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WO2007033425A1 - Mobile recycling and bio-fuel production system for animal waste - Google Patents

Mobile recycling and bio-fuel production system for animal waste Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2007033425A1
WO2007033425A1 PCT/AU2006/001388 AU2006001388W WO2007033425A1 WO 2007033425 A1 WO2007033425 A1 WO 2007033425A1 AU 2006001388 W AU2006001388 W AU 2006001388W WO 2007033425 A1 WO2007033425 A1 WO 2007033425A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
organic waste
recycling system
bio
waste recycling
fats
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/AU2006/001388
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Paul MULARD
Original Assignee
Cassa Pty Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from AU2005905269A external-priority patent/AU2005905269A0/en
Application filed by Cassa Pty Ltd filed Critical Cassa Pty Ltd
Publication of WO2007033425A1 publication Critical patent/WO2007033425A1/en

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Classifications

    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
    • C11B—PRODUCING, e.g. BY PRESSING RAW MATERIALS OR BY EXTRACTION FROM WASTE MATERIALS, REFINING OR PRESERVING FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES, e.g. LANOLIN, FATTY OILS OR WAXES; ESSENTIAL OILS; PERFUMES
    • C11B13/00—Recovery of fats, fatty oils or fatty acids from waste materials
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23K—FODDER
    • A23K10/00—Animal feeding-stuffs
    • A23K10/20—Animal feeding-stuffs from material of animal origin
    • A23K10/26—Animal feeding-stuffs from material of animal origin from waste material, e.g. feathers, bones or skin
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B09—DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE; RECLAMATION OF CONTAMINATED SOIL
    • B09B—DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B09B3/00—Destroying solid waste or transforming solid waste into something useful or harmless
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60P—VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS
    • B60P3/00—Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects
    • B60P3/14—Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects the object being a workshop for servicing, for maintenance, or for carrying workmen during work
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C10—PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
    • C10L—FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NATURAL GAS; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C10G, C10K; LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS; ADDING MATERIALS TO FUELS OR FIRES TO REDUCE SMOKE OR UNDESIRABLE DEPOSITS OR TO FACILITATE SOOT REMOVAL; FIRELIGHTERS
    • C10L1/00—Liquid carbonaceous fuels
    • C10L1/02—Liquid carbonaceous fuels essentially based on components consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only
    • C10L1/026—Liquid carbonaceous fuels essentially based on components consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only for compression ignition
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
    • C11C—FATTY ACIDS FROM FATS, OILS OR WAXES; CANDLES; FATS, OILS OR FATTY ACIDS BY CHEMICAL MODIFICATION OF FATS, OILS, OR FATTY ACIDS OBTAINED THEREFROM
    • C11C3/00—Fats, oils, or fatty acids by chemical modification of fats, oils, or fatty acids obtained therefrom
    • C11C3/003—Fats, oils, or fatty acids by chemical modification of fats, oils, or fatty acids obtained therefrom by esterification of fatty acids with alcohols
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
    • C11C—FATTY ACIDS FROM FATS, OILS OR WAXES; CANDLES; FATS, OILS OR FATTY ACIDS BY CHEMICAL MODIFICATION OF FATS, OILS, OR FATTY ACIDS OBTAINED THEREFROM
    • C11C3/00—Fats, oils, or fatty acids by chemical modification of fats, oils, or fatty acids obtained therefrom
    • C11C3/04—Fats, oils, or fatty acids by chemical modification of fats, oils, or fatty acids obtained therefrom by esterification of fats or fatty oils
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
    • C11C—FATTY ACIDS FROM FATS, OILS OR WAXES; CANDLES; FATS, OILS OR FATTY ACIDS BY CHEMICAL MODIFICATION OF FATS, OILS, OR FATTY ACIDS OBTAINED THEREFROM
    • C11C5/00—Candles
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C10—PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
    • C10G—CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, OR GASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; MINERAL WAXES
    • C10G2300/00—Aspects relating to hydrocarbon processing covered by groups C10G1/00 - C10G99/00
    • C10G2300/10—Feedstock materials
    • C10G2300/1011—Biomass
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E50/00—Technologies for the production of fuel of non-fossil origin
    • Y02E50/10—Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
    • Y02P30/00—Technologies relating to oil refining and petrochemical industry
    • Y02P30/20—Technologies relating to oil refining and petrochemical industry using bio-feedstock
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
    • Y02W30/00—Technologies for solid waste management
    • Y02W30/50—Reuse, recycling or recovery technologies
    • Y02W30/74—Recovery of fats, fatty oils, fatty acids or other fatty substances, e.g. lanolin or waxes

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a mobile organic waste recycling system. More particularly the present invention relates to a mobile organic waste recycling system that is suitable for processing waste animal material and fats and oils such as used cooking oil.
