U.S. patent application number 10/287031 was filed with the patent office on 2004-05-06 for apparatus and method for recovering, cleaning, and recycling animal bedding contaminated with manure and urine.
Invention is credited to Anthony, Michael M., Borruto, Fortunato D., Verderosa, Ralph.
Application Number | 20040084064 10/287031 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32175592 |
Filed Date | 2004-05-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040084064 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Verderosa, Ralph ; et
al. |
May 6, 2004 |
Apparatus and method for recovering, cleaning, and recycling animal
bedding contaminated with manure and urine
Abstract
A method, an apparatus, a plant, and business method are
provided for recovering, cleaning, and recycling dirty crumb rubber
bedding used in barns and stables which house animals such as
horses and cows that produce manure. The dirty bedding includes
bedding which is contaminated with animal manure and urine produced
by the animals, and other waste materials such as straw, dirt, and
sand. The method includes the steps of washing the dirty bedding on
a pulse washer which washes and separates straw from the bedding,
followed by washing on a vibratory washer which loosens and washes
away any remaining solid particles clinging to the bedding. Dirty
water in from the pulse washer is filtered and reused, while a
filtered out a sludge primarily of manure is subsequently packaged
for use as fertilizer. The recycling plant includes a pulse washer
and vibratory washer fed with stockpiled dirty by an input
conveyor. A water filtration device filters the dirty water, and an
output conveyor move the cleaned bedding to a stockpile of cleaned
bedding. The stockpiled cleaned bedding is packaged for re-use, the
sludge of manure is packaged for use as fertilizer, and the other
contaminates are filtered out as a sludge that is disposed of.
Inventors: |
Verderosa, Ralph; (Davie,
FL) ; Borruto, Fortunato D.; (South West Ranches,
FL) ; Anthony, Michael M.; (Parkland, FL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
John H. Oltman
Oltman, Flynn & Kubler
915 Middle River Drive # 415
Fort Lauderdale
FL
33304-3585
US
|
Family ID: |
32175592 |
Appl. No.: |
10/287031 |
Filed: |
November 4, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
134/10 ; 134/1;
134/104.4; 134/184; 134/33; 134/42 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01K 1/01 20130101; B03B
5/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
134/010 ;
134/001; 134/033; 134/042; 134/184; 134/104.4 |
International
Class: |
C23G 001/36 |
Claims
I claim as my invention:
1. A method for recovering, cleaning, and recycling dirty bedding
used in barns and stables which house animals such as horses and
cows that produce manure, the dirty bedding including bedding which
is contaminated with animal manure and urine produced by the
animals, and other waste materials such as straw, dirt, and sand,
comprising the steps of: portioning a desired amount of dirty
bedding onto a first screen of a pulse washer; pulse washing the
dirty bedding to form initially cleaned bedding by circulating the
dirty bedding on the first screen to wash manure, urine, dirt, and
sand therefrom through the first screen to produce primary dirty
water in a tank of the pulse washer, and physically separating on
the first screen the initially cleaned bedding from lighter
contaminates such as straw; transferring the initially cleaned
bedding separated from the lighter contaminates onto a second
screen of a vibratory washer; final washing the initially cleaned
bedding to produce finally cleaned bedding by vibrating and
simultaneously spraying the initially cleaned bedding with a
plurality of sprays of high pressure water to remove any primary
dirty water remaining from the pulse washing, any loose pieces of
solid material of the initially cleaned bedding, and any light
straws and other remaining contaminates clinging to the initially
cleaned bedding to produce secondary dirty water; and unloading the
finally cleaned bedding from the vibratory washer.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired amount of dirty
bedding is portioned into a feed hopper which feeds the dirty
bedding onto the first screen of the pulse washer.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein water is added into the feed
hopper as the dirty bedding is portioned to form a slurry fed onto
the first screen of the pulse washer.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the slurry is vibration fed from
the feed hopper onto the first screen of the pulse washer.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein the dirty bedding is portioned
into the feed hopper by an input conveyor which includes an input
hopper into which the dirty bedding is dumped.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the unloading of the finally
cleaned bedding from the vibratory washer includes placing the
cleaned bedding onto an output conveyor that transports the cleaned
bedding to a desired location.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the finally cleaned bedding
transported to the desired location is stockpiled.
8. The method of claim 7, additionally comprising the step of
bagging the finally cleaned bedding stockpiled at the desired
location for subsequent shipment.
9. The method of claim 6, wherein the unloading of the finally
cleaned bedding from the vibratory washer includes passing the
finally cleaned bedding through a outlet screen prior to placing
onto the output conveyor.
10. The method of claim 5, additionally comprising the steps of:
collecting the dirty bedding from at least one customer's site
which houses animals that deposit manure onto the bedding to
produce the dirty bedding; loading the dirty bedding into a
transport vehicle; transporting the dirty bedding to a cleaning
facility; and unloading the dirty bedding from the transport
vehicle at the cleaning facility and loading the dirty bedding into
the input hopper of the input conveyor.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the dirty bedding is stockpiled
prior to loading into the input hopper of the input conveyor.
12. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising the step of
filtering the primary dirty water to remove the manure and other
contaminates, producing cleaned filtered water and a primary sludge
comprised primarily of manure.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the primary sludge is deposited
into containers for later shipment to farms as a fertilizer.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein at least a portion of the
primary filtered water is used to wash the dirty bedding.
15. The method of claim 12, additionally comprising the step of
filtering the secondary dirty water to remove solid particles
shaken free from the initially cleaned bedding and other solid
contaminates such as straw, producing cleaned filtered water and a
secondary sludge comprised primarily of the solid particles.
16. The method of claim 15, additionally comprising the step of
disposing of the secondary sludge.
17. The method of claim 1, wherein the dirty bedding is sprayed
with water during pulse washing to assist in washing manure, dirt,
and sand therefrom through the first screen to produce the primary
dirty water in a tank of the pulse washer.
18. The method of claim 1, wherein the initially cleaned bedding is
manually dumped by hand onto the vibratory washer.
19. The method of claim 1, wherein the initially cleaned bedding is
automatically pushed by pulsing of the pulse washer onto the
vibratory washer.
20. The method of claim 1, wherein the bedding comprises crumb
rubber.
21. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising the step of
feeding water into a cleaning facility from an outside water source
for washing the dirty bedding.
22. The method of claim 21, additionally comprising the step of
recycling a portion of the cleaned filtered water by combining with
the water from the water source to wash the dirty bedding and
returning another portion of the cleaned filtered water directly to
the water source after filtering.
23. The method of claim 1, wherein water is added to the dirty
bedding being portioned onto the first screen of the pulse washer
to form a slurry.
