JP2015130797A - Artificial soil culture medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an artificial soil culture medium which can securely support such as a plant high in tree height or plant height, and a growing body of a plant, while keeping lightness as artificial soil, and can prevent artificial soil from being scattered or flowed out.SOLUTION: An artificial soil culture medium 100 comprises artificial soil particles 50 carrying magnetic substances 2, where the magnetic substances 2 are magnetized so as to attract each other. The magnetic substances 2 are carried on the surface or in the vicinity of the surface of the artificial soil particle 50 and contain a neodymium magnet. The artificial soil culture medium 100 contains 1-50 mass% of magnetic substances 2 therein. The artificial soil particle 50 has 0.1-30 mT of magnetic force.

Description

  The present invention relates to an artificial soil medium containing artificial soil particles carrying a magnetic material.

  In recent years, there have been an increase in indoor planting for planting living spaces and plant factories for growing plants such as vegetables indoors. In such indoor greening and plant factories, there is a movement to use artificial soil with advanced functions instead of natural soil. Artificial soils often have larger particles and lighter specific gravity than natural soils. For this reason, when a plant having a high tree height or plant height is cultivated using artificial soil, the plant may be tilted or collapsed. In addition, since indoors are relatively dry, there is a problem that the surface layer of the artificial soil is easily dried and the dried artificial soil is scattered.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the artificial soil described in Patent Document 1, a coating layer is formed by coating the surface of the foamed material with a greening material such as natural soil or a soil conditioner. For this reason, the artificial soil of patent document 1 will be provided with a certain amount of weight, and it is thought that the whole artificial soil is stabilized. As a result, it is said that scattering and runoff of artificial soil due to wind and rainwater can be prevented.

JP 2009-11190 A

  In the artificial soil of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to thicken the coating layer to some extent in order to support a plant growth body and to prevent the artificial soil from scattering or flowing out due to wind or rainwater. In such a case, the lightness and good drainage characteristic of artificial soil may be impaired. On the other hand, if the coating layer is made thin in light of weight reduction, the roots may not be sufficiently supported when the plant grows, and it may not be possible to prevent the scattering or runoff of artificial soil due to wind or rainwater. is there. Moreover, since the artificial soil of patent document 1 uses greening materials, such as natural soil and a soil improvement agent, the feature of the artificial soil which is hygienic will also be impaired.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can reliably support a plant having a high tree height or plant height or a plant growth body while maintaining lightness as an artificial soil, and further, artificial soil. An object of the present invention is to provide an artificial soil medium capable of preventing the scattering and outflow of water.

The characteristic configuration of the artificial soil culture medium according to the present invention for solving the above problems is
An artificial soil medium containing artificial soil particles carrying a magnetic material,
The magnetic bodies are magnetized so as to attract each other.

  According to the artificial soil medium of this configuration, the artificial soil particles attract each other by the action of the magnetic substance, so that the artificial soil particles aggregate in the artificial soil medium to form a aggregate structure. As a result, even if it is a lightweight artificial soil particle, the intensity | strength as an artificial soil culture medium is maintained more than fixed. For this reason, even if a plant having a high tree height or plant height or a plant growth body is planted in this artificial soil medium, they are not tilted or fall down and can be reliably supported. Further, since the artificial soil particles are aggregated in the artificial soil medium, there is little possibility that the artificial soil particles are scattered or discharged by wind, rainwater, or the like. Even if artificial soil particles spill from a planter or the like, they can be easily recovered by using a magnet.

In the artificial soil medium according to the present invention,
It is preferable that the magnetic material is supported on the surface of the artificial soil particle or in the vicinity of the surface.

  According to the artificial soil medium of this configuration, the artificial soil particles are strongly attracted to each other by the action of the magnetic substance, so that the artificial soil particles are strongly aggregated in the artificial soil medium, and a stronger aggregate structure can be formed. . As a result, a stable artificial soil culture medium can be realized while maintaining the lightness of the artificial soil particles.

In the artificial soil medium according to the present invention,
The magnetic body preferably includes a neodymium magnet.

  According to the artificial soil medium of this configuration, the artificial soil particles can be strongly aggregated in the artificial soil medium by the strong magnetic force generated by the neodymium magnet, thereby forming a strong aggregate structure. As a result, a stable artificial soil culture medium can be realized while maintaining the lightness of the artificial soil particles.

In the artificial soil medium according to the present invention,
It is preferable to contain 1-50 mass% of the magnetic material.

  According to the artificial soil medium of this configuration, since a sufficient and appropriate amount of magnetic material is contained to aggregate the artificial soil particles in the artificial soil medium, a strong aggregate structure can be formed. As a result, a stable artificial soil culture medium can be realized while maintaining the lightness of the artificial soil particles. Moreover, since content of a magnetic body is adjusted to the appropriate quantity, the artificial soil culture medium excellent in the balance of cohesion force and cost can be provided.

