Process and installation for manufacturing substitute peat, application of the process and substitute peat manufactured by said process.

Translation of description of equivalent WO 9114358 A2

A process for preparing a substitute for peat, plant for carrying out this process, the drying apparatus, using the method and produced by this process peat substitute

The present invention relates to the production of high-quality peat substitute out of organic material, especially woody material. This involves insbe¬, aim to replace the production of humus fertilizers, horticultural earth and Torfkultursubstraten hitherto usually still related peat by gleich¬ quality material because peat degradation and Torfverwendung for these purposes from environmental and Natur¬ protection reasons prevented in future Need to become. Using the method described, this is make using otherwise hardly exploitable Holzab¬: nöglich.

For various technical publications show that today various products are used as "a substitute for peat". This applies for example to Kunststoffgranu- late, rice hulls, bark compost, coconut fibers, sawdust, wood shavings, etc. None of the previously recommended products but has all the essential characteristics of little decomposed peat, namely deep pH, nutrient OVERTY, low mikrobiologi¬ cal activity, freedom of pathogens, high content of valuable organic substance Adsorptions¬ fortune and good resistance to degradation, as when produced by the process described wood fiber is the case.

From EP-A-0147349 it is known to cut certain types of wood for the production of substrates and subsequently to defibrate, and to mix the fibers without additional treatment with other substances. This method has several drawbacks. Insbeson dere it requires high energy consumption. Changes in the fiber structure are very limited possible production gear is complicated and requires high levels of investment and in the process neither an impregnation is provided, yet possible.

None of these known methods is technically and economically suitable for the production of a high quality Torfersatzes. The method described allows contrast to prepare virtually any kind of wood or woody materials optimally both in physikali¬ shear as a chemical standpoint and so produce a full-fledged substitute for peat. In Pro¬ duktionsgang also a caused by the heating of pre-drying preferably takes place that can be complemented by an attached drying system.

The erfindungsge ate method proceeds from the claim. 1 It has proven a variety of reasons vor¬ geous, the material in a Thermoschnek- ken-press, for example, according to PCT / CH 83/00059, (hereinafter referred to briefly TSP) produce. Here, a male opti¬ physical treatment of the material is achieved and at the same time carried out the profound impregnation with various additives. These adjuvants, such as mineral dust, raise some friction between the often smooth, moist Rohmate¬ rial and the worm of the TSP. the other and improve hand, if they are press-fitted or incorporated into the fiber material, the physical, chemical or biological properties over the long term, whereby it can be adjusted optimally for the intended purpose. The individual options will be discussed later.

The claim 9 relates to the inventive system and indicates which parts of the system are preferably present, but can be used in any combination. The complex is again the twin-screw processing plant TSP, the specific Aggre¬ can be followed in order to prepare the material to be processed and treated comply gate and forth.

The plant is regardless of location, in particular as regards the disintegration of the material. Especially is also a use in developing countries or wherever until now organic, fibrous materials are destroyed by burning, possible and useful.

The final product can preferably to a Feuchtig¬ ture content 20-45% are dried. The way of unlocking of the material allows a vorteil¬ exemplary pre-drying, which can be supplemented by a drying apparatus, for. Example, a belt dryer or cyclone. An inventive drying apparatus is described in claim 12th Preferably, a siloarti-^' ger drying room provided in which the material enters from the top and is discharged below. Such drying apparatus is simple in construction and wirtschaft¬ Lich in operation, as will be explained in more detail.

The invention also relates to a particular application of the process described above or of the manufactured Torfersatzes according to claim 15. This particular applicational allows to highly decomposed, weak struktu¬ tured types of peat, particularly black peat, their storage and use is problematic crucial revalue by a product by admixing the erfindungsgemäs- sen fiber material to these peats ent ¬ stands that corresponds to conventional peat largely. The mixture of peat and fibrous material may be transported and stored loosely in particular dried in the drying apparatus described above, and then packed as normal peat, pressed or.

The invention further relates to a peat substitute according to Claims 16 to 18th

The invention will now be described with reference to an exemplary embodiment of an inventive system and a number of variants. The drawing shows a schematic representation of the plant.

The plant shown comprises a schematically angedeute¬ tes Rohstofflager 1, from the raw material of a MisehVorrichtung 2 can be supplied. Here both various raw materials may be mixed together and adjuvants are added. The material then passes the transport between the system components 1, 2 and 4 by means of a shovel in a 3 feeders as well and metering. 4 From the feeders as well and metering device 4 the material by means of a conveyor belt or the like conveying device passes into the feed hopper 5 of a thermo screw press TSP 6. The material is crushed and ground in this TSP between two ge genläufig driven, with a small clearance intermeshing screws and enters shredded state out of the plant. It can also existing more than two, in particular four screw be the.

