A METHOD AND AN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING PLANT NUTRITIVE PELLETS FROM WASTEWATER SLUDGE

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing plant nutritive pellets from wastewater treatment plants, so-called raw sludge, with a water content normally in the region of 70-80 %, where a powder (9) is used to stabilize the pellets (6) and prevent their sticking together. The powder (9) is added in connection with the sludge being formed into at least one pellet string or immediately after formation when the string has been cut into pellets (6), an air stream (7), in which the powder (9) has become entrained being used to douse the pellet string or the cut-off pellets, whereafter drying is readily performed to provide a predetermined moisture content of about 10-15 % (90-85 %, DS) adequate for storage. The device according to the invention comprises an extruder (1) to form at least one pellet string (5), which by cutting-off means (29) is cut into separate pellets (6), at least one blowing nozzle (14) for lime powder (9) intended to be doused over the pellets, a rotatable tumbler (12) and a drying kiln, in which the pellets (6) are dried to said moisture content adequate for storage.

Description: A method and an apparatus for producing plant nutritive pellets from wastewater sludge The present invention relates to a method and an appa- ratus for producing plant nutritive pellets from the sludge arising from wastewater treatment. The major part of all sludge from wastewater treatment plants is deposited on garbage dumps in spite of the sludge containing valuable plant nutrition. The reason for this is not primarily fear of heavy metals in the sludge but, above all, the difficulties farmers have in dealing with such sludge continuously. Previously, attempts have been made to form the sludge into pellets directly but this has been found impossible, since the mass has too loose a structure, because of its high (70-80%) water content. Getting below this water con¬ tent percentage has been found to be impossible in the sludge handling process, since most of the water in the sludge is cell-bound. In addition, it is very sticky, resulting in that any pellets formed guickly stick together and form large aggregates. It is almost im¬ possible to dry out these large lumps to a sufficiently low water content for storage. These masses are also an infection hazard, since they always contain infectious substances, e.g. salmonella bacteria, different viruses and parasite eggs. The object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus of the kind mentioned above, where the pellets can be formed directly, while pre¬ venting the formation of aggregates, such that there is the possibility of effectively drying the pellets down to a water content of about 12-15%, which is adequate for storage, and simultaneously eliminating the infec- tion hazard during handling. The distinguishing fea¬ tures of the invention have been disclosed in the following claims. By reason of the invention there has now been provided a method and an apparatus that fulfil the inventive objects in an excellent manner. The following advan¬ tages are obtained by the pelletization. By dousing the pellets with a preferably hygroscopic powder they will be stiffer as they are pressed out from the extruder, thus enabling them to maintain their shape. The coating of dry powder also prevents them from sticking together to form aggregates as well as enabling them to be dried more easily and quickly. The dry powder, which can be hygroscopic, rapidly absorbs moisture from the surfaces of the newly formed pellets and this moisture is then rapidly drawn away in the hot, dry atmosphere of the tumbler. As the powder is dried out it loosens from the pellets, enabling it to be recycled in the process. The pellets may then be dried conventionally, e.g. as with cereals, to a water content of bout 12-15%, adequate for storage. Pellets produced according to the inven¬ tion can in this way now be delivered at a time suit¬ able to agriculture, since they are capable of being stored. In addition, they can be spread in the same way as artificial fertilizers and thus take the place of large amounts of the latter. The risk of spreading infection is inhibited by heating the pellets to a temperature of 80°C for fifteen seconds. By using modern heat exchanger technology, drying and pelletiza¬ tion according to the invention can take place with very low energy requirements. The invention will now be described in more detail with the aid of a preferred embodiment and with reference to the accompanying drawing, where Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an apparatus for carrying out the method in accordance with the inven¬ tion, and Fig. 2 schematically illustrates, to an enlarged scale, a section through the extruder nozzle and openings therein, which are provided with an annular, peripher¬ ally slotted jet for blowing out compressed air. Fig. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus for pro- ducing plant nutritive pellets from the sludge arising from wastewater treatment. Pelletization takes place with the aid of an extruder 1, through which the sludge 2 is urged to at least one nozzle 3, which has at least one orifice 4. In the illustrated example, the nozzle 3 has a plurality of orifices 4 located close to each other, through which the sludge can be urged to form a plurality of mutually parallel pellet strings 5. Cutt- ing-off means, not illustrated in detail on the draw¬ ing, are provided for cutting off the separate pellets 6 from the pellet strings 5. The cutting-off means may comprise a compressed air stream coming from an annu¬ lar, peripherally slotted jet 29, schematically illu¬ strated in cross-section in Fig. 2. The jet means is disposed such as to direct the air stream convergingly to the centre of the nozzle 3. A thin wire can also be used for cutting off the pellets or any other suitable means may be used. However, the air stream jet func¬ tions in a way eliminating the risk of forming deposits from the sticky mass, which can otherwise