  • Enormous volumes of organic waste are produced on a daily basis.
  • Waste animal material is produced from commercial operations such as abattoirs, seafood processing facilities, butchers, seafood shops and markets.
  • Waste fats, oils and plant materials are produced by restaurants and industrial kitchens, such as in the form of used cooking oils.
  • enormous volumes of green waste are also produced on a daily basis.
  • waste organic material is collected in waste disposal trucks and simply deposited as landfill. This has contributed to diminishing availability of landfill areas that are close to large urban centres, making it necessary for the waste to be transported to remote landfill areas. It is for this reason that efforts have been made to recycle at least a portion of the world's organic waste material.
  • Waste animal products may be recycled through rendering, where material such as fatty tissue, heads, bones and offal are dried, whilst fat is separated from the bones and protein.
  • the dried bone and protein are then shredded into a particulate form, known as meat and bone meal, which may be used as an animal feed.
  • the separated fat can also be used in animal feed, as well as in applications such as soap making and candles.
  • Waste fats and oils such as cooking oils and fats resulting from rendering processes, may be recycled to produce biodiesel.
  • Biodiesel is produced through transesterification, where an alcohol is mixed with the oil in the presence of a catalyst, in order to 'crack' the oil into biodiesel (that is, a mono alkyl ester) and glycerol.
  • Biodiesel is a relatively clean fuel, producing approximately 80% less carbon dioxide and 90% less sulphur emissions than its petroleum based equivalents.
  • the 'raw' organic material must be transported to large scale rendering and biodiesel production plants which, because of their tendency to produce obnoxious odours, are generally located well away from populated areas. This has deficiencies in terms of both transportation costs and environmental concerns, owing to the emissions from the petroleum fuelled transportation vehicles.
  • the present invention provides in another embodiment a vehicle having a substantially self-contained organic waste recycling system according to the invention provided therewith.
  • the present invention provides a substantially self-contained and transportable organic waste recycling system. Being fully transportable, it may be driven directly to the source of the organic waste (abattoir, fish market etc) for collection of the material for recycling, instead of the waste material either being transported to a fixed site for processing or being disposed of as landfill.
  • the processing means and optionally the vehicle are powered by an environmentally-friendly bio-fuel (such as for example biodiesel) that is produced 'on board', the invention overcomes some of the environmental problems associated with land-based organic waste recycling plants.
  • the processing means includes extraction means for extracting fats and oils from animal waste, the fats and oils to be used as a feed in the production of bio-fuel in the bio-fuel production facility.
  • the extraction means will typically be in the form of a rendering facility.
  • the extracting means will include one or more of: liquefying means for converting animal waste to a liquid material comprising substantially of non-bone material; and separating means for separating the liquid material into a fats/oil phase, a liquid phase and a fine-solids phase.
  • the liquefying means includes means for en2ymatically converting animal waste to a liquid material.
  • the bio-fuel production facility will include means for performing transesterification on waste fats and oils to produce biodiesel.
  • other forms of biofuel production are contemplated within the scope of the present invention.
  • the organic waste recycling system further includes filter means for absorbing undesirable odours produced during the recycling of the organic waste.
  • filter means for absorbing undesirable odours produced during the recycling of the organic waste.
  • the inclusion of filter means allows the system of the present invention to operate even in densely populated urban areas.
  • any suitable filter means may be used in the organic waste recycling system of the present invention, however it is preferred that a bio-filter is employed. As substantially an entire organic waste processing system has been confined to the volume of the housing, it is possible to employ a bio-filter, which is typically not possible for a land based organic waste processing plant, due to the inefficiencies of currently available bio-filters.
  • the filter means is a zeolite-ozone bio-filter.
  • processing means for receiving and processing organic waste; and • a bio-fuel production facility for producing a biofuel to power the processing means.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the high level processing apparatus and inputs/outputs of one embodiment of the organic waste recycling system of the present invention
  • Figure 2 is an elevation view of the preferred embodiment of the organic waste recycling system of the present invention.
