Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
FARMING METHOD USING WASTE MATERIAL
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a farming method using waste material
containing organic matter.
Waste material or effluent which contains organic materials,
such as that from intensive animal farming operations, food processing
plants and city sewage, constitutes a serious problem in that in large
quantities the material is toxic and in that the material can give off noxious
fumes. Disposal of such materials is therefore difficult and the development
of such materials from the operation can inhibit the installation of new
plants to carry out such processing.
A further problem which is becoming more prevalent in current
farming methods is that of disposing of crop residue after harvesting. It is
often desirable to return the crop residue to the soil but this is often difficult
as it takes a significant period of time to decompose and in the meantime
causes problems in the seeding and cultivation processes. Burning of the
crop residue or straw is often practiced but this highly undesirable in that it
generates high quantities of smoke which are environmentally undesirable
and also the organic matter from the crop residue is lost.
It is known in current farming practices to effect chopping of
the crop residue into relatively small portions and spreading of this material
onto the ground for breakdown of the crop residue into the soil.
Usually such waste material is stored in a lagoon which is
simply a hollowed open area into which the material is pumped to allow
settling of the solid matter to the bottom of the lagoon and dispersal of the
liquid and gas content by evaporation. Periodically it is necessary to remove
the settled solids and these are often simply dumped into an open field. The
continuous evaporation of the liquid acts to discharge into the air noxious
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gases which leads to environmental pollution which is becoming politically
unacceptable. The lagoon can also leak so as to cause contamination of the
ground water.
It is also known to spread waste material from hog barns and
5 the like onto ground for disposal. One machine for this purpose includes a
frame with ground wheels for moving across the ground, the frame carrying
a reel on which is wound a pipe for transporting the waste material from a
supply. From the reel the waste material is communicated to a spray gun or
spreader which discharges the material across the ground. This type of
10 discharge of the material is unacceptable in that it generates smell, loses
nitrogen which could otherwise be available for crop growth and also can
release airborne bacteria which is to health.
An alternative type of machine for carrying out disposal of
waste material includes a tank which transports the material to the required
15 location and a spray boom for discharging the material onto the ground.
Generally such processes are used simply for disposal of the waste material
without any other advantages being considered or expected. The waste
material is thus collected from a lagoon or storage container and is simply
dumped into the field in a manner which is intended simply to dispose of the
20 material. In many cases this is done in a relatively remote location with high
quantities of the material being discharged into the field simply as a disposal
process. The use of a tank to transport the material is basically
unacceptable for larger quantities of the material in view of the very heavy
weights of such a large tank which causes compaction of the ground over
25 which the transport vehicle travels and the repeated trips which are
necessary to dispose of all of the material. A machine of this type therefore
is really only suitable for relatively small quantities of waste material to be
discharged .
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A serious problem which arises with the discharge of materials
of this type is that of the noxious or bad smelling fumes that are emitted by
the anaerobic bacteria acting upon the nitrogen compounds of the waste
materials. Such fumes arise wide public outcry in the event that such waste
5 materials are dumped onto the ground in locations anywhere near any
housing developments.
One example of a machine for dumping manure from hog barns
is shown in article entitled "Fertilisation du lisier sur ble".
A brochure by Bauer entitled "Boom Cart AS45" shows a
10 machine for irrigation which includes a reel cart and a boom assembly
separate from the reel cart. The boom assembly is moved along a strip to
be irrigated away from the reel cart and pulls a pipe from the reel. The
boom assembly then moves along the strip of ground to be irrigated and
water is pumped through the pipe to the boom. This arrangement is
15 however not in any way proposed for discharging manure or other waste
materials.
A further arrangement is known comprising a vehicle having a
reel drum which is carried on the vehicle and supplies manure through a
pipe line paid out from the reel to a jet nozzle carried on the vehicle for
20 discharging waste materials onto the ground.
A treatment process is also known as shown in French Patent
87/13335 (Guasco) in which straw or other crop residue is transported from
the field in bales or stacks to a treatment process in which the straw is
mixed with waste materials from a hog operation or the like within a
25 treatment container to provide a combination of the manure and crop
residue which forms a fertilizer mix which can be returned to the ground.
This process is however uneconomical in that it requires transportation of
the crop residue from the ground to the treatment container and the finished
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mixed fertilizer from the container to the ground. It has therefore been
effectively discarded.
