Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1/24
Depackaging System with Spray and Dilution System to Increase Plastic and
Reject
Cleanliness
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The disposal of food-waste (organic) materials that are combined with
packaging
materials or inorganics is a challenging process. The plastics and wrapping
materials cause
damage to the equipment designed to separate the useful organic fraction from
the other waste
streams. Depackaging systems separate packaging from food waste. The separated
packaging
often contains too many organics, so that the plastics and packaging cannot be
recycled because
they are too contaminated with these residual organics, and they end up in the
landfill.
The present disclosure relates to the improvement on patents US 10,898,907 and
US
11,389,992 as the addition of spray nozzles allows for a plastic packaging
with little to no
organic residual after separation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0002] It is a general concern that in the depackaging process organics are
being discharged
together with the rejects. Efficiently separating these organics from the
rejects, increase the
quality and recyclability of the rejects and increases the amount of biogas
produced from the
organics. Testing has proven that the organic film present on the rejects can
partially be
removed by friction for instance with a hammermill. However, results are
improved by the
addition of liquid during this process. When using a vertical drum with an
internal hammermill,
spray nozzles or liquid injection points can be added to the device described
in patent US
11,389,992 to increase the recovery of organics. If the rejects have been
stored in a rather dry
environment, the process can further be improved by having them soaked in a
vessel with water
to help release the film.
[0003] The process can further be improved by having the rejects soak in a
vessel with water
to help release the film. To this purpose a device as described in US
11,389,992 claim 5 or a
tank equipped with scrapers to remove the floating contaminants can be used to
soak the rejects.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
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[0004] There is a need for a pre-treatment process that effectively removes
the contaminants
of food waste prior to further treatment. The present invention comprises a
complete pre-
treatment plant, offering a complete treatment from receiving the food waste
to the production
of a clean organic soup and organics free packaging. Conventional prior art
systems do not
offer a complete solution, whereby components of such arrangement either had
to be invented
or improvements had to be made.
[0005] The food waste is received in a hopper by unloading a collection truck
in said hopper,
and the food waste is introduced in a depackager with a dosing conveying
system, located in
the hopper. In some embodiments the hopper further includes an air roof, and a
metal detection
and contaminant extraction system.
[0006] The depackager includes a vertical depackaging apparatus that includes
a plurality of
bouncing plates placed perpendicular to a shaft along a circumference of the
shaft, and two or
more tall plates mounted perpendicular to the shaft at a top position. The
vertical plates are
configured to create a suction-like movement of the air from the surface of
the mass to a top of
the apparatus thereby providing a lift force to remove the light waste. A
person familiar with
the art would be able to create this suction effect with different methods.The
bouncing plates
create a chaotic movement and expel air and light waste from the mass in the
air environment
and to lift to a surface of the mass the light waste therewithin and the tall
plates simultaneously
create a centrifugal movement at a top level of the apparatus to expel the
light waste through
an exit passage for the light waste at a top portion of the apparatus. The
depackager is fitted
with a spray and dilution system which promotes further enhances the cleaning
of the organic
film present on plastics and rejects from the depackager
[0007] A sedimentation and floatings removal unit is operationally connected
to the
depackaging assembly. In various embodiments the sedimentation unit includes a
longitudinal
tank comprising a baffle plate configured to partly separate the tank into a
first vessel and a
second vessel, wherein the first and the second vessels are connected at the
bottom through an
opening, a rectangular opening with a sliding door at a side of the tank and
above the ordinary
liquid level configured to remove floating plastics, wherein the sedimentation
unit processes
and separates the soup into at least one of plastic waste, grit material and
organic soup, wherein
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
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the plastic waste removed at the sedimentation unit is re-injected in the
vertical depackager
above the highest level of the inlet flange.
[0008] The compact plant is configured to separate organic and inorganic waste
components.
The apparatus includes a hopper, odour containment, a depackager, and a
sedimentation and
floatation unit that separates the inorganics from the organics.
[0009] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in
any way limiting.
In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described
above, further
aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the
drawings and the
following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a
part of this
disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the
description, explain the
disclosed principles.
[0011] FIGURE IA illustrates a small footprint pre-treatment plant with its
entire components
in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0012] FIGURE 1B illustrates a small footprint pre-treatment plant with the
unloaded waste
pile being destacked and moved to the feeding pile prior to being loaded on a
feeding system
in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0013] FIGURE 2 shows the components of the hopper with a feeding system in
accordance
with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0014] FIGURE 3A shows a sketch of the aerial view of the air roof in
accordance with some
embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0015] FIGURE 3B shows a sketch of the face view of the air roof in accordance
with some
embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0016] FIGURE 4 shows a sketch of the interior of the depackaging unit in
accordance with
some embodiments of the present disclosure.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
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[0017] FIGURE 5 shows the filtration drum of the depackaging unit in
accordance with some
embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0018] FIGURE 6A illustrates a front view of the rotor and the attached
bouncing plates in
accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0019] FIGURE 6B illustrates a perspective view of the rotor and the attached
bouncing plates
in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0020] FIGURE 7A shows the results of computational fluid dynamics model with
all the
bouncing plates at the same angle in accordance with some embodiments of the
present
disclosure.
[0021] FIGURE 7B shows the results of computational fluid dynamics model with
a bouncing
plate at a different angle in accordance with some embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0022] FIGURE 8A shows a front view of the separation tank in accordance with
some
embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0023] FIGURE 8B shows the separation of the separation tank into two vessels
using a baffle
plate in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0024] FIGURE 8C shows a perspective sideview of the separation tank
indicating a discharge
opening of the separation tank in accordance with some embodiments of the
present disclosure.
