FR2886207A1 - Material e.g. food waste, compacting and drying method for e.g. restaurant, involves providing filter at bag`s base, and closing and placing bag in compacting device to attain final compact volume of preset percent of initial volume of bag - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves placing materials in a flexible bag (3) and providing a filter (4) that allows only liquids to pass, at the base of the bag. The bag is closed and placed in a compacting device (1) to attain a final compact volume of 15-20 percent of the initial volume of the bag using a compression unit (5). The bag is drilled using a boring unit (7), at the level of the filter for the flow of filtered liquids. The bag is continuously compressed until a desired final compact volume is attained. The bag is released from the compression unit after the extraction of the liquids. An independent claim is also included for a compacting device for implementing a material compressing and drying method.

Description

DESCRIPTION

  The present invention relates to the field of waste treatment and more specifically the reduction of waste by compaction and extraction of liquids contained therein.

  It is particularly applicable to food waste.

  Indeed, the reduction of such waste is useful in particular because of the prohibition, in the countries of the European Community, to use the food leftovers to feed the animals (except if one complies with the extremely restrictive conditions that still harden in 2006), the ever-increasing congestion caused by this waste, the unpleasant odors they generate, the hygiene problems that result from it ...

  There are currently several solutions to reduce the volume of this waste.

  The best known is the reduction of waste by means of a knife mill and draining by means of a centrifugal press.

  However, the known solutions are very expensive, require a lot of space, frequent technical checks, manipulations and intensive daily cleaning. In addition, problems may arise in the event of a handling error, such as, for example, the introduction into the mill of unwanted foreign bodies, such as cutlery, glasses, porcelain or plastic, these errors causing stop the device and may damage or destroy it.

  Another disadvantage of current installations is that they discharge pollutants (fats, acids, bacteria, etc.) that are harmful to the environment and that can block the pipes.

  However, despite these disadvantages, there is a real need for new waste treatment facilities, with waste treatment and transport costs increasing steadily.

  This is particularly true in the field of the treatment of household food waste or similar such as, for example, wet organic waste that is produced in restaurants, canteens, more generally the food industry, etc. Indeed, in the case of ordinary household food waste, the latter consist on average of 80% of water. Reducing this waste to 20% of the initial volume thus considerably reduces the aforementioned costs and at the same time improves the hygiene of the premises in which they are stored.

  The object of the present invention is to provide a process for compacting and drying materials comprising solid and liquid substances, in particular household food waste, which makes it possible to treat said waste simply and effectively while avoiding the disadvantages of the processes of the prior art.

  The method, object of the present invention, is characterized in that it essentially comprises the steps of: a) placing said materials in a flexible bag sealed to said liquids 15 and having, at least in its bottom, a filter not letting through said liquids, b) closing said bag, for example by means of a string or the like; c) placing said bag thus closed in a press-type compacting device making it possible to reach a final compacted volume of said bag of about 15 % - 20% of the initial volume of said bag, d) during compaction in the compacting device of step c), using a compression means to apply a maximum pressure of 3 bars to said bag so as to allow the subsequent drilling of said filter , e) piercing, at least one filter and at a height of said filter which does not reach the thickness of said filter at the pierced point, said bag sealed with at least one piercing means in order to let flow and the filtered liquids, f) further compressing to the desired final compacted volume, and g) releasing the dry compacted pierced bag from the compression means after extracting said filtered liquids.

  The present invention also relates to a compacting device for carrying out the process according to the invention, characterized in that it consists essentially of: a compacting chamber intended to receive the substances to be compacted and dried beforehand enclosed in a bag that is impervious to liquids to be extracted and provided with at least one filter allowing only the latter to pass through, the volume of said compaction chamber being able to be reduced, for compaction, by the displacement, towards said bag, of at least one movable wall for defining said compaction chamber, for constituting a compression means and for exerting a compaction pressure on said bag, at least one means for piercing said bag at said at least one filter and at least one flow orifice of liquids extracted outside the compaction chamber.