  • Figure 3 is a detailed schematic diagram of a plan view of the preferred embodiment of the organic waste recycling system of the present invention.
  • Figure 4 is a perspective view of an overhead dehumidification drying cabinet forming part of the organic waste processing system of the present invention
  • Figure 5 is an elevation view of a preferred embodiment of a biofuel production facility that is suitable for use in the organic waste recycling system in accordance with the present invention.
  • the mobile organic waste recycling system 10 of the present invention is a substantially fully self-contained and transportable system composed of an integrated rendering facility 12 and biodiesel refinery 14.
  • the rendering facility 12 takes meat and fish waste 16 as an input, and separates the fats and oils from the other materials 18 comprising the waste 16.
  • the separated fats and oils are a valuable by-product in their own right, and may also be used as inputs to the biodiesel refinery 14.
  • the biodiesel refinery 14 takes waste fats and oils 22, as well as fats and oils from the rendering facility 12, as inputs, and produces biodiesel 20 as an output.
  • the biodiesel 20 is used as fuel to power both the rendering facility 12, and the biodiesel refinery 14 itself.
  • the biodiesel may also be used to fuel a semi-trailer vehicle 28 (Figure 2) that not only makes the system transportable but may also extend the life of the semi-trailer engine due to biodiesel's superior lubricating properties in comparison to petroleum- based diesel.
  • the system 10 is illustrated as being contained within a housing 24 formed from a 70 cubic metre, refrigerated shipping container that is attached to the trailer portion 26 of a 'semi-trailer' type vehicle 28.
  • the rendering facility 12 and biodiesel refinery 14 are fully contained within the housing 24, allowing them to be driven from collection site (abattoir, fish market etc) to collection site, to collect and recycle organic waste. This obviates the necessity to transport the organic waste to a specific location or to multiple locations (such as a rendering facility, waste-oil deposit centre etc) for processing, and also reduces the amount of material being deposited as landfill.
  • FIG. 3 a plan and perspective view of the housing 24 is illustrated that shows the rendering facility 12 and biodiesel refinery 14 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
  • a hydraulic bin lifter 30 ( Figure 4) is actuated to lift bin-fulls of organic waste material into the rear of the housing 24.
  • the waste is initially tipped onto a sorting table 32 that is also located at the rear of the housing 24.
  • a sorting table 32 that is also located at the rear of the housing 24.
  • individual components of the rendering facility 12 process only one 'category' of organic waste at any one time and therefore, the waste should be pre-sorted into different bins at the collection site before being deposited into the system 10.
  • a human operator can undertake some degree of manual sorting at the sorting table 32, it is preferred that waste is pre-sorted.
  • the waste is initially loaded into a grinding apparatus 34 and ground into pieces of around 5 mm.
  • the ground pieces are then pumped through a pipe 21 and into a 2000L enzymatic treatment vat 38.
  • the ground pieces are heated by a heat exchanger to around 40 to 55 degrees Celsius and are then enzymatically liquefied through treatment with suitable enzymes, as understood by those skilled in the art.
  • the liquefied material is passed into a separator unit 44, with the solid components of the material (comprising essentially ground bone material) remaining in the treatment vat 38.
  • the separator unit 44 the liquefied material is mechanically separated by a centrifuge (not shown) into water, fats/oil and fine-solid phases.
  • the bone material remaining in the treatment vat 38, as well as the fine-solid phase from the separator unit 44, are transferred back into the grinding apparatus 34 where they are ground down to a powder.
  • the liquid phase of the material is passed to a 5000 L holding tank 46 that is located beneath the floor of the housing 24.
  • a second holding tank 54 located adjacent to the first holding tank 46 is provided to collect any wash-down water associated with operation of the recycling system and/or cleaning of the floor of the housing 24.
  • the housing floor itself is slightly inclined ( Figure 2) to assist in collection of the wash-down water in the second holding tank 54.
  • An effective liquid fertilizer can be made from the liquid contained in either of the first and second holding tanks 46, 54 by adding liquefied kelp (see below) and the powdered bone material referred to above in suitable proportions to balance the nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium levels of the fertilizer.
  • the fats/oil phase is transferred through internal piping (not shown) to the biodiesel refinery 14 for conversion into biodiesel as discussed below.