[0025] FIGURE 8D shows perspective of the separation tank, the collection bin
and the
connection to the depackager in accordance with some embodiments of the
present disclosure.
[0026] FIGURE 9 illustrates the feeding screw connection from the hopper to
the depackager
in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0027] FIGURE 10 shows some of the potential locations for the installation of
the spray and
dilution system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] It is a general concern that in the depackaging process organics are
being discharged
together with the rejects. Removing these organics and adding them to the
organics fed into the
digester increases the biogas production. Testing has proven that the organic
film left behind
can be partially removed by friction for instance with a hammermill. However,
results are
improved by the addition of liquid during this process. When using a vertical
drum with an
internal hammermill, spray nozzles or liquid injection points can be added to
the device
described in patent US 11,389,992. If the rejects have been stored in a rather
dry environment,
the process can further be improved by having them soak in a vessel with water
to help release
the film. In some instances, the organics are removed by washing the plastics.
However,
washing the plastics requires a lot of water and mixing energy. Several
washing cycles are
required in order to achieve an acceptable purity level. Tests have proven
that in the first wash
only about 15-20% of the organics are removed, and a minimum of 2 extra washes
are needed
in order to reach a level of cleanliness for the plastics to be considered for
SRF (Solids
recovered fuel).
[0029] Tests have proven that a heavy impact of hammers in a hammermill
release effectively
an organic dust that is attached to plastic, However the turbulence and extra
air flow created
by the turbine in present device makes it more suitable to clean these soiled
plastics.
[0030] In another embodiment, no water is required to clean the plastics.
[0031] The disposal of food-waste materials that are combined with packaging
materials and
inorganics is a challenging process. Depackaging systems separate plastics and
packaging from
food waste. The plastic and wrapping materials that a depackager fails to
remove often goes
first in the digester and might end up on the land where the digestate is
disposed. The separated
plastics and packaging often contain too many organics, so that they cannot be
recycled, and
they end up in the landfill. Current food waste handling facilities typically
require a lot of space
to store the waste and are also often fitted with extensive air treatment
system and/or are located
outside of the city centres due to the creation of an odorous environment.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
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[0032] The separated plastics and packaging should be as clean as separately
collected plastics
and packaging in order to be discharged with the regular separated collection
of paper, plastics
and packaging. There is a need for cleaning the plastics and packaging
sufficiently for them to
be recycled rather than landfilled. The present invention accomplishes this
cleaning through
the act of tumbling and vibrating the plastics and packaging. The existing
depackagers are
unable to handle large plastic bags and require pre-processing in the form of
debagging or
shredding prior to depackaging. Often, the waste is conveyed to these
depackagers through the
use of a front loader or an overhead crane, and thus result in increased
capital, maintenance,
and labour costs. With all the additional equipment like shredder, debagger,
and loaders, the
existing depackaging systems require a lot of space. Additionally, the
existing depackagers are
often equipped with limited size hoppers and large air treatment system must
be installed at the
treatment plant, because of the odours generated from the waste stored on the
warehouse floor.
[0033] There are devices available to build and be combined into a plant to
depackage waste,
but those devices do not fulfil the requirements that are essential to a cost
effective, compact
and efficient and economical pre-treatment plant and thus the components have
to be improved
or invented or a new function has to be added to these devices.
[0034] The present subject matter discloses a compact pre-treatment plant, a
single general
inventive concept. The pre-treatment plant includes a receiving hopper (301),
a destacking and
feeding system (200), a vertical depackager (100), one or more dumpsters (390)
and some
conveying or pumping devices (391) and (396) to bring the organic soup to a
sedimentation
and flotation unit (400), and a transfer device (392) to bring the cleaned
soup to the digester,
truck or sewers.
[0035] FIGURE 1A and FIGURE 1B illustrates an overall arrangement of a pre-
treatment plant
and all of its essential components. In an implementation, the compact pre-
treatment plant may
comprise, without limiting to, a receiving hopper (301) for receiving and/or
collecting loads of
organic waste from one or more transport vehicles (201), and the receiving
hopper (301) might
be equipped with an air roof (310) to control odours, a destacking and dosing
system (200)
along with a feeding system (230) to empty the hopper (301) and feed the
depackager (100), a
first dumpster (390a) to collect the separated plastics and packaging from the
depackager (100),
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
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a sedimentation unit (400), a second dumpster (390b) to collect the grit,
glass and sand removed
from the sedimentation unit (400), a discharge device for the cleaned soup
(392), and a
transport system (396) to re-feed the scum and plastics to the depackager
(100).
[0036] Present pre-treatment plants require a lot of air treatment to overcome
the nuisance of
the odours produced by the rotting organics. There is a need to contain those
odours in a hopper
to be able to build a small footprint pre-treatment plant.
[0037] The present disclosure addresses the problem of odours by installing an
air roof (310)
on top of the hopper (301) and allowing for maintenance and visual inspection
from the top as
shown in FIGURE 1A. Odour is contained and is thus not distributed in the
building reducing
the load on the air treatment system. The excess air pressure created in the
odorous hopper
(301) is partially released through the inlet of the depackager (100). Some of
the odours in the
air inside the hopper (301) may be reduced by being scrubbed by a dilution
liquid added to the
feed stock above the feeding screw (230), and the remainder may be removed
through an
exhaust (314) of the hopper (301).
[0038] Present pre-treatment plants require a lot of air treatment to overcome
the nuisance of
the odours produced by the rotting organics. There is a need to contain those
odours in the
hopper (301) to be able to build a small footprint pre-treatment plant.