24. A method for recovering, cleaning, and recycling dirty crumb
rubber bedding used in barns and stables which house animals such
as horses and cows that produce manure, the dirty bedding including
the crumb rubber bedding which is contaminated with animal manure
and urine produced by the animals, and other waste materials such
as straw, dirt, and sand, comprising the steps of: feeding water
into a cleaning facility from an outside water source for washing
the dirty bedding; portioning a desired amount of dirty bedding
into a feed hopper which feeds the dirty bedding onto a first
screen of a pulse washer, water being added into the feed hopper as
the dirty bedding is portioned to form a slurry fed onto the first
screen of the pulse washer; pulse washing the dirty bedding to form
initially cleaned bedding by circulating the dirty bedding on the
first screen to wash manure, urine, dirt, and sand therefrom
through the first screen to produce primary dirty water in a tank
of the pulse washer, and physically separating on the first screen
the initially cleaned bedding from lighter contaminates such as
straw, the dirty bedding being sprayed with water during pulse
washing to assist in washing the manure, dirt, and sand therefrom
through the first screen to produce the primary dirty water in a
tank of the pulse washer; filtering the primary dirty water to
remove the manure and other contaminates, producing cleaned
filtered water and a primary sludge comprised primarily of manure,
the primary sludge which is deposited into containers for later
shipment to farms as a fertilizer, at least a portion of the
cleaned filtered water which is used to wash the dirty bedding;
transferring the initially cleaned bedding separated from the
lighter contaminates onto a second screen of a vibratory washer;
final washing the initially cleaned bedding to produce finally
cleaned bedding by vibrating and simultaneously spraying the
initially cleaned bedding with a plurality of sprays of high
pressure water to remove any primary dirty water remaining from the
pulse washing, any loose pieces of solid material of the initially
cleaned bedding, and any light straws and other remaining
contaminates clinging to the initially cleaned bedding to produce
secondary dirty water; filtering the secondary dirty water to
remove solid particles shaken free from the initially cleaned
bedding and other solid contaminates such as straw, producing
cleaned filtered water and a secondary sludge comprised primarily
of the solid particles; disposing of the secondary sludge; and
unloading the finally cleaned bedding from the vibratory
washer.
25. The method of claim 24, additionally comprising the steps of:
collecting the dirty bedding from at least one customer's site
which houses animals that deposit manure onto the bedding to
produce the dirty bedding; loading the dirty bedding into a
transport vehicle; transporting the dirty bedding to the cleaning
facility; unloading the dirty bedding from the transport vehicle
and stockpiling at the cleaning facility; loading the dirty bedding
into an input hopper of an input conveyor which portions the dirty
bedding into the feed hopper; recycling a portion of the water from
the water source after filtering by combining the portion with the
water from the water source to wash the dirty bedding and a portion
is returned directly to the water source after filtering; and
wherein the slurry is vibration fed from the feed hopper onto the
first screen of the pulse washer, the initially cleaned bedding is
moved from the pulse washer to the vibration washer by a method
chosen from the set consisting of manually dumping by hand and
automatically pushed by pulsing of the pulse washer, the unloading
of the finally cleaned bedding from the vibratory washer includes
passing the finally cleaned bedding through an outlet screen onto
an output conveyor that transports the cleaned bedding to a desired
location, and the finally cleaned bedding transported to the
desired location is stockpiled.
26. The method of claim 25, additionally comprising the step of
bagging the finally cleaned bedding stockpiled at the desired
location for subsequent shipment.
27. An apparatus for cleaning recovered dirty bedding for recycling
as used in barns and stables which house animals such as horses and
cows that produce manure, the dirty bedding including bedding which
is contaminated with animal manure and urine produced by the
animals, and other waste materials such as straw, dirt, and sand,
comprising in combination: a pulse washer, including; a main frame;
a feed hopper mounted on said main frame; a screen assembly having
a first screen mounted on an upstanding peripheral frame and
adapted for receiving dirty bedding from said feed hopper; an open
topped tank having a bottom wall which is inwardly tapered toward a
drain hole of said tank, and at least one upstanding peripheral
wall, said screen assembly being supported over said tank by said
main frame, said tank having a vertically disposed divider wall
disposed above said drain hole which forms said tank into separate
pool portions; pulse generating device which includes a movable
diaphragm is disposed within a housing through said divider wall
that is reciprocally driven by a drive device operatively connected
thereto, said pulse washer which initially washes the dirty bedding
using a pulsing action imparted to water contained within said tank
creating a differential height which alternates between said pool
portions to alternately wash over said first screen and the dirty
bedding to simultaneously wash the manure, urine, dirt, and sand
from the dirty bedding which is washed into said tank to produce
primary dirty water and initially cleaned bedding, and to
physically separate the heavier initially cleaned bedding from the
lighter waste material on said first screen; a water filtration
system including piping leading from said drain hole of said tank,
through a pump which moves the primary dirty water through the
water filtration system, and a primary filter which removes the
manure, dirt, and sand from the primary dirty water as a primary
sludge and produces cleaned filtered water, to said feed hopper
such that the cleaned filtered water is circulated back to said
feed hopper to moisten the dirty bedding into a slurry prior to
being received on said first screen of said screen assembly; a
vibratory washer, including; a support frame; a funnel having a
large inlet and a small outlet mounted to said support frame; a
vibrator assembly having a second screen adapted for receiving the
initially cleaned bedding from said pulse washer, being supported
by a peripheral frame resiliently mounted on said support frame
above said funnel on a plurality of resilient mounts, said vibrator
assembly being vibrated by a vibrator device mounted thereto; an
overhead spray system including a first water pipe disposed
generally above said vibrator assembly and connectable to a water
supply pipe for supplying pressurized water, and a plurality of
downwardly oriented high pressure spray nozzles operatively
associated with said first water pipe for providing a plurality of
sprays of rinsing water onto the initially washed bedding on said
second screen of said vibrator assembly; and wherein said vibratory
washer finally washes the initially cleaned bedding to produce
finally cleaned bedding by vibrating and simultaneously spraying
the initially cleaned bedding with a plurality of sprays of high
pressure water from said high pressure spray nozzles to remove any
primary dirty water remaining from pulse washing, any loose pieces
of solid material of the initially cleaned bedding, and any light
straws and other remaining contaminates clinging to the initially
cleaned bedding to produce secondary dirty water.
28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the second screen is slight
longitudinal downwardly inclined from an inlet edge to outlet edge
thereof such that the finally cleaned bedding is automatically
offloaded from the vibratory washer by vibration of said second
screen.
29. The apparatus of claim 28, additionally comprising an outlet
screen affixed to the vibrator assembly adjacent the outlet edge of
the second screen through which the finally cleaned bedding passes
during offloading adapted to retain any remaining straw.