  Of course, the present invention is not limited to the treatment of household waste but can also be applied to the treatment of waste of various origins, in particular the treatment of waste from industry.

  Similarly, it is not limited to the food field and can, for example, be used to treat other mixtures of solids and liquids very varied as long as their consistency is similar to that of the aforementioned food waste, such as for example contaminated sludge, slurry ...

  The liquid extracted from the waste during its compaction is not necessarily water or water. By adapting the nature of the filter used in the context of the present invention it becomes possible not only to extract liquids from the materials to be treated but also to retain at least a portion of the undesirable substances in said filter.

  The invention also relates to a sealed trash bag for implementing the method according to the invention or for use in the device according to the invention, characterized in that it comprises at least one filtering part or a filter at the less present in the bottom of said sealed bag by being integrated or reported above for the filtration of liquids contained in the waste placed in said sealed bag.

  The invention will be better understood, thanks to the following description, which relates to a preferred embodiment of the domestic version for the treatment of household food waste of the device according to the present invention, given by way of non-limiting example. , and explained with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the compaction and dewatering device according to the invention; Figure 2 is a top view of the guide ring 15 of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a top view of the bottom of the rigid container 10 of Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a top view of the floor. 21 of the compaction device 1 of FIG.

  FIG. 1 of the attached drawings shows a compacting device 1 for carrying out the process according to the invention, a process for compacting and drying materials comprising solid and liquid substances, in particular household food waste, characterized in that it essentially comprises the steps of: a) placing said materials in a flexible bag 3 sealed to said liquids and having, at least in its bottom, a filter 4 allowing only said liquids, b) closing said bag 3, c ) placing said bag 3 thus closed in a compacting device 1 of the press type making it possible to reach a final compacted volume of said bag 3 by approximately 15% - 20% of the initial volume of said bag 3, d) during compaction in the device compaction 1 of step c), apply by means of a compression means 5 a maximum pressure of 3 bars to said bag 3 so as to allow the subsequent drilling of said filter 4.

  e) piercing, at the level of at least one filter 4 and at a height of said filter 4 which does not reach the thickness of said filter at the pierced point, said bag 3 sealing with at least one means piercing 7 so as to let the filtered liquids flow, f) continue the compression until reaching the desired final compacted volume, and g) release the dry compacted pierced bag 3 from the compression means 5 after extraction of said filtered liquids.

  According to a particularly advantageous variant, the method according to the invention is characterized in that the bag 3 is placed inside a rigid container 10 of the trash type before step a) and remains there until the end of step g), the piercing of the bag 3 of step e) taking place through the bottom of said rigid container 10.

  Advantageously, the atmospheric pressure is reestablished in the zone comprising the compacted bag 3 after step f) in order to facilitate the release of the compacted pierced bag 3 from the compression means 5.

  Preferably, the pressure exerted by the compression means 5 on the bag is adjustable, for example, for the hydraulic system with a hydraulic or pneumatic pressure switch or an electric relay in the case of an electric motor or any other conventional adjustment means. known adapted.

  According to another characteristic, the nature of the bag 3 and / or the filter 4 is identified before step a).

  Advantageously, the process according to the invention is characterized in that the liquids filtered in steps e) and f) are collected in a collection means 9.

  Preferably, said collection means 9 can be drained through a flow to the sewer and suitable pumping means.

  With reference to the appended FIGS. 1 to 3, it can be seen that the compaction device 1 for carrying out the process according to the invention is characterized in that it consists essentially of: a compacting chamber 2 intended to receive the substances to be compacted and dried beforehand enclosed in a bag 3 impervious to liquids to be extracted and provided with at least one filter 4 allowing only the latter, the volume of said compacting chamber 2 being reduced, for compaction, by moving, in the direction of said bag 3, at least one movable wall 6 serving to delimit said compaction chamber 2, to constitute a compression means 5 and to exert a compacting pressure on said bag 3, - at least one means piercing 7 of said bag 3 at said at least one filter 4 and at least one orifice 8 for the flow of liquids extracted outside the compacting chamber 2.