[0039] The present disclosure addresses the problem of odours by installing an
air roof (310)
on top of the hopper (301) and allowing for maintenance and visual inspection
from the top as
shown in FIGURE 3A without being exposed to the odours. A roof of air is
created through
the use air current tubes (313) extending along the tops of the sidewalls of
the hopper (301) on
opposite sides thereof in which the air is generated by a blower (311) and
released into the
hopper (301) by opposing air nozzles (312) extending from the air current
tubes (313). Odour
is contained and is thus not distributed in the building reducing the load on
the air treatment
system. The excess air pressure created in the odorous hopper (301) is
partially released
through the inlet of the depackager (100) and part of the odours in the air
are reduced by being
scrubbed by a dilution liquid, while the other part is removed through the
exhaust (314) of the
hopper (301).
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
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[0040] Deweerdt teaches a similar device in US Patent No. 10,260,764 that is
used for
generating an air wall across a passage opening, which passage opening has
lateral edges and
a top edge comprising: a first and second blowing device, arranged at the
lateral edges in such
a way that planar air streams are blown over the height and respective parts
of the width of the
passage opening.
[0041] Wiemann teaches a similar device in EP1342959B2 that is used for
allowing a truck to
enter an odorous building or bunker without having any odours leave the
building, while
Wiemann teaches that the truck is entering through the air door. In the
present invention, only
the waste enters through the air roof (310) and the smell is contained in the
hopper (301) inside
the building.
[0042] Deweerdt nor Wiemann do not teach us about the use of the system for
air treatment
purposes. In this invention the intake of the blower (311) is located inside
the building while
the exhaust (314) of the hopper (301) is fed directly to bio filters. This air
roof system (310)
effectively replaces or reduces the size of an HVAC system while preventing
the odours of the
decomposing waste to enter the building, and thus complements the HVAC system.
[0043] Deweerdt nor Wiemann do not teach us about such device being installed
horizontally.
Wherein there is no top edge, and the air streams are blown over the
horizontal length.
Deweerdt describes a planar air stream that is blown over the entire height
and blowing
directions that can vary over the height. The unexpected benefits of
installing the device
horizontally include the creation of a see-through roof and allows for visual
inspection of the
feed stock for undesirable contaminants.
[0044] The invention allows for product to be dumped and removed through said
air roof (310).
[0045] The invention allows for visual inspection of the contents of the
hopper (301) without
entering the hopper (301) or being exposed to the odours.
[0046] The invention allows for essential repairs for objects that have be
removed vertically
through the air roof (310).
[0047] Several others teach us about air curtains, but these air curtains work
only between areas
of different temperatures and thus are not effective for odour control.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
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[0048] The air roof (310) comprised of a blower (311), one or more air nozzle
assemblies (312)
positioned with outlets facing in the direction of the opening such that core
air jets (315)
flowing out of the core air nozzles (312) are directed into the hopper (301)
through the air
current tubes (313) in one or more directions at an angle between 90 and 140
and 270 and
220 respectively as displayed in Figure 3B.
[0049] In many embodiments the air roof (310) is configured to block odour
released from the
hopper (301) during discharge of the bulk material mass (203) from a mass
carrier device (201),
as well as during the loading and handling of the bulk material mass (202) in
a depackager
(100), wherein a top opening of the hopper (301) comprises dimensions that
facilitate visual
inspection of the bulk material mass (203) and (202) in the hopper (301).
[0050] The second device required for the pre-treatment plant is the food
waste hopper (301)
and the destacking and dosing system (200). An energy and space efficient
destacking and
dosing system (200) and storage hopper (301) may be important to the compact
pre-treatment
plant. Present depackagers generally have a hopper capacity between 3 and 6
cubic meters and
the continuous reception and processing of food waste requires a dedicated
operator to
continuously fill these hoppers, or a complicated combination of conveyors and
other hoppers
that all require maintenance and electricity.
[0051] Also, most of the depackaging systems available require human
intervention to a large
extent which is not effective. Another issue with current systems is that the
operators must
unstack all the waste and inspect it for metals to sending the waste to the
depackager. If metals
are not removed prior to sending the waste material into the depackager, the
metal may cause
severe damage to the depackager. The destacking and checking process is time
consuming and
imperfect since it relies on human detection. There are other techniques
available to remove
the metals but require close contact with the waste and the systems are
expensive.
[0052] The loading device described in EP 0 882 390 B1 by Van Kempen does not
describe
the destacking of a load of material that is deposited in the bunker by a
truck, a front loader or
a forklift. Van Kempen only describes a dumping and dosing device. The device
described in
EP 0 882 390 is also missing a component that is essential for food waste pre-
treatment plant
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
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which is the metal detection that can cause major damage to the depackager.
For clarity
FIGURE 1 of Van Kempen has been adapted to FIGURE 2.
[0053] The invention relates to an apparatus for destacking and dosing a pile
of loose
material (203) that has been discharged in the longitudinal hopper (301) by
unloading a
truck (201) at the input opening of the hopper (301) and destacking the pile
of material
(203) by means of a scraper (216) and depositing layer by layer on one or more
new piles
(202) in the hopper (301).
[0054] After moving the material (203) to the opposite side of the hopper
(301), the
material (202) is moved over a ramp (226) onto the feeding system (230), for
instance a
belt or screw conveyor, that is positioned perpendicular to the longitude of
the hopper
(301) in order to discharge the hopper (301) and to transfer the material
(202) for further
processing.
[0055] In an embodiment, the feeding system (230) can be emptying the hopper
(301) and
feeding the depackager (100) at the same time.
[0056] Under or in the ramp (226) one or more metal detectors (227) may be
installed that
are configured to detect metal items within the waste material (202) while the
waste
material (202) is being moved over the ramp (226) prior to loading onto the
feeding system
(230). Depending on the detector (227) that locates the contaminating piece of
metal, the
position of said metal is now determined and the contaminant can be removed
prior to
entry in the feeding system (230) and consequently in the depackager (100).