There are not illustrated, adjustable baffle plates or other appropriate device arranged which permit to regulate the passage and can be determined by means of which therefore, as long as the material in the TSP remains and how intense it is treated and digested accordingly, wherein the heating of material due to the mechanical processing plays an important role. Depending on requirements, a heating or cooling may be provided to control the heating of the material.

The exiting material then passes to a sieve 7 Schwing¬ through which material particles of desired dimensions to pass through, while conveyed back to coarse parts to the input of the TSP to be additionally digested and crushed. For coarse parts, however, can also be fed directly to another suitable recovery.

The sieved material is then a Schrapper- supplied combination 8 and then passes to Trockenvor¬ direction 9. The entering into the drying device material is conveyed by a conveyor 10 from above in a silo-type drying room 11, where it uniformly through a distribution device 12 at the top ¬ surface of an in drying room material stack is distributed. 13 This stack of material lying on an air-permeable ground where it can be discharged through a discharge device, not shown. The drying air circulates in a geschlosse¬ NEN circulation and reaches from the top of Trocken¬, space in a multi-stage condenser 14 are located in this capacitor more regarding the Luft¬ by kick connected in series and in spacing from superposed cooling elements in which cooled by passing air and the moisture therein is partially condensed. The arrangement of a plurality of individual cooling elements or capacitors has the advantage that these elements are relatively short run in the direction of passage of air and therefore can be cleaned relatively easily. Namely, it is to be expected, is that during the drying of the digested fiber material substantially dust mitge¬ leads, which can not be completely accommodated in a filter 15th The cooling elements or Kondensa¬ tors 14 are cooled by a heat pump, which is used for heating of air heaters 16th A fan 17 circulates the drying air, where it passes through a conduit 18 into the space 19 below the stack. 13

The system is equipped with sensors, which is below the air temperature and collect about the material stack. 13 If the difference of the measured temperatures low, indicating a low evaporation in the material, the circulated quantity of air is restricted, while it is increased at a large temperature difference, so as to adjust the drying power to need. Incidentally, the air entering the dry air is set to a specific temperature and relative humidity, whereby the moisture content in the lowermost layers of the material 13 can be determined, if only the retention time of the material in the dryer is long enough. As mentioned, this residence time can be between 3 and 12 hours.

The to a moisture level of 20 - 30% dried material is then subjected to further Dosiereinrich¬ device 20, from which it passes into a bagging 21st There may be another part of the plant 22 may be provided, in What material bales are wrapped in plastic sheets on which these bales are placed in a warehouse 23rd

After the system and thus in general terms the method of manufacturing substitute peat has been described, is to be entered to special features of this method. Perennial experiments have shown that different types of wood and plants can be used as a raw material, in particular wood chips, shrub cuttings and partly additional waste from the paper industry. For chemically and physically unein¬ integrated products, such as wood chips of different grains, a controlled, steady product can be achieved by targeted pretreatment of, in particular the determination of the size of the particles Par¬. An ideal size of the shavings for example, has a length of 5 - 10 mm - 30 mm, a width of 10 - 20 mm and a thickness of. 5 The structure and the size and the mechanical properties of the particles are largely decisive for the treatment effect during Produktionspro¬ zesses wherein short Schnitzel generally partially give finer, consistent structure of the final product, longer Schnitzel contrast even long-fiber products with coarse fiber content. The Material¬ sorting can be done by screening in addition also through targeted crushing. The raw material can be mixed with one with dry or wet aggregates which purely mechanical cheap Voraus¬ tions for the subsequent digestion in the TSP create, for example, the surface angetrock¬ net and / or is roughened. It is also possible to heat the raw material prior to pulping in the TSP and sterilize. Preferably, spruce, fir, poplar, Reduzierspäne, peel shavings, use of off-cuts, debarked sections, shrub cuttings and partly clean paper sludge as raw materials, wherein accumulating Reduzierspäne can be used with advantage in the felling of trees. This Reduzierspäne and poplar have against biodegradation on resistant fibers, which is desirable for the production of peat substitute.

