GB2428040A

GB2428040A - Apparatus for producing liquid fertiliser

Info

Publication number: GB2428040A
Application number: GB0513813A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ken Hanham
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-07-06
Filing date: 2005-07-06
Publication date: 2007-01-17
Anticipated expiration: 2025-07-06
Also published as: GB0513813D0; GB2428040B

Abstract

Apparatus for producing liquid fertiliser comprises a liquid container 2, a porous inner container 14 suspended within the liquid container 2; and disturbance means 20, 22, 26 which, in use of the apparatus, may be operated to cause disturbance of the porous inner container 14. The disturbance means may comprise rotation means 26 for rotating the inner container 14 within the liquid container 2. The liquid container 2 may comprise an internal projection aligned with the porous inner container 14 for causing interference with the porous inner container 14 as it is moved. The apparatus may also comprise means for pressurising the container. The apparatus may also have a lid 4 and a tap 10 for removing the fertiliser.

Description

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Apparatus for producing liquid fertiliser The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing liquid fertiliser, in particular, but not exclusively, from manure.

Many liquid fertilisers are commercially available and can greatly improve the growth of flowers and vegetables for both commercial and amateur gardeners. Currently available liquid fertilisers are relatively expensive and are not always used, especially by the amateur gardener who may not want to spend huge amounts of money on what may be no more than a hobby.

There is a lack of apparatus available for the amateur gardener to use in producing their own liquid fertiliser. One common technique, which has been utilised by gardeners to make home made liquid fertiliser, is to fill a large drum, such as an old 45 litre oil drum, with water and to suspend a hessian sack filled with manure inside the drum. The sack is usually suspended by a length of rope from a piece of wood placed across the open end of the drum. It is necessary for the gardener to stir the sack in the water every few days to ensure that the nutrients in the manure are taken up by the water. This process can be messy and is invariably smelly, especially during the first week or so. The liquid fertiliser should be ready to use after about 2-6 weeks. A further disadvantage of this traditional apparatus is that there is no easy way to dispense the liquid fertiliser when it is ready. Filling a watering can from the drum can be a messy process.

An alternative apparatus for producing liquid fertiliser is disclosed in GB-A-2 087 860 which comprises an inner container formed from an impervious plastic material with perforations in a bottom portion and a rigid outer container. Garden waste is placed in the inner container and a capillary blanket, moistened with water, is placed on top. A close fitting lid is then placed over the top of the outer container to seal the apparatus. The apparatus is then left for at least a week, after which time concentrated liquid fertiliser begins to drip from the inner container into a funnel in a bottom portion of the outer container.

It is the object of the present invention to overcome some of the problems of the apparatus disclosed in the prior art, or at least to provide an alternative apparatus for producing liquid manure.

According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus for producing liquid fertiliser comprising: a liquid container; a porous inner container suspended within the liquid container; and agitation means which, in use of the apparatus, may be operated to cause agitation of the porous inner container.

The basic concept of the invention is similar to the traditional method using the drum and hessian sack described above. However, rather than having to stir the sack in the water, the present invention provides agitation means which enables a user to agitate the porous inner container without risk of getting liquid fertiliser on their person or clothing. The inner container may be filled with any suitable material for the production of liquid fertiliser. Such materials will be easily understood by the person skilled in the art and include, but are not limited to, manure, garden waste, kitchen scraps, seaweed or seagrass and plant material.

The agitation means should cause sufficient disturbance to the inner container to aid the brewing of the liquid fertiliser.

The term porous" refers to the fact that the inner container should allow nutrients to pass from the material in the inner container into the liquid in the liquid container. The hole size of the inner container should be sufficiently large to allow the nutrients and other desirable components of the material in the inner container to pass into the water, but not so large as to let larger particles pass through which may cause blockages in the apparatus or in a watering can or other container.