In the artificial soil medium according to the present invention,
The artificial soil particles preferably have a magnetic force of 0.1 to 30 mT.

  According to the artificial soil medium of this configuration, since the artificial soil particles are adjusted to an appropriate magnetic force range, both the stability of the artificial soil medium and the ease of handling can be achieved.

In the artificial soil medium according to the present invention,
It is preferable that the artificial soil particles have a base portion in which at least one selected from the group consisting of zeolite, bentonite, hydrotalcite, and fibers is assembled.

  According to the artificial soil culture medium of this configuration, since the base of the artificial soil particles has a porous structure or voids, it is effective between artificial soil particles by supporting a magnetic substance in the porous structure or voids. A magnetic force can be applied to. As a result, the artificial soil particles are moderately aggregated in the artificial soil medium, and an aggregate structure without bias can be formed. Moreover, since the artificial soil culture medium of this structure is equipped with high water retention, the frequency | count of watering etc. can be reduced. Therefore, plants can be efficiently cultivated while reducing the labor of workers.

In the artificial soil medium according to the present invention,
It is preferable that the artificial soil particles have a particle size of 0.2 to 10 mm.

  According to the artificial soil culture medium of this structure, since a particle diameter is 0.2-10 mm, a magnetic force can be made to act effectively between artificial soil particles. As a result, the artificial soil particles are moderately aggregated in the artificial soil medium, and an aggregate structure without bias can be formed. Moreover, if the particle diameter of the artificial soil particles is 0.2 to 10 mm, an easy-to-handle artificial soil culture medium suitable for cultivation of root vegetables can be provided.

In the artificial soil medium according to the present invention,
The artificial soil particles are preferably hydrophilic particles.

  According to the artificial soil medium of this configuration, since the artificial soil particles are hydrophilic particles, water can be retained between the artificial soil particles. That is, an artificial soil medium with improved water retention can be provided. If such an artificial soil culture medium is used, the number of times of watering to the cultivated plant can be reduced, so that the labor of the operator is reduced and efficient plant cultivation is possible.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing two types of artificial soil particles that can be used as the artificial soil culture medium of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the state of the artificial soil medium by magnetization step by step. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing artificial soil particles configured as a granular material. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing artificial soil particles configured as a fiber mass.

  Hereinafter, the embodiment regarding the artificial soil culture medium which concerns on this invention is described based on FIGS. However, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the configurations described in the embodiments and drawings described below.

<Artificial soil medium>
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view conceptually showing two types of artificial soil particles 50 that can be used as the artificial soil culture medium 100 of the present invention. FIG. 1A illustrates an artificial soil particle 50a in which a plurality of fillers 1 are assembled to form a granular material 10a (base), and a magnetic body 2 is carried inside the granular material 10a. . However, it is also possible to carry the magnetic body 2 on the surface of the granular material 10a or in the vicinity of the surface. FIG. 1B illustrates an artificial soil particle 50b in which the fibers 3 are aggregated to form a fiber lump 10b (base), and the magnetic material 2 is carried on or near the surface of the fiber lump 10b. Is. However, it is also possible to carry the magnetic body 2 in the gap 6 between the fibers 3 constituting the fiber lump 10b. A method for producing the artificial soil particles 50a and the artificial soil particles 50b will be described in detail later. The artificial soil culture medium 100 is prepared by magnetizing the artificial soil particles 50a or the artificial soil particles 50b. Magnetization can be performed by an electromagnet device or the like.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the state of the artificial soil culture medium 100 by magnetization step by step. In FIG. 2, the artificial soil culture medium 100 prepared from the artificial soil particle 50a of FIG. 1 (a) is illustrated. As shown in FIG. 2A, the artificial soil medium 100 before magnetization is in a dispersible state without substantial interaction between the artificial soil particles 50a. In FIG. 2 (a), for convenience of explanation, it is depicted that there is a space between the artificial soil particles 50a. However, the actual artificial soil particles 50a are in contact with each other in the artificial soil medium 100. Exists. When a strong magnetic field is applied to the artificial soil particles 50a in the dispersible state and the magnetic body 2 contained in the artificial soil particles 50a is magnetized, as shown in FIG. 2B, between the artificial soil particles 50a. Magnetic forces attracting each other are generated. Then, as shown in FIG. 2 (c), the artificial soil particles 50a aggregate to form a aggregate structure in which the plurality of artificial soil particles 50a are combined. The artificial soil culture medium 100 having a aggregate structure is composed of lightweight artificial soil particles 50a, but the strength of the artificial soil culture medium 100 is maintained above a certain level. When a plant is planted in the artificial soil culture medium 100, the artificial soil particles 50a aggregate around the root of the plant so as to attract each other, thereby forming a highly strong soil. Therefore, even if the plant planted in the artificial soil culture medium 100 is a plant having a high tree height or plant height or a plant growth body, they can be reliably supported. Moreover, since the artificial soil particles 50a are aggregated in the artificial soil culture medium 100, the artificial soil particles 50a are less likely to be scattered or discharged by wind, rainwater, or the like.
Hereinafter, the detail of the artificial soil particle 50 containing the magnetic body 2 which comprises the artificial soil culture medium 100 is demonstrated.