The ramp
(226) enables the layer of the waste material (202) passing over the ramp
(226) to become
increasing thinner to ensure that any metal items are detected by the metal
detectors (227),
and subsequently separated out of the waste material (202).
[0057] Present pre-treatment systems require other than the power consumed by
the
depackager, significant installed power for bag openers, shredders, screens,
conveyors etc.
Present destacking and loading device, from hereon called Waste Rover (200),
only consumes
0.4 kW/hr of energy per tonne of food waste transported. To process 10 tonnes
per hour the
Waste Rover requires 4 kW/hr of energy while a front loader for loading the
hopper (301) of a
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
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depackager consumes 10-15 litres of fuel per hour and needs maintenance as
well as a full-time
operator.
[0058] In various embodiments the destacking and dosing system (200) for the
discharged bulk
material mass or waste (203) is disclosed as shown in FIGURE 2. The destacking
and dosing
device (200) includes the storage hopper (301) shown in FIGURE 1A and a
carriage (212). The
storage hopper (301) includes at least two parallel opposite walls (204),
(206), the walls (204),
(206) having an inner end (208), where (208) is sloped for easier discharge by
the truck (201)
and outer end (210) and a floor (222). Two openings, an infeed opening and
outfeed opening
between the corresponding outer ends of these walls (204), (206) are
configured to receive the
mass or food waste (202) and (203). The food waste (203) is received by
dumping a truck (201)
between the walls (204), (206) at the infeed opening (208). The carriage (212)
moves along the
upper side of the walls (204), (206) and includes at least one gripper arm
(214) extending
therefrom, provided at the outer free end with a gripper element (216). The
carriage (212) is
suspended pivotally at one end round a pivot shaft (218) extending
transversely of the walls
(204), (206). The gripper element (216) is displaceable controllably in a
vertical direction, and
the carriage (212) is displaceable over a distance and the gripper arm (214)
has a length such
that the gripper element (216) is displaceable over the entire length of the
space bounded by
the walls (204), (206).
[0059] In some embodiments metal detectors (227) are installed under the ramp
(226) and
configured to detect metals present in the mass (202).
[0060] The floor (222) of the hopper (301) may be built with a slope to allow
for the collection
of the liquids through a drain and into a collection tank.
[0061] Patent EP0882390, Dosing device for potting soil describes a dosing
device (200) for
dosed discharge of a bulk material mass from a storage container which
comprises at least two
parallel opposite walls (204) and (206) and wherein an infeed opening and
outfeed opening are
respectively provided between the corresponding outer ends of these walls for
receiving this
mass between these walls and the infeed and outfeed openings, comprising a
carriage (212)
displaceable along the upper side of said walls, on which carriage at least
one gripper arm (214)
is suspended pivotally at one end round a pivot shaft extending transversely
of the walls, which
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
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gripper arm is provided at the other end with a gripper element (216), wherein
the gripper
element (216) is displaceable controllably or freely as desired in vertical
direction, and the
carriage (212) is displaceable over a distance and the gripper arm (214) has a
length such that
the gripper element (216) is displaceable over the entire length of the space
bounded by the
walls (204) and (206).
[0062] In one embodiment the hopper (301) for treatment or recycling of waste
or for
collection or dumping of waste, is disclosed. The hopper (301) includes one or
more air roof
assemblies (310) and allows a truck (201) to directly dump through the roof
assemblies (310)
in the hopper (301). Trucks (201) that unload on a flat surface cannot
discharge at once and
must spread the waste while unloading. By discharging directly into the hopper
(301),
warehouse space requirement is reduced since it eliminates the need of
stacking waste in the
warehouse prior to feeding the waste to the small hopper used by present
depackagers. It also
reduces air treatment cost by storing the waste in a small, contained
environment.
[0063] In one aspect the hopper (301) for treatment or recycling of waste or
for collection or
dumping of waste, is disclosed. The top part of the hopper (301) includes an
enclosure and a
system for shielding of inner and outer ends (208) and (210). Van Kempen does
not disclose
such a device. The waste (203) must be driven in the hopper and discharged by
a truck after
entering the hopper. Van Kempen also does not teach us about having a truck
dumping while
simultaneously emptying the hopper. The hopper (301) in this invention is
extended to allow
for a dumping area and a dosing area. The gripper element (216) may be
programmed to stay
in the dosing area and move waste (202) to the conveyor (230) while the truck
is unloading
waste (203) in the dumping area. In order to bring the waste to the
depackager, the stacking
pile (203) created by the dumping of the truck (201) is gradually transported
to the dosing pile
when the truck (201) is done unloading. However, the prior art mentioned does
not teach us
about the use of similar continuous feeding system in a hopper.
[0064] The Waste Rover may be important to the compact pre-treatment plant
because of the
space and energy savings and also includes the metal detector (227) to protect
the depackager
(100).
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
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[0065] In various aspects a vertical depackaging apparatus (100) for
simultaneously removing
and cleaning light waste from contaminated food waste (102) as shown in FIGURE
4 is
disclosed. The simultaneous removing and cleaning are attributed to the
tumbling and bouncing
of the separated packaging material from the contaminated food waste (102) at
a sufficient
speed prior to being ejected from the depackager (100). The food waste (102)
is originating
from SSO, restaurant waste or ICI. The food waste (102) includes organic
waste, packaging,
light waste, liquids and air. The depackaging apparatus (100) includes a
stator assembly (110)
and a rotor assembly (120) placed concentric with the stator assembly (110).