The agitation means preferably comprises means for moving the porous inner container relative to the liquid container. The means may conveniently comprise rotation means for rotating the porous container within the liquid container. The porous inner container may be suspended from a horizontal cross bar mounted in the liquid container. In one preferred embodiment the horizontal cross bar may be connected to a crank handle for rotating the inner container within the liquid container. In an alternative embodiment the horizontal cross bar may be supported by a perpendicular shaft which extends out of the top of the liquid container and is provided with a handle which may be operated to rotate the inner container about a vertical axis.

The liquid container preferably comprises an internal projection which is aligned with the porous inner container. When the porous inner container is moved within the liquid container is will come into contact with the internal projection, thus causing further agitation. The * internal projection is preferably provided with smooth edges in order to avid the danger of puncturing or damaging the porous inner container.

The liquid container is preferably provided with a removable lid. The lid may be used to seal the liquid container in a substantially airtight manner. The lid provides insulation for the apparatus ensuring that heat generated during the decomposition of the material within the inner container is not lost to the outside environment. This offers a further benefit over the traditional apparatus which must necessarily be open to the air to allow the user to stir the hessian sack in the water.

An outlet valve is preferably provided in a lower portion of the liquid container. This enables liquid fertiliser to be drained off as required. The outlet valve is preferably located at the lowest point of the liquid container to ensure that all of the liquid fertiliser is able to drain out.

It is further preferred that the interior surfaces of the liquid container are profiled to direct the flow of liquid fertiliser towards the outlet valve. The outlet valve is preferably provided with a filter. The filter is in place to ensure that any large particles of waste material are not permitted to pass through the outlet valve and into a dispensing receptacle, such as a watering can. The outlet valve may conveniently be provided with a tap to facilitate control of the flow of liquid fertiliser as it leaves the liquid container.

It is preferred that the apparatus is provided with means for pressurising the liquid container.

The means for pressurising the liquid container may conveniently comprise a pump which may be hand operated or mechanically operated. When the apparatus is capable of being pressurised it is preferably also provided with a hose attachment which may be attached to the outlet valve. Due to the pressure build up in the liquid container it will be possible to spray liquid fertiliser from the hose when the outlet valve is opened. This makes distribution of the fertiliser more convenient for the gardener. It may be necessary to dilute the liquid fertiliser to the desired concentration prior to spraying.

It is preferred that the porous inner container is flexible. The inner container may conveniently be in the form of a porous sack and it is preferably provided with attachment means to facilitate easy attachment to support means, such as the horizontal cross bar, within the liquid container.

The invention will now be described, solely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a front view of an apparatus for producing liquid fertiliser; and Fig. 2 shows a partial sectional view of the apparatus of Fig. 1.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, these show a liquid container in the form of a generally cylindrical drum 2. The size of the drum 2 is dependent on the available space and the intended use, but for a normal size garden it will typically be between 50-200 litres, although larger drums may also be used. The drum 2 is provided with a removable lid 4, which may be fitted in place to provide a substantially airtight seal.

The lower end of the drum 2 is provided with an annular base 6 which will stand on the ground in use of the apparatus. Towards the base 6 end of the drum 2 there is an outlet valve 8 which facilitates the flow of liquid fertiliser from the drum 2. The outlet valve 8 is provided with a tap 10 to control the flow of the liquid fertiliser. The outlet valve 8 is also provided with a filter 12 to prevent large particles of debris blocking the outlet valve 8, and any other container to which the fertiliser is subsequently transferred.

In an alternative embodiment the drum 2 may be supported on a base to raise it above the level of the ground. In this embodiment the outlet valve 8 is preferably provided adjacent the base 6 of the drum 2 and the internal surfaces of the drum 2 are preferably angled to directed the flow of liquid towards the outlet valve 8.

Although not shown in Fig. 1, the apparatus is preferably provided with a pump for pressurising the drum 2 and a hose attachment for the outlet valve 8. The pump may be manually or electrically operated and the pressurisation of the drum will enable the liquid fertiliser to be sprayed out of the drum.

A flexible porous container 14 is suspended within the drum 2. The flexible porous container may conveniently be a hessian sack, or any other cloth material with a similar mesh size.