30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the overhead spray system
further includes a second water pipe disposed generally above the
screen assembly of the pulse washer and connectable to the water
supply pipe for supplying pressurized water, and a plurality of
downwardly oriented spray nozzles operatively associated with said
second water pipe for providing a plurality of sprays of washing
water onto the dirty bedding on the first screen of said pulse
washer.
31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the first and second water
pipes comprise a single longitudinally extending main water pipe
disposed laterally above and along the screen assembly and the
vibrator assembly, said main water pipe being connectable to the
water supply pipe, and further including a plurality of capped end
transverse water pipes which extend laterally from said main water
pipe over the first and second screens, the pluralities of
downwardly oriented spray nozzles and high pressure spray nozzles
being affixed to said transverse pipes for providing the
pluralities of sprays and high pressure sprays.
32. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the piping of the water
filtration system is connectable to a water supply pipe for
supplying pressurized water through a water valve for adding
replacement wash water.
33. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the feed hopper is of a
vibratory type which vibrates to feed the slurry onto the first
screen of the pulse washer.
34. A recycling plant for cleaning recovered dirty bedding for
recycling as used in barns and stables which house animals such as
horses and cows that produce manure, the dirty bedding including
bedding which is contaminated with animal manure and urine produced
by the animals, and other waste materials such as straw, dirt, and
sand, comprising in combination: a cleaning apparatus which
includes a pulse washer connected to a water supply for supplying
pressurized water and adapted for receiving dirty bedding and water
from a water source to form a slurry, said pulse washer which
initially washes the dirty bedding using a pulsing action to
simultaneously wash the manure, dirt, and sand from the dirty
bedding to produce primary dirty water and initially cleaned
bedding, and to physically separate the heavier initially cleaned
bedding from the lighter waste material, said cleaning apparatus
further including a vibratory washer connected to said water supply
and adapted for receiving the initially cleaned bedding from said
pulse washer, said vibratory washer which finally washes the
initially cleaned bedding to produce finally cleaned bedding by
vibrating and simultaneously spraying the initially cleaned bedding
with a plurality of sprays of high pressure water to remove any
primary dirty water remaining from pulse washing, any loose pieces
of solid material of the initially cleaned bedding, and any light
straws and other remaining contaminates clinging to the initially
cleaned bedding to produce secondary dirty water; an input conveyor
for transporting and portioning the dirty bedding onto the pulse
washer; a primary water water filtration device adapted for
receiving and filtering the primary dirty water from said pulse
washer to remove the manure, dirt, and sand, producing cleaned
filtered water and a primary sludge comprised primarily of manure
which is periodically removed from said primary water filtration
device for use as fertilizer, and a portion of the cleaned filtered
water which is pumped back to the water source and a portion of the
cleaned filtered water which is pumped back to said pulse washer to
form the slurry; and an output conveyor for transporting the
finally cleaned bedding from said vibratory washer to a stockpile
area for the finally cleaned bedding.
35. The recycling plant of claim 34, additionally comprising a
secondary water filtration device adapted for receiving and
filtering the secondary dirty water from the vibratory washer to
remove solid particles shaken free from the initially cleaned
bedding and other solid contaminates such as straw, producing
cleaned filtered water and a secondary sludge comprised primarily
of the solid particles which is periodically removed from said
secondary water filtration device and disposed of.
36. The recycling plant of claim 34, wherein the pulse washer
includes a feed hopper into which dirty bedding is portioned by the
input conveyor.
37. The recycling plant of claim 34, wherein the input conveyor
includes an input hopper into which the dirty bedding may be dumped
for transport on said input conveyor.
38. The recycling plant of claim 37, wherein the input hopper is
accessible for loading with dirty bedding from outside the
recycling plant such that the dirty bedding is stockpiled outside
of the recycling plant prior to loading into said input hopper.
39. The recycling plant of claim 34, additionally comprising a
bagging machine for bagging the finally cleaned bedding for
subsequent shipment.
40. The recycling plant of claim 34, additionally comprising a
water pumping system for pumping water for washing the dirty
bedding into the recycling plant from an outside body of water.
41. The recycling plant of claim 40, wherein the water pumping
system is adapted to recycling a portion of the cleaned filtered
water by combining the portion with the water from the outside body
of water to wash the dirty bedding and to return a portion of the
cleaned filtered water to the outside body of water.
42. A business method for recovering, cleaning, and recycling dirty
bedding used at customer sites in barns and stables which house
animals such as horses and cows that produce manure, the dirty
bedding including bedding which is contaminated with animal manure
and urine produced by the animals, and other waste materials such
as straw, dirt, and sand, comprising the steps of: negotiating a
bedding cleaning and replacement service contract with customers
such as stable owners and farmers to remove the manure contaminated
dirty bedding and replace with clean bedding; picking up the dirty
bedding at a customer's site; transporting the dirty bedding to a
cleaning apparatus for cleaning; cleaning the dirty bedding to form
clean bedding; and transporting cleaned bedding to a customer's
site to replace the dirty bedding.
43. The method of claim 42, wherein the bedding comprises crumb
rubber.
44. The method of claim 42, additionally comprising the step of
negotiating a contract with a bedding supplier to furnish new
bedding as needed.
45. The method of claim 42, additionally comprising the step of
ordering and receiving new bedding from a bedding supplier when
needed.
46. The method of claim 45, additionally comprising the step of
paying for the new bedding received from the supplier.
47. The method of claim 42, additionally comprising the steps of:
receiving periodic customer payments for the bedding cleaning and
replacement service; and paying operational expenses from the
periodic customer payments.
48. The method of claim 42, additionally comprising the steps of:
negotiating a contract with a bedding supplier to furnish new
bedding as needed; ordering and receiving new bedding from a
bedding supplier when needed; paying for the new bedding received
from the supplier; receiving periodic customer payments for the
bedding cleaning and replacement service; paying operational
expenses from the periodic customer payments; and wherein the
bedding comprises crumb rubber.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of
equipment and methods for recovering and cleaning animal bedding
used in barns and stables which house animals that produce manure
such as horses and cows. The bedding is contaminated with animal
manure and urine produced by the animals, and other waste materials
such as straw, dirt, and sand. More specifically the present
invention relates to a method, a cleaning apparatus, a recycling
plant, and business method for recovering, cleaning, and recycling
the bedding.