The stator
assembly (110) as shown in FIGURE 5 includes a filtration drum (112) to hold
the
contaminated food waste. In various embodiments the filtration drum (112) is
perforated and
is composed of a plurality of individual panels (116). The depackager is
fitted with a spray and
dilution system to add water to the filtration drum (112). The spray and
dilution system can be
located at the top of the filtration drum (140) as shown in Figure 10 which
enhances further the
cleaning of organic film present on plastics and rejects from the depackager.
[0066] In another embodiment, the spray and dilution system is installed along
the vertical part
of the filtration drum (141) as shown in Figure 10.
[0067] In another embodiment, the depackager can be used as a cleaning device
for soiled
plastics. This can be done dry or wet.
[0068] In another embodiment, liquid can be added in the hopper of the
depackager for
dissolving the organics prior to entering in the depackager. The liquid can be
clean water,
process water or digestate.
[0069] In various embodiments an intake flange (114) is attached at a bottom
position of the
filtration drum (112). The intake flange (114) is configured to feed the food
waste (102) or the
organic waste to the filtration drum (112). The intake flange (114) receives
the organic waste
from the conveying system (230) which empties the hopper (301) and feeds the
depackager
(100) in the same operation. In various embodiments the apparatus (100)
includes a feed
opening (118) in a surface of the filtration drum (112). Waste materials are
fed directly into the
filtration drum (112) through the feed opening (118).
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
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[0070] In various embodiments the scum and plastics recovered from the
sedimentation unit
(400) is transported (396) to the depackager (100) entering the depackager
(100) at the feed
opening (118) where the suction force is stronger than where the plastics
typically enter (114),
allowing for the smaller plastics to be separated by the upward suction and
allowing the
organics to fall into the viscous mass of food waste. This increases the
overall plastics removal
efficiency while forcing the waste stream of scum and floating plastics of the
sedimentation
unit to be separated. By re-introducing the stream of floating plastics and
scum in the feed
opening (118) the cleaning of the soup contaminated by plastics is complete.
The plastics are
recovered together with the packaging through the top of the depackager (128)
while the scum
is being re-processed by mixing said scum with the organics at the bottom of
the depackager
(102).
[0071] In various embodiments a dilution liquid may be added to a point of
entry, e.g. at (114)
or in the hopper above the screw conveyor (230A) to achieve a specific outlet
consistency.
[0072] In various embodiments the rotor assembly (120) as shown in FIGURE 6A
and 6B
includes a central rotating shaft (122). A plurality of bouncing plates (124)
is placed
perpendicular to the shaft (122) around a circumference and along the length
of the shaft (122).
In various embodiments each bouncing plate (124) has an angle of inclination
in the range of -
to +25 degrees with respect to a surface of the shaft (122) and is configured
to expel air and
light waste from the food waste (102) and the depackager (100).
[0073] In various embodiments the plurality of bouncing plates (124) is placed
in a helical
upwards path along the circumference of the shaft (122). In various
embodiments an arc of the
plurality of bouncing plates (124) is in a range of 8 to 40 degrees. The
bouncing plates (124)
help moving the packaging and plastics in the contaminated liquid to the top
of the liquid while
the heavy waste and organics settle at the bottom of the filtration drum. The
helical path is
characterised with an increased pitch on its upwards path, the increased pitch
reduces the
concentration of bouncing plates (124) which facilitates the removal of
plastics and packaging
from depackager by reducing the amount of resistance encumbered on the upward
trajectory.
[0074] The rotor assembly (120) may further include two or more vertical
plates (126)
extending perpendicular to the shaft (122) and mounted at a top position
thereof. In various
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
15/24
embodiments the two or more vertical plates (126) spaced apart around the
circumference of
the shaft (122) are configured to create a suction force to lift the plastics
and packaging upwards
once it has left the liquid mixture. Bouncing plates (124) positioned below
the higher level of
the flange (114) facilitate the exiting of the plastics and packaging upwards
out of the viscous
mass of food waste at the bottom of the depackager by stirring. The stirring
moves the lighter
parts to the inner portion of the viscous mass and allow for the packaging to
be sucked out of
said mixture. The spinning of the vertical plates (126) develops a force that
sucks the packaging
or plastics upwardly while the bouncing plates (124) interact in this movement
and thus create
a chaotic movement in the depackager (100). The water, food waste and other
heavy
contaminants, sand, grit, and oil are expelled through the screen of the
filtration drum (112).
[0075] In various embodiments the bouncing plates can also be referred to as
blades or paddles
and have the affect of hammers in a hammermill.
[0076] In various embodiments the two or more vertical plates (126) are
configured to create
a suction force from the surface of the food waste to the top of the apparatus
thereby providing
a lift force to expel the light waste. The lift force is illustrated in FIGURE
7A shows clearly
how the air in the bottom part of the filtration drum (112) is rotating
horizontal. Above the food
waste feeding level, the air moves in a helical motion, going with a steep
angle up. This is due
to the pressure difference created by expelling air and light waste outside.
Therefore, air inside
the filtration drum (112) is sucked upwards towards the rotating vertical
plates (126) and
following a helical movement, it also shows the role of the plates (124) in
keeping the plastics
longer inside the filtration drum (112).
[0077] In various embodiments to create enough suction force the length of the
vertical plates
(126) are designed to be at a minimum 12% of the height the rotor (120),
whereas the width of
the vertical plates (126) extends as close as possible to the inner top part
of the filtration drum
(112) that may be closed or include small holes (127), whereby the separated
plastics and
packaging waste may be projected out of the exit passage (128).