The key feature of the porous container is that the hole size should be large enough to allow nutrients and other desirable components to pass through, without allowing larger debris, which could clog up the apparatus, to pass through.

* The flexible porous container 14 is suspended from a horizontal cross bar 20. The porous container 14 is provided with reinforced eyelets 16 around its open end through which a loose coil spring 18 passes to secure the porous container 14 to the cross bar 20. Each end of the horizontal cross bar is provided with a portion 22 bent at an angle to the cross bar 20 which fits into bearings 24 on opposite internal surfaces of the drum 2. Connected to one of the bearings 24 on the outside of the drum 2 is a crank handle 26.

Operation of the crank handle 26 causes the porous container 14 to be rotated within the drum 2, thus agitating the contents of the porous container 14 and assisting the production of the liquid fertiliser. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the cross bar 20 may be supported by a vertical shaft extending from the mid-point of the cross bar 20. The vertical shaft would extend through the lid 4 of the drum 2 and be provided with a handle which could be operated to rotate the porous container 14 about a vertical axis.

An internal surface of the drum 2 may advantageously be provided with a projection which is aligned with the porous container 14, such that when the porous container 14 is moved within the drum 2 it comes into contact with the projection and the contents of the porous container 14 are disturbed.

Although the embodiments of the invention described require a manually operated agitation means, it is envisaged that a motor could be incorporated within the apparatus to control the agitation of the porous container. In a further improvement the motor may be controlled with a timer which may used to control agitation of the porous container without further input from the user. For example, the timer may be set to start the motor once a day over a six week period. The user would only be required to load the apparatus and to program the timer and they could then allow the apparatus to operate over the six week period without further input.

In order to produce liquid fertiliser the porous inner container 14 is filed with a suitable substance, such as manure, and is suspended from the horizontal cross bar 20 within the drum 2. The drum 2 is then filled with water such that at least a portion of the porous inner container 14 is below the water line. It is preferred that all of the porous inner container 14 is located below the water line.

The lid 4 is then placed on the drum 2 and the apparatus is left to allow the liquid fertiliser to brew. During the first week or so it will be necessary to operate the crank handle 26 at least once a day in order to cause agitation of the porous container 14 and its contents. By having the lid sealed it prevents liquid fertiliser splashing on the operator and prevents the smell from causing offence. In addition, the heat generated by the decomposition of the material within the porous container 14 is retained within the drum 2, rather than being lost to the environment.

After the first week has past the frequency of the agitation can be reduced and the fertiliser is left to brew. Typically it will take between 2-6 weeks until the fertiliser is ready to use.

Depending on the intended use it may be necessary to dilute the fertiliser before use. When the fertiliser has brewed sufficiently it may be dispensed from the drum by opening the outlet valve 8 and collecting the liquid fertiliser in a suitable receptacle, for example a watering can. p

Claims

Claims 1. Apparatus for producing liquid fertiliser comprising: a liquid

container; a porous inner container suspended within the liquid container; and disturbance means which, in use of the apparatus, may be operated to cause disturbance of the porous inner container.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the disturbance means comprises means for moving the porous inner container relative to the liquid container.

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3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the disturbance means comprises rotation means for rotating the porous container within the liquid container.
4. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the liquid container comprises a removable lid which seals the liquid container in a substantially airtight manner.
5. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein an outlet valve is provided in a lower portion of the liquid container for enabling liquid fertiliser to be drained off.
6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the outlet valve is provided with a filter.
7. Apparatus according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the outlet valve comprises a tap to control the flow of liquid fertiliser
8. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, further comprising means for pressurising the container.
9. Apparatus according to claim 8, as dependent on claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the outlet valve has a hose attachment.
10. Apparatus according to any one of claims 3-9, as dependent on claim 2, wherein the liquid container comprises an internal projection aligned with the porous inner container for causing interference with the porous inner container as it is moved.
11. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the porous inner container is flexible.
12. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.