It is also known to use an oxidizing agent, such as hydrogen
peroxide, on liquid manure to destroy the anaerobic bacteria to reduce
5 release of noxious gases.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one object of the present invention, therefore, to provide
an improved farming system which allows the disposal of waste materials
containing organic matter and which also minimizes odors, produces an
10 organic fertilizer and accelerates crop residue decomposition.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a
method of farming comprising; collecting in a closed container manure
containing organic matter and having sufficient liquid content to allow
pumping of the manure through a pipe; causing growth of aerobic bacteria
15 in the manure to effect breakdown of the organic matter therein; preparing
the ground in a field with crop residue thereon so that the crop residue is
chopped and evenly spread over the ground; transporting the manure with
the aerobic bacteria therein to the field; and evenly spreading the manure
over the ground at a rate in the range 1000 to 5000 gallons per acre so as
20 to engage the crop residue such that the aerobic bacteria carried by the
manure causes rapid bacterial breakdown of the crop residue.
Preferably the waste material is spread over the ground by
providing a machine having a central vehicle portion and a pair of boom
elements each extending out to a respective side of the vehicle portion,
25 pumping the waste material through pipe means extending longitudinally of
the boom elements and discharging the waste material at spaced positions
along the length of the boom elements through discharge openings, which
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are preferably spray nozzles to effect an even spread of the material over
the ground.
Preferably the vehicle portion carries a reel having a hose
wrapped thereon, the reel being rotatable to reel in and pay out the hose for
5 communication of the waste material from a supply location through the
hose to the vehicle portion, the boom has a width greater than 100 feet and
the hose has a length greater than 1320 feet and the waste material is
spread at a rate in the range 1000 to 5000 gallons per acre.
Preferably, after spreading the ground surface is acted upon to
10 effect incorporation of the waste material and the crop residue into an upperlayer of the soil at the ground surface to a maximum depth of two inches
substantially immediately following the spreading of the waste material.
Preferably the crop residue is chopped to a length less than two
inches and so as to break open an outer surface of the crop residue.
Preferably an oxidizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide is
applied onto the waste material and the crop residue with the oxidizing
agent being sprayed evenly over the ground. The oxidizing agent can be
sprayed simultaneously with the spreading of the waste material or can be
sprayed just before the spraying of the waste material. In the former case, a
20 higher rate of application is required up to five liters per cubic meter of
straw. In the latter case a rate of one to two liters can be sufficient. In
both cases the oxidizing agent effects decomposition of the straw,
minimizes smell and kills disease bacteria.
Preferably the waste material contained in the closed container
25 is aerated to encourage aerobic bacterial growth and a phosphorous
compound is added to the waste material in the container for containing the
nitrogen compounds to inhibit release of ammonia. Yeast such as recycled
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brewers yeast can also be added to the waste material in the container to
assist in breakdown of the organic materials.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided
a method of farming comprising: collecting in a closed container manure
5 containing organic matter and having sufficient liquid content to allow
pumping of the manure through a pipe; causing growth of aerobic bacteria
in the manure to effect breakdown of the organic matter therein; preparing
the ground in a field with crop residue thereon so that the crop residue is
chopped and evenly spread over the ground; transporting the manure with
10 the aerobic bacteria therein to the field; evenly spreading the manure over
the ground so as to engage the crop residue such that the aerobic bacteria
carried by the manure causes rapid bacterial breakdown of the crop residue;
and, separately from and immediately prior to spreading the manure,
applying onto the crop residue an oxidizing agent.
According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a
method of farming comprising: collecting in a closed container manure
containing organic matter and having sufficient liquid content to allow
pumping of the manure through a pipe; causing growth of aerobic bacteria
in the manure to effect breakdown of the organic matter therein; preparing
20 the ground in a field with crop residue thereon so that the crop residue is
chopped and evenly spread over the ground; transporting the manure with
the aerobic bacteria therein to the field; evenly spreading the manure over
the ground so as to engage the crop residue such that the aerobic bacteria
carried by the manure causes rapid bacterial breakdown of the crop residue;
25 and, after spreading, acting upon the ground with a cultivator to effect
incorporation of the waste material and the crop residue into an upper layer
of the soil at the ground surface.