<Structure of granular material>
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing the artificial soil particles 50a configured as the granular material 10a. FIG. 3A illustrates an artificial soil particle 50a in which the fillers 1 are assembled to form a granular material 10a, and the magnetic material 2 is carried inside the granular material 10a. FIG. 3B illustrates an artificial soil particle 50a in which the magnetic material 2 is carried on the surface of the granular material 10a or in the vicinity of the surface.

  It is not essential that the fillers 1 in the artificial soil particles 50a are in contact with each other, and if the relative positional relationship within a certain range is maintained through a binder or the like in one particle, It can be considered that a plurality of fillers 1 are aggregated to form a granular shape. The filler 1 constituting the artificial soil particle 50a has a large number of pores 4 from the surface to the inside. The pores 4 include various forms. For example, when the filler 1 is the zeolite 1a shown in FIG. 3 (a), the voids present in the crystal structure of the zeolite 1a are the pores 4. In the artificial soil particles 50 a, communication holes 5 that can hold the magnetic body 2 are formed between the plurality of fillers 1. The communication holes 5 are isotropically present throughout the artificial soil particles 50a. Therefore, when the magnetic body 2 is introduced into the artificial soil particle 50a, the magnetic body 2 adheres to the inner surface of the communication hole 5, and as a result, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the magnetic body 2 is placed inside the artificial soil particle 50a. 2 is uniformly supported. Such artificial soil particles 50a can generate a certain magnetic force in all directions from the entire particle surface.

  In introducing the magnetic body 2 into the artificial soil particle 50a, it is preferable to carry the magnetic body 2 on or near the surface of the granular material 10a as shown in FIG. In this case, since the magnetic bodies 2 are present on the surface of the artificial soil particles 50a or in the vicinity of the surfaces, the magnetic bodies 2 are concentrated on the surfaces of the artificial soil particles 50a. As a result, the artificial soil particles 50a are strongly attracted to each other, and the artificial soil particles 50 are strongly aggregated in the artificial soil medium 100 to form a stronger aggregate structure. Although details of the method of carrying the magnetic body 2 on the surface of the granular material 10a or in the vicinity of the surface will be described later, a method of granulating the filler 1 so as to carry the magnetic body 2 on or near the surface of the granular material 10a, The method of forming the coating layer containing the magnetic body 2 on the surface of the granular material 10a or in the vicinity of the surface is mentioned.

  For the magnetic body 2, magnets that can be magnetized so as to attract each other are used to aggregate the artificial soil particles 50. Examples of the magnetic body 2 include ferrite magnets, alnico magnets, Fe—Cr—Co magnets, samarium cobalt magnets, praseodymium magnets, samarium iron nitrogen magnets, and neodymium magnets. These magnetic bodies 2 can be used in combination of two or more. In the present invention, a neodymium magnet is preferably used as the magnetic body 2. Since the neodymium magnet has a strong magnetic force, the artificial soil particles 50 can be strongly aggregated in the artificial soil medium 100 to form a strong aggregate structure.

  Content of the magnetic body 2 is set to 1-50 mass% as a mass percentage of the magnetic body 2 in the artificial soil culture medium 100, Preferably it is 5-50 mass%, More preferably, it is set to 10-40 mass%. . When the content of the magnetic substance 2 is less than 1% by mass, the magnetic forces attracting each other cannot be sufficiently exhibited, so that the cohesiveness of the artificial soil particles 50 is lowered and a aggregate structure may not be formed. As a result, when a plant having a high tree height or plant height or a plant growth body is planted, the plant may not be reliably supported. On the other hand, if the artificial soil culture medium 100 contains 50% by mass of the magnetic substance 2, the magnetic force attracting each other becomes excessive, and the artificial soil particles 50 are tightly coupled with each other, so that handling as the artificial soil culture medium 100 is difficult. Become. Further, when an expensive magnet such as a neodymium magnet is used as the magnetic body 2, the manufacturing cost of the artificial soil particles 50 greatly increases, and thus cannot be a realistic choice.