  • the recycling process is substantially as described above, with the exception that the bone material remaining in the enzymatic treatment vat 38, as well as the fine solid material from the separator unit 44, are transferred to one of five overhead dehumidification cabinets 50A-50E located adjacent to the ceiling of the housing 24 for drying, and then to a freezer 52 for freezing.
  • the separated oil phase to the biodiesel refinery 14 it is removed from the system to be used as a pharmaceutical-grade fish oil. Separation of the fish into separate species also occurs at the separating table so that a specific fish oil (such as salmon oil or tuna oil) can be produced.
  • the biodiesel refinery 14 receives the fats/oils extracted from the processing of waste meat materials, as well as waste cooking oils, which are collected from collection sites and placed into the refinery 14, to produce biodiesel therefrom.
  • the biodiesel is pumped from a holding tank 59 in the refinery 14 through internal piping (not shown) to a fuel tank 56 for powering the freezer 52.
  • Biodiesel is also pumped to a second fuel tank 58 to provide fuel for an electrical generator 60 that produces electricity to power, amongst other things, the grinding apparatus 34 and separator 44.
  • Biodiesel can also be pumped into the fuel tank of the semi-trailer to supplement its fuel load, with any excess being recoverable from the holding tank 57 to be sold as a separate product.
  • biodiesel refinery 14 The operation of the biodiesel refinery 14 is described in further detail below.
  • a zeolite ozone bio-filter 62 is provided in the ceiling region of the housing 24 for absorbing noxious odours that may be omitted during recycling of the organic waste.
  • the filter 64 operates by passing the odour molecules through a photo-hydroionization filter unit made from a 300 mm stainless steel pipe and six germicidal UV-C lamps.
  • bio-filters have been available for some time, they have not been found to be particularly effective when used in large scale recycling facilities such as rendering plants. However, because the entire recycling system is contained within a closed 70 cubic metre housing 24, the zeolite-ozone bio-filter 64 has been found to be effective in absorbing odours.
  • a personnel air-lock and sink area 66 is provided towards the rear end of the housing 24 to create an ambient temperature that is controlled by air curtains and two plastic curtains 68 to repel insects. All recesses and corners in the interior of the housing 24 are covered in order to meet the requisite hygiene standards.
  • the biodiesel refinery 14 which is described by reference to Figure 5, produces biodiesel and glycerine from waste fats and oils, through transesterification, which as known to those skilled in the art involves exchanging the alkoxy group of an ester compound by another alcohol. These reactions are often catalyzed by the addition of an acid or base.
  • a waste oil holding tank 21 which may be conveniently constructed from a 200 litre oil drum, receives the waste cooking oils collected from collections sites, as well as the fats/oils phase from the rendering facility 12.
  • a 3kW immersion heater 31 is located towards the bottom of the tank 21, and is used to heat the oil to about 100 to 120 degrees Celsius, so as to separate any water from the waste oil.
  • a filter unit 25 Adjacent to the waste oil holding tank 21 is a filter unit 25, which is connected to the waste oil holding tank 21 by piping 27 and receives oil that has been pumped from the holding tank 21.
  • a removable strainer 31 is located near to a holding tank outlet through which oil passes on its way to the filter unit, and is used to catch any large sized particles of foreign matter that may still be present in the oil.
  • a cloth 33 with a suitable mesh size is used as the filter to remove smaller sized particles from the oil, whereupon the oil is drawn from the filter unit 25, through further piping 35 and into a reactor 37.
  • the reactor may be made from a 45 kilogram propane cylinder.
  • a vacuum unit 43 reduces the pressure in the reactor (as shown on the vacuum gauge 41) to around 25mmHg. The pressure inside the reactor is held at around this value until no more water is seen to be collected in a liquid trap (not shown).
  • the oil in the reactor 37 is then allowed to cool to about 50 degrees Celsius, whereupon the vacuum unit 43 draws mixed methoxide from the mixing unit 45, through piping 49 and into the reactor 37. About three quarters of the mixed methoxide present in the tank is drawn into the reactor. The mixture is then heated, using a 3kW immersion heater 51, and is circulated for about an hour.
  • glycerine is drained from the bottom of the reactor unit 37 through a tap 53.
  • the remaining oil is then reheated to about 50 degrees Celsius and the remaining methoxide is pumped into the reactor 37 and mixed and heated for about an hour.
  • biodiesel is pumped using a pair of pumps in series 57A, 57B, through piping 55 and into a wash/holding tank 59. In the wash tank 59, the biodiesel is bubbled for at least 12 hours, and then left to settle out.