occur, parti- cularly on knives, if such are used. In the vicinity of the orifices 4 there is at least one nozzle 14 for blowing powder 9 on to the pellets. This nozzle 14 is directed towards the nozzle 3 in a suitable way for blowing powder 9 entrained in an air stream 7 such as to completely coat the extruded pellet strings 5 and/or the separated pellets 6. In the preferred embodiment example according to the invention the latter also prescribes that dousing with powder can take place continuously or intermittently. For other inventive embodiments, dousing can naturally take place either before the pellet strings 5 have been cut up, as they are cut or after separation into separate pellets 6. The inventive apparatus includes a rotatable tumbler 12, situated below the extruder 1, and the tumbler is provided with a depression 10 inside it for collecting an amount 11 of excess powder, in which a quantity 8 of pellets 6 can be collected. The depression 10 is in the closed portion 16 of the tumbler 12, this portion being mounted for rotation in a fixed member 13 of the appa- ratus. The fixed member 13 houses the extruder 1, the powder nozzle 14, the air stream 7 for entraining the powder 9, a suction duct 15 for excess powder and finally the annular, slotted jet 29. The end of the tumbler 12 remote from the depression 10 coacts with a gap 17, through which the coated pellets 6 pass, and below them is a conveyor 18 for transferring the pel¬ lets 6 to a conveyor 19, which takes them to a con¬ ventionally operating drying kiln. Predrying of the pellets thus takes place in the tumbler 12 until the powder coating loosens and they have obtained a certain amount of strength, whereafter final drying is perform¬ ed in the kiln in a manner known per se. As will be seen from Fig. 1, the inventive pelletiza- tion apparatus may also include a hopper 21 for the lime powder 9 and it can be filled via a duct 22. The lime powder 9 is discharged onto a conveyor 23, from whence it is fed into a duct 26 via an opening 24. Different means for powder dousing can be envisaged, e.g. such as use of compressed air. With such a means a special vacuum nozzle is used to suck up the powder directly from the hopper 21 for subsequently spraying it over the extruder nozzle 3. In Fig. 1 there is illu¬ strated a blower 25 in the duct 26 for blending air and lime powder 9 such as to entrain the latter in an air stream 7 passing through the duct 26 to the nozzle 14. The powder 9, whirling around in the tumbler or forming a mass 11 in the depression 10, is recycleable and sucked out via the duct 15 with the aid of a blower 27 and further up to a cyclone 20 having an unillustrated filter. Powder 9 is discharged from the cyclone 20 into the hopper 21. Return air from the cyclone is taken via a duct 28 past a cooling battery 30 for cooling and dewatering and past a heating battery 31 for subsequent entry into the tumbler 12, thus ensuring that air entering the tumbler has a very low moisture content. It is intended that this air causes strong turbulence in the tumbler, so that excess powder on the pellets loosens, enabling such powder to be recycled. With the aid of the apparatus described above the method according to the invention is adopted as follows: The sludge coming from a wastewater treatment plant is fed in a manner not illustrated here to and through the extruder 1, such as to be urged through the extruder nozzle 3 the latter having a plurality of ori¬ fices 4, through which the sludge 2 passes to form separate, mutually parallel pellet strings 5. As they come out from the orifices 4 the strings 5 are cut off to form individual pellets 6 with the aid of the air stream coming from the annular, peripherally slotted jet 29, simultaneously as the pellet strings projecting from the orifices and/or the cut-off pellets are conti¬ nuously doused with powder entrained in an air stream. The purpose of dousing the pellets is to facilitate drying them, stiffen the pellet strings and prevent the pellets from forming aggregations as they come from the orifices 4. Simultaneously as this takes place the tumbler 12 is rotating and the pellets 6, that have fallen down into it, are effectively given a comple- mental coating of powder 9 over their entire surface from the powder in the depression 10 as well as powder in the bottom part of the tumbler. The pellets 6 move along the inner shell surface of the tumbler 12 from the depression 10 and, at the end of the tumbler 12 remote from the depression, they fall via a slot 17 onto a conveyor 18 to be transferred to a conveyor 19 taking them to the drying kiln, unillustrated on the drawing. Using known technique they are dried there for a predetermined time to a water content of about 12-15%, adequate for storage. In a preferred applica¬ tion of the method, the pellets are heated in one of the sequences in the drying process, e.g. using a microwave oven, to a temperature of about 80°C for 15 seconds. The dosage of a suitable quantity of powder in relation to extruder capacity and recycling excess powder are regulated as desired. The drying process is facilitated and the water content in the pellets is lowered with the aid of powdering, using the dry lime powder. The addition of a lime powder will not notably make the sludge handling more expensive, since wastewater hand¬ ling plants normally add lime (about 200-300 kg per tonne sludge dry substance) . The originally lime-lack- ing sludge has lime added to make it more attractive to agriculture from the plant nutrition aspect. However, this addition could be questioned, since alkalization causes nitrogen losses due to the departure of ammonium hydrate. Coating the surfaces of the pellets with lime powder does not give such large nitrogen losses as does mixing lime into the whole mass. With the powder coat¬ ing only the actual surfaces will be alkalized and during storage of dried pellets there are no nitrogen losses, since the chemical processes practically cease with low water content. It may therefore be assumed that pelletized sludge will have a higher nitrogen content than untreated sludge.