  The artificial soil particle 50 carrying the magnetic body 2 can be magnetized by using a magnetizing device provided with an electromagnet. The artificial soil particles 50 are magnetized so as to have a magnetic force of 0.1 to 30 mT, preferably 0.1 to 10 mT, and more preferably 0.5 to 5 mT. When the magnetic force of the artificial soil particles 50 after magnetization is less than 0.1 mT, the magnetic force attracting each other cannot be sufficiently exerted, so that the cohesiveness of the artificial soil particles 50 is lowered and a aggregate structure may not be formed. As a result, when a plant having a high tree height or plant height is planted, the plant body may not be reliably supported. On the other hand, when the magnetic force of the artificial soil particles 50 after magnetization exceeds 30 mT, the magnetic force attracting each other becomes excessive, and the artificial soil particles 50 are firmly bonded to each other, so that the handling as the artificial soil medium 100 becomes difficult. In addition, the magnetic force (mT) of the artificial soil particle 50 can be measured with a gauss meter from a distance of 1 mm apart in a state where the surface of the artificial soil particle 50 is leveled.

  The preferable particle diameter of the artificial soil particles 50a is in the range of 0.2 to 10 mm. Thereby, since a magnetic force can be made to act effectively between the artificial soil particles 50a, the artificial soil particles 50a agglomerate moderately and form a non-biased aggregate structure. As a result, a plant having a high tree height or plant height or a plant growth body can be reliably supported. Moreover, if the artificial soil particle 50a which has said particle size range is used, the artificial soil culture medium 100 especially suitable for cultivation of root vegetables can be comprised.

  Examples of the filler 1 include inorganic minerals such as pearlite, talc, diatomaceous earth, kaolin, rock wool, and ion-exchangeable minerals, and organic materials such as peat moss, urethane foam, coconut shells, cryptomoss (registered trademark), and cellulose. Among these, the ion-exchange mineral is preferably used because it imparts sufficient fertilizer to the artificial soil particles 50. Examples of the ion exchange mineral include a cation exchange mineral, an anion exchange mineral, and humus. Further, in order to give fertilizer to the artificial soil particles 50, a porous material (for example, a polymer foam, a glass foam, etc.) having no ion exchange ability is separately prepared, and the pores of the porous material It is also possible to introduce a material imparted with ion exchange capacity into the material by press-fitting or impregnation and use it as the filler 1. It is also possible to introduce an ion exchange resin.

  Examples of cation exchange minerals include smectite minerals such as montmorillonite, bentonite, beidellite, hectorite, saponite, and stevensite, mica minerals, vermiculite, and zeolite. Examples of the cation exchange resin include a weak acid cation exchange resin and a strong acid cation exchange resin. Of these, zeolite or bentonite is preferable. The cation exchange mineral and the cation exchange resin can be used in combination of two or more. The cation exchange capacity of the cation exchange mineral and the cation exchange resin is set to 10 to 700 meq / 100 g, preferably 20 to 700 meq / 100 g, and more preferably 30 to 700 meq / 100 g. When the cation exchange capacity is less than 10 meq / 100 g, the nutrients cannot be taken in sufficiently, and the taken-up nutrients may be lost early due to irrigation or the like. On the other hand, even if the fertilizer is excessively increased so that the cation exchange capacity exceeds 700 meq / 100 g, the effect is not greatly improved and it is not economical.

  Anion-exchange minerals include, for example, natural layered double hydroxides that have double hydroxides as the main skeleton such as hydrotalcite, manaceite, pyroaulite, sjoglenite, patina, synthetic hydrotalcite and hydrotalcite-like Materials, clay minerals such as allophane, imogolite, kaolin and the like. Examples of the anion exchange resin include weakly basic anion exchange resins and strong basic anion exchange resins. Of these, hydrotalcite is preferred. An anion exchange mineral and an anion exchange resin can be used in combination of two or more. The anion exchange capacity of the anion exchange mineral and the anion exchange resin is set to 5 to 500 meq / 100 g, preferably 20 to 500 meq / 100 g, and more preferably 30 to 500 meq / 100 g. When the anion exchange capacity is less than 5 meq / 100 g, the nutrients cannot be taken in sufficiently, and the taken-up nutrients may be lost early due to irrigation or the like. On the other hand, even if the fertilizer is excessively increased so that the anion exchange capacity exceeds 500 meq / 100 g, the effect is not greatly improved and it is not economical.

