H2 of the shaft 102a is the height of the rotation axis C of the shaft 102a. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of more effectively exerting the above-mentioned effects, the height H2 is preferably 1 / 3 or less of the maximum height H1.

[0061] [Modification of First Heating Unit] The first heating unit 110 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the first heating unit 110 may be configured to heat the inside of the wall portion 101a with gas.

[0062] The first heating unit 110 shown in Figures 5 and 6 can heat the wall portion 101a by supplying heated gas to the interior of the wall portion 101a. In this example, the wall portion 101a has a space 101d that diffuses the supplied gas. The space 101d is configured to conduct heat to the inner surface of the wall portion 101a and may be, for example, a space formed inside the wall portion 101a or a tubular member or the like disposed inside the wall portion 101a. The location of the space 101d is not particularly limited, but it is preferably disposed over a wide area of ​​the wall portion 101a, and more preferably disposed over the entire wall portion 101a.

[0063] 5 and 6 , the first heating unit 110 includes an in-wall air supply section 112, an in-wall exhaust section 113, a blower section 114, and a heater section 115. In this example, the first heating unit 110 operates the blower section 114 to exhaust gas from the space 101d using the in-wall exhaust section 113, heat the exhausted gas using the heater section 115, and supply the heated gas from the in-wall air supply section 112 to the space 101d. This configures the first heating unit 110 as a hot air circulation type heating unit. The gas used in the first heating unit 110 is not particularly limited and may be air, an inert gas such as nitrogen, or the like.

[0064] The in-wall gas supply section 112 supplies gas to the space 101d inside the wall 101a. In this embodiment, the in-wall gas supply section 112 is configured as a gas passage connecting the space 101d and the heating section 115. The in-wall gas supply section 112 is configured, for example, with one or more tubular members including a tubular member connected to the space 101d.

[0065] The in-wall exhaust section 113 exhausts gas from the space 101d inside the wall 101a. In this embodiment, the in-wall exhaust section 113 is configured as a gas passage connecting the blower 114 and the space 101d. The in-wall exhaust section 113 is configured with one or more tubular members, including a tubular member connected to the space 101d, for example.

[0066] The air blowing section 114 blows gas to the in-wall air supply section 112. The air blowing section 114 is configured with an air blower such as a fan, a blower, or a compressor. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the air blowing section 114 is disposed on the exhaust side of the heating section 115, but it may also be disposed on the air supply side.

[0067] The heating unit 115 heats the supplied gas. The heating unit 115 is configured with a heater, and is preferably configured with an electric heater from the viewpoint of facilitating temperature control. Note that the configuration of the heater constituting the heating unit 115, such as the heating method and installation position, can be determined in various ways depending on the configuration of the treatment tank 101, the properties of the treatment object, etc.

[0068] Furthermore, the first heating unit 110 may have other configurations as necessary. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the first heating unit 110 further has a first valve member 116 that can take in outside air and a second valve member 117 that can exhaust air. This allows the first heating unit 110 to efficiently perform cooling in the cooling step S03.

[0069] The first heating unit 110 configured as described above allows the heated gas to heat a wide range of the inner surface of the wall portion 101a, and can efficiently heat the storage portion 101b even when the volume of the storage portion 101b is increased. Furthermore, by configuring the first heating unit 110 as a circulation-type heating unit, exhaust heat can be recovered to improve energy efficiency. Therefore, with this configuration, the volume of the storage portion 101b can be increased while reducing energy consumption, and processing efficiency can be further improved.

[0070] [Modification of second heating unit] The arrangement of the heating section 124 and the blower section 123 in the second heating unit 120 is not limited to the example shown in Figure 1, and the blower section 123 may be arranged on the exhaust side of the heating section 124, as shown in Figure 5.

[0071] [Configuration example of oxygen supply unit] Furthermore, as illustrated in Fig. 5, the processing apparatus 100 may have an oxygen supply unit 150 that supplies oxygen to the gas exhausted from the accommodation unit 101b. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the oxygen supply unit 150 is connected to a branch path 131. The gas exhausted from the accommodation unit 101b may be gas that has been exhausted by the exhaust unit 122 of the second heating unit 120 and introduced into the branch path 131. In the heating and stirring step S02 and / or the cooling step S03 in which the second heating unit 120 is operating, oxygen is supplied to the gas exhausted from the accommodation unit 101b to oxidize carbon monoxide (CO) to carbon dioxide (CO ２ ), and thus it is possible to suppress the emission of harmful carbon monoxide. Note that the oxygen supply unit 150 is not limited to being connected to the branch path 131, and may be connected to the exhaust unit 122 of the second heating unit 120.

[0072] A specific configuration of the oxygen supply unit 150 includes, for example, a fan that takes in outside air and a valve member such as a valve that adjusts the intake of outside air. This allows outside air containing oxygen to be supplied to the exhaust gas. Alternatively, instead of a fan that takes in outside air, the oxygen supply unit 150 may include a container or the like that stores oxygen gas, and supply the oxygen gas via a valve member. The amount of oxygen supplied by the oxygen supply unit 150 can be appropriately adjusted to an amount that reduces carbon monoxide without reducing the carbon ratio of the granular material.

[0073] [Example of Granular Body Configuration] In the granular body manufacturing method according to the above embodiment, as described above, granular bodies having a particle size of 10 μm or more and 5 cm or less are manufactured by heat-treating a processing object including waste. The configuration of these granular bodies will be described below.

[0074] The carbon ratio of the granules is preferably 30% by mass or more, more preferably 40% by mass or more, and even more preferably 50% by mass. This allows the granules to be effectively used as a recycled material having the functions of charcoal. The carbon ratio of the granules can be measured using an organic elemental analyzer.

[0075] The calorific value of the granules is preferably 20 MJ / kg or more, more preferably 22.5 MJ / kg or more, and even more preferably 25 MJ / kg. This allows for the production of granules that are easily combustible and can be used as fuel. The calorific value of the granules can be the total calorific value measured using a calorimeter such as a bomb calorimeter in accordance with JIS M8814:2003.

[0076] The moisture content (moisture content) of the granules is preferably 10% by mass or less, more preferably 3% by mass or less, and even more preferably 1% by mass or less. This allows for the production of sufficiently dried, combustible granules. The moisture content (moisture content) is measured according to the nitrogen stream drying loss measurement method described in JIS M8812:2004.

[0077] The granules may contain Na. This allows for the production of granules containing inorganic components suitable for use as fertilizers or soil improvement compositions. The Na content of the granules is preferably 1.0% by mass or more, more preferably 1.5% by mass or more, and preferably 10.0% by mass or less, more preferably 8.0% by mass or less. The Na-containing granules can be obtained, for example, by treating a treated object including an absorbent article containing a superabsorbent polymer containing a sodium salt.

[0078] The oxygen index of the granules is preferably less than 29%, more preferably less than 27%. This allows for the production of granules that are highly combustible and highly useful as fuel. The oxygen index is the minimum oxygen concentration (%, volume fraction) of a mixed gas of oxygen and nitrogen at 23°C ± 2°C required to maintain flaming combustion of a sample under specified conditions, and is measured specifically according to the oxygen index measurement procedure described in JIS K7201-2:2007.

[0079] From the viewpoint of increasing the carbon ratio, the hydrogen ratio of the granules is preferably 15% by mass or less, preferably 12% by mass or less, more preferably 10% by mass or less. The hydrogen ratio of the granules can be measured using an organic elemental analyzer.

[0080] The oxygen ratio of the granules is preferably 15% by mass or more, more preferably 17% by mass or more, from the viewpoint of increasing combustibility, and is preferably 35% by mass or less, more preferably 33% by mass or less, from the viewpoint of increasing the carbon ratio. The oxygen ratio of the granules can be measured using an organic elemental analyzer.

[0081] Furthermore, it is preferable that a fine uneven structure is formed on the surface of the granules. This is thought to enable the granules to exhibit the same adsorption function as porous charcoal. The fine uneven structure is an uneven structure that can be confirmed from an image of the granules taken at a magnification of 1000 to 1500 times.

[0082] The granules contain a large amount of carbon and are easily combustible, so they can be used as part of a fuel. For example, they can be used as a substitute for fossil resources (such as coal). Furthermore, the granules can be effectively used as, for example, paper compositions, fiber compositions, soil improvement compositions, water treatment compositions, fuels, fertilizers, building materials such as heat insulating materials, adsorbents, detoxifiers, deodorizers, and the like.

[0083] Furthermore, a compact can be obtained by forming the granules of this embodiment into pellets. Such compacts are commonly used as fuel, fertilizer, etc., and can be suitably used as a substitute for conventionally used materials. The dimensions of the compact can be set appropriately depending on the application, but the maximum dimension can be, for example, 5 mm or more and 50 mm or less. The compact can be produced, for example, by a molding machine such as a pelletizer.

[0084] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that in this embodiment, descriptions common to the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

[0085] As described above, the granular material can be used as fuel. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7 , an example will be described in which the granular material G is used as fuel to generate energy in the energy generating device 200, and the generated energy is used as a power source for the processing device 100.

[0086] The granular material G is used in a form suitable for use as fuel for the energy generating device 200. For example, the fuel derived from the granular material G may be the granular material G itself, or may be a solid fuel produced by molding the granular material G.

[0087] The solid fuel may be in the form of pellets as described above, or may be in any other form such as briquettes or tablets. The solid fuel may contain binders and additives for molding, and other materials (RPF or wood chips), in addition to the granules G. However, the content of the granules G in the solid fuel is preferably 5% by mass or more, and more preferably 10% by mass or more.

[0088] The energy generating device 200 may be any device that can generate energy to power the processing device 100 using fuel derived from the granular material G, and examples thereof include a boiler, a gasification device, a stove (e.g., a pellet stove), a power generation device, etc. Note that the "energy generating device 200" according to this embodiment is not limited to a single device, but also includes a configuration in which multiple devices work together to generate energy.

[0089] The power source of the processing device 100 may include at least a portion of the energy generated by the energy generating device 200. Examples of the power source of the processing device 100 generated by the energy generating device 200 include electric power, energy derived from gas fuel, thermal energy used in the first heating unit 110 and / or the second heating unit 120, and thermal energy used in the catalytic treatment device 132 of the exhaust treatment device 130. The form of supply of thermal energy can be determined appropriately depending on the configuration of the energy generating device 200 and the configuration of the processing device 100, and examples include heated gas such as warm air (hot air), warm water (hot water), etc.

[0090] As described above, according to this embodiment, the processing device 100 can be operated by utilizing energy derived from carbon fixed as granules G by the processing device 100. This reduces the amount of fossil fuel used to operate the processing device 100, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions in the entire manufacturing process of the granules G. Therefore, according to this embodiment, not only can waste be recycled, but also CO ２ This can reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, and realize recycling processes with even lower environmental impact.

[0091] Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that in this embodiment, descriptions common to the above-described embodiments will be omitted as appropriate.

[0092] In the method for producing granular materials according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the power source of the processing equipment for producing the granular materials includes energy derived from renewable energy, from the viewpoint of further reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the recycling process. In this case, all or part of the power source of the processing equipment for producing the granular materials may be energy derived from renewable energy.

[0093] Renewable energy is an energy source that can be obtained from the natural environment and can be used perpetually without depletion, and examples thereof include solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power, geothermal power, biomass, etc. Energy derived from renewable energy includes electricity generated by solar power generation, electricity generated by wind power generation, electricity generated by hydroelectric power generation, electricity generated by geothermal power generation, thermal energy derived from hot water used in geothermal power generation, electricity generated by biomass power generation, etc.

[0094] Of these, in this embodiment, the renewable energy-derived energy preferably includes power generated by solar power generation. Solar power generation facilities have a high degree of freedom in terms of installation location and can be installed at a lower cost than facilities related to other renewable energies. In this way, by using power generated by solar power generation, it is possible to relatively easily introduce an energy supply facility derived from renewable energy.

[0095] Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the solar-generated power includes stored solar-generated power. For storing power, a power storage facility including a storage battery or the like can be used. This allows, for example, solar-generated power to be stored during the day and supplied to the processing device 100 at night to operate the processing device 100. Alternatively, by using the stored power, it is possible to stably supply power to the processing device 100 regardless of the weather. This allows the processing device 100 to stably use solar-generated power regardless of the weather or time.

[0096] As described above, according to this embodiment, at least a part of the power source required for the operation of the treatment device 100 is CO ２ The energy source can be a renewable energy source that does not emit greenhouse gases, such as CO2, etc. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the operation of the treatment device 100, and it is possible to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the entire waste recycling process.

[0097] In addition, this embodiment can be implemented in combination with the second embodiment. This allows part of the power source of the processing device 100 to be energy generated using fuel derived from granular materials, and the other part to be energy derived from renewable energy. Therefore, even if either energy generated using fuel derived from granular materials or energy derived from renewable energy is insufficient as the power source for the processing device 100, by using both of them, the power source for the processing device 100 can be sufficiently supplied with energy that has a low environmental impact. This makes it possible to more reliably reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to the recycling process.

[0098] <Additional remarks regarding the first to third embodiments> The first to third embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0099] For example, a crushing process may be performed before the heating and stirring step S02 to crush the waste-containing materials to be treated. This crushing process may be performed as long as the materials to be treated are roughly crushed. For example, the maximum size of the fragments of the materials to be treated after the crushing process is 50 mm or more and 200 mm or less. In the crushing process, the materials to be treated may be crushed by a crushing device or the like separate from the processing device 100, or by providing a crushing unit in the processing device 100. The crushing device may have, for example, a crushing shaft including multiple rotary blades that rotates around a rotation axis, and is configured to crush the materials to be treated by the rotation of the multiple rotary blades. The crushing unit provided in the processing device 100 also has a crushing shaft that is attached to the storage section 101b or a processing space separate from the storage section 101b. In addition, when a crushing shaft is provided in the storage section 101b, it is preferable that the crushing shaft be provided between the inlet of the storage section 101b and the stirring shaft 102 (for example, at the top of the storage section 101b) so as not to affect the stirring by the stirring shaft 102.

[0100] In this embodiment, the crushing process is preferably carried out at room temperature. Here, room temperature refers to a temperature that does not involve heating the crushing space, for example, 5° C. to 40° C. By carrying out the crushing process at room temperature, energy consumption can be reduced because no energy for heating is required during the crushing process.

[0101] Furthermore, for example, the component concentrations of the gas exhausted from the accommodation unit 101b may be monitored during at least one of the heating and stirring step S02 and the cooling step S03. In this example, the processing apparatus 100 has a gas component concentration measuring device disposed in the exhaust unit 122 or the exhaust treatment unit 130. The measured gas component concentrations include, for example, oxygen concentration, carbon monoxide concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, and concentrations of other harmful substances. This makes it possible to obtain information on the composition of the exhausted gas, which can be useful for process control and reducing the emission of harmful substances.

[0102] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the manufacturing method of granular material includes the accommodation determination step S04, but the accommodation step S05 may be performed without performing the accommodation determination step S04.

[0103] The cooling step S03 of cooling the inside of the accommodation section 101b by the air blower 123 is not essential, and for example, the accommodation section 101b may be cooled naturally.

[0104] The exhaust process is not limited to the above example either, and may be performed in a device separate from the processing device 100, for example.

[0105] The configuration of the processing device 100 used to manufacture the granular material is not limited to the above example, and for example, the first heating unit may be configured to have a heater installed inside the wall portion 101 a, or may be configured to heat the inside of the wall portion 101 a with a heated liquid. Furthermore, the second heating unit may exhaust the gas exhausted from the storage portion 101 b without circulating it.

[0106] <Introduction to the Fourth to Seventh Embodiments> From the viewpoint of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it is desirable to recycle waste without incinerating it. Therefore, a technique for producing recycled materials by pyrolyzing waste to produce charcoal is known. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-88457 describes a waste carbonization method in which plastic waste and organic waste are separately crushed, mixed, compressed, and heated to produce a material to be treated, and the material to be treated is continuously introduced into an introduction portion of a furnace body preheated to 300°C or higher for carbonization.

[0107] Combustible waste with a high moisture content, such as food waste, requires preliminary treatment such as dehydration and drying before carbonization to prevent a decrease in heating efficiency, and the addition of a combustion improver during carbonization. Therefore, there is a demand for technology that can efficiently and easily produce recycled materials from combustible waste with a high moisture content.

[0108] The fourth to seventh embodiments of the present invention relate to a technology for efficiently and simply producing recycled materials from combustible waste with a high moisture content, in addition to or in place of the viewpoints described in the first to third embodiments.

[0109] <Outline of Fourth to Seventh Embodiments> The granular material manufacturing method according to the fourth to seventh embodiments of the present invention is characterized in that combustible waste having a moisture content of 80% by mass or more is placed in a treatment tank containing a granular stirring medium derived from used absorbent articles, and the materials are heated and stirred. By mixing and heating the combustible waste with the stirring medium, the combustible waste with a high moisture content can be uniformly and efficiently heated to produce granular material suitable for recycling. This eliminates the need for pretreatment such as dehydration and drying, or the use of combustion improvers, allowing for efficient and convenient production of recycled material from combustible waste. Therefore, the granular material manufacturing method according to the present embodiments contributes to the promotion of waste recycling and ultimately contributes to the realization of a resource-circulating society.