[0078] In various embodiments the vertical plates (126) are perpendicular to
the rotor (122)
plus or minus 10 degrees.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
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[0079] In several aspects the rotor assembly (120) is placed concentric with
the stator (110)
and is configured to rotate at a predetermined speed. In various embodiments
the apparatus
(100) comprises a predetermined clearance gap (130) between the plurality of
bouncing plates
(124) and the filtration drum (112). A sufficient clearance gap (130) is
required in order to limit
the tearing of the packaging and avoid the creation of micro-plastics in the
depackaging
process. The predetermined clearance gap (130) between the bouncing plates
(124) and the
filtration drum (112) is in a range of lcm to 6cm. Present depackagers often
operate on the
principle of centrifugation which requires the minimum technical possible
clearance between
the paddles of said devices and their filtration drum resulting in shredding
of the packaging and
the creation of micro-plastics. Packaging and organics are projected by force
against the
filtration drum (112) and are scraped off the filtration drum (112) and
scraped off while the
packaging is squeezed upwards. The arrangement of the bouncing plates (124) on
the rotor
(120) and the clearance gap between the filtration drum (112) provide a
tumbling and bouncing
effect on the separated plastics from the contaminated liquid when the rotor
(120) is rotated at
a predetermined speed. Also, this arrangement allows the plastics and
packaging to stay in the
apparatus for a prolonged tumbling time. The increase in residence time
increases the removal
efficiency of the organics from the plastics and packaging.
[0080] Adjustments can be made to the size or angle of one or more of the
bouncing plates
(124). The change of angle can disturb the helical path of the light materials
to ensure proper
tearing of the packaging in applications where packaging is difficult to open
for example
recyclable coffee pods. FIGURE 7A displays a CFD with all the bouncing plates
(124) at the
same angle while FIGURE 7B displays a CFD with some of the bouncing plates
(125) at a
different angle than the other bouncing plates (124). This creates a collision
of the packaging
with the bouncing plate (125) forcing items that normally would continue their
path upwards
to collide and force a packaging to open by force. It is clear from the
figures that the change of
angle creates an increase in turbulence in the depackager (100) and increase
the number of
collisions between the waste (102) and the bouncing plates (124).
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
17/24
[0081] In various embodiments the apparatus (100) comprises an exit passage
(128) for the
light waste at the top portion of the apparatus (100). In various embodiments
the apparatus
(100) is connected to the receiving hopper (390b) to collect the light waste.
[0082] In various embodiments the apparatus (100) comprises an exit passage
for the screened
material where a collection bin, a feeding screw (391) or a pump mechanism may
be installed.
[0083] In various embodiments the bouncing plates (124) have a cleaning effect
without
shredding the material which is being cleaned.
[0084] The vertical depackager's (100) top section contains vertical plates
(126) that create the
suction force, where the upper part of the filtration drum (112) is solid or
ideally is composed
of an undulated fine wire mesh screen. At this position the chaos created by
the bouncing plates
(124) is transitioning into a centrifugal movement. The fast speed of the
vertical plates (126)
interacting with the undulation of the screen (127) creates a strong vibration
force that further
releases the residual moisture, organic or grease to be expelled from the
light waste.
[0085] The depackager (100) is important to the plant not only because it
produces clean
plastics and packaging that can be recycled but also because it can reprocess
the plastics and
the scum that is removed by the sedimentation unit (400).
[0086] The pre-treatment plant must be able to remove grit, sand, and plastic
from the organics
to achieve a quality product. Thus, the sedimentation unit (400) with scum and
remaining
plastics removal after the depackager (100) is essential to the process.
[0087] An existing mechanism disclosed in W02021014353A 1 suggests an
apparatus for
separating fractions of contaminant from a liquid flow comprising a
heterogeneous mixture, it
comprises dispensing means of a fluid which are arranged so as to dispense a
fluid into the
second volume and to set off, during the use of the separation apparatus, a
plurality of motions
thus determining in the second volume the floating of the first fraction of
contaminant and the
settling of the second fraction of contaminant; a first plurality of scrapers
and a second plurality
of scrapers to draw the first fraction of contaminant towards the first
outlet.
[0088] Yet another existing mechanism discussed in EP2929942B1 suggests
removal of
floatables and scum at or near an entrance to the water treatment system.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
18/24
[0089] Document US6997328B2 discloses an assembly for removing grit from a
fluid
comprising a tank with a fluid inlet into the tank and a discharge from the
tank.
[0090] However, none of the existing mechanisms completely prevent plastics
from getting
into the digester and ultimately being disposed onto the land. Also, most of
the existing
mechanisms require costly maintenance and/or are driven by electrical motors
that consume a
lot of energy. Thus, there is need for an efficient and economical solution
for separating
different types of contaminants, and particularly plastics, from the
corresponding organic
fractions. It is an objective of the present invention to mitigate, alleviate
or eliminate one or
more of the above-identified deficiencies and disadvantages in the existing
solutions and solve
at least the above-mentioned problems.
[0091] The proposed apparatus aims to remove plastics and/or other light
weight contaminants
such as wood, from the fluid/liquid stream entering the separation tank in the
simplest
economical manner.
[0092] Accordingly, the apparatus and method proposed by the present
disclosure suggest
introducing a contaminated liquid stream to the separation or sedimentation
tank (400) to
separate the heavy and floating contaminants from the liquid stream. FIGURE 8A
shows a
perspective front view of the separation tank (400) in accordance with some
embodiments of
the present disclosure.
[0093] In an embodiment, the waste fluid or the liquid stream may comprise two
types of
contaminants, namely the heavy-weight solid contaminants and the light-weight
plastic
contaminants. In an embodiment, the heavy-weight contaminants may be drawn to
the bottom
of the separation tank (400) and the light-weight contaminants may be caused
to float on the
surface of the liquid. Essentially, the apparatus ensures that the floating
light-weight
contaminants are prevented from leaving the separation tank (400) through a
discharge opening
(6) shown in FIGURE 8C, along with scum and with processed liquid.