  • the biodiesel may then be accessed through a tap 61, onto which a final filter 63 is attached to remove any remaining impurities.

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Abstract

A mobile, self contained and transportable organic waste recycling system (10) is disclosed. The system comprises; a housing (24) integrally formed with or attachable to a vehicle (28), the housing having an opening (30) for receiving the organic waste; such as meat and fish waste (16) processing means of a grinding apparatus (34), en2ymatic treatment vat (38) and a centrifuge separator (44) are within a rendering facility (12) to separate oil and fats; a bio-fuel production facility (14) for producing a bio-fuel to power the processing means and optionally the vehicle.

Description

MOBILE RECYCLING AND BIO-FUEL PRODUCTION SYSTEM FOR ANIMAL WASTE
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile organic waste recycling system. More particularly the present invention relates to a mobile organic waste recycling system that is suitable for processing waste animal material and fats and oils such as used cooking oil.
Background of the Invention
In this specification, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date: (i) part of common general knowledge; or
(ii) known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.
Enormous volumes of organic waste are produced on a daily basis. Waste animal material is produced from commercial operations such as abattoirs, seafood processing facilities, butchers, seafood shops and markets. Waste fats, oils and plant materials are produced by restaurants and industrial kitchens, such as in the form of used cooking oils. In addition, enormous volumes of green waste (both commercial and domestic), such as lawn clippings, weeds and spoiled vegetables, are also produced on a daily basis.
In many cases, such waste organic material is collected in waste disposal trucks and simply deposited as landfill. This has contributed to diminishing availability of landfill areas that are close to large urban centres, making it necessary for the waste to be transported to remote landfill areas. It is for this reason that efforts have been made to recycle at least a portion of the world's organic waste material.
Waste animal products may be recycled through rendering, where material such as fatty tissue, heads, bones and offal are dried, whilst fat is separated from the bones and protein. The dried bone and protein are then shredded into a particulate form, known as meat and bone meal, which may be used as an animal feed. The separated fat can also be used in animal feed, as well as in applications such as soap making and candles.
Waste fats and oils, such as cooking oils and fats resulting from rendering processes, may be recycled to produce biodiesel. Biodiesel is produced through transesterification, where an alcohol is mixed with the oil in the presence of a catalyst, in order to 'crack' the oil into biodiesel (that is, a mono alkyl ester) and glycerol. Biodiesel is a relatively clean fuel, producing approximately 80% less carbon dioxide and 90% less sulphur emissions than its petroleum based equivalents.
The 'raw' organic material must be transported to large scale rendering and biodiesel production plants which, because of their tendency to produce obnoxious odours, are generally located well away from populated areas. This has deficiencies in terms of both transportation costs and environmental concerns, owing to the emissions from the petroleum fuelled transportation vehicles.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide an organic waste recycling system that does not suffer from these deficiencies. Summary of the Invention
According to the present invention there is provided in one embodiment an organic waste recycling system comprising:
• a housing integrally formed with or attachable to a vehicle, the housing having an opening for receiving the organic waste; • processing means contained within the housing for processing the organic waste; and
• a bio-fuel production facility for producing a biofuel to power the processing means and optionally the vehicle.
The present invention provides in another embodiment a vehicle having a substantially self-contained organic waste recycling system according to the invention provided therewith.
The present invention provides a substantially self-contained and transportable organic waste recycling system. Being fully transportable, it may be driven directly to the source of the organic waste (abattoir, fish market etc) for collection of the material for recycling, instead of the waste material either being transported to a fixed site for processing or being disposed of as landfill. Moreover, because the processing means and optionally the vehicle are powered by an environmentally-friendly bio-fuel (such as for example biodiesel) that is produced 'on board', the invention overcomes some of the environmental problems associated with land-based organic waste recycling plants. Preferably the processing means includes extraction means for extracting fats and oils from animal waste, the fats and oils to be used as a feed in the production of bio-fuel in the bio-fuel production facility. The extraction means will typically be in the form of a rendering facility. Typically, the extracting means will include one or more of: liquefying means for converting animal waste to a liquid material comprising substantially of non-bone material; and separating means for separating the liquid material into a fats/oil phase, a liquid phase and a fine-solids phase.
In preferred embodiments, the liquefying means includes means for en2ymatically converting animal waste to a liquid material.