[0110] In the fourth to seventh embodiments of the present invention, the "waste" is combustible waste having a moisture content of 80% by mass or more. Note that in the following embodiments, explanations of the same configurations as those in the above-mentioned embodiments may be omitted.

[0111] In one embodiment of the present invention, combustible waste refers to waste that primarily contains organic matter classified as combustible garbage, such as food waste, paper, cloth, resin products, plants, wood products, rubber products, leather products, and mixtures thereof.

[0112] The combustible waste used in one embodiment of the present invention has a moisture content of 80% by mass or more. The moisture content of combustible waste refers to the ratio of the moisture mass of the combustible waste before heating to the total mass of the combustible waste before heating. The moisture mass of the combustible waste before heating can be calculated, for example, as the ratio of the difference between the total mass of the combustible waste before heating and the mass of the combustible waste in a completely dried state (bone-dry state). Examples of combustible waste with such high moisture content include food waste, sludge (organic sludge, inorganic sludge), and mixtures of these with other combustible waste. In one embodiment of the present invention, the combustible waste is preferably food waste, which can be widely generated from households, businesses, etc., including processing residues generated during food manufacturing and processing, processing waste and unsold food generated during food distribution, and cooking waste and leftovers generated during food consumption. In one embodiment of the present invention, the combustible waste is kitchen waste with a high moisture content generated during cooking.

[0113] In one embodiment of the present invention, the term "absorbent article" refers to an article that absorbs bodily waste. Examples of absorbent articles include at least one selected from sanitary products (sanitary napkins, tampons, etc.), disposable paper diapers, incontinence pads, urine absorption pads, panty liners, and pet sheets. Note that the term "incontinence pad" refers to an absorbent pad for mild to moderate incontinence that is attached to ordinary underwear, and the term "urine absorption pad" refers to an absorbent pad for moderate to severe incontinence that is mainly attached to disposable paper diapers.

[0114] The absorbent article may contain a superabsorbent polymer from the viewpoint of enhancing absorbency. The superabsorbent polymer is a resin having a crosslinked structure and thus has the property of absorbing and retaining moisture, and includes one or more superabsorbent polymers selected from, for example, polyacrylic acid, polyacrylates, partially crosslinked polymers of polymer compounds having carboxyl groups or salts thereof, partially crosslinked polysaccharides, etc. Partially crosslinked polymers of polymer compounds having carboxyl groups or salts thereof include crosslinked polyacrylates, poly(vinyl alcohol / acrylate) copolymers (crosslinked), starch-acrylate graft copolymers (crosslinked), and polyvinyl alcohol-polymaleic anhydride graft copolymers (crosslinked). Partially crosslinked polysaccharides include crosslinked carboxymethyl cellulose salts, etc.

[0115] Furthermore, the "salt" constituting the superabsorbent resin includes, for example, one or more salts selected from alkali metal salts (sodium salts, potassium salts, lithium salts, etc.), alkaline earth metal salts (calcium salts, magnesium salts, barium salts, etc.), ammonium salts (quaternary ammonium salts, quaternary alkylammonium salts, etc.), etc.

[0116] In one embodiment of the present invention, the superabsorbent polymer preferably comprises one or more superabsorbent polymers selected from polyacrylic acid, sodium polyacrylate, or crosslinked sodium polyacrylate.

[0117] Hereinafter, fourth to seventh embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0118] <Fourth embodiment> [Configuration of processing device] Processing device 100 that can be used in the method for producing granular material according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention includes the processing device 100 shown in Figures 1 to 3. The configuration of processing device 100 is the same as the configuration described in the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0119] [Method for manufacturing granular material] In this embodiment, the method for manufacturing granular material includes a stirring medium generation step S11, a combustible waste storage step (second storage step) S12, a heating and stirring step S13, and a cooling step S14, as shown in Fig. 8. The method for manufacturing granular material in this embodiment is performed using the processing apparatus 100 described above.

[0120] (Agitation Medium Generation Step S11) In the agitation medium generation step S11, the waste including used absorbent articles stored in the storage unit 101b is agitated while being heated to 180° C. or higher and 400° C. or lower to generate an agitation medium.

[0121] In this embodiment, the waste containing used absorbent articles may contain other waste in addition to used absorbent articles. Examples of other waste include combustible waste. The combustible waste may include thermoplastic resin. In addition to the above-mentioned used absorbent articles, examples of combustible waste containing thermoplastic resin include used packaging containers (food containers, bottles, etc.) and marine debris. The thermoplastic resin contained in the waste is not limited to a specific type, and examples include polyolefin, polyester, polyacrylic acid, and sodium polyacrylate. Furthermore, the waste may contain two or more types of thermoplastic resin.

[0122] Furthermore, waste in this embodiment may include, for example, non-infectious waste and infectious waste generated by medical institutions and the like. Examples of sources of such waste include hospitals, clinics, hygiene testing centers, nursing homes for the elderly, nursing care centers, and midwifery clinics. Infectious waste includes waste containing or potentially infectious pathogens, waste contaminated with such pathogens, and waste that may be contaminated. Specific examples include used absorbent articles used by patients with infectious gastroenteritis and disposable products such as syringes contaminated with blood or body fluids. Non-infectious waste includes waste other than infectious waste (e.g., combustible materials), such as paper and food waste, as well as non-infectious bandages, absorbent cotton, gloves, surgical masks, aprons, commonly used absorbent articles, and other plastic products.

[0123] In this step, the storage section 101b containing the waste is heated to 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower by the first heating unit 110, which heats the wall 101a of the treatment tank 101, and the second heating unit 120, which supplies heated gas to the storage section 101b. This allows the waste to be gradually carbonized into a stirring medium. The heating temperature in this step may be any temperature as long as the maximum temperature is 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower, and may be maintained at the maximum temperature or may vary within the above temperature range. The time for which the temperature is maintained at 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower is not particularly limited as long as granular material can be produced, but is, for example, 1 hour or higher and 5 hours or lower.

[0124] Furthermore, the heating temperature is preferably 180°C or higher and 300°C or lower. This makes it possible to suppress thermal decomposition of the superabsorbent resin contained in the used absorbent article. When the stirring medium contains the superabsorbent resin, the superabsorbent resin absorbs moisture contained in the combustible waste, improving heating efficiency in the heating and stirring step S13 described below.

[0125] In this step, the material to be treated is agitated by rotating the agitation shaft 102 in the storage section 101b. This allows the waste to be crushed to increase heating efficiency, and the agitation allows the waste to be heated uniformly. Furthermore, agitation of the waste suppresses adhesion of the waste during the evaporation of water and pyrolysis processes, and a granular agitation medium can be generated. In this example, the granular agitation medium may correspond to the "granular material" described above.

[0126] In this step, after heating to 180° C. or higher and 400° C. or lower, the accommodation section 101b may be cooled to 100° C. or lower as necessary. The cooling process can be performed in the same manner as in the cooling step S14 described later, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Note that in this step, cooling may be allowed to occur naturally without any active cooling process being performed.

[0127] (Step S12 for storing combustible waste) In step S12 for storing combustible waste, combustible waste having a moisture content of 80% by mass or more is stored in storage section 101b, which is the internal space of treatment tank 101. In this step, the agitation medium generated in step S11 for generating agitation medium remains in storage section 101b. Note that step S12 for storing combustible waste in this embodiment corresponds to the "second storage step."

[0128] (Heating and Stirring Step S13) In the heating and stirring step S13, the materials to be treated, including the granular stirring medium generated by heating the waste including used absorbent articles and the combustible waste, are stirred while being heated to a temperature of 180° C. to 400° C. in the storage unit 101b, thereby generating granular material. This stirring medium is kept in a state of being continuously stored in the storage unit 101b after the stirring medium generation step S11 until the heating and stirring step S13.

[0129] In this step, the storage section 101b is heated to a temperature of 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower by, for example, a first heating unit 110 that heats the wall 101a of the treatment tank 101 and a second heating unit 120 that supplies heated gas to the storage section 101b. By setting the heating temperature at 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower, the treated material can be pyrolyzed while reducing energy consumption and producing recycled materials. Another advantage is that volatilization of carbon compounds is reduced, producing granular carbonized material with a high carbon content. The heating temperature in this step may be as long as the maximum temperature is 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower. The maximum temperature may be maintained or may vary within the above temperature range. The time for which the temperature is maintained at 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower is not particularly limited as long as granular material can be produced, but it may be, for example, 1 hour or higher and 5 hours or lower.

[0130] Furthermore, the heating temperature is preferably 180°C or higher and 300°C or lower. This makes it possible to suppress the thermal decomposition of the superabsorbent polymer derived from the absorbent article contained in the granular stirring medium. Therefore, when the generated granular material is used as a stirring medium in the subsequent heating treatment, the effect of improving heating efficiency due to water absorption can be achieved.

[0131] In this step, the heater 111 of the first heating unit 110 heats the wall 101a, thereby heating the storage section 101b from the outside. Furthermore, in the second heating unit 120, the air blower 123 and the heating section 124 are activated, causing the exhaust section 122 to exhaust gas from the storage section 101b, the exhausted gas to be heated by the heating section 124, and the heated gas to be supplied to the storage section 101b from the air supply section 121. This allows the interior of the storage section 101b to be directly heated by the heated gas (hot air), allowing the storage section 101b to be heated efficiently and, as will be described later, making it easier to control the temperature rise rate.

[0132] In this step, the material to be treated is stirred by rotating the stirring shaft 102 in the storage section 101b. This crushes the material to be treated, increasing heating efficiency, and the material can be heated uniformly by stirring. Furthermore, stirring the material to be treated suppresses adhesion of the material during the evaporation of water and thermal decomposition process, making it easier to generate granules.

[0133] (Cooling Step S14) In the cooling step S14, after the heating and stirring step S13, the container 101b is cooled to 100° C. or less, thereby cooling the produced granules.

[0134] In this step, for example, the air blower 123 of the second heating unit 120 is operated to supply cooling gas from the air supply unit 121 of the second heating unit 120 to the storage unit 101b. The cooling gas can be a gas such as an inert gas or air adjusted to a temperature lower than that in the heating and stirring step S13. Specifically, the cooling gas can be obtained by stopping the heating unit 124 or setting the heating unit 124 to a temperature lower than that in the heating and stirring step S13 (for example, 100°C or lower). The temperature reached in the storage unit 101b in the cooling step S14 is preferably a temperature at which the production status of the granular material can be confirmed and the granular material can be recovered, and the granular material has accumulated heat, for example, preferably between 20°C and 80°C.

[0135] In this step, the workpiece may be agitated while being cooled by rotating the agitation shaft 102. This allows the viscosity to be reduced and finely crushed granules with small particle size to be formed, even if the workpiece contains a thermoplastic resin that tends to increase in viscosity during the cooling process. Another advantage of cooling the workpiece while agitating it is that the cooling efficiency can be improved.

[0136] (Summary of the method for producing granular material) The granular material is produced by the above steps. After cooling step S14, the granular material may be removed from storage section 101b, or the granular material may be left in storage section 101b and new combustible waste may be stored in storage section 101b, and the produced granular material may be used as a stirring medium for the next process.

[0137] According to the above-described method for producing granular materials, combustible waste with a moisture content of 80% by mass or more is heated and stirred using a granular stirring medium derived from used absorbent articles. In this way, in the heating and stirring step S13, the granular stirring medium penetrates between the wall 101a of the treatment tank 101 and the combustible waste, and between pieces of combustible waste, preventing moisture-induced adhesion between the combustible waste and the wall 101a and between pieces of combustible waste. Therefore, because the combustible waste is dispersed and uniformly heated within the storage section 101b, a homogeneous granular material can be produced without pretreatment to reduce moisture content, such as dehydration. Furthermore, because the stirring medium is granular, it can penetrate into the narrow gaps between pieces of combustible waste, evenly exerting the aforementioned anti-adhesion effect.

[0138] In addition, the granular agitation media can create fine scratches in the combustible waste that serve as starting points for shredding. For example, even if food waste is stored in a thin plastic container, the granular material can break the container and expose the food waste inside. This promotes the shredding of the combustible waste and further improves the efficiency of the heating and agitation process.

[0139] In this embodiment, the granular stirring medium is produced by a heating and stirring process at 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower. At least a portion of this stirring medium is carbonized and can exhibit a heat storage effect. This heat storage effect of the stirring medium can promote heating of the combustible waste coated on the stirring medium, thereby improving heating efficiency. Furthermore, the improved heating efficiency can reduce energy consumption by the treatment device 100, thereby improving energy efficiency.

[0140] As described above, the method for producing granular materials according to this embodiment can eliminate the need for dehydration and drying processes using separate equipment from the processing device 100, even for combustible waste with a moisture content of 80% by mass or more, and can produce recycled materials very easily using a single processing device 100. Furthermore, as described above, the use of a granular stirring medium enables efficient heating without the use of a combustion improver, further reducing the cost and effort required to produce recycled materials.

[0141] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the granular stirring medium is derived from waste including used absorbent articles, is produced by the same processing device 100 that processes combustible waste, and is left in the storage unit 101b after production. This minimizes the cost and effort required to prepare the stirring medium, enabling more efficient and simple processing. It also contributes to the recycling of used absorbent articles.

[0142] Additionally, as described above, the agitation medium preferably contains a superabsorbent polymer that has not been pyrolyzed. Figure 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating the effect of an agitation medium containing a superabsorbent polymer. Referring to Figure 9(A), at the start of processing, for example, agitation media G1 not containing a superabsorbent polymer and agitation media G2 containing a superabsorbent polymer are present around the combustible waste F, and moisture W seeping from the combustible waste F is present over a wide area. Note that for clarity, the drawing shows the agitation media G1 not containing a superabsorbent polymer as a black circle and the agitation media G2 containing a superabsorbent polymer as a white circle, but this representation does not reflect the actual appearance. As processing progresses, the agitation media G2 containing a superabsorbent polymer absorbs the moisture W that has seeped around the combustible waste F. As a result, as shown in Figure 9(B), gaps are created around the combustible waste F, creating a path for heated air to pass through, allowing the combustible waste F to be efficiently heated. Furthermore, the moisture W that causes adhesion is quickly absorbed, effectively suppressing adhesion.

[0143] In this way, by containing a highly absorbent resin that has not been thermally decomposed in the stirring medium, the heating efficiency of combustible waste with a moisture content of 80% by mass or more can be further improved, and uniformly heated recycled material can be easily produced without the need for dehydration treatment or the addition of a combustion improver.

[0144] [Example of the ratio of the mass of the generated granular material to the mass of the combustible waste] As described above, the moisture content of the combustible waste to be treated is 80% by mass or more. Therefore, heating at a temperature of 180°C to 400°C can significantly reduce the mass of the product by evaporating the moisture. Specifically, the ratio of the mass of the generated granular material to the mass of the combustible waste before the heating and stirring step S13 is preferably 10% by mass or less, more preferably 8% by mass or less, and even more preferably 5% by mass or less. By setting the ratio of the mass of the generated granular material to the mass of the original combustible waste to 10% by mass or less, the volume of the combustible waste can be significantly reduced, and the storage space for the generated recycled material can be reduced.

[0145] [Configuration Example of Granular Stirring Medium] The stirring medium used for processing is preferably contained in sufficient volume relative to the specifications of the storage unit 101b and / or the amount of combustible waste. For example, in the combustible waste storage step S12, as described in the first embodiment, the combustible waste is preferably stored in the storage unit 101b with the stirring medium volume exceeding at least a portion of the shaft portion 102a. The volume of the stirring medium is determined as the vertical height L of the surface of the stirring medium when it is smoothed along a horizontal plane, as shown in FIG. 2 . The volume of the stirring medium that provides such volume is set according to the position of the stirring shaft 102, but is preferably 25% or more of the volume of the storage unit 101b. Setting the volume of the stirring medium in this manner can more reliably achieve the effects of the stirring medium, such as promoting crushing, improving water absorption, and improving heating efficiency.

[0146] Furthermore, after the cooling step S14, the storage step (first storage step) S05 of the first embodiment may be performed. In the storage step S05, new processing objects are stored in the storage section 101b while leaving at least a portion of the granular material so that the volume of the generated granular material exceeds at least a portion of the shaft portion 102a. This also allows the granular material to effectively function as a stirring medium, allowing the processing object to be crushed, stirred, and heated efficiently, thereby promoting the generation of granular material. In this case, the storage determination step S04 may be performed as necessary.