  According to the preferred embodiment, the compacting device 1 according to the invention is characterized in that it further comprises at least one means for collecting the extracted liquids, preferably in the form of a bowl 9 connected to a flow .

  According to a particularly preferred variant, the compaction chamber 2 is made in the form of a rigid container 10, of the trash type, intended to receive the bag 3 of materials to be compacted and dried, closed by a movable wall 6 belonging to a compression means 5, the bottom of said rigid container 10 being provided with at least one orifice 8 for the flow of the liquids to be extracted and / or for passing said at least one piercing means 7.

  Preferably, the compression means 5 is a hydraulic cylinder 11 connected at its end to a movable wall 6 disk-shaped, provided on its periphery with a seal 12, preferably rubber.

  At the lower end of the cylinder or the hydraulic cylinder 11 is therefore, as an indication, a stainless steel disc with a diameter of about 490 mm and a thickness of about 5 mm.

  Advantageously, a valve 13 is provided on the movable wall 6 of the compression means 10. This valve 13 is a conventional valve and is closed during the lowering of the disk of the compression means 5 during compacting of the bag 3. It is then open during the ascent of the disc to allow decompression, in other words to restore the normal atmospheric pressure during the ascent of the hydraulic cylinder 11 and thus avoid a suction effect causing the bag 3 upwards with the movement of said cylinder 11 .

  As can be seen in FIG. 1, the compacting device 1 according to the invention is further characterized in that the compaction chamber 2 is surrounded and surmounted by a frame 14 housing in particular the compression means 5. As an indication , the outer dimensions of said frame 14 are: length: about 670 mm, width: about 670 mm, height: about 1800 mm.

  These dimensions are given as examples and can be modified according to the capabilities of each device produced later.

  The frame of this frame 14 may consist of tubes or stainless steel profiles of dimensions 50 mm x 50 mm x 3 mm. These values are also given as an indication and can be modified as needed. The casing of the frame preferably consists of stainless steel plates of a preferred thickness of 15/10.

  A front door 22 of one dimension, for example, 570 x 900 mm can be provided. In this case, the door 22 is advantageously provided with a safety switch. The pressing means or press can operate only when the door 22 is closed and it can open only when the compaction program and possibly the extraction of liquids is complete.

  In the upper part of the frame 14 is the hydraulic system with its reservoir and cylinder, its connections and the control panel and all the constraints necessary for the operation of the compression means 5 (or press). This hydraulic press could also be replaced by a pneumatic equivalent system or an electric motor with drive or any other system to operate the press with a certain pressure.

  If a drive motor is used, for example, a gear wheel can be used to drive up and down an axis 35 mm in diameter and 1000 mm high. On this axis are milled the teeth corresponding to the toothed wheel.

  According to another characteristic, and as can be seen in Figure 1, a guide ring 5 is advantageously provided on the rigid container 10, at least a portion of the contours are those of the inner walls of the frame 14 so that said rigid container 10 is perfectly positioned inside said frame 14 and that the piercing means or means 7 can pass through the bottom of said rigid container 10.

  Preferably, the guide ring 15 has at least one integrated gripping member 15 '. By way of example, FIGS. 1 and 2 show integrated gripping members 15 'of the rigid container 10 made in the form of recesses enabling the fingers of one hand to be inserted therein to facilitate the handling of said container 10 in particular for its transport, its positioning in the frame 14 and its extraction once the compaction and liquid extraction operations completed.

  The device according to the invention is further characterized in that the one or more piercing means 7 are made in the form of one or more movable tips 16, between a retracted position under the orifice or orifices 8 provided in the bottom of the container. rigid 10 and an extended position in which they protrude from said orifices 8, piercing the bag 3 on a height of the filter 4 which does not reach the thickness of said filter 4 at this location.

  According to another characteristic, the orifices 8 and the movable tips 16 are arranged, in their respective planes, in the form of superimposed stars, in the manner of that shown in FIG. 3 for the bottom of the rigid container 10.