[0094] In an embodiment, as shown in FIGURE 8B, the apparatus may be fitted
with a vertical
or slightly inclined baffle plate (4). The baffle plate (4) may be placed for
example at about
half the total length of the separation tank (4). Essentially, the baffle
plate (4) may divide the
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
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separation tank (1) into two vessels, namely, a first vessel (2) and a second
vessel (3). In an
embodiment, the baffle plate (4) may not extend and/or reach the bottom of the
separation tank
(400), in order to ensure that the first vessel (2) and the second vessel (3)
remain connected at
the bottom of the separation tank (400). In addition to the baffle plate (4),
the separation tank
(400) may be provided with a rectangular opening (5) shown in FIGURE 8A. As an
example,
but without limiting to, the rectangular opening (5) may have a dimension of
50cm x 15cm. In
an embodiment, the dimensions of the rectangular opening (5) may be decided
based on the
size of the separation tank (400) being used. Further, according to an
exemplary
implementation, the height (or the upper edge) of the baffle plate (4) may be
maintained at a
minimal of 5cm higher than the lower part of the rectangular opening (5). The
lower edge of
the baffle plate (4) may be extended below the normal discharge level of the
separation tank
(400), thereby preventing any floating contaminants from transiting to the
second vessel (3) of
the tank (400).
[0095] In an embodiment, the rectangular opening (5) may be cut just below
where the edge
of the baffle plate (4) is perpendicularly attached to the sides of the
separation tank (400).
Further, the height of the rectangular opening (5) may be maintained just
above the discharge
opening (6) of the separation tank (400). The objective of this positioning is
to ensure that the
water level raises within the separation tank (400) when the discharge opening
(6) is closed,
such that the light-weight contaminants floating in the first vessel (2) can
come out of the
rectangular opening (5). In an implementation, the rectangular opening (5) may
be provided
with a sliding door (7) that makes the size of the rectangular opening (5)
adjustable.
Additionally, the sliding door (7) may be also used for varying the
speed/velocity with which
the excess liquid and the light-weight contaminants get evacuated from the
separation tank
(400).
[0096] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the apparatus may
further comprise a
conveyor assembly (416) extending from a bottom of the separation tank (400)
to a location
outside of the separation tank (400), for evacuating the heavy-weight
contaminants settled at
the bottom of the separation tank (400) into the collection bin (390b).
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
20/24
[0097] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the apparatus further
comprises a
collection tank (8), attached to the rectangular opening (5), such that the
collection tank (8)
collects the light-weight contaminants and excess liquid evacuated from the
rectangular
opening (5).
[0098] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, as displayed in FIGURE
8D the
collection tank (8) may be attached to a pump (12), such that the pump (12)
sucks the scum,
the plastic contaminants and the excess water collected in the collection tank
(8) and pumps it
back to the vertical depackager (100), e.g. at the feed inlet (118) positioned
above the feed
opening (114).
[0099] The sedimentation unit (400) is important to the plant because it
removes the sand, the
grit, the scum and the residual plastics prior to entering the digester and
also has the ability to
send the scum and the residual plastics to the depackager (100) for
reprocessing. This cleans
the plastics and expels them from the exit passage (128) at the top of the
depackager (100) and
forces the scum back into solution and expels the scum at the bottom of the
depackager (100).
[00100] In various aspects a compact pre-treatment plant (300) is disclosed.
The plant as shown
in FIGURE 1 includes a receiving hopper (301), an air roof (310), a vertical
depackager (100),
one or more dumpsters (390a), (390b) and a collection tank (8) and/or
conveyors (391) and
(396) and a sedimentation unit (400). The receiving hopper (301) is configured
to receive the
organic waste (203). In one embodiment the depackaging assembly (100) is the
depackager
assembly of FIGURE 4 that may be installed either at the digester or
composting plants or be
used in the framework of decentralized pre-treatment practice, which is mostly
used for larger
municipalities and cities, for pre-treatment, separation, and treatment of the
organic waste
and/or biowaste. The organic biowaste may include, without limiting to,
biodegradable garden
and park waste, food and kitchen waste from households, restaurants, caterers
and retail
premises and comparable waste from food processing plants.
[00101] The plant (300) includes a receiving hopper (301), a vertical
depackager (100), one or
more dumpsters or conveyors (390) and a sedimentation unit (400). The hopper
(301) is
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
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configured to receive the organic waste. In one embodiment to overcome the
potential damage
to the equipment the organics are pre-checked for metal wastes before loading
into the hopper
(301). In one embodiment the organics are shredded and are sent over a
conveyor belt with
magnets (227) to detect metal wastes. In a preferred embodiment a destacking
and dosing
device (200) as shown in FIGURE 2 for dosed discharge of the food waste (203)
from a storage
container is included. The destacking and dosing device (200) includes metal
sensors (227) that
are installed in the hollow area below the ramp (226) preferably on the
backside of said ramp
installed. When a metal is detected, an alarm is generated to alert the
operator in real time, and
the metal can be removed prior to entry into the depackager (100). In some
embodiments the
plant comprises a grabber on an overhead crane to pick up the metal piece once
located.
[00102] The vertical depackager (100) for depackaging the organic waste is
sideways connected
to the receiving hopper (301) through a feeding screw (230B) configured above
the ramp (226)
in the receiving hopper (301) as shown in FIGURE 9. In various embodiments the
vertical
depackager (100) receives the food waste (102) via the screw conveyor (230B)
and includes a
stator assembly (110) placed concentrically with a rotor assembly (120). The
stator assembly
(110) includes a filtration drum (112) to hold the contaminated food waste
(102). The
contaminated food waste (102) is formed of the organic waste combined with
liquids and air.