[0147] Furthermore, the ratio of the mass of the stirring medium before the heating and stirring step S13 to the mass of the combustible waste before the heating and stirring step S13 is preferably 80% by mass or more. This allows the stirring medium to be used sufficiently for the combustible waste, and the effects of the stirring medium, such as promoting crushing, inhibiting adhesion, and absorbing water, can be more reliably achieved. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of more reliably achieving the above-mentioned effects, the ratio of the mass of the stirring medium to the mass of the combustible waste is more preferably 100% by mass or more. Furthermore, the upper limit of the ratio of the mass of the stirring medium to the mass of the combustible waste can be set appropriately taking into account the processing limit of the storage section 101b, but is preferably 200% by mass or less, more preferably 180% by mass or less.

[0148] Furthermore, the "coverage rate" is the ratio of the area of ​​the combustible waste covered by the agitation medium as viewed from above the storage section 101b 30 seconds after the start of the heating and agitation step S13 to the area of ​​the combustible waste as viewed from above the storage section 101b after the combustible waste storage step S12 and before the start of the heating and agitation step S13. The coverage rate is an index for evaluating the ease with which the agitation medium covers the combustible waste. From the viewpoint of ensuring that the agitation medium quickly covers the combustible waste, thereby promoting crushing, inhibiting adhesion, absorbing water, and otherwise exerting its effects, the coverage rate is preferably 60% or more, and more preferably 70% by mass or more. A specific method for calculating the coverage rate will be described later in the Examples.

[0149] [Configuration Example for Controlling Heating Temperature] In the heating and stirring step S13, the temperature rise rate of the storage section 101b can be controlled by the first heating unit 110, the second heating unit 120, and the flow rate adjustment unit 125. Using two heating units, as described above, can homogenize the temperature within the storage section 101b and increase the number of parameters for controlling the heating temperature, making it easier to control the temperature rise rate. For workpieces with a high moisture content, the flow rate adjustment unit 125 can be opened, for example, by widening the valve of the flow rate adjustment unit 125 during the process of drying the moisture, thereby increasing the airflow speed and accelerating the drying of the workpieces. After the drying of the workpieces has progressed, the airflow speed can be reduced, and uniform pyrolysis can be achieved by coordinating the temperatures of the first heating unit 110, which heats the storage section 101b from the outside, and the second heating unit 120, which heats the storage section 101b from the inside. In this case, the temperature difference between the heating temperatures of the first heating unit 110 and the second heating unit 120 is preferably within ±20°C, more preferably within ±10°C, in order to prevent uneven heating of the workpiece.

[0150] In this embodiment, a specific method for controlling the temperature rise rate in the heating and stirring step S13 may be, for example, to maintain the parameters of the first heating unit 110 and the second heating unit 120 constant. Alternatively, the parameters of one of the first heating unit 110 and the second heating unit 120 may be maintained constant while the parameters of the other heating unit 110 are varied. Alternatively, the parameters of both the first heating unit 110 and the second heating unit 120 may be varied. Specific parameters of the first heating unit 110 include the set temperature (output) of the heater 111. Specific parameters of the second heating unit 120 include the set temperature (output) of the heating unit 124, the output of the blower 123, and the flow rate of the flow rate adjuster 125. These controls may be performed by the control unit 140 based on input operations via an operation panel (not shown), or may be automatically performed by the control unit 140 based on the monitoring results of the temperature of the storage unit 101b, etc.

[0151] Alternatively, the temperature of the accommodation section 101b may be monitored by, for example, monitoring the temperature of the gas in the exhaust section 122 and controlling the temperature rise rate of the accommodation section 101b based on the monitored temperature. In this example, the second heating unit 120 further includes a temperature sensor, such as a thermocouple, for measuring the temperature of the gas disposed in the exhaust section 122 (not shown). Because the gas in the exhaust section 122 is exhausted from the accommodation section 101b, the temperature reflects the temperature inside the accommodation section 101b. This allows the temperature inside the accommodation section 101b to be measured indirectly by utilizing the configuration of the second heating unit 120, even without disposing a temperature sensor inside the accommodation section 101b. Therefore, even if the workpiece contains a thermoplastic resin, adhesion of the molten thermoplastic resin to the temperature sensor can be prevented, thereby suppressing deterioration in the maintenance ease and measurement accuracy of the temperature sensor.

[0152] Furthermore, from the viewpoint of more accurate temperature monitoring of the accommodating section 101b, the temperature of the gas in the gas supply section 121 may be monitored in addition to the temperature in the exhaust section 122, and the rate of temperature rise of the accommodating section 101b may be controlled based on the temperatures monitored in the exhaust section 122 and the gas supply section 121. In this case, the second heating unit 120 further includes a temperature sensor (not shown) disposed in the gas supply section 121. By calculating the difference in temperature between the gas supply section 121 and the exhaust section 122, it is possible to detect the temperature rise of the accommodating section 101b due to the supply of heated gas. This makes it possible to more accurately control the rate of temperature rise of the accommodating section 101b.

[0153] [Configuration Example for Controlling the Temperature Dropping Temperature] In the cooling step S14, the gas temperature in the exhaust section 122 may be monitored, and the temperature drop rate of the storage section 101b may be controlled based on the monitored temperature. This temperature monitoring may be performed using a temperature sensor disposed in the exhaust section 122. The temperature drop rate of the storage section 101b may be adjusted by, for example, the output of the blower section 123 of the second heating unit 120. For example, the temperature drop rate is preferably 1°C / min or more, more preferably 5°C / min or more, from the viewpoint of improving processing efficiency. To obtain stable granular materials, the temperature drop rate is preferably 1°C / min or less, more preferably 0.5°C / min or less. In this case, the gas temperature may also be monitored in the gas supply section 121 in addition to the gas exhaust section 122, and the temperature drop rate of the storage section 101b may be controlled based on the temperatures monitored in the exhaust section 122 and the gas supply section 121.

[0154] [Configuration Example for Exhaust Treatment] In this embodiment, it is preferable to perform an exhaust treatment to remove harmful substances contained in the gas exhausted from the accommodation unit 101b. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the gas exhausted from the accommodation unit 101b may be gas exhausted by the exhaust unit 122 of the second heating unit 120. The exhaust treatment is performed, for example, in at least one step selected from the stirring medium generation step S11, the heating and stirring step S13, and the cooling step S14. In the exhaust treatment of this embodiment, gas containing water vapor is generated by evaporation or thermal decomposition of the treated object, and excess gas in the exhaust unit 122 flows into the branch path 131, where harmful substances such as carbon monoxide (CO) are removed in the catalytic treatment unit 132. This improves the safety of the gas exhausted from the exhaust path 133 to the outside of the treatment device 100, thereby achieving a heat treatment with low environmental impact.

[0155] [Example of Treatment Tank Configuration] In this embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 2, the height H2 of the shaft 102a in the vertical direction from the bottom surface 101c of the storage unit 101b is preferably 1 / 2 or less of the maximum height H1 of the storage unit 101b in the vertical direction. This makes it easier to store the agitation medium so that its volume exceeds at least a portion of the shaft 102a, and further makes it easier to store a sufficient amount of new combustible waste in the storage unit 101b. Note that the height H2 of the shaft 102a is the height of the rotation axis C of the shaft 102a. Furthermore, in order to more effectively exert the above-mentioned effects, the height H2 is preferably 1 / 3 or less of the maximum height H1.

[0156] [Modification of First Heating Unit] The first heating unit 110 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the first heating unit 110 may be configured to heat the inside of the wall portion 101a with gas.

[0157] [Modification of second heating unit] The arrangement of the heating section 124 and the blower section 123 in the second heating unit 120 is not limited to the example shown in Figure 1, and the blower section 123 may be arranged on the exhaust side of the heating section 124, as shown in Figure 5.

[0158] [Configuration example of oxygen supply unit] Furthermore, as illustrated in Fig. 5, the processing apparatus 100 may have an oxygen supply unit 150 that supplies oxygen to the gas exhausted from the accommodation unit 101b. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the oxygen supply unit 150 is connected to a branch path 131. The gas exhausted from the accommodation unit 101b may be gas that has been exhausted by the exhaust unit 122 of the second heating unit 120 and introduced into the branch path 131. In at least one step selected from the stirring medium generation step S11, the heating and stirring step S13, and the cooling step S14 in which the second heating unit 120 is operating, oxygen is supplied to the gas exhausted from the accommodation unit 101b to oxidize carbon monoxide (CO) to carbon dioxide (CO ２ ), and thus it is possible to suppress the emission of harmful carbon monoxide. Note that the oxygen supply unit 150 is not limited to being connected to the branch path 131, and may be connected to the exhaust unit 122 of the second heating unit 120.

[0159] A specific configuration of the oxygen supply unit 150 includes, for example, a fan that takes in outside air and a valve member such as a valve that adjusts the intake of outside air. This allows outside air containing oxygen to be supplied to the exhaust gas. Alternatively, instead of a fan that takes in outside air, the oxygen supply unit 150 may include a container or the like that stores oxygen gas, and supply the oxygen gas via a valve member. The amount of oxygen supplied by the oxygen supply unit 150 can be appropriately adjusted to an amount that reduces carbon monoxide without reducing the carbon ratio of the granular material.

[0160] [Example of Granular Body Configuration] In the granular body manufacturing method according to the above embodiment, as described above, flammable waste is heat-treated to produce granular bodies having a particle size of 10 μm or more and 5 cm or less. The configuration of these granular bodies will be described below.

[0161] The carbon ratio of the granules is preferably 30% by mass or more, more preferably 40% by mass or more, and even more preferably 50% by mass. This allows the granules to be effectively used as a recycled material with the functions of charcoal. Furthermore, by using such granules as a stirring medium in the heating and stirring treatment of waste, the heat storage effect unique to charcoal can be exerted, thereby improving heating efficiency and energy efficiency. The carbon ratio of the granules can be measured using an organic elemental analyzer.

[0162] The calorific value of the granules is preferably 20 MJ / kg or more, more preferably 22.5 MJ / kg or more, and even more preferably 25 MJ / kg. This allows for the production of granules that are easily combustible and can be used as fuel. The calorific value of the granules can be the total calorific value measured using a calorimeter such as a bomb calorimeter in accordance with JIS M8814:2003.

[0163] The moisture content of the granules is preferably 10% by mass or less, more preferably 3% by mass or less, and even more preferably 1% by mass or less. This allows for the production of sufficiently dried, combustible granules. The moisture content is measured according to the nitrogen stream drying loss measurement method described in JIS M8812:2004.

[0164] The granules may contain Na. This allows for the production of granules containing inorganic components suitable for use as fertilizers or soil improvement compositions. The Na content of the granules is preferably 1.0% by mass or more, more preferably 1.5% by mass or more, and preferably 10.0% by mass or less, more preferably 8.0% by mass or less. The Na-containing granules can be obtained, for example, by treating waste containing absorbent articles containing a superabsorbent polymer containing a sodium salt.

[0165] The granules may contain Ca. This allows for the production of granules containing inorganic components suitable for use as fertilizers or soil improvement compositions. The Ca content of the granules is preferably 1.0% by mass or more, more preferably 1.5% by mass or more, and preferably 10.0% by mass or less, more preferably 8.0% by mass or less. Ca-containing granules can be obtained, for example, by treating waste containing absorbent articles containing calcium carbonate.

[0166] The oxygen index of the granules is preferably less than 29%, more preferably less than 27%. This allows for the production of granules that are highly combustible and highly useful as fuel. The oxygen index is the minimum oxygen concentration (%, volume fraction) of a mixed gas of oxygen and nitrogen at 23°C ± 2°C required to maintain flaming combustion of a sample under specified conditions, and is measured specifically according to the oxygen index measurement procedure described in JIS K7201-2:2007.

[0167] From the viewpoint of increasing the carbon ratio, the hydrogen ratio of the granules is preferably 15% by mass or less, preferably 12% by mass or less, more preferably 10% by mass or less. The hydrogen ratio of the granules can be measured using an organic elemental analyzer.

[0168] The oxygen ratio of the granules is preferably 15% by mass or more, more preferably 17% by mass or more, from the viewpoint of increasing combustibility, and is preferably 35% by mass or less, more preferably 33% by mass or less, from the viewpoint of increasing the carbon ratio. The oxygen ratio of the granules can be measured using an organic elemental analyzer.

[0169] Furthermore, since the granular material is at least partially carbonized, it is preferable that the granular material has a fine uneven structure formed on the surface, and more preferably, fine pores formed on the surface. This is thought to enable the fine unevenness and pores to exhibit a physical adsorption function. The fine uneven structure and pores are structures that can be confirmed from an image of the granular material taken at a magnification of 1000 to 1500 times.

[0170] Furthermore, the granules preferably have a deodorizing function, particularly a deodorizing function against excretory odors such as ammonia, acetic acid, indole, etc., by physically adsorbing odorous components at the fine irregularities or pores. In this case, the granules can be used as a deodorizer.

[0171] In addition, it is preferable that the granular stirring medium also has a fine uneven structure and / or fine pores formed on its surface. In this embodiment, like the granular body, the granular stirring medium is also produced by a heating and stirring process at 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower, so that a fine uneven structure and / or pores may be formed on the surface during the carbonization process. For this reason, it is preferable that the granular stirring medium also has a deodorizing function. As a result, even if a long time is required from the step S12 of storing combustible waste to the step S13 of heating and stirring, the deodorizing function of the granular stirring medium can suppress the generation of odors from the combustible waste.

[0172] The granules contain a large amount of carbon and are easily combustible, so they can be used as part of a fuel. For example, they can be used as a substitute for fossil resources (such as coal). Furthermore, the granules can be effectively used as, for example, paper compositions, fiber compositions, soil improvement compositions, water treatment compositions, fuels, fertilizers, building materials such as heat insulating materials, adsorbents, detoxifiers, deodorizers, and the like.

[0173] Furthermore, a compact can be obtained by forming the granules of this embodiment into pellets. Such compacts are commonly used as fuel, fertilizer, etc., and can be suitably used as a substitute for conventionally used materials. The dimensions of the compact can be set appropriately depending on the application, but the maximum dimension can be, for example, 5 mm or more and 50 mm or less. The compact can be produced, for example, by a molding machine such as a pelletizer.

[0174] In the method for producing granular material according to the fourth embodiment, the stirring medium generated in the stirring medium generation step S11 is left in the storage section 101b and the combustible waste is heated and stirred. However, this is not limited to this, and the stirring medium may be added from outside. In the following embodiments, the same components as those in the fourth embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and their description is omitted.

[0175] As shown in Figure 10, the method for producing granular material according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention includes a step S15 for storing an agitation medium, a step S12 for storing combustible waste, a heating and agitating step S13, and a cooling step S14. In this embodiment, steps S12 to S14 are the same as those in the fourth embodiment except for the step S15 for storing an agitation medium, and therefore, the following description will focus on the step S15 for storing an agitation medium. Note that the method for producing granular material according to this embodiment is performed using the processing apparatus 100 described in the fourth embodiment.

[0176] In step S15 of storing the agitating medium, granular agitating medium is stored in storage unit 101b before step S12 of storing combustible waste. The agitating medium may be generated by a heating device separate from processing device 100, or may be generated in processing device 100 and then discharged to the outside of storage unit 101b. As described in step S11 of generating the agitating medium, it is preferable that the agitating medium is generated by agitating waste including used absorbent articles while heating the waste to a temperature of 180°C or higher and 400°C or higher.

[0177] As a result, in the heating and stirring step S13, as in the fourth embodiment, the granular stirring medium can prevent the combustible waste from adhering to itself and to the wall 101a. The granular stirring medium can also promote the crushing of the combustible waste, and the heat-storing medium can improve heating efficiency. These features allow for efficient and easy production of recycled materials from combustible waste.

[0178] Sixth Embodiment Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that in this embodiment, descriptions common to the fourth and fifth embodiments will be omitted as appropriate.

[0179] As described above, the granular material can be used as fuel. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 11, an embodiment will be described in which energy is generated in an energy generating device 200A using the granular material G as fuel, and food waste discharged from a facility 300 that utilizes the generated energy is used as combustible waste to produce the granular material G.

[0180] The granular material G is used in a form suitable for use as fuel for the energy generating device 200A. For example, the fuel derived from the granular material G may be the granular material G itself, or may be a solid fuel produced by molding the granular material G.

[0181] The solid fuel may be in the form of pellets as described above, or may be in any other form such as briquettes or tablets. The solid fuel may contain binders and additives for molding, and other materials (RPF or wood chips), in addition to the granules G. However, the content of the granules G in the solid fuel is preferably 5% by mass or more, and more preferably 10% by mass or more.

[0182] The energy generating device 200A may be any device that can generate energy that can be supplied to the facility 300 described below using fuel derived from the granular material G, and examples thereof include a boiler, a gasification device, a stove (e.g., a pellet stove), a power generation device, etc. Note that the "energy generating device 200A" according to this embodiment is not limited to one device, but also includes a configuration in which multiple devices work together to generate energy.

[0183] Although the energy generating device 200A is shown in FIG. 11 as being installed outside the facility 300, it may be installed inside the facility 300 and supply energy to other devices in the facility 300.