[0003] A preferred method used with crumb rubber bedding includes
the steps of collecting the manure contaminated or dirty bedding
from at least one customer's site which houses animals, loading
onto a transport vehicle, transporting to a cleaning facility, and
unloading from the transport vehicle and stockpiling the dirty
bedding at the cleaning facility. The dirty bedding is loaded into
an input hopper of an input conveyor which portions the dirty
bedding into the feed hopper which portions a desired amount of the
dirty bedding onto a first screen of a pulse washer. Water is added
into the feed hopper as the dirty bedding is portioned to form a
slurry which is vibration fed onto the first screen of the pulse
washer. The dirty bedding is pulse washed to form initially cleaned
bedding by circulating the dirty bedding on the first screen to
wash manure, urine, dirt, and sand therefrom through the first
screen to produce primary dirty water in a tank of the pulse
washer. The pulse washer simultaneously physically separates on the
first screen the initially cleaned bedding from lighter
contaminates such as straw. The dirty bedding is also sprayed with
water from a plurality of overhead spray nozzles during pulse
washing to assist in washing. The primary dirty water is filtered
to remove the manure and other contaminates, producing cleaned
filtered water and a primary sludge comprised primarily of manure
which is deposited into containers for later shipment to farms as a
fertilizer. A portion of the cleaned filtered water is used to wash
the dirty bedding. The initially cleaned bedding separated from the
lighter contaminates is transferred onto a second screen of a
vibratory washer by manually dumping or is automatically pushed by
pulsing of the pulse washer. The vibratory washer final washes the
initially cleaned bedding to produce finally cleaned bedding by
vibrating and simultaneously spraying the initially cleaned bedding
with a plurality of sprays of high pressure water. This removes any
primary dirty water remaining from the pulse washing, any loose
pieces of solid material of the initially cleaned bedding, and any
light straws and other remaining contaminates clinging to the
initially cleaned bedding to produce secondary dirty water. The
secondary dirty water is filtered to remove solid particles shaken
free from the initially cleaned bedding and other solid
contaminates such as straw, producing cleaned filtered water. The
filtering of the secondary dirty water also produced a secondary
sludge comprised primarily of the solid particles which is
subsequently disposed of. A portion of the cleaned filtered water
is recycled by combining with water from the water source to wash
the dirty bedding and returning another portion of the cleaned
filtered water directly to the water source after filtering. The
finally cleaned bedding is unloaded from the vibratory washer
passing through an outlet screen onto an output conveyor that
transports the cleaned bedding to a desired location and is
stockpiled. The finally cleaned bedding is bagged and stockpiled at
the desired location for subsequent shipment.
[0004] The cleaning apparatus includes in combination a pulse
washer and a vibratory washer. The pulse washer includes a main
frame, a feed hopper mounted on the main frame, a screen assembly,
an open topped tank, a pulse generating device, and a water
filtration system. The screen assembly has a first screen mounted
on an upstanding peripheral frame for receiving dirty bedding from
the feed hopper. The open topped tank has a bottom wall which is
inwardly tapered toward a drain hole of the tank, and at least one
upstanding peripheral wall. The screen assembly is supported over
the tank by the main frame. The tank has a vertically disposed
divider wall disposed above the drain hole which forms the tank
into separate pool portions. The pulse generating device includes a
movable diaphragm is disposed within a housing through the divider
wall that is reciprocally driven by a drive device operatively
connected thereto. The pulse washer initially washes the dirty
bedding using a pulsing action imparted to water contained within
the tank. This creates a differential height which alternates
between the pool portions to alternately wash over the first screen
and the dirty bedding to simultaneously wash the manure, urine,
dirt, and sand from the dirty bedding. This is washed into the tank
to produce primary dirty water and initially cleaned bedding. This
also physically separates the heavier initially cleaned bedding
from the lighter waste material on the first screen. The water
filtration system includes piping leading from the drain hole of
the tank, through a pump which moves the primary dirty water
through the water filtration system, and a filter. The filter
removes the manure, dirt, and sand from the primary dirty water as
a sludge and produces cleaned filtered water. The piping leads to
the feed hopper such that the cleaned filtered water is circulated
back to the feed hopper to moisten the dirty bedding into a slurry
prior to being received on the first screen of the screen
assembly.
[0005] The vibratory washer includes a support frame, a funnel
having a large inlet and a small outlet mounted to the support
frame, a vibrator assembly, and an overhead spray system. The
vibrator assembly has a second screen for receiving the initially
cleaned bedding from the pulse washer. The vibrator assembly is
supported by a peripheral frame resiliently mounted on the support
frame above the funnel on a plurality of resilient mounts. The
vibrator assembly is vibrated by a vibrator device mounted thereto.
The overhead spray system includes a first water pipe disposed
generally above the vibrator assembly which is connectable to a
water supply pipe for supplying pressurized water. A plurality of
downwardly oriented high pressure spray nozzles are operatively
associated with the first water pipe for providing a plurality of
sprays of rinsing water onto the initially washed bedding on the
second screen of the vibrator assembly. The vibratory washer
finally washes the initially cleaned bedding to produce finally
cleaned bedding by vibrating and simultaneously spraying the
initially cleaned bedding with a plurality of sprays of high
pressure water from the high pressure spray nozzles. The plurality
of sprays remove any primary dirty water remaining from pulse
washing, any loose pieces of solid material of the initially
cleaned bedding, and any light straws and other remaining
contaminates clinging to the initially cleaned bedding to produce
secondary dirty water.
[0006] The recycling plant includes in combination, the cleaning
apparatus, an input conveyor, a primary water filtration device,
and an output conveyor. The cleaning apparatus includes the pulse
washer connected to a water supply for supplying pressurized water.
The pulse washer receives dirty bedding and water from a water
source to form a slurry. The pulse washer initially washes the
dirty bedding using a pulsing action to simultaneously wash the
manure, dirt, and sand from the dirty bedding to produce primary
dirty water and initially cleaned bedding. The pulse washer also
physically separates the heavier initially cleaned bedding from the
lighter waste material. The cleaning apparatus further includes a
vibratory washer connected to the water supply for receiving the
initially cleaned bedding from the pulse washer. The vibratory
washer finally washes the initially cleaned bedding to produce
finally cleaned bedding by vibrating and simultaneously spraying
the initially cleaned bedding with a plurality of sprays of high
pressure water. The plurality of sprays remove any primary dirty
water remaining from pulse washing, any loose pieces of solid
material of the initially cleaned bedding, and any light straws and
other remaining contaminates clinging to the initially cleaned
bedding to produce secondary dirty water. The input conveyor is for
transporting and portioning the dirty bedding onto the pulse
washer.
[0007] The primary water filtration device receives and filters the
primary dirty water from the pulse washer to remove the manure,
dirt, and sand, producing cleaned filtered water and a primary
sludge comprised primarily of manure which is periodically removed
from the primary water filtration device for use as fertilizer. A
portion of the cleaned filtered water is pumped back to the water
source and a portion of the cleaned filtered water is pumped back
to the pulse washer to form the slurry. The output conveyor is for
transporting the finally cleaned bedding from the vibratory washer
to a stockpile area for the finally cleaned bedding.