The food waste (102) includes organic waste, light waste, liquids and air. In
various
embodiments the filtration drum (112) is perforated and is composed of a
plurality of individual
panels (116).
[001031M various embodiments the plant (300) includes one or more dumpsters
(390) for
collecting the packaging removed by the vertical depackager (100). In various
embodiments a
sedimentation unit (400) is operationally connected to the depackaging
assembly (100). In
various embodiments the sedimentation unit (400) includes a tank (1)
comprising a separator
(4) configured to partly separate the tank into a first vessel (2) and a
second vessel (3), wherein
the first and the second vessels (2) and (3) are connected at the bottom
through an opening, a
rectangular opening (5) with a sliding door at a side of the tank (1) and
above the edge of the
separator configured to remove floating plastics, a conveyor unit (391)
collects soup from the
depackaging assembly (100) and introduces the soup to the sedimentation unit
(400), wherein
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
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the sedimentation unit (400) processes and separates the soup into at least
one of plastic waste,
grit material and organic soup, wherein the plastic waste removed at the
sedimentation unit
(400) is collected at the receiving hopper (301) to be disposed of,
reprocessed at the vertical
depackager (100) or re-injected in the vertical depackager (100) at a level
higher than the water
level (118). The grit material removed at the sedimentation unit (400) is
collected in a dumpster
(390b) associated with the sedimentation unit (400) and the organic soup
generated at the
sedimentation unit (400) may be directly passed to an external sewer (392).
[00104] In various embodiments the organic soup generated by the sedimentation
unit (400) or
the depackager (100) is processed on site using a digester.
[00105] In various embodiments the organic soup generated by the sedimentation
unit (400) or
the depackager (100) is transported to a pumper truck.
[00106] In various embodiments the organic soup generated by the sedimentation
unit (400) or
the depackager (100) is diluted then sent to a sewer or a digestion unit for
further processing
[00107] In various embodiments an odour control arrangement (310) is attached
with the hopper
(301). This arrangement stops odour from spreading to a building from a hopper
(301).
[00108] In some embodiments one or more air roofs are attached to the hopper
(301).
[00109] In one embodiment the hopper (301) includes one or one or more air
roof (310).
1001101In various embodiments the receiving hopper (301) includes one or more
screw
conveyors (230a) and a top loader (200). In various embodiments the Waste
Rover (200) moves
the organic waste (203) received from one or more transport vehicles (201) to
the feeding screw
(230a) configured at the bottom of the receiving hopper (301).
[00111] The presence of a heated floor and an air roof (310) may be important
to the conception
of this plant. The collected food waste often arrives frozen, separating
packaging from frozen
goods is challenging. The frozen waste either comes from expired frozen food,
often meats, or
waste collection in the winter. Current practice is to let the waste thaw in
large halls which can
create harmful odours and require a lot of space. The use of a heated floor
and the air roof,
reduces the space requirement and eliminates the odour issue.
[00112] In another embodiment the temperature in the hopper is regulated to be
as a minimum
2 C difference with the ambient temperature in the building.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
23/24
[00113] In various embodiments the receiving hopper (301) includes a heating
mechanism to
thaw the waste prior to being processed. The air roof (310), allows the heated
floor to create a
large temperature difference between the inside of the hopper and the building
while only
having to heat a much small volume of air in the hopper rather than heating
the complete
building. The air roof also stops the potentially harmful odours of thawing
waste, often meat,
to enter the building where employees are working. This allows for large
energy savings in
both heating and air treatment costs by replacing large open thawing halls.
[00114] In various embodiments the Waste Rover (200) moves the organic waste
(203) received
from one or more transport vehicles (201) to the feeding screw (230)
configured at the bottom
of the receiving hopper (301).
[00115] In various embodiments, multiple compact pre-treatment plants are
located inside cites
to collect and process the food waste at the source. These plants with odour
control, a small
space requirement, low operating costs and limited labour requirements, will
help reduce the
emissions from waste hauling activities when transporting waste from the
source to the
collection site typically located several kilometres out of the city. In some
embodiments the
produced soup from the centrally located plants may be sent to the sewer
system where it can
be transported free of emissions to the nearest wastewater treatment facility
where the soup
may be treated in an anaerobic digester to produce biogas.
In various embodiments, stormwater is used for the dilution water of the
depackager (100), the
resulting organic soup from the plant is then sent to the sewer system with
the storm water for
further processing.
[00116] In various embodiments the compact pre-treatment plant includes a
destacking and
dosing device (200) that includes one or more metal detectors (227) installed
under the ramp
(226) and configured to pre-check for metal wastes in the organic wastes. In
one embodiment
the compact pre-treatment plant comprises an air roof (310) attached to the
hopper (301). In
various embodiments the destacking and feeding device moves the organic waste
received from
one or more transport vehicles to the feeding screw conveyor (230) configured
at the bottom
of the receiving hopper. In various embodiments the receiving hopper directly
feeds the organic
waste to the vertical depackager through the feeder screw (230).
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
24/24
[00117] The terms "an embodiment", "embodiment", "embodiments", "the
embodiment", "the
embodiments", "one or more embodiments", "some embodiments", and "one
embodiment"
mean "one or more (but not all) embodiments of the invention(s)" unless
expressly specified
otherwise.
[00118] The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and variations thereof
mean "including
but not limited to", unless expressly specified otherwise.
[00119] The enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all the
items are mutually
exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms "a", "an" and "the"
mean "one or
more", unless expressly specified otherwise.
[00120] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein,
other aspects and
embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects
and embodiments
disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be
limiting, with the
true spirit being indicated by the claims.
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-08-31