Generally, the bio-fuel production facility will include means for performing transesterification on waste fats and oils to produce biodiesel. However, other forms of biofuel production are contemplated within the scope of the present invention.
Preferably, the organic waste recycling system further includes filter means for absorbing undesirable odours produced during the recycling of the organic waste. The inclusion of filter means allows the system of the present invention to operate even in densely populated urban areas.
Any suitable filter means may be used in the organic waste recycling system of the present invention, however it is preferred that a bio-filter is employed. As substantially an entire organic waste processing system has been confined to the volume of the housing, it is possible to employ a bio-filter, which is typically not possible for a land based organic waste processing plant, due to the inefficiencies of currently available bio-filters.
Typically, the filter means is a zeolite-ozone bio-filter.
The present invention provides in another separate embodiment an organic waste recycling system comprising:
• processing means for receiving and processing organic waste; and • a bio-fuel production facility for producing a biofuel to power the processing means.
Brief Description of the Drawings
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the high level processing apparatus and inputs/outputs of one embodiment of the organic waste recycling system of the present invention;
Figure 2 is an elevation view of the preferred embodiment of the organic waste recycling system of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a detailed schematic diagram of a plan view of the preferred embodiment of the organic waste recycling system of the present invention;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of an overhead dehumidification drying cabinet forming part of the organic waste processing system of the present invention; and Figure 5 is an elevation view of a preferred embodiment of a biofuel production facility that is suitable for use in the organic waste recycling system in accordance with the present invention.
Detailed Description of the Drawings
The mobile organic waste recycling system 10 of the present invention is a substantially fully self-contained and transportable system composed of an integrated rendering facility 12 and biodiesel refinery 14. The rendering facility 12 takes meat and fish waste 16 as an input, and separates the fats and oils from the other materials 18 comprising the waste 16. The separated fats and oils are a valuable by-product in their own right, and may also be used as inputs to the biodiesel refinery 14. The biodiesel refinery 14 takes waste fats and oils 22, as well as fats and oils from the rendering facility 12, as inputs, and produces biodiesel 20 as an output. The biodiesel 20 is used as fuel to power both the rendering facility 12, and the biodiesel refinery 14 itself.
The biodiesel may also be used to fuel a semi-trailer vehicle 28 (Figure 2) that not only makes the system transportable but may also extend the life of the semi-trailer engine due to biodiesel's superior lubricating properties in comparison to petroleum- based diesel.
Turning to Figure 2, the system 10 is illustrated as being contained within a housing 24 formed from a 70 cubic metre, refrigerated shipping container that is attached to the trailer portion 26 of a 'semi-trailer' type vehicle 28. As noted above, the rendering facility 12 and biodiesel refinery 14 are fully contained within the housing 24, allowing them to be driven from collection site (abattoir, fish market etc) to collection site, to collect and recycle organic waste. This obviates the necessity to transport the organic waste to a specific location or to multiple locations (such as a rendering facility, waste-oil deposit centre etc) for processing, and also reduces the amount of material being deposited as landfill.
Turning to Figures 3 and 4, a plan and perspective view of the housing 24 is illustrated that shows the rendering facility 12 and biodiesel refinery 14 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Once at a collection site, a hydraulic bin lifter 30 (Figure 4) is actuated to lift bin-fulls of organic waste material into the rear of the housing 24. The waste is initially tipped onto a sorting table 32 that is also located at the rear of the housing 24. Generally, individual components of the rendering facility 12 process only one 'category' of organic waste at any one time and therefore, the waste should be pre-sorted into different bins at the collection site before being deposited into the system 10. Although a human operator can undertake some degree of manual sorting at the sorting table 32, it is preferred that waste is pre-sorted.
In the case of meat (ie. non-marine species) waste, the waste is initially loaded into a grinding apparatus 34 and ground into pieces of around 5 mm. The ground pieces are then pumped through a pipe 21 and into a 2000L enzymatic treatment vat 38. Once in the vat 38, the ground pieces are heated by a heat exchanger to around 40 to 55 degrees Celsius and are then enzymatically liquefied through treatment with suitable enzymes, as understood by those skilled in the art.
The liquefied material is passed into a separator unit 44, with the solid components of the material (comprising essentially ground bone material) remaining in the treatment vat 38. At the separator unit 44, the liquefied material is mechanically separated by a centrifuge (not shown) into water, fats/oil and fine-solid phases.