<Formation method of granular material>
In forming the artificial soil particles 50a as the granular material 10a, a plurality of fillers 1 are granulated using a binder. For example, the filler 1 is granulated by, for example, adding a binder or a solvent to the filler 1 and the magnetic body 2 and mixing the mixture, introducing the mixture into a granulator, rolling granulation, fluidized bed granulation, stirring granulation, It can carry out by well-known granulation methods, such as compression granulation, extrusion granulation, crushing granulation, melt granulation, spray granulation. The obtained granular material 10a is dried and classified as necessary. Thereby, the artificial soil particle 50a with which the magnetic body 2 was supported by the communicating hole 5 shown to Fig.3 (a) can be obtained. In addition, a binder is added to the filler 1 and the magnetic body 2 and, if necessary, a solvent or the like is added and kneaded. The resulting dried and block-shaped product is crushed with a mortar and pestle, a hammer mill, a roll crusher, etc. It is also possible to obtain a granular material 10a by appropriately pulverizing by means. The granular material 10a can be used as the artificial soil particle 50a as it is, but it is preferable to adjust to a desired particle size by sieving. The obtained granular material 10a is magnetized by using an electromagnet device or the like to complete the artificial soil particle 50a. As a condition for magnetization, it is preferable to magnetize the artificial soil particles 50 by applying a magnetic force of 2 Tesla (T) or more. When the magnetic force applied to the artificial soil particles 50 is less than 2 Tesla (T), since the artificial soil particles 50 are not sufficiently magnetized, the artificial soil particles 50 cannot sufficiently attract each other, and the aggregate structure may be weakened. is there.

  As a binder for granulating the artificial soil particles 50a, either an organic binder or an inorganic binder can be used. Organic binders include, for example, modified cellulose binders such as ethyl cellulose, polyolefin binders, polyvinyl alcohol binders, polyurethane binders, vinyl acetate binders such as vinyl acetate and ethylene vinyl acetate, urethane resins such as urethane resins and vinyl urethane resins. Synthetic resin binders such as acrylic binders, acrylic resin binders, silicone resin binders; polysaccharides such as starch, carrageenan, xanthan gum, gellan gum, alginate, and natural product binders such as proteins such as polyamino acids and glue . Examples of the inorganic binder include silicate binders such as water glass, phosphate binders such as aluminum phosphate, borate binders such as aluminum borate, and hydraulic binders such as cement. An organic binder and an inorganic binder can be used in combination of two or more.

  When the magnetic body 2 is carried on the surface of the granular material 10a or in the vicinity of the surface, for example, the following method can be used. First, a binder or a solvent is added to the filler 1 and mixed, the mixture is introduced into a granulator, rolling granulation, fluidized bed granulation, stirring granulation, compression granulation, extrusion granulation, extrusion granulation, The granular material 10a is formed using a known granulation method such as melt granulation or spray granulation. Then, additional filler 1, magnetic body 2 and binder are added to the formed granular material 10a to further granulate, and as shown in FIG. The magnetic body 2 is adhered to the surface. Thereby, the artificial soil particle 50a which carried the magnetic body 2 on the surface of the granular material 10a or the surface vicinity can be obtained. The binder used is preferably a water-insoluble binder. Thereby, it can prevent that the structure of the artificial soil particle 50 collapses by irrigation etc. The magnetization method and magnetization conditions of the magnetic body 2 can be the same as the magnetization method and magnetization conditions described above.

  In forming the artificial soil particles 50a, the artificial soil particles 50a can be granulated using a gelation reaction of a polymer gelling agent. Examples of the gelation reaction of the polymer gelling agent include a gelation reaction of alginate, propylene glycol alginate, gellan gum, glucomannan, pectin, or carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and a polyvalent metal ion, carrageenan, agar, Examples thereof include a gelation reaction by a double helix structuring reaction of polysaccharides such as xanthan gum, locust bean gum, and tara gum. Among these, the gelation reaction between an alginate and a polyvalent metal ion will be described. Sodium alginate, which is one of alginates, is a neutral salt in which the carboxyl group of alginic acid is bonded to Na ions. Alginic acid is not required in water, but sodium alginate is water soluble. When an aqueous sodium alginate solution is added to an aqueous solution of polyvalent metal ions (for example, Ca ions), ionic crosslinking occurs between the molecules of sodium alginate and gelation occurs. In the case of this embodiment, the gelation reaction can be performed by the following steps. First, an alginate aqueous solution is prepared by dissolving alginate in water, filler 1 and magnetic substance 2 are added to the alginate aqueous solution, and this is sufficiently stirred, and filler 1 and magnetic substance 2 are added to the alginate aqueous solution. Forms a mixed liquid. Next, the mixed solution is dropped into the polyvalent metal ion aqueous solution, and the alginate contained in the mixed solution is gelled in a granular form. The filler 1 and the magnetic body 2 are taken into this gel. Thereafter, the gelled particles are collected, washed with water, and sufficiently dried. Thereby, the granular material 10a which the filler 1 and the magnetic body 2 disperse | distributed in the alginate gel formed from an alginate and a polyvalent metal ion is obtained. The granular material 10a is dried and classified as necessary to obtain artificial soil particles 50a.