[0184] Examples of energy generated by the energy generating device 200A include electric power, energy derived from gas fuel, and thermal energy. The form of thermal energy supply can be determined appropriately depending on the configuration of the energy generating device 200A and the configuration of the devices that use energy in the facility 300, and examples include heated gas such as warm air (hot air), hot water (hot water), and the like. As an example, the energy generated by the energy generating device 200A may include thermal energy generated in a boiler, in which case the thermal energy is supplied as warm water (hot water), for example.

[0185] The facility 300 is a facility that utilizes energy generated using fuel derived from the granules G and discharges food waste. Examples of the facility 300 include facilities operated by food-related businesses and agricultural-related businesses.

[0186] Examples of facilities operated by food-related businesses include food manufacturing and processing factories, stores and other facilities operated by food wholesalers and retailers, restaurants and other businesses that provide meals, etc. The forms of energy use in these facilities are not particularly limited, but include, for example, the use of electricity, and the use of thermal energy in processing involving heating and heating equipment.

[0187] Examples of food waste generated by facilities operated by food-related businesses include processing residues from food manufacturing and processing plants, processing scraps and unsold items from facilities operated by food wholesalers and retailers, and cooking scraps and leftovers from facilities operated by restaurants and businesses that provide meals.

[0188] Furthermore, examples of facilities operated by agriculture-related businesses include agricultural production facilities, processing and / or storage facilities, and distribution facilities. Examples of agricultural production facilities include vinyl greenhouses, greenhouses, and livestock barns. Examples of processing and / or storage facilities include rice mills, drying facilities, and refrigeration / freezing facilities. Examples of distribution facilities include sorting facilities, collection points, and direct sales outlets. The form of energy use in these facilities is not particularly limited, but examples include the use of electricity and the use of thermal energy in processing involving heating and in heating equipment.

[0189] Examples of food waste generated by facilities operated by agricultural businesses include crop scraps, processing waste, rice bran, rice husks, damaged crops, and unsold produce.

[0190] The food waste discharged from the facility 300 is stored in the storage section 101b of the processing device 100 in storage step S12 as at least a portion of the combustible waste having a moisture content of 80% by mass or more, as described in the fourth embodiment, and is used to produce granular material G.

[0191] As described above, according to this embodiment, the carbon-derived energy fixed as granules G by the processing device 100 is supplied to the facility 300, and food waste discharged from the facility 300 is used as a raw material for the granules. ２This reduces greenhouse gas emissions such as greenhouse gases emitted from the facility 300, and also reduces greenhouse gas emissions when treating food waste discharged from the facility 300. Therefore, according to this embodiment, not only can waste be recycled, but greenhouse gas emissions from the facility that discharges the waste can also be reduced, thereby realizing recycling with even lower environmental impact. Furthermore, resources can be circulated in the area where the treatment device 100, energy generation device 200A, and facility 300 are located, and effective resource utilization can be promoted.

[0192] Seventh Embodiment Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that in this embodiment, descriptions common to the above-described embodiments will be omitted as appropriate.

[0193] In the method for producing granular material according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention, from the viewpoint of further reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the recycling process, the power source of the processing device 100 for producing the granular material includes energy derived from renewable energy. In this case, all or part of the power source of the processing device 100 for producing the granular material may be energy derived from renewable energy.

[0194] Renewable energy is an energy source that can be obtained from the natural environment and can be used perpetually without depletion, and examples thereof include solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power, geothermal power, biomass, etc. Energy derived from renewable energy includes electricity generated by solar power generation, electricity generated by wind power generation, electricity generated by hydroelectric power generation, electricity generated by geothermal power generation, thermal energy derived from hot water used in geothermal power generation, electricity generated by biomass power generation, etc.

[0195] Of these, in this embodiment, the renewable energy-derived energy preferably includes power generated by solar power generation. Solar power generation facilities have a high degree of freedom in terms of installation location and can be installed at a lower cost than facilities related to other renewable energies. In this way, by using power generated by solar power generation, it is possible to relatively easily introduce an energy supply facility derived from renewable energy.

[0196] Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the solar-generated power includes stored solar-generated power. For storing power, a power storage facility including a storage battery or the like can be used. This allows, for example, solar-generated power to be stored during the day and supplied to the processing device 100 at night to operate the processing device 100. Alternatively, by using the stored power, it is possible to stably supply power to the processing device 100 regardless of the weather. This allows the processing device 100 to stably use solar-generated power regardless of the weather or time.

[0197] As described above, according to this embodiment, at least a part of the power source required for the operation of the treatment device 100 is CO ２ The energy source can be a renewable energy source that does not emit greenhouse gases, such as CO2, etc. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the operation of the treatment device 100, and it is possible to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the entire waste recycling process.

[0198] Additionally, this embodiment can be implemented in combination with the sixth embodiment. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with the operation of the processing device 100, in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the discharge of food waste. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the recycling process, and further reduce the environmental load.

[0199] <Additional remarks regarding the fourth to seventh embodiments> The fourth to seventh embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0200] For example, in the above-mentioned fifth embodiment, an example was described in which the step S15 of storing the agitation medium is followed by the step S12 of storing the combustible waste, but the order of these steps is not limited, and the step S11 of generating the agitation medium may be performed after the step S12 of storing the combustible waste.

[0201] Furthermore, for example, the component concentrations of the gas exhausted from the accommodation section 101b may be monitored in at least one step selected from the stirring medium generation step S11, the heating and stirring step S13, and the cooling step S14. In this example, the processing apparatus 100 has a gas component concentration measuring device disposed in the exhaust section 122 or the exhaust treatment section 130. The measured gas component concentrations include, for example, oxygen concentration, carbon monoxide concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, and concentrations of other harmful substances. This allows information on the composition of the exhausted gas to be obtained, which can be useful for process control and reducing the emission of harmful substances.

[0202] The cooling step S14 of cooling the inside of the accommodation section 101b by the air blower 123 is not essential, and for example, the accommodation section 101b may be cooled naturally.

[0203] The exhaust process is not limited to the above example either, and may be performed in a device separate from the processing device 100, for example.

[0204] The configuration of the processing device 100 used to manufacture the granular material is not limited to the above example, and for example, the first heating unit may be configured to have a heater installed inside the wall portion 101 a, or may be configured to heat the inside of the wall portion 101 a with a heated liquid. Furthermore, the second heating unit may exhaust the gas exhausted from the storage portion 101 b without circulating it.

[0205] <Introduction to Eighth to Twelfth Embodiments> Technologies for recycling used absorbent articles such as diapers are being studied from the perspective of effective resource utilization and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-155500 describes a management device that includes an acquisition unit that acquires collection information related to the collection of used absorbent articles from an apparatus such as a carbonization apparatus that performs pretreatment for recycling treatment installed in a facility, a management unit that manages recycling information related to recycling treatment based on the collection information, and a provision unit that provides work information to be used for work on the items to be recycled based on the recycling information.

[0206] However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-155500 does not describe any technology for improving the efficiency of the carbonization process of the equipment installed in the facility.

[0207] The eighth to twelfth embodiments of the present invention relate to a technology for improving the efficiency of heat treatment for recycling used absorbent articles, in addition to or in place of the aspects described in the first to seventh embodiments above.

[0208] Eighth Embodiment Overview of Recycling Management System A recycling management system (hereinafter simply referred to as the "system") according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention is a system for efficiently recycling used absorbent articles. As shown in Fig. 12, the system of this embodiment includes a heat treatment device 100A and a management device 200B connected to the heat treatment device 100A via the Internet 50. The heat treatment device 100A of this embodiment corresponds to the "treatment device 100" of the first embodiment.

[0209] The heat treatment device 100A is a batch-type device installed in a facility. In this embodiment, the facility is a facility where users of the facility use absorbent articles and where used absorbent articles are generated within the facility. Examples of such facilities include child welfare facilities (childcare facilities, etc.), elderly welfare facilities, commercial facilities, and educational facilities.

[0210] As illustrated in Figure 12, at a facility, for example, a facility employee who is a user of the heat treatment device 100A puts materials to be treated, including used absorbent articles 1, generated within the facility into an inlet 101Ad of the heat treatment device 100A. The heat treatment device 100A heat-treats the materials to be treated under predetermined conditions. For example, the employee removes granular material G, which is a recyclable material for the materials to be treated, from an outlet 101Ae at a predetermined time after the heat treatment. The person removing the granular material G may be a recycling company, as described below.

[0211] The recycled material, which is the object to be treated after the heat treatment, may be in the form of granules or other forms, but in the following embodiment, an example in which the recycled material is in the form of granules will be described.

[0212] In this embodiment, the term "absorbent article" refers to an article that absorbs bodily waste. Examples of absorbent articles include at least one selected from sanitary products (sanitary napkins, tampons, etc.), disposable diapers, incontinence pads, urine absorption pads, and panty liners. Note that the term "incontinence pad" refers to an absorbent pad for mild to moderate incontinence that is attached to ordinary underwear, and the term "urine absorption pad" refers to an absorbent pad for moderate to severe incontinence that is mainly attached to disposable diapers.

[0213] The material to be treated may include materials other than used absorbent articles. For example, the material to be treated may include waste discharged from a facility. From the viewpoint of increasing the efficiency of the heat treatment, it is preferable that the waste include combustible waste. Combustible waste here refers to waste that mainly contains organic matter classified as combustible garbage, such as food waste, paper, cloth, resin products, plants, wood products, rubber products, leather products, and mixtures thereof. As such, combustible waste may contain cellulose, such as paper, some cloth, plants, and wood products. The content of combustible waste in the above waste is preferably 30% by mass or more, more preferably 40% by mass or more, and even more preferably 50% by mass, from the viewpoint of increasing the carbonization rate of the generated granules.

[0214] Furthermore, the combustible waste contained in the material to be treated preferably contains a thermoplastic resin. Examples of waste containing a thermoplastic resin include the above-mentioned used absorbent articles, as well as used packaging containers (food containers, bottles, etc.), marine debris, etc. The thermoplastic resin contained in the waste is not limited to a specific type, and examples thereof include polyolefin, polyester, polyacrylic acid, and sodium polyacrylate (water-absorbent resin). Furthermore, the waste may contain two or more types of thermoplastic resin.

[0215] Furthermore, the combustible waste included in the material to be treated in this embodiment may include, for example, infectious waste discharged from a facility. Such infectious waste is sterilized, disinfected, and rendered harmless by a heat treatment described below. The infectious waste includes waste containing pathogens that can infect or are likely to infect humans, waste to which such pathogens are attached, and waste that is likely to be infected. Specific examples of such infectious waste include used absorbent articles used by patients with infectious gastroenteritis, as well as disposable products such as syringes contaminated with blood or body fluids.

[0216] In this embodiment, "granular" refers to a shape like fine grains, and "granular body" refers to an aggregate of granular fragments that are separated from each other. The particle size of the granular body G is preferably 10 μm or more, more preferably 30 μm or more, and preferably 5 cm or less, more preferably 1 cm or less, and even more preferably 0.5 cm or less. The particle size of the granular body is the maximum diameter of each fragment that constitutes the granular body.

[0217] The management device 200B is located outside the facility and manages the heat treatment device 100A. The management device 200B receives information on the weight and temperature of the workpiece from the heat treatment device 100A during heat treatment and monitors this data. Based on information obtained by monitoring, such as the amount of change in the weight of the workpiece, the management device 200B generates feedback information for controlling the heat treatment device 100A and transmits it to the heat treatment device 100A.

[0218] The management device 200B is configured as an information processing device (computer) and may be, for example, an information terminal such as a mobile phone, tablet PC (Personal Computer), notebook PC, or desktop PC used by the administrator of the heat treatment device 100A, or a server managed by the administrator. The management device 200B can remotely monitor the weight and temperature of the workpiece during heat treatment in the heat treatment device 100A and generate feedback information for improving the efficiency of heat treatment in the heat treatment device 100A based on the monitored information.

[0219] [Configuration of Heat Treatment Apparatus] As illustrated in Figure 13, the heat treatment apparatus 100A of this embodiment includes a treatment bath 101A, a first heat treatment section 110A, a second heat treatment section 120A, a weight measurement section 130A, a temperature measurement section 140A, a stirring section 150A, and a control unit 160A. In this embodiment, the first heat treatment section 110A and the second heat treatment section 120A function as "heat treatment sections that heat the workpiece in the accommodation section 101Ab." Although not shown, the heat treatment apparatus 100A may further include an exhaust treatment section that performs exhaust treatment. In this embodiment, the first heat treatment section 110A functions as the above-mentioned "first heating unit 110," and the second heat treatment section 120A functions as the "second heating unit 120."

[0220] The treatment tank 101A has a wall 101Aa and a storage section 101Ab. In this embodiment, the storage section 101Ab is configured as an internal space of the treatment tank 101A surrounded by the wall 101Aa and stores materials to be treated, including used absorbent articles. In other words, the treatment tank 101A forms the storage section 101Ab. Figure 13 shows the interior of the storage section 101Ab by showing a vertical cross section of the wall 101Aa. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 12, the treatment tank 101A includes an inlet 101Ad and an outlet 101Ae (not shown in Figure 13) that are configured to be openable and closable in part of the wall 101Aa.

[0221] The first heating processing unit 110A heats the wall 101Aa of the processing tank 101A. In other words, the first heating processing unit 110A has the function of externally heating the accommodation unit 101Ab. In this embodiment, the first heating processing unit 110A has a heater 111A that heats the wall 101Aa. Although the heating method of the heater 111A is not limited, an electric heater is preferable from the viewpoint of facilitating temperature control. Note that the installation position and other configurations of the heater 111A can be determined in various ways depending on the configuration of the processing tank 101A, the properties of the raw material, and the like. For example, in FIG. 13, the heater 111A is disposed at the bottom of the wall 101Aa, but it may also be disposed to the side or above the wall 101Aa.

[0222] The second heating processing unit 120A supplies heated gas to the storage unit 101Ab. In other words, the second heating processing unit 120A has the function of directly heating the interior of the storage unit 101Ab with hot air. In this embodiment, the second heating processing unit 120A includes an air supply unit 121A, an exhaust unit 122A, an air blower unit 123A, and a heating unit 124A. In this embodiment, the second heating processing unit 120A constitutes a hot air circulation type heating processing unit that heats the gas exhausted from the storage unit 101Ab by operating the air blower unit 123A and supplies the heated gas to the storage unit 101Ab. By supplying the circulated gas to the storage unit 101Ab, exhaust heat can be recovered, improving energy efficiency. The gas used in the second heating processing unit 120A is not particularly limited and may be air, an inert gas such as nitrogen, or the like.

[0223] The gas supply unit 121A supplies gas to the storage unit 101Ab. In this embodiment, the gas supply unit 121A is configured as a gas passage connecting the storage unit 101Ab and the blower unit 123A (heating unit 124A). The gas supply unit 121A is configured with one or more tubular members, for example, including a tubular member provided to penetrate the wall 101Aa of the treatment tank 101A.

[0224] The exhaust section 122A exhausts gas from the storage section 101Ab. In this embodiment, the exhaust section 122A is configured as a gas passage connecting the blower section 123A and the storage section 101Ab. The exhaust section 122A is configured, for example, with one or more tubular members including a tubular member provided to penetrate the wall section 101Aa of the treatment tank 101A. From the viewpoint of efficient gas circulation, the exhaust section 122A is preferably arranged on the wall section 101Aa so as to face the air supply section 121A across the storage section 101Ab.

[0225] The blower 123A blows gas to the air supply section 121A. The blower 123A is formed of a blower such as a fan, a blower, a compressor, etc. The blower 123A is disposed between the air supply section 121A and the exhaust section 122A.

[0226] The heating unit 124A heats the gas supplied to the accommodation unit 101Ab. The heating unit 124A may be disposed on the exhaust side or the intake side of the air blower 123A as shown in FIG. 13 . The heating unit 124A may be connected to the air blower 123A as shown in FIG. 13 , or may be disposed separately. The heating unit 124A is configured with a heater that heats the gas, and is preferably configured with an electric heater from the viewpoint of facilitating temperature control. The configuration of the heater constituting the heating unit 124A, such as the heating method and installation position, can be determined in various ways depending on the configuration of the treatment tank 101A and the properties of the raw material.

[0227] Furthermore, the second heating processing unit 120A may have, as necessary, a member (e.g., a damper, a valve, etc.) for adjusting the flow rate of the gas supplied to the accommodation unit 101Ab, or a valve member capable of taking in or exhausting outside air. Also, an exhaust processing unit may be connected to an exhaust path branching from the second heating processing unit 120A.

[0228] The weight measuring unit 130A measures the weight of the workpiece in the storage unit 101Ab. The weight measuring unit 130A is composed of, for example, a digital scale or an electronic balance. While the weight measuring unit 130A is shown in FIG. 13 as being in contact with the bottom of the storage unit 101Ab for the sake of explanation, the arrangement is not limited to this. For example, the weight measuring unit 130A may be configured to measure the weight of the bottom of the wall 101Aa on which the workpiece is placed, and may be located below the bottom of the wall 101Aa. The weight of the workpiece measured by the weight measuring unit 130A is sent to the CPU 11 (first control unit) of the control unit 160A.