  As an indication, it can provide 24 orifices 8 of the order of 10 to 20 mm in diameter each for a good flow of liquids extracted from the materials to be treated.

  As has been suggested in dashed lines in FIG. 1, the device according to the invention is further characterized in that the mobile point or points 16 are located and fixed on a mobile plate 17 controlled by a magnetic switch 18. Thus, the movable plate 17 can translate vertically upwards and downwards to pierce the bottom of the bag 3 at the level of the filter zone 4 by virtue of the movable tips 16. In the variant shown, said movable tips 16 pass sufficiently through the orifices provided in the bottom of the rigid container 10 to come into contact with the pre-compressed bag 3 (pre-compressed or pre-compacted) which bears under the pressure of the compression means 5 on said bottom of said rigid container 10.

  According to another variant, a detector 19 known per se is provided on the lower face of the mobile wall 6 facing the bag 3 cooperating with an identification means 19 'located on said bag 3. In the version shown in Figure 1 a receiver which identifies the filter 4 is located on the disk of the compression means 5. Preferably, the compacting device 1 can not operate without this identification. It is therefore not possible to use a bad filter 4.

  As non-limiting examples, the detector 19 is an optical means of the laser or scanner type and the identification means 19 'of the bag 3 is a barcode or the like. These techniques are known per se and do not require further developments.

  Below the floor 21 on which the rigid container 10 rests is the movable plate 17 (movable point disk 16) fixed by four points. In the embodiment not comprising a rigid container 10, it is the floor 21 pierced with at least one orifice 8 'of flow which constitutes the bottom of the compaction chamber 2 through which the extracted liquids flow.

  The movable plate 17 moves vertically and preferably has a diameter of about 300 mm and about 16 points that pass through the floor 21 at corresponding ports 8 '(see Figure 4). These orifices 8 'are present at its center and are of size, geometry and distribution allowing the passage of said movable plate 17 or at least of the aforementioned mobile tips 16 towards the bottom of the bin 10. The length of the tips is calculated according to the the thickness of the floor 21 and the bottom of the bin 10, increased by the length necessary to pierce the filter 4 to a thickness less than that of said filter 4. Said mobile plate 17 is controlled by a magnetic switch 18 known per se.

  Below the mobile plate 17 with movable tips 16 referred to above is a bowl 9 gathering the water or the liquids contained in the waste to be treated. A pump (not shown) may be provided to discharge the water to a drain or sewer connection.

  The rigid container 10 or trash is preferably made of stainless steel, a thickness of about 2.5 mm (indicative dimensions: 500 mm in diameter and a height of 800 mm). The bottom of the latter is also made of stainless steel about 5 mm and pierced with 24 star holes in the same pattern as the floor 21 and the spike disc that is to say the movable plate 17 (see figure 4).

  The ring 15 is a guide, for example, made of polyethylene with at least one, preferably two and more preferably four handles integrated at approximately 600 mm from the bottom of the bin 10.

  For example, the bag 3 is made of a biodegradable material (corn-based or equivalent) such as those known under the name Ecoflex or Mater Bi having the exact dimension of the rigid container 10 (of the trash) with a height above about 400 mm to allow closure of said bag 3. Said bag 3 is provided with at least one filter 4 located at the bottom of said bag 3 about 20 mm thick and of a diameter equal to the ground of the trash and a band 23 or the like to close the bag 3 and can serve as identification.

  Regarding the filter 4, any suitable filter may be used, especially paper or microfibers, preferably a filter 4 which also filters the fat.

  Such a filter 4 makes it possible to extract only the liquids of said solid and liquid materials to be treated.