  Examples of alginates that can be used in the gelation reaction include sodium alginate, potassium alginate, and ammonium alginate. These alginate can be used in combination of two or more. The concentration of the alginate aqueous solution is 0.1 to 5% by mass, preferably 0.2 to 5% by mass, and more preferably 0.2 to 3% by mass. When the concentration of the alginate aqueous solution is less than 0.1% by mass, the gelation reaction hardly occurs. When the concentration exceeds 5% by mass, the viscosity of the alginate aqueous solution becomes too large. Therefore, the filler 1 and the magnetic substance 2 were added. It becomes difficult to stir the mixed solution and to drop the mixed solution into the aqueous polyvalent metal ion solution.

  The polyvalent metal ion aqueous solution to which the alginate aqueous solution is dropped may be a divalent or higher valent metal ion aqueous solution that reacts with the alginate and gels. Examples of such polyvalent metal ion aqueous solutions include aqueous chloride solutions of polyvalent metals such as calcium chloride, barium chloride, strontium chloride, nickel chloride, aluminum chloride, iron chloride, cobalt chloride, calcium nitrate, barium nitrate, aluminum nitrate. Nitrate aqueous solutions of polyvalent metals such as iron nitrate, copper nitrate and cobalt nitrate, lactate aqueous solutions of polyvalent metals such as calcium lactate, barium lactate, aluminum lactate and zinc lactate, aluminum sulfate, zinc sulfate, cobalt sulfate etc. An aqueous solution of a valent metal sulfate is mentioned. These polyvalent metal ion aqueous solutions can be used in combination of two or more. The concentration of the polyvalent metal ion aqueous solution is 1 to 20% by mass, preferably 2 to 15% by mass, and more preferably 3 to 10% by mass. When the concentration of the polyvalent metal ion aqueous solution is less than 1% by mass, the gelation reaction hardly occurs. When the concentration exceeds 20% by mass, it takes time to dissolve the metal salt and an excessive material is used. Not economical.

<Structure of fiber lump>
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view conceptually showing the artificial soil particle 50b configured as the fiber lump 10b. FIG. 4A illustrates an artificial soil particle 50b in which fibers 3 are assembled to form a fiber lump 10b, and the magnetic body 2 is carried inside the fiber lump 10b. FIG. 4B illustrates an artificial soil particle 50b in which the magnetic body 2 is carried on or near the surface of the fiber lump 10b. Since the content, magnetic force, and particle size of the magnetic substance 2 of the artificial soil particle 50b can be adjusted to the same level as the artificial soil particle 50a configured as the granular material 10a, detailed description is omitted.

  The fiber lump 10 b is configured as an aggregate of fibers 3. Gaps 6 are formed between the fibers 3 constituting the artificial soil particles 50b. The voids 6 are isotropically present throughout the artificial soil particles 50b. Therefore, when the magnetic body 2 is introduced into the artificial soil particle 50b, the magnetic body 2 adheres to the surface of the fiber 3 forming the void 6, and as a result, as shown in FIG. The magnetic body 2 is uniformly supported on the surface. Such artificial soil particles 50b can generate a certain magnetic force in all directions from the entire particle surface. Further, moisture can be held in the gap 6. Therefore, the state of the gap 6 relates to the water retention of the fiber lump 10b. The state of the gap 6 can be adjusted by changing the amount (density) of the fibers 3 used to form the fiber lump 10b, the type, thickness, length, and the like of the fibers 3. In addition, the size of the fiber 3 is preferably 5 to 100 μm in thickness, and preferably 0.5 to 10 mm in length.

  In introducing the magnetic body 2 into the artificial soil particle 50b, it is preferable to carry the magnetic body 2 on the surface of the fiber lump 10b or in the vicinity of the surface as shown in FIG. 4 (b). In this case, since the magnetic bodies 2 are present on or near the surface of the artificial soil particles 50b, the magnetic bodies 2 are concentrated on the surface of the artificial soil particles 50b. As a result, the artificial soil particles 50b attract each other strongly, and the artificial soil particles 50b strongly aggregate in the artificial soil medium 100, thereby forming a stronger aggregate structure.

  Since the fiber lump 10 b is configured so as to hold more moisture in the inside thereof, it is preferable to use a hydrophilic fiber as the fiber 3. The type of the fiber 3 may be either natural fiber or synthetic fiber, and is appropriately selected according to the type of the artificial soil particle 50b. Examples of preferable hydrophilic fibers include cotton, wool, and rayon as natural fibers, and examples of synthetic fibers include vinylon, urethane, nylon, and acetate. Of these, cotton and vinylon are more preferable. What mixed the natural fiber and the synthetic fiber may be used.