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According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided
a container for manure comprising: a base foundation defining a horizontal
support surface; a cylindrical wall surrounding a vertical axis and mounted
on the horizontal support surface so as to be upstanding therefrom and
having an open top; the base foundation comprising a concrete ring defining
an annular upper surface forming said horizontal support surface with an
area inside the ring being free from concrete; and a plastics liner laid across
the area inside the ring, over the ring and on an inside surface of the wall so
as to render the container impervious to liquid for containing the manure
1 0 therein.
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of the farming system
according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of the operation of the
farming system on the ground and the crop residue thereon.
Figure 3 is an isometric view of a machine for spreading the
waste materials.
Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the central vehicle portion of
the machine of Figure 3.
Figure 5 is an enlarged view of one boom of the vehicle of
Figure 3.
Figure 6 is an exploded schematic isometric view of the closed
container for receiving the waste material.
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate
corresponding parts in the different figures.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In Figure 1 is shown an overview of the farming method
according to the present invention which comprises an intensive farming
system or processing system generally indicated at 10 which produces
5 effluent or waste material on a discharge duct 11 for supplying to a storage
container 12. In one example intensive farming process comprises a hog
barn in which mostly liquid manure is released from a flooring collection
system for discharge through the duct 11 to a liquid storage container or
slurry tank 12. The storage container can be of any suitable type including
10 a metal container of the type formed from corrugated metal panels similar to
a grain bin, a concrete pit or the like which is preferably covered by a closed
roof 13 which contains the liquid and any gases escaping from the liquid
surface. Within the container is provided a stirring system schematically
indicated at 14 which maintains the waste material mixed to ensure that
15 solids remain in suspension. An aerator is schematically indicated at 15 for
injecting air into the stored liquid waste material for purposes of aeration.
The details of the air injection system are not shown as these will be well
known to one skilled in the art. In addition a solids injection system is
indicated at 16 for injecting various solids including yeast, additive
20 compound such as micro nutrients and phosphoric acid as discussed
hereinafter .
The construction of the container is shown schematically in
Figure 6. This comprises an annular footing 60 which can be floating or (as
shown) mounted on piles 61. On top of the footing is mounted a container
25 wall 62 formed of corrugated panels 63 which are bolted together to form a
cylindrical wall standing on the footing. The wall is of the type
conventionally used for a grain bin and is manufactured of structural
members and the corrugated panels with sufficient structural strength to
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accommodate the weight and forces from the liquid waste to be contained
therein .
Within the wall 62 is provided a liner 64 of a suitable plastics
material. This can be spray coated onto the interior of the wall or more
5 preferably is formed as a skin which is laid across the open ground 65 inside
the annular footing 60 and extends up the wall 62 to a top edge 66. The
liner is attached to the wall either mechanically or using an adhesive layer
67 which is applied onto the liner 64 on the outside surface thereof at the
areas thereof engaging the wall 62 so as to affect a bonding between the
10 liner and the wall. A roof structure comprises a central tubular post 68
sitting on a pad 69 mounted on the ground 65 centrally of the angular
footing. The post carries an inner end of a plurality of radially extending
trusses 70, 71 which extend outwardly into engagement with a structural
member at a top edge of the wall 62. Over the trusses is stretched a
15 circular fabric cover 72 with a lower edge bead 73 which engages around
the upper edge of the wall in a sealing action. Thus the container is
effectively fully sealed by the liner 64 and the fabric cover 72 to prevent
any escape of gases from the container. A vent opening 74 is provided to
release some gases in the event of significant over pressure to prevent
20 damage to the structure. A structure without the post can also be used
using trusses extending across the container from the side wall taking the
full load of the fabric cover.
A discharge pump is schematically indicated at 17 for
discharging the liquid material from the container 12 along a temporary pipe
25 line 18 which can be formed of a number of segments connected at
junctions 20 or can be a continuous irrigation hose wound on a reel.
Temporary piping of this-nature can be installed relatively quickly over an
extensive length to an outlet location 21 which constitutes a central supply
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point for discharging the material from the container 12 over a number of
strips 22, 23 of a field 24 on which the material is to be sprayed.