Claims: Claims 1. A method of producing plant nutritive pellets from wastewater treatment plants, so-called raw sludge, with a water content normally in the region of 70-80% (30-20%, dry substance, DS) , where pelletization takes place without further dewatering of the sludge (2) and where a powder (9) is used to stabilize the pellets (6) and prevent their sticking together, characterized in that the powder (9) is added in connection with the sludge (2) being formed into at least one pellet string, or immediately after formation when the string is cut into pellets (6) , an air stream (7) , in which the powder (9) has become entrained being used to douse the pellet string or the cut-off pellets such as to give the soft pellet string or the cut-off pellets (6) improved strength, and to prevent the formation of pellet aggregates during subsequent collection of the string or cut-off pellets (6) , whereafter drying is readily performed to provide a predetermined moisture content of about 10-15% (90-85%, DS) adequate for storage. 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, where pelletization takes place preferably with the aid of an extruder (1) , through which the sludge (2) is urged towards at least one extruder nozzle (3) having at least one extruding orifice (4) , and preferably a plurality of such orifi¬ ces arranged adjacent each other, through which the sludge can be urged such as to form a plurality of separate, mutually parallel pellet strings (5) , charac¬ terized in that after exiting from the orifices (4) said strings (5) are cut into separate pellets (6) simultaneously as the actual strings and/or the pellets (6) are continuously doused with the air stream (7) and its entrained powder. 3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the powder entrained in the air stream (7) , which is directed towards the orifices (4) , is a lime powder (9) , which first coats the pellet strings pro¬ truding from the orifices as well as the cut-off pellets (6) when they are in an air space in front of the nozzle (3) and when they fall down into a depres¬ sion (10) below the nozzle (3) , said depression (10) having room for a powder mass (11) . 4. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pellets (6) coated with excess lime are rotated in excess lime powder, which collects at the bottom of the rotating tumbler (12) , said pellets being discharged from the tumbler via a slot (17) , while excess powder from the pellets is recovered. 5. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the flow of powder-coated pellets (6) coming from the tumbler (12) via the slot (17) is conveyed to a drying kiln (19) , in which the pellets (6) are dried for a given time, such as to obtain a moisture content of about 10-15% (90-85%, DS) , subsequent to which the pellets (6) are bagged and stored. 6. A method as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the sludge or pellets are heated during the pro¬ cess to about 80°C for about 15 seconds in order to kill pathogenic bacteria, parasite eggs etc. 7. An apparatus for producing plant nutritive pellets from the sludge arising from wastewater treatment plants, and which includes an extruder (1) with a nozzle (3) provided with at least one orifice (4) for forming the sludge (2) into at least one pellet string (5) , there also being means (29) for cutting pellets (6) from the string (5) , characterized in that there is at least one blowing nozzle (14) for lime powder (9) in coaction with the orifice (4) , in that via a fixed member (13) the extruder (1) is surrounded by, and opens out into, a rotatable tumbler (12) having excess powder at its lowest region, and in that via a slot (17) the tumbler (12) opens out above at least one conveyor (18, 19) for conveying the powdered pellets (6) further to a drying kiln, in which the pellets (6) are dried to a predetermined moisture content during a given time, subsequent to which the pellets are ready for bagging and storage. 8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that a suction duct (15) for excess powder extends through the fixed member (13) and is adapted with its opening in the closed portion (16) of the tumbler (12) , where the extruder (1) is also situated. 9. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cutting means (29) for the pellets (6) comprises an annular compressed air jet, which is directed towards the centre of the ex- truder nozzle (3) for intermittently cutting off the pellet strings (5) .

Inventors: MODIG TORSTEN, MODIG, TORSTEN
Applicants: MODIG TORSTEN, MODIG, TORSTEN
Application year: 1993
Main classification: C05F7
IPC codes: B01J2, C05F7