[0229] The temperature measurement unit 140A measures the temperature inside the accommodation unit 101Ab. The temperature measurement unit 140A is configured with a heat-resistant temperature sensor or thermometer, such as a thermocouple, an infrared thermometer, or a radiation thermometer. The temperature inside the accommodation unit 101Ab measured by the temperature measurement unit 140A is sent to the CPU 11 (first control unit) of the control unit 160A.

[0230] The agitation processing unit 150A agitates the workpieces being heat-treated in the accommodation unit 101Ab. The agitation processing unit 150A includes, for example, one or more agitation shafts 151A and a drive unit 152A that rotates the agitation shafts 151A.

[0231] The stirring shaft 151A has a shaft portion 151Aa and multiple blade portions 151Ab. The shaft portion 151Aa is configured as a rod-shaped member that can rotate around a rotation axis C that extends horizontally to the side. Both end portions of the shaft portion 151Aa are supported by the wall portion 101Aa on the sides of the storage portion 101Ab, and the portion between the both end portions supported by the wall portion 101Aa is located within the storage portion 101Ab. The multiple blade portions 151Ab are spaced apart along the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, each blade portion 151Ab protrudes in various radial directions from the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 151Aa.

[0232] From the viewpoint of improving the efficiency of stirring, the stirring processing unit 150A preferably has a plurality of stirring shafts 151A. These stirring shafts 151A are preferably arranged, for example, along a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, with the shafts 151Aa being approximately parallel to each other.

[0233] The drive unit 152A is configured as a rotation mechanism that rotates the stirring shaft 151A, and includes a power source such as an electric motor, hydraulic motor, or air motor, and a power transmission member (belt, pulley, gear, etc.) that transmits power from the power source to the stirring shaft 151A. The drive unit 152A is controlled by the CPU 11 of the control unit 160A.

[0234] As shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 160A includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an input / output interface 15, and a bus 14 connecting these together.

[0235] The CPU 11 accesses the RAM 13 and the like as needed, and performs various arithmetic processing while controlling the overall blocks of the heat treatment device 100A. The CPU 11 functions as a "first control unit" in this embodiment. The CPU 11 also corresponds to the "control unit 140" in the first embodiment. Multiple CPUs 11 may be provided depending on the processing. The ROM 12 is a non-volatile memory in which the OS, programs, various parameters, and other firmware executed by the CPU 11 are permanently stored. The RAM 13 is used as a working area for the CPU 11, and temporarily stores the OS, various applications currently being executed, and various data currently being processed.

[0236] The input / output interface 15 is connected to a display unit 16, an operation reception unit 17, a storage unit 18, a communication unit 19, and the like.

[0237] The display unit 16 displays information about the heat treatment apparatus 100 A. The display unit 16 is a display device using, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), or the like.

[0238] The operation reception unit 17 is, for example, an operation button, a touch panel, or other input device. When the operation reception unit 17 is a touch panel, the touch panel can be integrated with the display unit 16.

[0239] The storage unit 18 is a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a flash memory (SSD; solid state drive), or other solid-state memory. The OS, various application programs, and various data are stored in the storage unit 18. For example, the storage unit 18 stores programs for the heating processes in the first heating processing unit 110A and the second heating processing unit 120A, a program for the stirring process in the stirring processing unit 150A, and the like.

[0240] The communication unit 19 is, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) for Ethernet or various modules for wireless communication such as a wireless LAN, and is responsible for communication processing with the management device 200B. In this embodiment, the communication unit 19 functions as a "first communication unit."

[0241] As illustrated in FIG. 14, the above-mentioned first heating processing unit 110A, second heating processing unit 120A, weight measurement unit 130A, temperature measurement unit 140A and stirring processing unit 150A are connected to an input / output interface 15 and connected to the CPU 11 via the input / output interface 15.

[0242] [Overview of Heat Treatment in Heat Treatment Device] An overview of heat treatment by the heat treatment device 100A having the above-described configuration will be described. After an object to be treated is loaded through the loading port 101Ad, the heat treatment device 100A starts heat treatment by accepting a predetermined input operation, such as pressing an operation button on the operation acceptance unit 17, and stops after the heat treatment of the object to be treated is completed. Because the heat treatment device 100A is a batch-type heat treatment device, no other object to be treated is added while the loaded object is being heat-treated.

[0243] The CPU 11 of the heat treatment device 100A controls the first heat treatment device 110A and the second heat treatment device 120A to heat the inside of the accommodation device 101Ab while rotating the stirring shaft 151A using the stirring device 150A to stir the workpiece. The CPU 11 controls the first heat treatment device 110A and the second heat treatment device 120A based on a heat treatment program including the heat treatment conditions stored in the memory device 18.

[0244] As an example, the CPU 11 starts cooling the storage unit 101Ab after the temperature inside the storage unit 101Ab reaches a temperature between 180°C and 400°C (a second temperature, described below) and a predetermined maintenance time has elapsed. By heating the storage unit 101Ab at this temperature while stirring for a predetermined maintenance time (e.g., between 1 hour and 5 hours), the material to be treated is gradually carbonized to produce granular material. In this embodiment, the granular material is a recycled material produced from the material to be treated, and can be effectively used, for example, as fuel, paper compositions, fiber compositions, soil modification compositions, water treatment compositions, fuel, fertilizer, building materials such as insulation, adsorbents, detoxifiers, deodorizers, etc.

[0245] In the cooling process, for example, the air blower 123A of the second heating processing unit 120A may be operated to supply cooling gas from the air supply unit 121A of the second heating processing unit 120A to the storage unit 101Ab. The workpiece may be agitated while being cooled by rotating the agitation shaft 102. This allows for reduced viscosity and the formation of finely crushed, small-particle granules, even when the workpiece contains a thermoplastic resin that tends to increase in viscosity during cooling. Another advantage of the cooling process is that cooling the workpiece while agitating it can increase cooling efficiency. The cooling process is not limited to the above example; for example, the cooling process may be performed by introducing external air, or the temperature may be allowed to drop naturally without active cooling.

[0246] The CPU 11 may control the heating process based on other heating conditions. For example, the CPU 11 may stop heating when the object to be treated reaches a bone-dry state. This also enables the volume of the object to be treated, including used absorbent articles, to be reduced. In this case, it is preferable to lower the temperature in the storage section 101Ab, for example, after the temperature inside the storage section 101Ab reaches a first temperature of 100°C or higher and 170°C or lower, or after the rate of change in the weight of the object to be treated per unit time drops below a predetermined value. This predetermined value will be described later. Furthermore, after heating is stopped, a cooling process involving cold air and agitation as described above may be performed, or a cooling process may be performed by introducing outside air, etc. Alternatively, the temperature may be allowed to drop naturally without any active cooling process.

[0247] After the series of processes is completed, the heat treatment device 100A stops operating. Then, the next waste (object to be treated) is introduced, and the next process is started in the same manner. The object to be treated after the heat treatment may be left in the storage section 101Ab and used as a stirring medium for the next process or later. Alternatively, at least a portion of the object to be treated after the heat treatment may be discharged from the discharge port 101Ae (see FIG. 12).

[0248] In this embodiment, the heating conditions of the heat treatment apparatus 100A are set based on feedback information generated by the management apparatus 200B. The configuration of the management apparatus 200B will be described below.

[0249] [Hardware Configuration of Management Device] As illustrated in FIG. 15, the management device 200B includes a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, an input / output interface 25, and a bus 24 connecting these together, similar to the control unit 160A described above.

[0250] The CPU 21 accesses the RAM 23 and the like as needed, and performs various arithmetic processing while comprehensively controlling each block of the management device 200B. In this embodiment, the CPU 21 functions as a "second control unit." Multiple CPUs 21 may be provided depending on the processing. The ROM 22 is a non-volatile memory in which firmware such as the OS, programs, and various parameters to be executed by the CPU 21 are permanently stored. The RAM 23 is used as a working area for the CPU 21, and temporarily stores the OS, various applications currently being executed, and various data currently being processed.

[0251] The input / output interface 25 is connected to a display unit 26, an operation reception unit 27, a storage unit 28, a communication unit 29, and the like.

[0252] The display unit 26 is a display device using, for example, an LCD, an OELD (Organic ElectroLuminescence Display), a CRT, or the like.

[0253] The operation reception unit 27 is, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, or other input device. When the operation reception unit 27 is a touch panel, the touch panel can be integrated with the display unit 26.

[0254] The storage unit 28 is a non-volatile memory such as an HDD, a flash memory (SSD), or other solid-state memory. The storage unit 28 stores the OS, various application programs, and various data. The storage unit 28 has application programs necessary for the monitoring process, which will be described later.

[0255] The communication unit 29 is, for example, a NIC for Ethernet or a module for wireless communication such as a wireless LAN, and is responsible for communication processing with the heat treatment device 100A.

[0256] [Example of Operation of Recycling Management System] Next, the operation of the recycling management system configured as described above will be described with reference to Fig. 16. The operation of the heat treatment device 100A is performed by cooperation between hardware such as the CPU 11 (first control unit) and the communication unit 19 (first communication unit) and software including a program stored in the storage unit 18. For convenience, in the following description, the CPU 11 will be the main operating unit. Similarly, the operation of the management device 200B is performed by cooperation between hardware such as the CPU 21 (second control unit) and the communication unit 29 (second communication unit) and software including a program stored in the storage unit 28.

[0257] The premise of the process in this operational example is that an employee of a facility such as a childcare facility places waste including used absorbent articles into the inlet 101Ad of the heat treatment device 100A, and starts the process of the heat treatment device 100A by performing an input operation such as pressing an operation button on the operation reception unit 17. Note that the following operation is for one heat treatment.

[0258] That is, first, CPU 11 of heat treatment device 100A accepts input of an operation to start heat treatment from operation acceptance unit 17 (S101A). Next, CPU 11 transmits the initial weight of the workpieces in storage unit 101Ab at the start of heat treatment, measured by weight measurement unit 130A, to management device 200B (S102). CPU 21 of management device 200B receives the initial weight of the workpieces in storage unit 101Ab at the start of heat treatment (S201) and stores it in memory unit 18 (not shown).

[0259] Next, the CPU 11 of the heat treatment device 100A associates the temperature and weight of the object in the accommodation unit 101Ab during the heat treatment, measured by the weight measurement unit 130A and the temperature measurement unit 140A at predetermined intervals, with time information about the time from the start of the heat treatment to the time the temperature and weight were measured, and transmits this information to the management device 200B (S103). The CPU 21 of the management device 200B then receives the temperature and weight of the object in the accommodation unit 101Ab during the heat treatment, measured at predetermined intervals, with time information about the time from the start of the heat treatment to the time the temperature and weight were measured, and transmits this information to the management device 200B (S202). The predetermined time can be set as appropriate, but is preferably 30 seconds or more and 90 seconds or less from the perspective of accurate monitoring. Furthermore, while multiple measurements may be transmitted and received at the same time in S103 and S202, it is preferable to transmit and receive each time a measurement is made (i.e., every predetermined time) from the perspective of monitoring the weight and temperature in real time.

[0260] The time information may be any information that allows calculation of the time from the start of the heating process to the time when the temperature and weight are measured, such as the time from the start of the heating process to the time when the temperature and weight are measured, the measurement time, etc. If the time information is the measurement time, the time when the heating process started is received together with the initial weight in S201.

[0261] On the other hand, as explained in the above "Overview of Heating Treatment in Heating Treatment Device," the CPU 11 of the heating treatment device 100A controls the first heating treatment unit 110A, the second heating treatment unit 120A, etc. based on a program including predetermined heating conditions to perform the heating treatment (not shown).

[0262] After transmitting the temperature and weight, the CPU 11 of the heat treatment device 100A determines whether or not to end the heat treatment (S104), and if it is determined not to end the heat treatment (No in S104), it again transmits the temperature and weight measured at predetermined time intervals (S103). In other words, the CPU 11 continues transmitting the temperature and weight measured at predetermined time intervals until the heat treatment is completed.

[0263] Meanwhile, the CPU 21 of the management device 200B calculates the amount of change in the weight of the workpiece relative to the initial weight for each predetermined time period (S203). In this embodiment, the amount of change in weight is, for example, the difference between the initial weight and the weight during the heat treatment, but as another example, it may be the percentage of this difference (change rate) when the initial weight is set to 100%.

[0264] 17 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the elapsed time and the weight of the workpiece received from the heat treatment device 100A, with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing the weight of the workpiece. The graph in this figure shows the weight change during multiple heat treatments in the heat treatment device 100A. For example, in this figure, the start time of the kth heat treatment (k is a natural number) is represented as Tik, the initial weight at time Tik is represented as Wik, and the weight during the kth heat treatment is represented as Wk. In the example shown in this figure, the amount of weight change during the first heat treatment is represented as Wi1-W1.

[0265] Next, the CPU 21 predicts the moisture content of the workpiece based on the calculated weight change (S204). In this embodiment, the moisture content of the workpiece refers to the weight ratio of moisture (moisture content) when the weight of the workpiece before heat treatment (initial weight) is 100% by mass. In this embodiment, for example, the CPU 21 predicts the weight of the workpiece in a bone-dry state based on the weight change, and determines the moisture content of the workpiece as the ratio of the difference between the initial weight of the workpiece and the bone-dry weight when the initial weight of the workpiece is 100%.

[0266] The weight of the workpiece in the bone-dry state may be, for example, the weight when the temperature inside the storage section 101Ab reaches the first temperature (100°C to 170°C, preferably 130°C to 160°C) at which the workpiece can reach the bone-dry state. Alternatively, the weight of the workpiece in the bone-dry state may be the weight Wd1 when the rate of change in the workpiece's weight per unit time drops below a predetermined value (see FIG. 17). In FIG. 17, Td1 indicates the time from the start of processing at which the weight Wd1 is reached. The rate of change in the workpiece's weight per unit time may be, for example, the value obtained by differentiating the weight change with time. When the workpiece reaches the bone-dry state, the moisture in the workpiece is almost gone, and the rate of change in the workpiece's weight per unit time drops sharply. Therefore, the bone-dry state can be determined based on the rate of change in weight per unit time. The "predetermined value" may be a value close to zero, for example, 10 g / min to 100 g / min. In this example, the specific processing involves, for example, the CPU 11 determining whether the time-differentiated value of the change in weight per predetermined time is less than or equal to a predetermined value, and if it is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the weight of the workpiece at that time can be set as the weight Wd1 of the workpiece in an absolutely dry state.

[0267] Here, if the moisture content of the material to be treated is relatively high, the amount of weight change during the drying process up to the first temperature (100 to 170°C) at which the material is in an absolutely dry state will be relatively large. On the other hand, materials with a high moisture content have poor energy efficiency for heating, so the energy consumption up to the second temperature (180 to 400°C) will be relatively large. For this reason, by limiting the heating process to only the temperature at which the material is in an absolutely dry state, it is possible to efficiently reduce the volume of the material to be treated while suppressing energy consumption.

[0268] On the other hand, if the moisture content of the material to be treated is relatively low, heating up to the first temperature, which results in an absolutely dry state, may not be sufficient to reduce the volume. On the other hand, materials with a relatively low moisture content require relatively little energy for heating. Therefore, by performing a heating process that reaches the second temperature (180 to 400°C) and producing granular material as a recycled material, the volume of the material to be treated can be reduced without increasing energy consumption.

[0269] From this perspective, the CPU 21 determines whether the predicted moisture content is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (S205). The "predetermined value" of moisture content, which serves as the criterion for S205, can be set appropriately depending on the type of material to be treated at the facility, the treatment capacity of the heat treatment device 100A, etc., and can be set to, for example, 60% by mass or more and 90% by mass or less. It is said that the moisture content of food waste (e.g., kitchen garbage) is approximately 70 to 90% by mass, and the moisture content of used absorbent articles is approximately 60 to 80% by mass.

[0270] If the predicted moisture content is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (Yes in S205), the CPU 21 generates feedback information including a first heating condition for drying the workpiece (S206). In this embodiment, the first heating condition includes quickly lowering the temperature in the storage unit 101Ab after the temperature in the storage unit 101Ab reaches a first temperature of 100°C or higher and 170°C or lower, or after the rate of change in the weight of the workpiece per unit time decreases.

[0271] If the predicted moisture content is less than the predetermined value (No in S205), the CPU 21 generates feedback information including second heating conditions for producing recycled material from the object to be treated (S207). In this embodiment, the second heating conditions include lowering the temperature inside the accommodation unit 101Ab after the second temperature inside the accommodation unit 101Ab has been maintained at a second temperature of 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower for a predetermined period of time. The predetermined period of time may be a period of time sufficient to carbonize at least a portion of the object to be treated, and is preferably 1 hour to 5 hours, more preferably 2 hours to 4 hours.