<Method for forming fiber lump>
Various methods can be employed in forming the artificial soil particles 50b as the fiber lump 10b. For example, when the magnetic body 2 is carried inside the fiber lump 10b, the fibers 3 are aligned with a carding device or the like and cut to a length of about 3 to 10 mm. Next, the magnetic body 2 is added to the cut fiber 3 to form a mixture, and the mixture is granulated by a method such as rolling granulation, fluidized bed granulation, stirring granulation, compression granulation, extrusion granulation, or the like. Thus, an artificial soil particle 50b which is a fiber lump 10b as shown in FIG. 4A can be obtained. During granulation, the fiber 3 may be mixed with a binder such as resin or glue, but the fibers 3 are entangled with each other and easily fixed, so that the fibers 3 can be agglomerated without using a binder. Can be processed.

  In the case where the magnetic body 2 is supported on or near the surface of the fiber lump 10b, additional fibers 3, the magnetic body 2, and a binder are added to the formed fiber lump 10b to further granulate. continue. Thereby, the artificial soil particle 50b which carried the magnetic body 2 on the surface of the fiber lump 10b as shown in FIG.4 (b) or the surface vicinity can be obtained. In this case, it is not essential that the magnetic body 2 exists inside the fiber lump 10b. The additional fiber 3 is usually the same as the fiber 3 described above, but the type, length, and thickness of the fiber 3 can be changed in accordance with the particle size of the magnetic body 2. The binder used is preferably a water-insoluble binder. Thereby, it can prevent that the structure of the artificial soil particle 50 collapses by irrigation. The blending amount of each raw material when forming the fiber lump 10b is appropriately adjusted according to the purpose of use.

  In granulating the fiber lump 10 b, it is possible to use short fibers as the fibers 3. In this case, the resin emulsion is added in small amounts and granulated while stirring the short fibers with a stirring and mixing granulator. Thereby, the short fibers forming the fiber lump 10b are fixed in part, and a strong fiber lump 10b can be formed.

  It is also possible to form artificial soil particles 50b carrying the magnetic body 2 by forming a coating layer containing the magnetic body 2 on or near the surface of the fiber lump 10b. In this case, the covering layer is preferably formed of a material having good water permeability.

  Examples of the method for forming the coating layer include an impregnation method described below. The fiber lump 10b is put into a container, and about half of the volume (occupied volume) of the fiber lump 10b is added to immerse the water in the fiber lump 10b. Next, a resin emulsion for coating containing the magnetic body 2 of 1/3 to 1/2 of the volume of the fiber lump 10b is added to the fiber lump 10b soaked with water. Next, the resin emulsion is impregnated from the outer surface of the fiber lump 10b while rolling so that the resin emulsion uniformly adheres to the outer surface of the fiber lump 10b. At this time, since water has soaked into the center of the fiber lump 10b, the resin emulsion stays near the outer surface of the fiber lump 10b. Thereafter, the fiber lump 10b to which the resin emulsion is adhered is dried in an oven, the resin is then melted, and the resin is fused to the fibers 3 near the outer surface of the fiber lump 10b to form a resin film as a coating layer. To do. Thereby, the artificial soil particle 50b coat | covered with the coating layer containing the magnetic body 2 can be obtained. The covering layer forms a thickness up to a state in which the fiber lump 10b penetrates slightly inward from the surface of the fiber lump 10b so as to reinforce the entangled portions of the fibers 3 constituting the fiber lump 10b. May be. Thereby, the intensity | strength and durability of the artificial soil particle 50b can be improved. The film thickness of a coating layer is set to 1-200 micrometers, Preferably it is set to 10-100 micrometers, More preferably, it is set to 20-60 micrometers. The obtained fiber lump 10b is magnetized by using an electromagnet device or the like to complete the artificial soil particle 50b. As the magnetization method, the same method as that for the granular material 10a can be used.

  The material of the coating layer is preferably insoluble in water and hardly oxidized, and examples thereof include a resin material. Examples of such a resin material include polyolefin resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, vinyl chloride resins such as polyvinyl chloride and polyvinylidene chloride, polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate, and styrene resins such as polystyrene. Of these, polyethylene is preferred. In place of the resin material, a synthetic polymer gelling agent such as polyethylene glycol or a natural gelling agent such as sodium alginate can be used.

  About the artificial soil culture medium of this invention, the aggregate structure and the evaluation of scattering and outflow were performed visually. Moreover, the magnetic force of each artificial soil culture medium was measured.