The bone material remaining in the treatment vat 38, as well as the fine-solid phase from the separator unit 44, are transferred back into the grinding apparatus 34 where they are ground down to a powder.
The liquid phase of the material is passed to a 5000 L holding tank 46 that is located beneath the floor of the housing 24. A second holding tank 54 located adjacent to the first holding tank 46 is provided to collect any wash-down water associated with operation of the recycling system and/or cleaning of the floor of the housing 24. The housing floor itself is slightly inclined (Figure 2) to assist in collection of the wash-down water in the second holding tank 54.
An effective liquid fertilizer can be made from the liquid contained in either of the first and second holding tanks 46, 54 by adding liquefied kelp (see below) and the powdered bone material referred to above in suitable proportions to balance the nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium levels of the fertilizer.
The fats/oil phase is transferred through internal piping (not shown) to the biodiesel refinery 14 for conversion into biodiesel as discussed below. In the case of waste fish material, the recycling process is substantially as described above, with the exception that the bone material remaining in the enzymatic treatment vat 38, as well as the fine solid material from the separator unit 44, are transferred to one of five overhead dehumidification cabinets 50A-50E located adjacent to the ceiling of the housing 24 for drying, and then to a freezer 52 for freezing. In addition, rather than transferring the separated oil phase to the biodiesel refinery 14, it is removed from the system to be used as a pharmaceutical-grade fish oil. Separation of the fish into separate species also occurs at the separating table so that a specific fish oil (such as salmon oil or tuna oil) can be produced.
The biodiesel refinery 14 receives the fats/oils extracted from the processing of waste meat materials, as well as waste cooking oils, which are collected from collection sites and placed into the refinery 14, to produce biodiesel therefrom. The biodiesel is pumped from a holding tank 59 in the refinery 14 through internal piping (not shown) to a fuel tank 56 for powering the freezer 52. Biodiesel is also pumped to a second fuel tank 58 to provide fuel for an electrical generator 60 that produces electricity to power, amongst other things, the grinding apparatus 34 and separator 44. Biodiesel can also be pumped into the fuel tank of the semi-trailer to supplement its fuel load, with any excess being recoverable from the holding tank 57 to be sold as a separate product.
The operation of the biodiesel refinery 14 is described in further detail below.
A zeolite ozone bio-filter 62 is provided in the ceiling region of the housing 24 for absorbing noxious odours that may be omitted during recycling of the organic waste. The filter 64 operates by passing the odour molecules through a photo-hydroionization filter unit made from a 300 mm stainless steel pipe and six germicidal UV-C lamps. Although bio-filters have been available for some time, they have not been found to be particularly effective when used in large scale recycling facilities such as rendering plants. However, because the entire recycling system is contained within a closed 70 cubic metre housing 24, the zeolite-ozone bio-filter 64 has been found to be effective in absorbing odours.
A personnel air-lock and sink area 66 is provided towards the rear end of the housing 24 to create an ambient temperature that is controlled by air curtains and two plastic curtains 68 to repel insects. All recesses and corners in the interior of the housing 24 are covered in order to meet the requisite hygiene standards.
The biodiesel refinery 14, which is described by reference to Figure 5, produces biodiesel and glycerine from waste fats and oils, through transesterification, which as known to those skilled in the art involves exchanging the alkoxy group of an ester compound by another alcohol. These reactions are often catalyzed by the addition of an acid or base.
A waste oil holding tank 21, which may be conveniently constructed from a 200 litre oil drum, receives the waste cooking oils collected from collections sites, as well as the fats/oils phase from the rendering facility 12. A 3kW immersion heater 31 is located towards the bottom of the tank 21, and is used to heat the oil to about 100 to 120 degrees Celsius, so as to separate any water from the waste oil.
Adjacent to the waste oil holding tank 21 is a filter unit 25, which is connected to the waste oil holding tank 21 by piping 27 and receives oil that has been pumped from the holding tank 21. A removable strainer 31 is located near to a holding tank outlet through which oil passes on its way to the filter unit, and is used to catch any large sized particles of foreign matter that may still be present in the oil.
A cloth 33 with a suitable mesh size is used as the filter to remove smaller sized particles from the oil, whereupon the oil is drawn from the filter unit 25, through further piping 35 and into a reactor 37. The reactor may be made from a 45 kilogram propane cylinder.