[0272] Then, the CPU 21 transmits the generated feedback information to the heat treatment device 100A (S208). The CPU 11 of the heat treatment device 100A receives the feedback information (S105), stores the received feedback information in the storage unit 18 (S106), and reflects the heating conditions included in the feedback information in the heat treatment program.

[0273] This allows the CPU 11 of the heat treatment device 100A to perform heat treatment according to the heating conditions included in the feedback information. Therefore, by processing the above system, appropriate conditions can be selected as heat treatment conditions for the workpiece according to the moisture content of the workpiece, and the volume of the workpiece can be reduced with high energy efficiency.

[0274] In particular, in the system according to this embodiment, the heat treatment conditions of the heat treatment device 100A installed in a facility can be controlled by a management device 200B located outside the facility. By installing the heat treatment device 100A in a facility where used absorbent articles are generated or in a facility related to that facility, it is possible to reduce the volume of waste, including used absorbent articles, and thereby reduce the storage space required. In addition, the sterilization effect of the heat treatment allows the treated materials to be managed hygienically. As a result, the cost and effort required for recycling can be reduced.

[0275] On the other hand, it is difficult to impose the burden of operating the heat treatment device 100A or optimizing the heat treatment conditions on facility employees. Furthermore, increasing the specifications of the CPU 11 and memory unit 18 of the heat treatment device 100A increases the cost of the heat treatment device 100A, which may make it difficult to introduce the heat treatment device 100A. Therefore, in the system according to the present embodiment, by providing a management device 200B that remotely controls the heat treatment device 100A, the burden on facility employees and the processing load on the CPU 11 of the heat treatment device 100A can be reduced, while improving the efficiency of the heat treatment by the heat treatment device 100A.

[0276] As described above, the system of this embodiment makes it possible to manage the efficiency of the recycling process of used absorbent products in a multifaceted manner.

[0277] [Modification] In a modification of this embodiment, the feedback information may include heating conditions set based on the moisture content, in addition to the above example. Specifically, the CPU 21 of the management device 200B may predict the moisture content in S204 and then set heating conditions according to the predicted moisture content. Specifically, the CPU 21 may use, for example, an arithmetic formula that derives heating conditions from the moisture content of the workpiece, or may set heating conditions using a table listing the moisture content of the workpiece and the corresponding heating conditions. Alternatively, the CPU 21 may derive heating conditions using a machine learning model that derives heating conditions from the moisture content of the workpiece. In this case, the heating conditions preferably include, for example, a maximum temperature and a maintenance time at the maximum temperature, and may further include, as appropriate, a heating rate, an output of the heating unit, and the like. This allows the CPU 21 to set more appropriate heating conditions based on the moisture content.

[0278] Alternatively, the CPU 21 may generate feedback information directly from data on the amount of change in weight of the object to be treated without predicting the moisture content of the object. As an example, the CPU 21 may derive heating conditions using a machine learning model that derives heating conditions from data on the amount of change in weight over time. This makes it possible to omit the process of predicting the moisture content of the object to be treated, thereby reducing the processing load on the CPU 21.

[0279] Furthermore, as described above, the feedback information may be used to control the heat treatment itself, which calculates the change in weight of the treated object, or it may be used to control subsequent heat treatments. If the type and composition of waste generated at a facility are not expected to change significantly from treatment to treatment, it can be assumed that the moisture content of the treated object to be subjected to the next heat treatment will be approximately the same as the moisture content of the treated object predicted in the previous heat treatment. Therefore, generating feedback information including the heat treatment conditions for the next treated object also makes it possible to select appropriate conditions according to the moisture content of the treated object, which is thought to contribute to improving the efficiency of the heat treatment.

[0280] Furthermore, the CPU 21 of the management device 200B may predict the constituent materials of the object to be treated at the start of the heat treatment based on the weight change of the object relative to the initial weight, or may predict the constituent materials of the object to be treated based on the predicted moisture content, for example. The constituent materials of the object to be treated here refer to the materials that make up the object to be treated at the start of the heat treatment, such as used absorbent articles, food waste, paper, etc. As described above, since the approximate moisture content of each constituent material is known, the constituent materials of the object to be treated can be predicted from the moisture content of the object to be treated or the weight change of the object to be treated related to the moisture content.

[0281] In this example, the CPU 21 may predict the type of constituent material of the workpiece, or may predict the content (content ratio) of each constituent material. For example, if the type of workpiece is generally known, it is preferable to predict the content of each of the constituent materials. As a specific prediction method, an arithmetic formula may be used that can derive the content, etc., of the constituent material of the workpiece by substituting the moisture content of the workpiece, or a machine learning model may be used that can derive the type and / or content of the constituent material of the workpiece from the moisture content (or weight change data) of the workpiece.

[0282] The CPU 21 can store the prediction results in the storage unit 18 and use the prediction results when necessary. For example, as will be described in detail later, when collecting the heat-treated objects to be treated, the CPU 21 can provide the collector with the prediction results regarding the constituent materials of the objects to be treated.

[0283] The configuration of the heat treatment device 100A is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 13. For example, as shown in Fig. 18, the first heat treatment unit 110A may be configured to heat the inside of the wall 101Aa with gas. Note that, in the heat treatment device 100A shown in Fig. 18, descriptions of components that are the same as or correspond to those of the heat treatment device 100A shown in Fig. 13 will be omitted.

[0284] The first heating processing unit 110A shown in FIG. 18 can heat the wall portion 101Aa by supplying heated gas to the interior of the wall portion 101Aa. In this example, the wall portion 101Aa has a space 101Ac that diffuses the supplied gas. The space 101Ac is configured to conduct heat to the inner surface of the wall portion 101Aa and may be, for example, a space formed inside the wall portion 101Aa or a tubular member or the like disposed inside the wall portion 101Aa. The arrangement of the space 101Ac is not particularly limited, but it is preferably disposed over a wide area of ​​the wall portion 101Aa, and more preferably disposed over the entire wall portion 101Aa.

[0285] 18 , the first heating processing unit 110A includes an in-wall air supply unit 112A, an in-wall exhaust unit 113A, a blower 114A, and a heater 115A. In this example, the first heating processing unit 110A operates the blower 114A to exhaust gas from the space 101Ac using the in-wall exhaust unit 113A, heat the exhausted gas using the heater 115A, and supply the heated gas from the in-wall air supply unit 112A to the space 101Ac. This allows the first heating processing unit 110A to function as a hot air circulation type heating processing unit. The gas used in the first heating processing unit 110A is not particularly limited and may be air, an inert gas such as nitrogen, or the like.

[0286] The in-wall air supply section 112A supplies gas to the space 101Ac inside the wall 101Aa. In this embodiment, the in-wall air supply section 112A is configured as a gas passage connecting the space 101Ac and the heating section 115A. The in-wall air supply section 112A is configured, for example, with one or more tubular members including a tubular member connected to the space 101Ac.

[0287] The in-wall exhaust section 113A exhausts gas from the space 101Ac inside the wall 101Aa. In this embodiment, the in-wall exhaust section 113A is configured as a gas passage connecting the blower section 114A and the space 101Ac. The in-wall exhaust section 113A is configured with one or more tubular members, including a tubular member connected to the space 101Ac, for example.

[0288] The air blowing section 114A blows gas to the in-wall air supply section 112A. The air blowing section 114A is configured with an air blower such as a fan, a blower, or a compressor. In the example shown in Fig. 18, the air blowing section 114A is disposed on the exhaust side of the heating section 115A, but it may also be disposed on the air supply side.

[0289] The heating unit 115A heats the gas supplied thereto. The heating unit 115A is preferably an electric heater from the viewpoint of facilitating temperature control. The configuration of the heater constituting the heating unit 115A, such as the heating method and installation position, can be determined in various ways depending on the configuration of the processing tank 101A, the properties of the raw material, etc.

[0290] Furthermore, the first heating processing unit 110A may have other configurations as necessary. For example, the first heating processing unit 110A may have a valve member that can take in outside air or a valve member that can exhaust air. This allows the first heating processing unit 110A to efficiently perform cooling in the cooling step S03.

[0291] The first heating processing unit 110A configured as described above allows the heated gas to heat a wide area of ​​the inner surface of the wall portion 101Aa, and can efficiently heat the storage unit 101Ab even when the volume of the storage unit 101Ab is increased. Furthermore, by configuring the first heating processing unit 110A as a circulating heating processing unit, exhaust heat can be recovered to improve energy efficiency. Therefore, with this configuration, the volume of the storage unit 101Ab can be increased while reducing energy consumption, thereby further improving processing efficiency.

[0292] Furthermore, the configuration of the heat treatment device 100A is not limited to the above example and can be modified in various ways. For example, in the heat treatment device 100A, the rotation axis C of the shaft portion 151Aa does not necessarily have to extend horizontally; it may be tilted relative to the horizontal plane. However, to effectively utilize the stirring effect of gravity in the heat treatment device 100A, it is necessary that the rotation axis C of the shaft portion 151Aa is at least tilted relative to the vertical direction, and it is preferable that the angle of the rotation axis C of the shaft portion 151Aa with respect to the horizontal plane is small. Specifically, in the heat treatment device 100A, it is preferable that the angle of the rotation axis C of the shaft portion 151Aa with respect to the horizontal plane be 30° or less.

[0293] Ninth Embodiment As described above, the heat treatment using the heat treatment device 100A involves agitation by the agitation processing unit 150A. This crushes the workpiece to increase heating efficiency, suppresses adhesion of the workpiece, and facilitates the generation of granules. In this heat agitation process, by using a workpiece (e.g., granules) that has already been heat-treated as a stirring medium, the crushing of newly added workpieces can be promoted and the heat storage can contribute to improving heating efficiency.

[0294] Therefore, in the ninth embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of a system in which the management device 200B can notify the amount of the workpiece used as the stirring medium will be described. Note that in the following embodiments, components that overlap with those in the eighth embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals and will not be described again.

[0295] The hardware configuration of the system of this embodiment is the same as that of the eighth embodiment. The operation of the management device 200B will be described below. The operation of the management device 200B is performed by cooperation between hardware such as the CPU 21 (second control unit) and the communication unit 29 (second communication unit) and software including a program stored in the storage unit 28.

[0296] The processing in this operation example is premised on the timing when one heating process has ended and the operation described in the eighth embodiment has finished, and before the next heating process is started.

[0297] 19, the CPU 21 first receives the final weight of the workpieces at the end of the heat treatment from the heat treatment device 100A (S301). Referring to FIG. 17, for example, if the end of the first heat treatment is Tf1, the final weight of the workpieces in the storage unit 101Ab at time Tf1 is Wf1.

[0298] Next, the CPU 21 sets the amount of the heated workpiece to be used as the stirring medium in the next heating process as the amount of stirring medium (S302). In this operation example, the CPU 21 sets the amount of stirring medium based on the calculated weight change. More specifically, the CPU 21 can set the amount of stirring medium based on the moisture content of the workpiece predicted based on the weight change. As described above, the higher the moisture content of the workpiece, the more likely it is that heating efficiency will decrease. Therefore, as an example, the CPU 21 can set a larger amount of stirring medium for the workpiece with a higher moisture content. Specific methods for calculating the amount of stirring medium include, for example, using an arithmetic formula that derives the amount of stirring medium from the moisture content of the workpiece, or using a table listing the moisture content of the workpiece and the corresponding amount of stirring medium. Alternatively, the amount of stirring medium can be calculated using a machine learning model that derives the amount of stirring medium from the moisture content of the workpiece.

[0299] Next, the CPU 21 determines whether the set amount of stirring medium is equal to or less than the final weight (S303). If it is determined that the set amount of stirring medium is equal to or less than the final weight (Yes in S303), the CPU 21 calculates the amount of heat-treated workpieces to be discharged from the storage unit 101Ab (S304). If the set amount of stirring medium is equal to or less than the final weight, this means that more heat-treated workpieces than the set amount of stirring medium remain in the storage unit 101Ab, and it is preferable to remove the excess workpieces. Therefore, the CPU 21 calculates the difference between the final weight and the amount of stirring medium as the amount of heat-treated workpieces to be discharged from the storage unit 101Ab.

[0300] Thereafter, CPU 21 transmits information regarding the discharge of the heat-treated objects from storage unit 101Ab to, for example, heat treatment device 100A (S305). In this example, the "information regarding the discharge of the heat-treated objects from storage unit 101Ab" includes the amount of heat-treated objects to be discharged from storage unit 101Ab and may also include wording instructing the user to discharge the heat-treated objects from storage unit 101Ab. CPU 11 of heat treatment device 100A displays, for example, on display unit 16, the amount of heat-treated objects to be discharged from storage unit 101Ab and a message indicating that the heat-treated objects will be discharged from storage unit 101Ab.

[0301] On the other hand, if it is determined that the set amount of stirring medium exceeds the final weight (No in S303), the CPU 21 calculates the amount of heated workpieces to be added to the storage unit 101Ab as stirring medium (S306). If the set amount of stirring medium exceeds the final weight, the amount of heated workpieces remaining in the storage unit 101Ab is insufficient to match the set amount of stirring medium, and stirring medium must be added from outside. Therefore, the CPU 21 can calculate the difference between the set amount of stirring medium and the final weight as the amount of heated workpieces to be added to the storage unit 101Ab. The added heated workpieces can be, for example, those that have been heated in the past and stored in the facility.

[0302] Thereafter, similar to S305, the CPU 21 transmits information regarding the addition of the heat-treated workpieces as agitation media to the storage unit 101Ab, for example, to the heat treatment device 100A (S307). In this example, the "information regarding the addition of the heat-treated workpieces as agitation media to the storage unit 101Ab" includes the amount of the heat-treated workpieces to be added to the storage unit 101Ab and may also include other information such as a message instructing the user to add the heat-treated workpieces to the storage unit 101Ab. The CPU 11 of the heat treatment device 100A displays, for example, on the display unit 16, the amount of the heat-treated workpieces to be added to the storage unit 101Ab and a message indicating that the heat-treated workpieces will be added to the storage unit 101Ab.

[0303] As described above, according to this embodiment, the user of the heat treatment apparatus 100A can be provided with information for appropriately adjusting the amount of the heat-treated workpiece to be used as the stirring medium in the next heat treatment. This allows the amount of stirring medium to be optimized, enabling a heating and stirring process with high heating efficiency. Furthermore, by using the heat-treated workpiece as the stirring medium, the workpiece can be effectively utilized.

[0304] Furthermore, by using a heat-treated material as the stirring medium, the new material collides with the material during stirring, promoting the crushing of the new material, thereby improving heating efficiency. Also, by using at least partially carbonized granules, the granules themselves tend to accumulate heat, which promotes the temperature rise of the new material, thereby further improving heating efficiency.

[0305] [Variation] As a variation of this embodiment, the heat-treated material used as the stirring medium is not limited to granular material, and may include, for example, bone-dry material or non-granulated material.

[0306] Furthermore, the heat-treated material used as the stirring medium preferably contains a water-absorbent resin. Because water-absorbent resins are not easily thermally decomposed when heated at 300°C or below, depending on the heating temperature, a heat-treated material containing a water-absorbent resin derived from used absorbent articles or the like may be generated. When the heat-treated material used as the stirring medium contains a water-absorbent resin, the water-absorbent resin absorbs moisture from newly added materials as they are stirred, thereby making the heat treatment of the newly added materials more efficient.

[0307] The water-absorbent resin is a resin having water-absorbing properties, and includes, for example, one or more water-absorbent resins selected from polyacrylic acid, polyacrylic acid salts, partially crosslinked polymeric compounds having carboxyl groups or salts thereof, partially crosslinked polysaccharides, etc. Partially crosslinked polymeric compounds having carboxyl groups or salts thereof include crosslinked polyacrylates, poly(vinyl alcohol / acrylate) copolymers (crosslinked), starch-acrylate graft copolymers (crosslinked), and polyvinyl alcohol-polymaleic anhydride graft copolymers (crosslinked). Partially crosslinked polysaccharides include crosslinked carboxymethyl cellulose salts, etc.

[0308] Furthermore, the "salt" constituting the water absorbent resin includes, for example, one or more salts selected from alkali metal salts (sodium salts, potassium salts, lithium salts, etc.), alkaline earth metal salts (calcium salts, magnesium salts, barium salts, etc.), ammonium salts (quaternary ammonium salts, quaternary alkylammonium salts, etc.), etc.

[0309] The water-absorbing resin of the present embodiment preferably contains one or more water-absorbing resins selected from polyacrylic acid, sodium polyacrylate, and crosslinked sodium polyacrylate.