<Production of artificial soil particles>
According to the formulation (parts by weight) shown in Table 1 below, zeolite as a cation exchange mineral (Ryukyu Light CEC600, manufactured by Ecowell Co., Ltd.) as a filler and hydrotalcite as an anion exchange mineral (Wako Pure Chemical) Industrial Co., Ltd.) and neodymium magnets (MP-15, manufactured by Aichi Steel Co., Ltd.) were mixed, and the mixture was hardened with a binder to produce artificial soil particles of Example 1 and Example 2. As the binder, sodium alginate (manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) was used. To a 0.5% aqueous solution of sodium alginate, zeolite and hydrotalcite and a neodymium magnet are added and stirred for 3 minutes using a mixer (SM-L57: manufactured by Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.). A gelled product was formed by dropping into a 5% calcium chloride aqueous solution, which is an aqueous solution of polyvalent metal ions. The produced gelated product was collected from the liquid, washed, and then dried in a dryer at 55 ° C. for 24 hours to obtain artificial soil particles. The artificial soil particles were fixed to an electromagnet device (model number: TM-Y84E, manufactured by Tamagawa Seisakusho Co., Ltd.) and magnetized by applying a magnetic field of 2 Tesla (T). For comparison, artificial soil particles to which no neodymium magnet was added were prepared. The artificial soil particles of Example 1 contain about 32.8% by mass of neodymium magnets, and the artificial soil particles of Example 2 contain about 10.9% by mass of neodymium magnets.

<Measurement method of magnetic force of artificial soil particles>
As a method of measuring the magnetic force of the artificial soil particles, a gauss meter (model number: GM-5005, manufactured by Electronic Magnetic Industry Co., Ltd.) was used. The surface of artificial soil particles carrying a neodymium magnet was measured with a gauss meter from a distance of 1 mm in a state where it was leveled, and the results are shown in Table 2.

<Evaluation of aggregate structure and scattering / runoff characteristics>
Regarding the evaluation of the aggregate structure of the artificial soil medium, artificial soil particles attracted strongly in the artificial soil medium and ◎ formed the aggregate structure, ○ artificial soil particles attracted, ○ artificial soil particles did not attract The thing was set as x. Regarding the evaluation of scattering / runoff properties, each artificial soil medium was put in a container and left in an external environment for 60 days to evaluate the scattering / runoff properties of artificial soil particles. The case where the scattering and the outflow of the artificial soil particles were not recognized was evaluated as “◯”, and the case where the scattering and the outflow were recognized as “×”. The results are shown in Table 2.

  As shown in the results of Table 2, it was confirmed that the artificial soil media of Example 1 and Example 2 tried to maintain the aggregate structure by effectively attracting the artificial soil particles to each other. Further, as the amount of neodymium magnet added increases, the magnetic force of the artificial soil particles increases, and in the artificial soil medium (3.1 mT) of Example 1 containing 10 parts by weight of the neodymium magnet, a strong aggregate structure was formed. . On the other hand, the artificial soil particles of the comparative example were in a dispersed state without forming a aggregate structure. Regarding the scattering and outflow properties of the artificial soil medium, no scattering or outflow was observed in any of the artificial soil mediums of Examples 1 and 2. In contrast, in the artificial soil culture medium of the comparative example, scattering from the container due to wind and the like, and the outflow of artificial soil particles from the container during irrigation were observed. From the above results, it is considered that the artificial soil medium of the present invention can sufficiently support even a plant having a high tree height and plant height, and can prevent scattering and outflow due to wind or rainwater.

  The artificial soil medium of the present invention can be used for the cultivation of plants carried out in plant factories, etc., but as other uses, it can also be used for facility horticultural soil culture medium, greening soil culture medium, molded soil culture medium, soil improver, etc. Is available.

1a (1) Zeolite 2 Magnetic body 3 Fiber 10 Base 50 Artificial soil particle 100 Artificial soil medium

Claims (8)

An artificial soil medium containing artificial soil particles carrying a magnetic material,
The artificial soil medium in which the magnetic bodies are magnetized so as to attract each other.   The artificial soil medium according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic material is carried on or near the surface of the artificial soil particles.   The artificial soil medium according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the magnetic body includes a neodymium magnet.   The artificial soil culture medium as described in any one of Claims 1-3 which contains the said magnetic body 1-50 mass%.   The artificial soil medium according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the artificial soil particles have a magnetic force of 0.1 to 30 mT.   The artificial soil medium according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the artificial soil particle includes a base in which at least one selected from the group consisting of zeolite, bentonite, hydrotalcite, and fibers is assembled.   The artificial soil medium according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a particle diameter of the artificial soil particles is 0.2 to 10 mm.   The artificial soil medium according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the artificial soil particles are hydrophilic particles.

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