  The schematic operation of the compacting device 1 according to the invention shown in Figures 1 to 3 is as follows: 2886207 -10- -on puts a bag 3 with filter 4 in the rigid container or trash 10. The bag 3 exceeds the bin of 400 mm outside, -the wet food waste is collected in said bin 10, the filled bag 3 is closed with a band or ribbon 23 of closure, a lid (no shown) closes the trash can 10 to allow passage through the various areas of the kitchen, - the trash 10 is transported with a suitable trolley (not shown) to the compaction device 1 according to the invention, - the cover is removed of the trash can 10, 20 - the door 22 of said device or press 1 (of the frame 14) is opened, said trolley (not shown) is positioned with the trash can 10 in front of the press 1, with the aid of a lever system Conventional (not shown), the trash can 10 is introduced s the frame 14 and guided by the ring 15 serving as lateral guides of the bin 10, the bin 10 is thus automatically in the desired position, - the operator closes the door 22 and presses the start button 20, the disk compression means 5 begins to move down to a maximum pressure of 3 bar. Thus, the bag 3 is, under the effect of pressure, in intimate contact with the bottom of the rigid container 10 or the floor 21 (if no intermediate rigid container 10 is provided). Once said maximum pressure is reached, the magnetic switch 18 gives the order to the mobile plate 17 with movable tips 16 located in the floor 21 of the frame 14 on which the rigid container 10 rests to make several vertical movements upwards before s immobilize at the bottom. These movements make it possible to pierce the outer casing of the bag 3 at the level of the filter 4, once the perforation is complete, the descent of the disk of the compression means 5 continues until a maximum pressure of the order of 250 bar is reached (parameter adjustable), thanks to this pressure, the water or the liquids contained in the wetted materials to be compacted pass through said filter 4 and are collected in the collection means 9, for example a tank, before being expelled by a conventional pump (Not shown), finally, the disk of the compression means 5 rises and the valve 13 mounted on the disk opens to facilitate decompression, can then open the door 22, position the carriage in front of the press, and out the trash 10, and the bag 3 compacted, dry whose final volume corresponds to 15% - 20% of the initial volume.

  On the front panel of the frame 14, there can be provided an emergency stop said punch that cuts the functions in case of problems. When resetting the punch stop, the disk of the compression means 5 rises. It is then necessary to restart the compacting operation from the beginning.

  As mentioned above, the compacting means 5 is controlled in the usual manner by means of a central control panel connecting the executing mechanics to an electronic control unit for managing and regulating the progress of the compaction process. Similarly, the usual security means for this type of machine can easily be adapted to the object of the present invention.

  It will thus further be possible to provide for the emergency stop button, a set or arrangement of sensors / detectors which prevents the compaction means 5 from being started when the compaction chamber 2 is accessible, a means which interrupts the cycle of compression. compaction if the compressive force exceeds a predetermined maximum limit, a sound / light alarm which is triggered when the collecting means 9 or the compaction chamber 2 are saturated or clogged, etc. The device according to the invention has notably the following advantages: - a small footprint, - a reduced consumption of water and electricity, - the elimination of malfunctions related to the introduction of foreign bodies, and - the protection of the pipes and the environment through filtration of extracted liquids.

  Finally, the subject of the invention is also a sealed trash bag 3 for implementing the method according to the invention or intended to be used in a device according to the invention, characterized in that it comprises at least a part filter or filter 4 at least present in the bottom of said sealed bag 3 by being integrated or reported above for the filtration of liquids contained in the waste placed in said sealed bag 3. Such a bag 3 has been described above.

  Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment described and shown in the accompanying drawings. Modifications are possible, particularly from the point of view of the constitution of the various elements or by substitution of technical equivalents, without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

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Claims (20)