[0310] Furthermore, the "information regarding the discharge of the heat-treated workpieces from the storage unit 101Ab" in S305 may include information indirectly indicating the amount of heat-treated workpieces to be discharged from the storage unit 101Ab, such as the amount of heat-treated workpieces to be left in the storage unit 101Ab. Since the amount of heat-treated workpieces to be left in the storage unit 101Ab is the same as the set amount of stirring medium, S304 does not need to be performed in this example. This allows, for example, when the weight of the workpieces in the storage unit 101Ab is measured and displayed on the display unit 16 of the heat treatment device 100A, the user can be instructed to discharge the workpieces until the displayed weight reaches the notified "amount of heat-treated workpieces to be left." This also allows the amount of heat-treated workpieces to be used as stirring medium in the next heat treatment to be optimized. Alternatively, the "information regarding the discharge of the heat-treated workpiece from the storage section 101Ab" does not need to include information regarding the specific amount, but may at least include information that the heat-treated workpiece will be discharged from the storage section 101Ab.

[0311] Similarly, the "information regarding the addition of heated workpieces as agitation medium to the storage unit 101Ab" in S307 may include information indirectly indicating the amount of heat-treated workpieces to be added to the storage unit 101Ab, such as the amount of heat-treated workpieces stored in the storage unit 101Ab. Since the amount of heat-treated workpieces stored in the storage unit 101Ab is the same as the set amount of agitation medium, S306 does not need to be performed in this example. This allows, for example, when the weight of the workpieces in the storage unit 101Ab is measured and displayed on the display unit 16 of the heat treatment device 100A, the user can be instructed to add the workpieces until the displayed weight reaches the notified "amount of heat-treated workpieces to be stored." This also allows the amount of heat-treated workpieces used as agitation medium in the next heat treatment to be optimized. Alternatively, the "information regarding the addition of the heat-treated workpiece as a stirring medium to the storage section 101Ab" does not include information regarding the specific amount, but may at least include information that the heat-treated workpiece will be added to the storage section 101Ab.

[0312] As another example, the CPU 21 may set the amount of stirring medium directly from the calculated weight change. Specific methods for calculating the amount of stirring medium include using an arithmetic formula that derives the amount of stirring medium from the weight change of the workpiece, or using a table that lists the weight change of the workpiece and the corresponding amount of stirring medium. Alternatively, the amount of stirring medium may be calculated using a machine learning model that derives the amount of stirring medium from the weight change of the workpiece.

[0313] As another example, the amount of stirring medium set in S302 may be a predetermined amount.

[0314] As another example, the destination of the information in S305 and S307 is not limited to the heat treatment device 100A, but may be a user terminal used by the user of the heat treatment device 100A. The user terminal in this modification functions as a "first user terminal." The user terminal receives the information and presents it to the user by displaying it on a browser, for example. The user terminal may be, for example, a mobile phone, tablet PC, notebook PC, or desktop PC, and has the same hardware configuration as the management device 200B. The "user of the heat treatment device 100A" here is not limited to a person who directly operates the heat treatment device 100A, but also includes a person who manages the use of the heat treatment device 100A, for example.

[0315] In the ninth embodiment, a set amount of heat-treated workpieces is used as the stirring medium, but it is also possible to leave all of the generated heat-treated workpieces in the storage unit 101Ab and use them as the stirring medium. In this case, if the heat treatment of the workpieces is performed multiple times and the amount of heat-treated workpieces occupying the storage unit 101Ab increases, the maximum amount that can be processed by the storage unit 101Ab may be reached.

[0316] Therefore, in the tenth embodiment of the present invention, a system configuration will be described in which the management device 200B can determine the timing of collection of the heat-treated workpieces and notify the collector. Note that in the following embodiments, components that overlap with those in the above-mentioned embodiments will be assigned the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0317] As illustrated in Fig. 20, the system of this embodiment includes a heat treatment device 100A, a management device 200B, and a user terminal 300A connected to the heat treatment device 100A via the Internet 50. The hardware configurations of the heat treatment device 100A and the management device 200B are the same as those of the eighth embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. The user terminal 300A of this embodiment functions as a "second user terminal." The heat treatment device 100A corresponds to the "processing device 100A" of each of the above-described embodiments.

[0318] The user terminal 300A in this embodiment is a terminal used by a collector of the materials to be processed, and may be, for example, a mobile phone, a tablet PC, a notebook PC, a desktop PC, etc. The hardware configuration of the user terminal 300A is substantially the same as the hardware configuration of the management device 200B described in the eighth embodiment. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the "collector" may be any company that collects the materials to be processed, such as a person who actually collects the materials or a person who instructs the company to collect the materials.

[0319] An example of the operation of the management device 200B of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 21. The operation of the management device 200B is performed by cooperation between hardware such as the CPU 21 (second control unit) and the communication unit 29 (second communication unit) and software including a program stored in the storage unit 28.

[0320] The premise of the processing in this operation example is that the timing is such that one heating process to generate granular material has been completed, the operation described in the eighth embodiment above has been completed, and the next heating process is about to begin.

[0321] As shown in FIG. 21, the CPU 21 receives the final weight of the workpiece at the end of the heat treatment from the heat treatment device 100A, similar to S301 in the ninth embodiment (S401).

[0322] Next, the CPU 21 determines whether the received final weight is equal to or greater than a predetermined collected weight for collecting the heat-treated objects from the storage unit 101Ab (S402). The collected weight can be appropriately set to the upper limit of the weight of the objects that can be heat-treated in the storage unit 101Ab, or a value slightly lower than the upper limit (for example, 80% by mass to 99% by mass of the upper limit).

[0323] If the final weight is equal to or greater than the collected weight (Yes in S402), collection information regarding the collection of the heat-treated objects is sent to the user terminal 300A of the collector (S403). The collection information includes, for example, the weight of the objects to be collected, information about the heat treatment device 100A to be collected (device ID, facility name, facility ID, address of the facility, etc.). Furthermore, the collection information may include information about the constituent materials of the objects at the start of the heat treatment, as described in the modified example of the eighth embodiment. Including information about the constituent materials of the objects at the start of the heat treatment in the collection information can contribute to establishing traceability for the recycled material.

[0324] As described above, according to this embodiment, collection information can be automatically transmitted to the user terminal 300A of the collector based on the final weight of the storage unit 101Ab. This allows the collector to collect the heat-treated materials (e.g., recyclable materials such as granules) based on the collection information (see FIG. 20). Therefore, collection of the heat-treated materials can be requested automatically and at an appropriate time, reducing the burden on the user of the heat treatment device 100A.

[0325] Eleventh Embodiment For example, when a heat-treated material such as granular material is to be collected as a recyclable material, it is preferable to heat-treat the material sufficiently under the second heating conditions immediately before collection, even if the material has a relatively high moisture content before the treatment. Therefore, in the eleventh embodiment of the present invention, when the moisture content is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the optimal heating conditions are determined based on the weight at the time of treatment. In the following embodiments, components that overlap with those of the eighth embodiment described above are assigned the same reference numerals and will not be described again.

[0326] The hardware configuration of the system of this embodiment is the same as that of the eighth embodiment. The operation of the management device 200B will be described below. The operation of the management device 200B is performed by cooperation between hardware such as the CPU 21 (second control unit) and the communication unit 29 (second communication unit) and software including a program stored in the storage unit 28.

[0327] As a premise for the processing of this operational example, similar to the above-described eighth embodiment, it is assumed that an employee of a facility such as a childcare facility puts waste including used absorbent articles into the inlet 101Ad of the heat treatment device 100A, and starts processing of the heat treatment device 100A by performing an input operation such as pressing an operation button on the operation reception unit 17. Note that steps S501 to S505 in Fig. 22 are the same as steps S201 to S205 in Fig. 22, and therefore the explanation will be simplified.

[0328] 22, the CPU 21 of the management device 200B receives from the heat treatment device 100A the initial weight of the workpieces in the storage unit 101Ab at the start of the heat treatment (S501), and receives from the heat treatment device 100A the temperature in the storage unit 101Ab and the weight of the workpieces measured at predetermined intervals during the heat treatment, associated with time information about the time from the start of the heat treatment to the time of the temperature and weight measurement (S502).The CPU 21 then calculates the amount of change in the weight of the workpieces relative to the initial weight for each predetermined interval (S503), and predicts the moisture content of the workpieces based on the calculated amount of change in weight (S504).

[0329] Next, the CPU 21 determines whether the predicted moisture content is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (S505). If the predicted moisture content is less than the predetermined value (No in S505), the CPU 21 generates feedback information including a second heating condition for producing recycled material from the object to be treated (S507), similar to S207 in the eighth embodiment.

[0330] On the other hand, if the predicted moisture content is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (Yes in S505), the CPU 21 then determines whether the weight of the object to be processed is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (S506). This weight of the object to be processed may be the most recent weight of the object to be processed at the time of determination, or the initial weight. The "predetermined value" that is the criterion for determining the weight may be the recovered weight described above, or a value slightly lower than that. An example of the "predetermined value" is a value between 80% and 100% by mass of the recovered weight.

[0331] If the weight of the object to be treated is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (Yes in S506), the CPU 21 generates feedback information including the second heating conditions (S507). In this case, since the weight of the object to be treated is considered to be close to the processing limit of the storage unit 101Ab, the CPU 21 generates feedback information including the second heating conditions that can produce a recyclable material suitable for collection, such as granular material.

[0332] If the weight of the workpiece is less than the predetermined value (No in S506), the CPU 21 generates feedback information including a first heating condition for drying the workpiece (S508). In this case, since the weight of the workpiece has not yet reached the processing limit of the storage unit 101Ab, the CPU 21 generates feedback information including a first heating condition that enables volume reduction with high energy efficiency.

[0333] Next, the CPU 21 transmits the generated feedback information to the heat treatment device 100A (S509).

[0334] As described above, according to this embodiment, when the weight of the workpiece approaches the processing limit of the storage unit 101Ab, heat treatment under the second heating conditions can be selected even for workpieces with a high moisture content, and a recyclable material such as granules suitable for recovery can be produced from the workpiece. As a result, when the workpiece has a high moisture content, the volume can be reduced by a drying process that is energy efficient in principle, and the dried workpieces can be heat-treated together just before recovery to produce a recyclable material, thereby enabling a more efficient heat treatment to be carried out.

[0335] <Twelfth Embodiment> As described above, the generated granules are preferably used as a stirring medium for the next process, and the granules functioning as a stirring medium preferably have a volume exceeding at least a portion of the shaft portion 151Aa. Therefore, in the twelfth embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 23, a heat treatment device 100A includes a treatment tank 101A, a first heat treatment unit 110A, a second heat treatment unit 120A, a weight measurement unit 130A, a temperature measurement unit 140A, a stirring treatment unit 150A, and a control unit 160A, as well as a detection unit 170A that detects the volume of the workpieces in the storage unit 101Ab of the treatment tank 101A, and is characterized in that the CPU 11 performs processing corresponding to the storage step S05 of the first embodiment described above. Note that in the following embodiments, components that overlap with the eighth embodiment described above are designated by the same reference numerals and will not be described again.

[0336] The detection unit 170A detects the volume of the workpieces in the storage unit 101Ab. The detection unit 170A may be composed of, for example, a camera that captures images inside the storage unit 101Ab, a laser distance sensor that is placed at the top of the storage unit 101Ab and uses a laser to measure the height to the surface of the workpieces, an ultrasonic sensor, etc. The "workpieces" detected by the detection unit 170A include the granular material after generation. The detection results of the detection unit 170A are input to the CPU 11 as electrical signals via the input / output interface 15.

[0337] Based on the input signal from the detection unit 170A, the CPU 11 (first control unit) determines whether the volume of the granular material remaining in the storage unit 101Ab exceeds at least a portion of the shaft portion 151Aa after the granular material is generated.

[0338] When it is determined that the volume of the granular material exceeds at least a portion of the shaft portion 151Aa, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a new object to be processed has been accommodated in the accommodation portion 101Ab in addition to the granular material, based on an input signal from the detection portion 170A. The CPU 11 can determine whether or not a new object to be processed has been accommodated in the accommodation portion 101Ab by determining whether or not the volume of the object to be processed has further increased.

[0339] When it is determined that a new workpiece has been accommodated in accommodation unit 101Ab, CPU 11 may permit the start of heating and stirring treatment for the new workpiece. Specific examples of "permission to start heating and stirring treatment" include CPU 11 entering a standby state for heating and stirring treatment (i.e., entering a state in which heating and stirring treatment can be started by a user's input operation), CPU 11 automatically starting heating and stirring treatment, etc.

[0340] When it is determined that the volume of the generated granular material does not exceed at least a portion of the shaft portion 151Aa, the CPU 11 may display, for example, an instruction to add a stirring medium such as granular material on the display unit 16. Alternatively, the CPU 11 may transmit an instruction to add a stirring medium such as granular material to the management device 200B.

[0341] As a result, the heat treatment device 100A can realize the accommodation step S05 of the first embodiment, and can promote the efficient production of granules with a high carbon ratio.

[0342] As a modified example of this embodiment, Figure 23 shows an example in which the detection unit 170A is configured separately from the weight measurement unit 130A, but since the CPU 11 can also estimate the volume from the weight of the workpiece, the weight measurement unit 130A may function as the detection unit.

[0343] <Additional remarks regarding the eighth to twelfth embodiments> The eighth to twelfth embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0344] For example, the configuration of the heat treatment device 100A is not limited to the above example, and the stirring unit 150A may be omitted, or the heat treatment device 100A may have one heat treatment unit.

[0345] Furthermore, the facility in which the heat treatment device 100A is installed is not limited to a facility in which used absorbent articles are generated, and may be a facility different from the facility in which used absorbent articles are generated. For example, the facility in which the heat treatment device 100A is installed may be a facility where employees of the facility in which used absorbent articles are generated dispose of waste.

[0346] <Test Example 1: Test Example for the Granular Material Manufacturing Method According to the First Embodiment> A granular material manufacturing process according to the first embodiment of the present invention was carried out using the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 described in the above embodiment. Meanwhile, a carbonization process according to the comparative example of the present invention was carried out using a commercially available hybrid pyrolysis charcoal production machine. In the processes of the example and comparative example, the material to be processed was a diaper that had been impregnated with water to simulate a used diaper.

[0347] The hybrid pyrolysis carbide production machine according to the comparative example had a configuration similar to that of the carbonization furnace described in Patent Document 2, including a main body for pyrolyzing waste and an exhaust section for exhausting exhaust gases generated during the pyrolysis of the waste. The main body included a pyrolysis furnace configured in a tapered shape that widens toward the bottom, an inlet at the top of the pyrolysis furnace, multiple thermal conduction heaters located at the bottom of the pyrolysis furnace, an infrared layer formed within the pyrolysis furnace below the thermal conduction heaters and consisting of multiple ceramic balls, an agitator located within the pyrolysis furnace below the infrared layer and for dropping materials accumulated in the infrared layer, and an outlet for materials to be treated located at the bottom of the main body. In other words, the pyrolysis furnace corresponding to the storage section of this device did not have an agitator shaft, and the storage section was designed for high-temperature heat treatment.

[0348] As shown in Table 1, in the process according to the example, a heating and stirring step in which the material to be treated was heated and stirred, and a storage step in which new material to be treated was stored in a storage unit while leaving at least a portion of the granules so that the volume of the generated granules exceeded at least a portion of the stem, were repeated multiple times. In the heating and stirring step, the storage unit was heated to approximately 225°C. This resulted in granules with a particle size of 10 μm to 5 cm.

[0349] On the other hand, in the comparative example, a commercially available hybrid pyrolysis carbide production machine was used to perform a heating step and a step of placing new workpieces into the pyrolysis furnace while leaving the product obtained in the heating step. However, the workpieces could not be stirred while being heated during the heating step. Furthermore, in the heating step of the comparative example, a thermal conduction heater and an infrared layer were located below the pyrolysis furnace. The temperature was approximately 100°C above the pyrolysis furnace and increased downward, reaching approximately 800°C near the thermal conduction heater. In the comparative example, due to the high heat treatment temperature, a powder finer than granular material was produced. Of this product, the powder that accumulated in the infrared layer was dropped below the infrared layer by the stirring device, so the step of placing new workpieces while leaving sufficient product in the pyrolysis furnace could not be performed.

[0350]

[0351] Furthermore, when comparing the processes of the Example and Comparative Example from the viewpoint of processing efficiency, the Example performs heat treatment using two heating units to reach a heating temperature of approximately 225° C., whereas the Comparative Example performs heat treatment up to a maximum of 800° C. using a thermal conduction heater and an infrared layer to support it. Therefore, the processing using the processing device of the Example was a processing method with a lower environmental impact, and was able to efficiently produce a product with a high carbon ratio.

[0352] Furthermore, to evaluate the products, the products produced by the treatments of the Example and Comparative Examples were analyzed using an organic elemental analyzer (UNICUBE (device name), manufactured by Elementar Co., Ltd.) and the carbon ratio in the Example was 57.0%, while the carbon ratio in the Comparative Example was 24.8%. Furthermore, when the calorific values ​​of the products were measured using a bomb calorimeter, the calorific value of the granules in the Example was 26.8 MJ / kg, while the calorific value of the product in the Comparative Example was 6.74 MJ / kg.