[0008] A preferred business method for recovering, cleaning, and
recycling dirty bedding used at customer sites in barns and stables
which house animals such as horses and cows that produce manure
includes the steps of negotiating a bedding cleaning and
replacement service contract with customers such as stable owners
and farmers to remove the manure contaminated dirty bedding and
replace with clean bedding, picking up the dirty bedding at a
customer's site, and transporting the dirty bedding to a cleaning
apparatus for cleaning. The dirty bedding is cleaned to form clean
bedding and transported back to the customer's site to replace the
dirty bedding. Periodic customer payments are received for the
bedding cleaning and replacement service. Operational expenses are
paid from the periodic customer payments, as well as replacement
filters and other regular plant maintenance. Contracts are
negotiated with bedding suppliers to furnish new bedding as needed.
The new bedding is ordered when needed and received, and the
bedding suppliers are paid from the periodic customer payments.
Profits are deposited at a bank for withdrawal as needed.
[0009] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0010] Various materials are spread over the floor and used to line
the floor of animal stalls such as used in barns to house horses
and cows. Some such bedding include the long used mainstay of
straw, and more recently developed bedding such as wood shavings,
sand, and most recently, particles of recycled rubber, or crumb
rubber. Regardless of what bedding is used, the bedding becomes
soiled by the manure and urine deposited on the bedding by the
animals. The contaminated bedding is typically manually removed by
use of a shovel or a pitchfork and a wheelbarrow. Manual separation
of the manure from the bedding using a shovel or pitchfork is
difficult and a time-intensive. Such separation is impractical if a
significant number of stalls are to be cleaned each day.
Consequently, the contaminated bedding may simply be collected and
thrown away and replaced by new bedding. This is wasteful and
increases the costs for housing and maintaining animals. If the
bedding could be efficiently cleaned and re-used and the manure
cleaned therefrom could be deposited on growing crops as a natural
fertilizer, this would be desirable.
[0011] Crumb rubber bedding has come from concern about the usual
disposal method for used tires of dumping the used tires in large
unsightly mounds. Crumb rubber is produced by grinding up used
tires forming rubber particles called crumb rubber which may be
recycled such as in making new rubber products, running tracks, and
the like. One such use found for the crumb rubber is as the bedding
for animals. The particles of crumb rubber are each between about
one-quarter to three-eights inch in size and roughly rectangular in
shape due to the manufacturing process. The rubber particle bedding
is typically applied in a layer four to five inches thick on the
floor of the stable.
[0012] There have been various devices designed for recycling
animal bedding contaminated with manure, dirt, sand, and straw,
some of which recycle wood shavings bedding, some recycle sand
bedding, and some recycle crumb rubber bedding. A mobile apparatus
for recovering wood shavings from the manure contained in the
shavings used in animal stalls is disclosed in Hart, U.S. Pat. No.
5,927,513, issued on Jul. 27, 1999. The apparatus comprises a
portable shaker frame which is inclined and suspended on springs
from a wheeled carriage. The springs permit the shaker frame to
vibrate relative to the carriage frame. The shaker frame includes a
plurality of longitudinally extending, parallel steel rods which
are spaced a distance sufficient to pass the wood shavings while
the manure slides downwardly along the rods into a collection
container for disposal. A vibrator motor is connected to the shaker
frame for imparting vibratory motion to the rods carried by the
shaker frame. The wood shavings are recovered for reuse and the
manure is separated therefrom for subsequent disposal.
[0013] A method and apparatus for the separation of sand bedding
contaminated with manure and other contaminates is disclosed in
Wedel, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,393, issued on Feb. 24, 1998. One
version of the apparatus includes a tank having an internal chamber
with an upper portion and a conical lower portion with a grate
between the two portions. The internal chamber of the tank is
filled with water and the sand bedding with contaminating manure is
dumped into the internal chamber to form the aqueous suspension
with the water. A flow of air and water agitates the mixture in the
aqueous suspension which causes the sand to separate from the
manure. The sand settles to the floor of the tank while the manure
remains suspended in the aqueous suspension.
[0014] Yacus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,624, issued on Jun. 3, 1980
reveals a method and apparatus for sanitizing rubber particles used
as bedding for animals such as horses. The method includes
vacuuming the rubber particles contaminated with manure into a
container until filled. The filled container is wheeled to and
secured onto a skip-hoist of the sanitizing apparatus. The
skip-hoist raises the filled container and deposits the
contaminated rubber particles contained therein into a holding
hopper. The contaminated rubber particles are fed from the holding
hopper through a meter at a uniform rate onto an orbiting screener.
An orbiting movement and the orientation of the orbiting screener
segregates contaminating manure and hay from the rubber particles.
The rubber particles are then steam cleaned, and fed onto a
leaf-type vibrating screener for drying, sanitizing, and spraying
with an insecticide. The sanitized rubber particles are vibratorily
moved off the screener into a container. Waste extracted from both
screens is conveyed onto an inclined platform for transport to a
waste collector.
[0015] There is a need for an apparatus and method of separating
bedding from manure and urine produced by the animals, along with
other contaminates such as dirt, sand, and straw in an efficient
manner for recycling the bedding, and utilizing the manure as a
natural fertilizer on crops.
[0016] It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an
apparatus and method for efficiently and cost-effectively cleaning
dirty bedding.
[0017] It is another object of the present invention to provide
such an apparatus and method wherein the manure may be collected
and re-used as a natural fertilizer on crops.
[0018] It is a still further object of the present invention to
provide such an apparatus which may be transportable to the
location of the farm for cleaning the bedding.
[0019] It is still another object of the present invention to
provide a business method for recycling bedding.
[0020] It is finally an object of the present invention to provide
a recycling plant to which the dirty bedding is transported for
cleaning which utilizes filtered water from a body of water to wash
the bedding, and which returns a portion of the water to the body
of water in an ecologically sound manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0021] The present invention accomplishes the above-stated
objectives, as well as others, as may be determined by a fair
reading and interpretation of the entire specification.
[0022] A method, a cleaning apparatus, a recycling plant, and
business method are provided for recovering, cleaning, and
recycling dirty bedding used in barns and stables which house
animals such as horses and cows that produce manure. The dirty
bedding includes bedding which is contaminated with animal manure
and urine produced by the animals, and other waste materials such
as straw, dirt, and sand.