Once the reactor 37 has been filled to a suitable level and the oil is at approximately 80 to 90 degrees Celsius, as measured by the temperature gauge 39, a vacuum unit 43 reduces the pressure in the reactor (as shown on the vacuum gauge 41) to around 25mmHg. The pressure inside the reactor is held at around this value until no more water is seen to be collected in a liquid trap (not shown).
Whilst water is being drawn out of the oil by this process, methoxide is being mixed in a mixing unit 45 by use of a stirrer 47.
The oil in the reactor 37 is then allowed to cool to about 50 degrees Celsius, whereupon the vacuum unit 43 draws mixed methoxide from the mixing unit 45, through piping 49 and into the reactor 37. About three quarters of the mixed methoxide present in the tank is drawn into the reactor. The mixture is then heated, using a 3kW immersion heater 51, and is circulated for about an hour.
Then, after about twelve hours, when substantially all of the methoxide has been reacted, glycerine is drained from the bottom of the reactor unit 37 through a tap 53. The remaining oil is then reheated to about 50 degrees Celsius and the remaining methoxide is pumped into the reactor 37 and mixed and heated for about an hour.
Again, after about a further 12 hours, glycerine is drained from the bottom of the reactor unit 37, leaving the biodiesel. This biodiesel is pumped using a pair of pumps in series 57A, 57B, through piping 55 and into a wash/holding tank 59. In the wash tank 59, the biodiesel is bubbled for at least 12 hours, and then left to settle out.
Any remaining water left in the reactor 37 is drained.
The biodiesel may then be accessed through a tap 61, onto which a final filter 63 is attached to remove any remaining impurities.
The word 'comprising' and forms of the word 'comprising' as used in this description and in the claims do not limit the invention claimed to exclude any variants or additions. Modifications and improvements to the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and improvements are intended to be within the scope of this invention.

Claims

Claims:
1. An organic waste recycling system comprising:
(a) a housing integrally formed with or attachable to a vehicle, the housing having an opening for receiving the organic waste; (b) processing means contained within the housing for processing the organic waste; and
(c) a bio-fuel production facility for producing a biofuel to power the processing means and optionally the vehicle.
2. An organic waste recycling system according to claim 1, wherein the processing means includes extraction means for extracting fats and oils from animal waste, the fats and oils to be used as a feed in the production of bio-fuel in the bio-fuel production facility.
3. An organic waste recycling system according to claim 2, wherein the extraction means includes a rendering facility.
4. An organic waste recycling system according to claim 3, wherein the extraction means includes one or more of:
(a) liquefying means for converting animal waste to a liquid material comprising substantially of non-bone material; and
(b) separating means for separating the liquid material into a fats/oil phase, a liquid phase and a fine-solids phase.
5. An organic waste recycling system according to claim 4, wherein the liquefying means includes means for enzymatically converting animal waste to a liquid material.
6. An organic waste recycling system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the bio-fuel production facility includes means for performing transesterification on waste fats and oils to produce biodiesel.
7. An organic waste recycling system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and further including filter means for absorbing undesirable odours produced during the recycling of the organic waste.
8. An organic waste recycling system according to claim 7, wherein the filter means is a bio-filter.
9. An organic waste recycling system according to claim 7, wherein the filter means is a zeolite-ozone bio-filter.
10. A vehicle having a substantially self-contained organic waste recycling system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 provided therewith.
11. An organic waste recycling system, substantially as herein described and with reference to any one of the drawings.
12. A vehicle substantially as herein described and with reference to any one of the drawings.
PCT/AU2006/001388 2005-09-23 2006-09-25 Mobile recycling and bio-fuel production system for animal waste WO2007033425A1 (en)

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EP2121877A2 (en) * 2007-02-15 2009-11-25 Syracuse University Integrated multistage supercritical technology to produce high quality vegetable oils and biofuels
EP2121877A4 (en) * 2007-02-15 2013-10-02 Univ Syracuse INTEGRATED MULTI-STAGE SUPERCRITICAL TECHNOLOGY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF HIGH QUALITY PLANT OILS AND BIOFUELS
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CN102533308B (en) * 2012-02-14 2013-12-11 华南理工大学 Device for recovering ionic liquid catalyst used for transesterification of vegetable fat
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CN108296253A (en) * 2017-12-26 2018-07-20 广东宝汇环保科技有限公司 A kind of rubbish residue landfill process

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