The material is sprayed onto the strips of the field 22, 23 etc.
by a spray vehicle shown schematically in Figure 1 at 25 and shown in more
5 detail in Figure 3, 4 and 5. The spray vehicle comprises a vehicle frame 26
mounted on ground wheels 27 for movement across the ground. The
vehicle is relatively large having a width of the central vehicle portion of theorder of 10 feet and a length of the order of 25 feet. The vehicle portion
carries a large reel 28 on which is wound a pipe 29, a trailing portion 29A
10 which extends from the reel across the field to the discharge location 21. In one example the diameter of the reel is of the order of 13 feet and the
length of the pipe is of the order of 1320 feet (500 meters) of a diameter of
3-4 inches (12cms). Also on the vehicle frame is mounted an engine 30 for
generating hydraulic power for communication to the four independent drive
15 wheels 27. The details of the drive communication system are not shown
as these are well known to one skilled in the art. A cab 31 is mounted at
the front of the frame for receiving the driver for controlling the direction
and operation of the waste material discharge machine 25. An inner end of
the pipe 29 is connected to a swivel coupling 32 at which is attached a pipe
20 33 for communication to a supplementary drive pump 34 driven by the
engine 30. The pump 34 drives the material along supply lines 35 and 36 of
two boom elements 37 and 38 respectively. The pipes 35 and 36 each
carry a plurality of discharge nozzles 39, 40. The discharge nozzle 39 of
the boom 38 are shown as spray nozzles and this is preferred for evenly
25 spraying the liquid across the ground. The discharge openings 40 of the
boom 37 are shown as simple vertical discharge pipes and these can be
used for row crops in a situation where the machine is used after planting
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for discharge of the liquid onto the ground between the rows of the planted
crop.
The boom elements are mounted on the frame for lifting and
twisting movements by hydraulic cylinders 41, 42 which allow the boom
5 elements to be folded along side the sides of the vehicle during
transportation and to effect raising and lowering of the boom elements as
required to accommodate changes in ground level.
Preferably the boom elements have a combined width of 100 to
150 feet. Discharge of the liquid material onto the ground at a rate in the
range 1000 to 5000 gallons per acre can thus be effected at a rate of 3 to 7
acres per hour. Such a discharge rate enables the discharge of a typical
container having 300,000 gallons within a period of 10 to 20 hours.
The construction of the boom is shown only schematically as
this can vary in accordance with design requirements.
Turning now to Figure 2, the process in its operation in relation
to the material on the ground is shown schematically.
In the process, the waste material to be discharged can
comprise manure from a hog plant, manure or effluent from a sewage plant
or other mainly liquid material containing organic materials such as effluent
from a vegetable or meat processing plant. The material is arranged by
addition of liquid to be mostly liquid and of sufficiently liquid nature to be
pumpable through the pipeline and through the pipe 29A to the boom and
the spray nozzles. For this purpose a solids content less than 8% is
generally required.
The treatment of the liquid material in the container includes
the following:
1) aeration by injection of aeration air from the injector 15
to promote aerobic bacterial action and to reduce anaerobic bacterial action.
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It is known that the anaerobic bacterial action generates production of
noxious fumes which become unacceptable to surrounding persons not
connected with the production site.
2) Addition of phosphorous compound or phosphoric acid.
This addition acts to stabilize the nitrogen content within the liquid by
locking in the ammonia. In particular, the addition of phosphoric acid to
ammonia generates ammonium phosphate which is a stable compound
widely used as a fertilizer.
3) The addition of a yeast which can preferably be a
recycled beer yeast and this acts to break down the solids from the manure
to increase the liquid content and render the liquid pumpable.
4) The stirring action by the stirrer 14 which maintains the
materials mixed to effect the above action on the materials.
5) The addition of water if required to reduce the solids
content to a level in the range 5 to 8% which provides the pumpable
mixture. Generally the addition of yeast to break down the solids is
preferred to avoid the addition of further water which may not be readily
available.
6) The addition by the injector 16 of micro nutrients or
other additives which are selected in accordance with requirements for the
particular field 24 to be covered with the materials. Thus, as the present
method is intended as a fertilization system, the required content of the
fertilizer can be manipulated to match the requirements of the field as
assessed by analysis of the soil in well known manner.
As shown in Figure 2, a standing crop is indicated at 40 and
this is cut by a conventional cutting action indicated schematically at 41.
The cutting action schematically indicated at 41 may comprise any suitable
technique for chopping the crop residue into short lengths of preferably two
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inches maximum length and at the same time breaking the stems of the crop
residue to expose the inner material. Such an action can be effected by a
separate mowing process carried out after harvesting or can be effected by
use of an effective chopper and spreading action on the combine harvester.