[0023] The method includes the steps of: 1) portioning a desired
amount of dirty bedding onto a first screen of a pulse washer; 2)
pulse washing the dirty bedding to form initially cleaned bedding
by circulating the dirty bedding on the first screen to wash
manure, urine, dirt, and sand therefrom through the first screen to
produce primary dirty water in a tank of the pulse washer, and
physically separating on the first screen the initially cleaned
bedding from lighter contaminates such as straw; 3) transferring
the initially cleaned bedding separated from the lighter
contaminates onto a second screen of a vibratory washer; 4) final
washing the initially cleaned bedding to produce finally cleaned
bedding by vibrating and simultaneously spraying the initially
cleaned bedding with a plurality of sprays of high pressure water
to remove any primary dirty water remaining from the pulse washing,
any loose pieces of solid material of the initially cleaned
bedding, and any light straws and other remaining contaminates
clinging to the initially cleaned bedding to produce secondary
dirty water; and 5) unloading the finally cleaned bedding from the
vibratory washer.
[0024] The method preferably is conducted with crumb rubber
bedding, and includes the additional steps and modifications to
existing steps of: 1) collecting the dirty bedding from at least
one customer's site which houses animals that deposit manure onto
the bedding to produce the dirty bedding; 2) loading the dirty
bedding into a transport vehicle; 3) transporting the dirty bedding
to the cleaning facility; 4) unloading the dirty bedding from the
transport vehicle and stockpiling at the cleaning facility; 5)
loading the dirty bedding into an input hopper of an input conveyor
which portions the dirty bedding into the feed hopper; 6) feeding
water into the cleaning facility from an outside water source for
washing the dirty bedding; 7) portioning a desired amount of dirty
bedding into a feed hopper which feeds the dirty bedding onto a
first screen of a pulse washer, water being added into the feed
hopper as the dirty bedding is portioned to form a slurry fed onto
the first screen of the pulse washer; 8) the slurry is vibration
fed from the feed hopper onto the first screen of the pulse washer;
9) the dirty bedding is sprayed with water during pulse washing to
assist in washing; 10) filtering the primary dirty water to remove
the manure and other contaminates, producing cleaned filtered water
and a primary sludge comprised primarily of manure, the primary
sludge which is deposited into containers for later shipment to
farms as a fertilizer, at least a portion of the cleaned filtered
water which is used to wash the dirty bedding; 11) the initially
cleaned bedding is moved from the pulse washer to the vibration
washer by a method chosen from the set consisting of manually
dumping by hand and automatically pushed by pulsing of the pulse
washer; 12) filtering the secondary dirty water to remove solid
particles shaken free from the initially cleaned bedding and other
solid contaminates such as straw, producing cleaned filtered water
and a secondary sludge comprised primarily of the solid particles;
13) disposing of the secondary sludge; 14) recycling a portion of
the cleaned filtered water by combining with the water from the
water source to wash the dirty bedding and returning another
portion of the cleaned filtered water directly to the water source
after filtering; 15) unloading the finally cleaned bedding from the
vibratory washer includes passing the finally cleaned bedding
through an outlet screen onto an output conveyor that transports
the cleaned bedding to a desired location; 16) the finally cleaned
bedding is transported to the desired location is stockpiled; and
17) bagging the finally cleaned bedding stockpiled at the desired
location for subsequent shipment.
[0025] The cleaning apparatus includes in combination a pulse
washer and a vibratory washer. The pulse washer includes a main
frame, a feed hopper mounted on the main frame, a screen assembly,
an open topped tank, a pulse generating device, and a water
filtration system. The screen assembly has a first screen mounted
on an upstanding peripheral frame for receiving dirty bedding from
the feed hopper. The open topped tank has a bottom wall which is
inwardly tapered toward a drain hole of the tank, and at least one
upstanding peripheral wall. The screen assembly is supported over
the tank by the main frame. The tank has a vertically disposed
divider wall disposed above the drain hole which forms the tank
into separate pool portions. The pulse generating device includes a
movable diaphragm is disposed within a housing through the divider
wall that is reciprocally driven by a drive device operatively
connected thereto. The pulse washer initially washes the dirty
bedding using a pulsing action imparted to water contained within
the tank. This creates a differential height which alternates
between the pool portions to alternately wash over the first screen
and the dirty bedding to simultaneously wash the manure, urine,
dirt, and sand from the dirty bedding. This is washed into the tank
to produce primary dirty water and initially cleaned bedding. This
also physically separates the heavier initially cleaned bedding
from the lighter waste material on the first screen. The water
filtration system includes piping leading from the drain hole of
the tank, through a pump which moves the primary dirty water
through the water filtration system, and a filter. The filter
removes the manure, dirt, and sand from the primary dirty water as
a sludge and produces cleaned filtered water. The piping leads to
the feed hopper such that the cleaned filtered water is circulated
back to the feed hopper to moisten the dirty bedding into a slurry
prior to being received on the first screen of the screen
assembly.
[0026] The vibratory washer includes a support frame, a funnel
having a large inlet and a small outlet mounted to the support
frame, a vibrator assembly, and an overhead spray system. The
vibrator assembly has a second screen for receiving the initially
cleaned bedding from the pulse washer. The vibrator assembly is
supported by a peripheral frame resiliently mounted on the support
frame above the funnel on a plurality of resilient mounts. The
vibrator assembly is vibrated by a vibrator device mounted thereto.
The overhead spray system includes a first water pipe disposed
generally above the vibrator assembly which is connectable to a
water supply pipe for supplying pressurized water. A plurality of
downwardly oriented high pressure spray nozzles are operatively
associated with the first water pipe for providing a plurality of
sprays of rinsing water onto the initially washed bedding on the
second screen of the vibrator assembly. The vibratory washer
finally washes the initially cleaned bedding to produce finally
cleaned bedding by vibrating and simultaneously spraying the
initially cleaned bedding with a plurality of sprays of high
pressure water from the high pressure spray nozzles. The plurality
of sprays remove any primary dirty water remaining from pulse
washing, any loose pieces of solid material of the initially
cleaned bedding, and any light straws and other remaining
contaminates clinging to the initially cleaned bedding to produce
secondary dirty water.
[0027] The recycling plant includes in combination, the cleaning
apparatus, an input conveyor, a primary water filtration device,
and an output conveyor. The cleaning apparatus includes the pulse
washer connected to a water supply for supplying pressurized water.
The pulse washer receives dirty bedding and water from a water
source to form a slurry. The pulse washer initially washes the
dirty bedding using a pulsing action to simultaneously wash the
manure, dirt, and sand from the dirty bedding to produce primary
dirty water and initially cleaned bedding. The pulse washer also
physically separates the heavier initially cleaned bedding from the
lighter waste material. The cleaning apparatus further includes a
vibratory washer connected to the water supply for receiving the
initially cleaned bedding from the pulse washer. The vibratory
washer finally washes the initially cleaned bedding to produce
finally cleaned bedding by vibrating and simultaneously spraying
the initially cleaned bedding with a plurality of sprays of high
pressure water. The plurality of sprays remove any primary dirty
water remaining from pulse washing, any loose pieces of solid
material of the initially cleaned bedding, and any light straws and
other remaining contaminates clinging to the initially cleaned
bedding to produce secondary dirty water. The input conveyor is for
transporting and portioning the dirty bedding onto the pulse
washer.