  1. A method of compaction and dewatering of materials comprising solid and liquid substances, in particular household food waste, characterized in that it essentially comprises the steps of: a) placing said materials in a bag (3) flexible sealed to said liquids and having, at least in its bottom, a filter (4) allowing only said liquids to pass, b) closing said bag (3), c) placing said bag (3) thus closed in a compacting device (1) ) of the press type which makes it possible to reach a final compacted volume of said bag (3) by approximately 15% - 20% of the initial volume of said bag (3), d) during compacting in the compaction device (1) of the step c), applying, by means of a compression means (5), a maximum pressure of 3 bars to said bag (3) so as to allow the subsequent piercing of said filter (4).   e) piercing, at at least one filter (4) and at a height of said filter (4) which does not reach the thickness of said filter (4) at the pierced point, said bag (3) sealed at using at least one piercing means (7) so as to let the filtered liquids flow, f) continue the compression until reaching the desired final compacted volume, and g) release the pierced bag (3) compacted dry compression means (5) after extraction of said filtered liquids.   2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the bag (3) is placed inside a rigid container (10) of the trash type before step a) and remains there until the end of the step g), the piercing of the bag (3) of step e) taking place through the bottom of said rigid container (10).   3. Method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the atmospheric pressure is restored in the area comprising the bag (3) compacted after step f) to facilitate the release of the bag (3). ) pierced compacted compression means (5).   4. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the pressure exerted by the compression means (5) on the bag is adjustable.   - 14 - 5. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that one identifies the nature of the bag (3) and / or the filter (4) before step a).   6. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the filtered liquids in steps e) and f) are collected in a collection means (9).   7. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that said collecting means (9) can be drained by means of a flow to the sewer and suitable pumping means.   8. Compaction device (1) for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it consists essentially of: - a compaction chamber (2) for receiving the materials to compact and dry previously enclosed in a bag (3) impervious to liquids to be extracted and provided with at least one filter (4) passing only these, the volume of said compacting chamber (2) can be reduced, for compacting, by moving, in the direction of said bag (3), at least one movable wall (6) serving to delimit said compacting chamber (2), to constitute a compression means (5) and to exert pressure compacting on said bag (3), - at least one piercing means (7) of said bag (3) at said at least one filter (4) and - at least one orifice (8) for the flow of liquids extracted in outside the compaction chamber (2).   9. Device according to claim 8, characterized in that it further comprises at least one collection means extracted liquids, preferably in the form of a bowl (9) connected to a flow.   10. Device according to any one of claims 8 or 9, characterized in that the compaction chamber (2) is formed in the form of a rigid container (10) for receiving the bag (3) of materials to compact. and drying, closed by a movable wall (6) belonging to a compression means (5), the bottom of said rigid container (10) being provided with at least one orifice (8) for the flow of the liquids to be extracted and / or to pass said at least one piercing means (7).   11. Device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the compression means (5) is a hydraulic cylinder (11) connected at its end to a movable wall (6) disc-shaped, provided on its periphery a seal (12), preferably rubber.   12. Device according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that a valve (13) is provided on the movable wall (5) of the compression means (10).   13. Device according to any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that the compaction chamber (2) is surrounded and surmounted by a frame (14) housing in particular the compression means (5).   14. Device according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that a guide ring (5) is provided on the rigid container (10), at least a portion of the contours matches those of the inner walls of the frame (14) so that said rigid container (10) is perfectly positioned within said frame (14) and that the one or more piercing means (7) can pass through the bottom of said rigid container (10).   15. Device according to claim 14, characterized in that the guide ring (15) has at least one integrated gripping member (15 ').   16. Device according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that the or the piercing means (7) are formed in the form of one or more points (16) movable between a retracted position under the or the orifices (8) provided in the bottom of the rigid container (10) and an extended position in which they protrude from said orifices (8), piercing the bag (3) to a height of the filter (4) which does not reach the thickness of said filter (4) at this location.   17. Device according to claim 16, characterized in that the orifices (8) and the movable tips (16) are arranged in their respective planes in the form of superimposed stars.   18. Device according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that the movable point or points (16) are located and fixed on a movable plate (17) controlled by a magnetic switch (18).   19. Device according to any one of claims 8 to 18, characterized in that a detector (19) is provided on the lower face of the movable wall (6) facing the bag (3) cooperating with a means of identification (19 ') located on said bag (3).   20. Sealed trash bag for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or for use in a device according to any one of claims 8 to 19, characterized 16 in that it comprises at least one filtering portion or filter (4) at least present in the bottom of said sealed bag (3) by being integrated or reported on for the filtration of liquids contained in the waste placed in said sealed bag (3).