It is necessary in addition that the crop residue or trash be spread evenly
across the ground.
The crop residue in evenly spread chopped condition is
therefore indicated at 42. The boom element 37 is shown in Figure 2
passing over the ground on which the evenly spread crop residue is shown.
10 The waste material is discharged in a spray pattern from the nozzles 39 onto
the crop residue in even manner determined by the spray pattern of the
nozzles and the spacing of the nozzles. The liquid manure is thus accurately
broadcast onto the fields at a regulated flow rate in the range 1000 gallons
per acre to 5000 gallons per acre. Simultaneously with the spraying of the
15 manure is provided a second spray line 53 with spray nozzles 54 arranged
for spraying a liquid oxidizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide onto the
trash and the manure. The hydrogen peroxide or oxidizing agent is
preferably sprayed at a rate in the range two liters to five liters per cubic
meter of straw or crop residue. The Hydrogen peroxide rate identified above
relates to 130 volume concentration and the man skilled in the art will of
course be able to calculate modified rates for different concentrations of the
oxidizing agent. The oxidizing agent acts to further decompose the outer
protective shell of the crop residue and acts to accelerate aerobic bacterial
and fungal attack on the crop residue. Furthermore the oxidizing agent
effectively eradicates any anaerobic bacteria remaining in the manure so as
to inhibit or prevent the generation of noxious gases, such as methane and
hydrogen sulfide, which are a resultant of the anaerobic bacterial activity.
Thus the previous treatment as explained above of the manure in
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conjunction with the addition of the oxidizing agent at the point of
application of manure to the ground cooperate in preventing the generation
of the free ammonia which constitutes the objectionable smell associated
with the manure. In addition the simultaneous spraying of the oxidizing
5 agent and the manure significantly increases the rate of bacterial and fungal
attack on the crop residue since the manure brings high levels of aerobic
bacteria and fungus to the mixture to assist in breaking down the crop
residue .
The rapid action of the decomposition is important as this
10 fertilizer, that is the combination of the manure and the crop residue, is
applied onto the fields prior to seeding or after seeding and constitutes a
replacement for the commercial fertilizer otherwise used. In cases where
the manure is applied after seeding, the oxidizing agent is omitted to avoid
damaging the crops and since in most cases it is not required to effect break
15 down of the straw. Application after seeding is therefore likely to be limited
to areas where the release of some smells does not constitute an
environmentally unacceptable situation.
To achieve the rapid decomposition, the crop residue and
stubble must be in contact with the liquid manure and accordingly the even
20 spread of the crop residue across the ground is highly important and in
addition it is necessary to apply equally an even spread of the manure.
As shown in Figure 2, the oxidizing agent is preferably sprayed
from the same boom as the waste material but is sprayed onto the ground in
advance of the waste material. This allows the agent to engage the straw
25 in advance of the waste material and thus minimizes the required rate to 1-2
liters per cubic meter of straw. In the alternative, the oxidizing agent can be
sprayed from a separate nozzle at the same location as the nozzle 39 to
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reach the straw simultaneously with the waste material, but in this case the
rate must be increased to the order of 5 liters.
Subsequent to the application of the manure and the oxidizing
agent, the trash and manure is then incorporated into the soil to a maximum
5 depth of two inches. This is illustrated schematically at 55. The
incorporation can be effected by any conventional cultivation equipment
such as a harrow, a cultivator sweep as illustrated at 56 or a hoe. The
incorporation is effected as soon as possible after completion of the
spraying of the material and generally within 24 hours. Incorporation to a
10 depth greater than two inches will significantly inhibit or delay the
decomposition due to the absence or the exclusion of oxygen which is
necessary for the aerobic bacterial activity.
The method according to the present invention, therefore, has a
number of major advantages.
1) It disposes of the liquid manure or other liquid effluent
which is otherwise problematic.
2) It disposes of the crop residue which also can in some
cases be problematic.
3) The disposal of both of the above materials is effected in
a manner which generates an improved organic fertilization system. Thus
reducing the necessity for other types of fertilizer.
4) The process is effected using equipment specifically
designed for the task which enables the application of the manure to be
effected rapidly and economically.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as
herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments
of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing
from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the
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accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in
a limiting sense.
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