[0028] The primary water filtration device receives and filters the
primary dirty water from the pulse washer to remove the manure,
dirt, and sand, producing cleaned filtered water and a primary
sludge comprised primarily of manure which is periodically removed
from the primary water filtration device for use as fertilizer. A
portion of the cleaned filtered water is pumped back to the water
source and a portion of the cleaned filtered water is pumped back
to the pulse washer to form the slurry. The output conveyor is for
transporting the finally cleaned bedding from the vibratory washer
to a stockpile area for the finally cleaned bedding.
[0029] The business method includes the steps of 1) negotiating a
bedding cleaning and replacement service contract with customers
such as stable owners and farmers to remove the manure contaminated
dirty bedding and replace with clean bedding; 2) picking up the
dirty bedding at a customer's site; 3) transporting the dirty
bedding to a cleaning apparatus for cleaning; 4) cleaning the dirty
bedding to form clean bedding; and 5) transporting cleaned bedding
to a customer's site to replace the dirty bedding.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] Various other objects, advantages, and features of the
invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the
following discussion taken in conjunction with the following
drawings, in which:
[0031] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the preferred method for
recovery, cleaning, and recycling animal bedding, showing the steps
involved in converting dirty bedding into cleaned bedding, manure
sludge for fertilizing crops, and fine solid particulate waste
which is disposed of.
[0032] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the preferred cleaning
apparatus with a pair of conveyors respectively feeding dirty
bedding to the cleaning apparatus and transporting cleaned bedding
from the cleaning apparatus.
[0033] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the cleaning apparatus with
conveyors with the bedding.
[0034] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the
cleaning apparatus with conveyors, showing the pulse washer and the
vibratory washer.
[0035] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pulse washer and the
vibratory washer of the cleaning apparatus separate from the
conveyors.
[0036] FIG. 6 is a perspective view in partial longitudinal
cross-section of the pulse washer separate from the vibratory
washer.
[0037] FIG. 7 is a side elevational view in partial longitudinal
cross-section of the pulse washer separate from the vibratory
washer.
[0038] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the vibratory washer
separate from the pulse washer.
[0039] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the preferred method of doing
business, showing the showing the steps involved in running a
business utilizing the method of recovering, cleaning, and
recycling bedding.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0040] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention
are disclosed herein, however, it is to be understood that the
disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which
may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural
and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted
as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a
representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to
variously employ the present invention in virtually any
appropriately detailed structure.
[0041] Reference is now made to the drawings, wherein like
characteristics and features of the present invention shown in the
various FIGURES are designated by the same reference numerals.
First Preferred Embodiment
[0042] The method is for recovering, cleaning, and recycling animal
bedding used in barns and stables which house animals such as
horses and cows that produce manure. The dirty bedding includes
bedding which is contaminated with animal manure and urine produced
by the animals, and other waste materials such as straw, dirt, and
sand.
[0043] Referring to FIG. 1, the method for recovering, cleaning,
and recycling animal bedding 20 begins by collecting the dirty
bedding from at least one customer's site which houses animals that
deposit manure onto the bedding to produce the dirty bedding. The
dirty bedding is scooped up from barns and stables housing the
animals, preferably crumb rubber bedding though wood chips and
other solid bedding may be used, using shovels and wheelbarrows,
block 22. The dirty bedding is loaded onto a transport vehicle such
as a truck, block 24. An example of a suitable truck would be one
which is capable of holding wet materials with a maximum load
capacity of about ten tons. The truck transports the dirty bedding
to a cleaning facility or plant, block 25. The transported dirty
bedding is unloaded from the truck and is stockpiled on the ground
close to the cleaning plant. The dirty bedding is loaded into an
input hopper which feeds an input conveyor which portions a desired
amount of the dirty bedding into a feed hopper of a cleaning
apparatus within the cleaning plant, blocks 26, 28. A small front
end loader is advantageously employed to load the dirty bedding
into the input at the cleaning plant. The plant is designed to
clean and separate the bedding from contaminates and other waste
products contained therewith to produce cleaned bedding. Water is
added into the feed hopper as the dirty bedding is portioned to
form a slurry, block 31. The water for washing the dirty bedding is
fed into the cleaning facility from an outside water source, block
33 is pumped into the plant, block 35. The slurry is vibration fed
from the feed hopper onto a first screen of the pulse washer, block
37. The dirty bedding in the form of a slurry is pulse washed to
form initially cleaned bedding and primary dirty water containing
the manure, urine, dirt, and sand, and to physically separate the
initially cleaned bedding from lighter contaminates such as straw.
The slurry is also sprayed with water during pulse washing to
assist in washing, block 39. The primary dirty water is pumped
through a filter to remove the manure and other contaminates,
producing cleaned filtered water and a primary sludge comprised
primarily of manure, block 41. The primary sludge comprised
primarily of manure is removed from the filter and deposited into
drums for containment and later resale and shipment to farms as a
fertilizer, block 43. Some of the cleaned filtered water is
returned to the water source for later pumping into the cleaning
plant, block 45. Some of the cleaned filtered water is immediately
recycled by combining with water from the water source entering the
feed hopper to wash the dirty bedding, block 47. The initially
cleaned bedding separated from the lighter contaminates is moved
manually by hand or is automatically pushed by the pulse washer
onto a vibratory washer. The vibratory washer final washes the
initially cleaned bedding to produce finally cleaned bedding by
vibrating and simultaneously spraying the initially cleaned bedding
with a plurality of sprays of high pressure water to remove any
primary dirty water remaining from the pulse washing. Any loose
pieces of solid material such as fine rubber particles along with
other solid waste clinging to the initially cleaned bedding, and
any light straws clinging to the initially cleaned bedding are
washed away to produce secondary dirty water containing primarily
fine rubber particles from the crumb rubber bedding, block 49. The
finally cleaned bedding is unloaded from the vibratory washer and
transported to a stockpile of cleaned bedding, block 51. The
unloading preferably includes passing the finally cleaned bedding
through an outlet screen to remove any stray straws, onto an output
conveyor that transports the cleaned bedding to a desired location
where it is stockpiled. The finally cleaned bedding that is
stockpiled is bagged using a bagging device for subsequent shipment
to end users, block 53. The secondary dirty water is filtered to
remove solid particles shaken free from the initially cleaned
bedding, producing cleaned filtered water and a secondary sludge
comprised primarily of rubber particles, block 55. Some of the
cleaned filtered water is returned to the water source for later
pumping into the cleaning plant, block 45. Some of the cleaned
filtered water is immediately recycled by combining with water from
the water source entering the feed hopper to wash the dirty
bedding, block 47. The secondary sludge comprised primarily of
rubber particles is removed from the filter and is disposed of,
block 59.