The chemical and partly mechanical properties can be influenced by admixing verschie¬ those excipients, especially minerals, Tonmine¬ tralia, major and trace nutrients, charcoal, active carbon, lignite, coal, sand, acids, alkalis, dyes, anti-fungal agents, growth promoting Mit¬ tel, wetting agents, fertilizers, pesticides, stabilizers, odor inhibitors, fragrances, trace elements, pH regulators and the like. It is also biologically active substances are mixed, for example, bacterial cultures, so¬ away the material then the composting is to be zuge¬ leads. A particularly important aspect of the invention consists in the fact that in the selected TSP not only an intensive shredding of Ausgangsmate¬ done rials, but that this material or the resulting fibers or flakes in the TSP between the two screw intensively kneaded, crushed, heated be and with the auxiliaries or additives impregnated or vaccinated downright. It therefore occurs extremely intensive treatment of the fiber material with the adjuvants, giving particularly favorable conditions for the further treatment and an optimal end product. The final product is high influenced because an intense, permanent connection of Rohstof¬ fen with excipients and active ingredients is achieved. Fertilizer recommendations can be largely taken over by the Torfkultur, ie the conditions for the development of formulations and fertilizer recommendations are similar to those of natural peat. Accordingly, the experience gained will be largely transferred to the obtained by the present process wood fiber, specifically adapted to the vorgesehe¬ NEN use with precisely measured quantities of excipient and uniform mechanical incorporation.

Whenever appropriate, also the degradation resistance and wettability of the wood fiber can be increased by specifically acting aggregates or regu¬ lose. The same applies to capillary suction capacity and the water-holding force. Here come as aggregates include various clay minerals, finely ground Ge minerals such perlite, vermiculite, etc. into consideration.

Furthermore, the following measures are possible:

Setting the desired water content, the Faser¬ structure, capillarity and the water holding capacity.

Producing mixtures before or after the disruption,

Influencing the degradation resistance by the addition of natural or chemical products (pesticides, fungicides, etc.).

The texture of the final product, ie the raw material and its Auf¬ statements of impregnation or inoculation with excipients is dependent on the hydrogen peroxide solution content of the raw materials. It has been found that a water content between 45 and 60% at a possible rough, non-slip surface erzie¬ optimal results len leaves. One can already observe entsprechen¬ the material when shopping, but the material can also dry vor¬ to make the surface grip, or it can increases the friction additives such as Mineral dust, lignite or hard coal, grit, granules and the like are added.

The degree of digestion can be adjusted by the residence time of the material in the TSP or the use of additional pairs of screws, whereby a besse¬ rer digestion and a greater heating is achieved.

Structure corrections can also be achieved by sieving. The material can also be sterilized prior to digestion, but it is generally possible to achieve even a partial sterilization by heating in the TSP. The heating can be done in more than 100 C. This heating of the digested product carries among others, to the following desired dewatering thereof, wherein the material is allowed to cool and evaporate on the vibrating screen 7 itself. The evaporation can be intensified by means of ventilation fans, longer conveyor belts or large heads and the like.

In practice, a preparation of the wood fibers with white and black peat, lignite, activated carbon, charcoal and the like substances has proven particularly useful. The novel impregnating the material with these products of plant origin resulting in typical peat hnlichen properties. The use of vorzugswei¬ se tertiary lignite or soft earthy young Braun¬ coal affects plant growth positive. After the application form in the soil quality permanent humus forms.

By adding special dyes to the wood fiber can be colored throughout the production cycle so that they usserlich hardly differs from natural peat. To increase the capillarity and water holding capacity can absorbent material, for example Zellulosefa¬ fibers, paper, cotton, clay or loam and chen derglei¬ be added before or after pulping.

In the preparation of compost, the system shown can also be used with great advantage. It will go out in this case by some other raw materials, particularly green mass, ie, tree and shrub cuttings, garden and cemetery overburden, grass and lawn clippings, foliage and possibly also organic kitchen waste. However, it is quite possible to use a proportion of more woody raw materials. It is also evident in this application is that the treatment in the mentioned TSP is a great advantage. The entste¬ rising, available for biodegradation surface is substantially greater than after pulping in conventional pre-treatments, such as shredding. However, of great importance is the detail set forth above ability to impregnate during the digestion in the TSP, the organic raw materials extremely intense and evenly with excipients or to inoculate. It can for example be an inoculation with bacteria and / or impregnation with fertilizers or generally nitrogenous substances or proteids to accelerate the rotting. The rotting of the digested material is effected optimally at a humidity 45-55%. This moisture can already be achieved by simply evaporating the material, after leaving the TSP, but the drying apparatus 9 can also be set einge¬ to the material tigkeitsgehalt to the optimum Feuch¬ to bring composting for a Mietenko. After decomposition of the compost can be dried also advantageous by the drying system 9 and are packed in bags. It can also mixed products be prepared by z. B. According to the invention herge¬ imputed substitute peat mixed with compost, dried and packaged.

Auxiliaries and additives can also be supplied directly to the material to be broken down continuously at the inlet of the TSP or admixed in principle at any suitable point in the system, before or after the TSP, z. B.. Certain additives, such. As compost can be added before or after the vibrating screen. 7