[0353] These evaluations revealed that the granules in the examples had a higher carbon ratio and calorific value than the products in the comparative examples. Therefore, the granules in this embodiment can be used as part of a fuel, for example, as an alternative material to fossil resources (such as coal). In addition, the granules can be effectively used as, for example, paper compositions, fiber compositions, soil improvement compositions, water treatment compositions, fuels, fertilizers, building materials such as insulation materials, adsorbents, detoxifiers, deodorizers, etc.

[0354] <Test Example 2: Test Example for the Method for Producing Granular Material According to the Fourth Embodiment>

[0355] 1 described in the above embodiment, a granular material manufacturing process according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention was carried out. As shown in Table 2, the first heating unit 110 was a heater for heating below the hearth (heating from the bottom surface 101c), and the second heating unit 120 was an exhaust gas circulation type heating unit.

[0356]

[0357] First, to generate a granular stirring medium, 5 kg of unused disposable diapers were mixed with 5 kg of water to prepare a treatment object simulating 10 kg of used disposable diapers. The moisture content of this simulated used disposable diaper was 50% by mass. 20 kg of previously generated granular stirring medium was also prepared. These were placed in the storage section of the treatment device and subjected to a heating and stirring process until the temperature reached 225°C. A cooling process was then performed to generate a granular stirring medium with a particle size of 10 μm or more and 5 cm or less. The energy consumption for the heating and stirring process was 9.5 kWh / kg. The ratio of the mass of the generated stirring medium to the mass of the treatment object before heating (referred to as "residue rate" in Table 2) was 24.3% by mass.

[0358] Next, granular material was produced from combustible waste. 16.1 kg of kitchen waste was prepared as combustible waste, and 20 kg of stirring medium derived from disposable diapers was prepared as granular stirring medium. The moisture content of the kitchen waste was approximately 90% by mass. These were placed in the storage section of the processing device and subjected to a heating and stirring process until the temperature reached 225°C. They were then cooled to produce granular material with a particle size of 10 μm or more and 5 cm or less. The energy consumption for the heating and stirring process was 6.0 kWh / kg. The ratio of the mass of the produced granular material to the mass of the combustible waste before the heating and stirring step S13 (residue rate) was 3.7% by mass.

[0359] Furthermore, the ratio of the area of ​​the combustible waste covered by the agitation medium as viewed from above the storage unit 30 seconds after the start of the heating and agitation step to the area of ​​the combustible waste as viewed from above the storage unit after the combustible waste storage step but before the start of the heating and agitation step (coverage rate) was approximately 60%. This shows that the combustible waste is sufficiently covered by the granular agitation medium immediately after heating and agitation.

[0360] The coverage rate was calculated as follows: After the combustible waste was accommodated and before the heating and stirring step began, an image including the entire combustible waste was captured from above the accommodation section. Subsequently, 30 seconds after the start of the heating and stirring step, an image was captured from above the accommodation section in the same field of view. The images taken before the start of the heating and stirring step and 30 seconds after were subjected to image analysis to calculate the coverage rate of the stirring medium in the image. The coverage rate of the stirring medium was calculated using the following formula: Coverage rate (%) = Area covered by the stirring medium in the image 30 seconds after the start of the heating and stirring step / Area of ​​the material to be treated (combustible waste) in the image before the start of the heating and stirring step × 100

[0361] As described above, it was found that granules can be easily produced from kitchen waste with a moisture content of 80% by mass or more by using a stirring medium derived from used disposable diapers. Furthermore, it was found that the energy consumption in the treatment of kitchen waste is lower and the energy efficiency is higher than that of the treatment of used disposable diapers with a moisture content of 50% by mass.

[0362] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Processing device 101, 101A Processing tank 101a, 101Aa Wall portion 101b, 101Ab Storage portion 102, 151 Stirring shaft 102a, 151Aa Blade portion 102b, 152Ab Shaft portion 110 First heating unit 120 Second heating unit 100A Heat processing device 110A, 120A Heat processing portion (first heating unit, second heating unit) 130A Weight measuring portion 140A Temperature measuring portion 11 CPU (first control portion) 19 Communication portion (first communication portion) 200B Management device 21 CPU (second control portion) 29 Communication portion (second communication portion)

[0363] According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently produce recycled materials with a high carbon ratio. Also, according to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently and simply produce recycled materials from combustible waste with a high moisture content. Also, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the efficiency of heat treatment for recycling used absorbent articles.

Claims

1. A method for producing granular material using waste, comprising: a heating and stirring step of generating granular material by heating and stirring materials to be treated, including the waste, in a storage section, which is the internal space of a treatment tank; and a first storage step of storing new materials to be treated in the storage section after the heating and stirring step, wherein the storage section is heated to a temperature of 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower by a first heating unit that heats the wall of the treatment tank and a second heating unit that supplies heated gas to the storage section, and the materials to be treated are stirred by rotating in the storage section an agitation shaft having a shaft portion that is rotatable about a rotation axis extending in a direction intersecting the vertical direction and a plurality of blade portions provided on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion at intervals along the rotation axis, and wherein the first storage step stores the new materials to be treated in the storage section, with at least a portion of the granular material remaining so that the volume of the generated granular material exceeds at least a portion of the shaft portion.

2. The method for producing granular material according to claim 1, wherein in the heating and stirring step, the rate of temperature rise of the storage section is controlled by the first heating unit and the second heating unit.

3. The method for producing granular material according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second heating unit has an air supply section that supplies the gas to the storage section, an exhaust section that exhausts the gas from the storage section, an air blowing section that blows the gas to the air supply section, and a heating section that heats the gas supplied to the storage section, and in the heating and stirring step, the air blowing section and the heating section are operated so that the gas is exhausted from the storage section by the exhaust section, the exhausted gas is heated by the heating section, and the heated gas is supplied from the air supply section to the storage section.

4. The method for producing granular material according to claim 3, wherein in the heating and stirring step, the temperature of the gas in the exhaust section is monitored, and the rate of temperature rise in the storage section is controlled based on the monitored temperature.

5. A method for producing granular material as described in claim 3, further comprising a cooling step of cooling the storage section to below 100°C after the heating and stirring step and before the first storage step, wherein in the cooling step, cooling gas is supplied to the storage section from the air supply section of the second heating unit by operating the air blowing section.

6. The method for producing granular material according to claim 5, wherein in the cooling step, the temperature of the cooling gas in the exhaust section is monitored, and the rate of temperature decrease of the storage section is controlled based on the monitored temperature.

7. The method for producing granular material according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the step of performing an exhaust treatment to remove harmful substances contained in the gas exhausted from the storage section.

8. A method for producing granular material according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the height of the shaft portion in the vertical direction from the bottom surface of the storage portion is not more than 1 / 2 of the maximum height of the storage portion in the vertical direction.

9. The method for producing granular materials according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the granular materials have a carbon ratio of 30 mass% or more.

10. The method for producing granular material according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the waste material includes combustible waste material.

11. The method for producing granular material according to claim 10, wherein the waste material includes absorbent articles.

12. The method for producing granular material according to claim 10, wherein the waste includes infectious waste.

13. The method for producing granular material according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the granular material produced in the heating and stirring step is used as fuel.

14. The method for producing granular materials according to claim 13, wherein energy generated using fuel derived from the granular materials is used as a power source for a processing device for producing the granular materials.

15. The method for producing granular material according to claim 13, wherein the fuel derived from the granular material includes a solid fuel produced by molding the granular material.

16. The method for producing granular materials according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the power source of the processing device for producing the granular materials includes energy derived from renewable energy.

17. A method for producing granular material as described in claim 1, wherein the waste is combustible waste having a moisture content of 80% by mass or more, and a second storage step for the combustible waste is included before the heating and stirring step, in which the combustible waste is stored in a storage section which is the internal space of a treatment tank, and in the heating and stirring step, a granular material is produced by heating and stirring the material to be treated, which includes a granular stirring medium generated by heating waste including used absorbent articles, and the combustible waste, in the storage section, at a temperature of 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower.

18. The method for producing granular material according to claim 17, wherein the used absorbent article contains a superabsorbent polymer, and the stirring medium contains the superabsorbent polymer that has not been thermally decomposed.

19. A method for producing granular material as described in claim 17 or 18, further comprising a step of generating the stirring medium by stirring the waste, including the used absorbent articles, contained in the storage section while heating it to a temperature of 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower, before the second storage step of the combustible waste.

20. The method for producing granular material according to claim 19, wherein the stirring medium generated in the step of generating the stirring medium is continuously contained in the container until the heating and stirring step.

21. The method for producing granular material according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the combustible waste includes food waste.

22. The method for producing granular material according to claim 21, wherein the granular material is used as fuel, and the food waste includes food waste discharged from a facility that utilizes energy generated using fuel derived from the granular material.

23. The method for producing granular material according to claim 22, wherein the fuel derived from the granular material includes a solid fuel produced by compacting the granular material.

24. The method for producing granular material according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the power source of the processing device for producing the granular material includes energy derived from renewable energy.

25. A recycling management system for managing the recycling of used absorbent goods, comprising: a batch-type heat treatment device installed in a facility; and a management device located outside the facility and managing the heat treatment device; wherein the heat treatment device comprises: a storage section for storing objects to be treated, including the used absorbent goods; a heat treatment section for heating the objects to be treated in the storage section; a weight measurement section for measuring the weight of the objects to be treated in the storage section; a temperature measurement section for measuring the temperature in the storage section; a detection section for detecting the volume of the objects to be treated in the storage section; a stirring processing section for stirring the objects to be treated in the storage section during heat treatment; a first communication section for performing communication processing; and a first control section for controlling the heat treatment section, the weight measurement section, the temperature measurement section, the detection section, the stirring processing section, and the first communication section; wherein the heat treatment section comprises: a first heating unit for heating a wall of the treatment tank; and a second heating unit for supplying heated gas to the storage section; and wherein the stirring processing section comprises: the control unit is configured to: control the stirring processing unit to rotate the stirring shaft to stir the object to be treated in the storage unit, while controlling the first heating unit and the second heating unit to heat the inside of the storage unit to 180°C or more and 400°C or less; determine, based on an input signal from the detection unit, whether or not a volume of the object to be treated remaining in the storage unit exceeds at least a portion of the shaft; and, when it is determined that the volume of the object to be treated exceeds at least a portion of the shaft, determine, based on the input signal from the detection unit, whether or not a new object to be treated has been stored in the storage unit in addition to the object to be treated; and, when it is determined that a new object to be treated has been stored in the storage unit, permit the start of a heating and stirring process for the new object to be treated; The communication device includes a second communication unit that performs communication processing, and a second control unit that controls the second communication unit,a recycling management system that receives from the heat treatment device an initial weight of the workpiece in the storage unit at the start of heat treatment; receives from the heat treatment device the temperature in the storage unit and the weight of the workpiece during the heat treatment, measured at predetermined time intervals, in association with time information about the time from the start of the heat treatment to the measurement of the temperature and the weight; calculates a change in weight of the workpiece relative to the initial weight at each predetermined time interval; generates feedback information for controlling the heat treatment device based on the calculated change in weight; and transmits the feedback information to the heat treatment device.

26. The recycling management system described in claim 25, wherein the second control unit estimates the moisture content of the object to be treated based on the calculated change in weight, and generates the feedback information based on the predicted moisture content.

27. A recycling management system as described in claim 26, wherein the second control unit generates the feedback information including first heating conditions for drying the object to be treated if the predicted moisture content is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and generates the feedback information including second heating conditions for producing recycled material from the object to be treated if the predicted moisture content is less than the predetermined value.

28. A recycling management system as described in claim 27, wherein the first heating condition includes lowering the temperature inside the storage section after the temperature inside the storage section reaches a first temperature of 100°C or higher and 170°C or lower, or after the rate of change per unit time of the weight of the workpiece falls below a predetermined value, and the second heating condition includes lowering the temperature inside the storage section after the temperature inside the storage section has been maintained at a second temperature of 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower for a predetermined period of time.

29. The recycling management system described in claim 26, wherein the second control unit: generates the feedback information including second heating conditions for heat-treating the workpiece when the predicted moisture content is less than a predetermined value; determines whether the weight of the workpiece is equal to or greater than a predetermined weight when the predicted moisture content is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; generates the feedback information including the second heating conditions when the weight of the workpiece is equal to or greater than the predetermined weight; and generates the feedback information including first heating conditions for drying the workpiece when the weight of the workpiece is less than the predetermined weight.

30. The recycling management system described in claim 25, wherein the heat treatment device further has a stirring processing device that stirs the workpieces being heated in the storage unit and is controlled by the first control unit, and the second control unit receives from the heat treatment device a final weight of the workpieces at the end of the heat treatment, sets the amount of the heat-treated workpieces to be used as a stirring medium in the next heat treatment as the amount of the stirring medium, and if the amount of the stirring medium is less than or equal to the final weight, transmits information about the discharge of the heat-treated workpieces from the storage unit to the heat treatment device or a first user terminal used by a user of the heat treatment device, and if the amount of the stirring medium exceeds the final weight, transmits information about the addition of the heat-treated workpieces as the stirring medium to the storage unit to the heat treatment device or the first user terminal.

31. The recycling management system according to claim 30, wherein the second control unit sets the amount of the stirring medium based on the calculated amount of change in weight.

32. A recycling management system as described in claim 25 or 26, wherein the second control unit receives the final weight of the treated object at the end of the heat treatment from the heat treatment device, determines whether the final weight is equal to or greater than a predetermined recovery weight for recovering the heated treated object from the storage unit, and, if the final weight is equal to or greater than the predetermined recovery weight, transmits recovery information regarding the recovery of the heated treated object to a second user terminal used by a collector of the treated object.

33. The recycling management system according to claim 25 or 26, wherein the used absorbent articles include at least one selected from sanitary products, incontinence pads, urine absorption pads, disposable diapers, and panty liners.

34. A management device located outside a facility for managing a batch-type heat treatment device installed in the facility, comprising: a second communication unit for performing communication processing; and a second control unit for controlling the second communication unit; wherein the heat treatment device: controls an agitation processing unit in a storage unit to rotate an agitation shaft of the agitation processing unit to agitate materials to be treated, including used absorbent articles, in the storage unit; controls a first heating unit that heats the wall of a treatment tank forming the storage unit and a second heating unit that supplies heated gas to the storage unit to heat the inside of the storage unit to 180°C or higher and 400°C or lower, thereby generating granular material; after generating the granular material, determines whether the volume of the granular material remaining in the storage unit exceeds at least a portion of the shaft of the agitation shaft based on an input signal from a detection unit that detects the volume of the materials to be treated in the storage unit; and, when it is determined that the volume of the granular material exceeds at least a portion of the shaft, determines whether new materials to be treated have been stored in the storage unit in addition to the granular material based on the input signal from the detection unit; and when it is determined that a new object to be treated has been accommodated in the accommodation section, permitting the start of a heating and stirring treatment for the new object to be treated, wherein the second control section receives from the heat treatment device an initial weight of the object to be treated in the accommodation section at the start of the heating treatment, receives from the heat treatment device the temperature in the accommodation section and the weight of the object to be treated measured at predetermined time intervals, associated with time information about the time from the start of the heating treatment to the time the temperature and the weight are measured, calculates an amount of change in weight of the object to be treated relative to the initial weight at each predetermined time interval, generates feedback information for controlling the heating treatment section based on the calculated amount of change in weight, and transmits the feedback information to the heat treatment device.

35. A management method for managing a batch-type heat treatment device installed in a facility using an information processing device located outside the facility, wherein the heat treatment device: controls an agitation processing unit in a storage unit to rotate an agitation shaft of the agitation processing unit to agitate objects to be treated, including used absorbent articles, in the storage unit, while controlling a first heating unit that heats the wall of a treatment tank that forms the storage unit and a second heating unit that supplies heated gas to the storage unit to heat the inside of the storage unit to between 180°C and 400°C, thereby generating granular material; after generating the granular material, determines whether the volume of the granular material remaining in the storage unit exceeds at least a portion of the shaft of the agitation shaft based on an input signal from a detection unit that detects the volume of the objects to be treated in the storage unit; and, if it is determined that the volume of the granular material exceeds at least a portion of the shaft, determines whether new objects to be treated have been placed in the storage unit in addition to the granular material based on the input signal from the detection unit; and, if it is determined that new objects to be treated have been placed in the storage unit, authorizes the start of heating and agitation processing for the new objects to be treated. a control unit of the information processing device: receives from the heat processing device an initial weight of the workpiece in the storage unit at the start of heat processing; receives from the heat processing device the temperature in the storage unit and the weight of the workpiece during the heat processing measured at predetermined time intervals, in association with time information about the time from the start of the heat processing to the time the temperature and the weight are measured; calculates an amount of change in weight of the workpiece relative to the initial weight for each predetermined time interval; generates feedback information for controlling the heat processing device based on the calculated amount of change in weight; and transmits the feedback information to the heat processing device.

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