Second Preferred Embodiment
[0044] Referring to FIGS. 2-5, the cleaning portion of the method
of recovering, cleaning, and recycling animal bedding is carried
out using a cleaning apparatus 62 comprising in combination a pulse
washer 65 and a vibratory washer 68. A front end loader (not shown)
loads dirty bedding 71 preferably in the form of crumb rubber,
though wood chips, or other bedding 74 may be used (hereinafter all
referred to as bedding) contaminated with waste material 77 such as
straw, manure, sand, and silt is loaded into a feed hopper (not
shown) which feeds an input conveyor 80. Individual particles of
the crumb rubber bedding are of a size ranging from about
one-quarter to three-eights inch in roughly rectangular
cross-section, and from about one-quarter inch to four inches in
length. Rubber particles should have reasonably good integrity so
as not to disintegrate upon application of moderate mechanical
handling. The dirty bedding 71 is portioned from the feed hopper by
the input conveyor 80 and dumped into a feed hopper 83 mounted on a
main frame 86 of the pulse washer 65. Water enters the feed hopper
83 through a pipe 89 to moisten the dirty bedding 71 to a slurry
92. The slurry 92 flows from the feed hopper 83 onto a removable
screen assembly 95 having a first screen 98 mounted on an
upstanding rigid peripheral frame 101 for receiving dirty bedding
71 in the form of slurry 92 from the feed hopper 83, with a
plurality of gripping handles 104 for lifting. The first screen 98
has openings (not shown) of a smaller size than the size of the
bedding 74 in the slurry 92 so as to be retained thereon while
permitting smaller particles such as the manure, dirt, and sand to
fall through. The feed hopper 83 is preferably of a vibratory type
which vibrates to feed the slurry 92 onto the first screen 98.
[0045] The screen assembly 95 is supported by the main frame 86
over an open topped tank 107. An overhead spray system 108 includes
a plurality of capped end transverse water pipes 110 are disposed
over the screen assembly 95 and tank 107 and over the vibratory
washer 68, which extend laterally from a longitudinally extending
main water pipe 113 disposed laterally above and along the screen
assembly 95 of the pulse washer 65 and the vibratory washer 68, the
transverse water pipes which extend over the first screen 98 of
screen assembly 95 and over the vibratory washer 68. A plurality of
sprays 116 of wash water are emitted from respective downwardly
oriented spray nozzles 119 affixed to transverse water pipes 110
onto the slurry 92 on the first screen 98 of the pulse washer 65.
The wash water comes through a pipe 122 that is connectable to a
water supply pipe (not shown) for supplying pressurized water,
pumped by a wash water pump 125, into the main water pipe 113. A
hand valve 128 controls the flow of wash water through pipe
113.
[0046] As best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the pulse washer 65 washes
the slurry 92 using a pulsing action imparted to water contained
within the tank 107 to remove loose, fine particulates such as
manure, sand, and silt forming primary dirty water 131 contained in
separate pool portions 134 and 137 formed in tank 107 by a
vertically disposed divider wall 140 of the tank 107. The pulsing
action is imparted by a pulse generating device 141, creating a
differential height "H" which alternates between pool portions 134
and 137 to alternately wash over the first screen 98 and the dirty
bedding in the form of slurry 92 to wash the waste materials 77 of
manure, urine, dirt, and sand from the dirty bedding, which is
washed into the tank 107 to produce primary dirty water 131 and
initially cleaned bedding 138. Additionally, the pulse washer 65
washes the slurry 92 using sprays 139 of wash water into the
primary dirty water 131. The lighter waste material 77 such straw
is separated from the bedding 74, both remaining on the first
screen 98 but separated thereon due to the higher mobility of the
straw and other lighter waste material 77 following waves created
by the pulsing water. The result is pulse washer 65 washing and
physically separating the heavier bedding 74 from the lighter waste
material 77 on the first screen 98.
[0047] The pulse generating device 141 includes a movable diaphragm
143 which is disposed within a flattened cylindrical housing 146
through the divider wall 140, which diaphragm 143 is reciprocally
driven by a drive device 147 operatively connected thereto. Drive
device 147 includes an electric motor 149 connected to main frame
86 which drives a wheel 152 with a shaft 155 having a drive end 158
eccentrically pivotally connected thereto, shaft 155 extending into
the tank 101 at a seal assembly 161 having an annular bellows 164.
A driven end 167 of shaft 155 is centrally connected to the
diaphragm 143.
[0048] The primary dirty water 131 is pumped into a water
filtration system 168 through a rectangular drain hole 170 disposed
below the divider wall 140 through a bottom wall 173 that is
inwardly tapered toward the drain hole 170 of the tank between an
upstanding peripheral wall 171, through a funnel adapter 176, into
a pipe 179 leading to a water recirculating pump 182 which moves
the primary dirty water 131 through the water filtration system
168. The primary dirty water 131 exits from pump 182 through a pipe
185 that goes through a primary filter 188 that removes the waste
material 77 such as the manure, dirt, and sand from the primary
dirty water 131 as a primary sludge 191 comprising mostly manure,
producing cleaned filtered water 183. The cleaned filtered water
183 that has passed through the primary filter 188 is recycled to
wash dirty bedding 71 by circulating through the pipe 89 back to
the feed hopper 83 to moisten the dirty bedding 71 into the slurry
92 for washing prior to being received on the first screen 98 of
the screen assembly 95. The primary sludge 191, comprising mostly
manure and minimal primary dirty water 131 filtered out by primary
filter 188, is removed daily from the primary filter 188 for use as
fertilizer for crops. The flow of cleaned filtered water 183 is
controlled using a pair of hand valves 194 and 195. Replacement
water 197 is added to the piping of the water filtration system 168
from a water supply pipe (not shown) for supplying pressurized
water through a pipe 200 leading into pipe 179 through a water
valve 203 for adding replacement wash water.
[0049] Referring to FIG. 8, with the majority of the waste material
77 removed, the separated initially cleaned bedding 138 on the
first screen 98 is gradually moved off the screen assembly 95 by
the pulsating of the primary dirty water 131 within tank 107 over
the first screen 98 onto a second screen 206 of a vibrator assembly
209 of the vibratory washer 68. The second screen 206 has openings
(not shown) of a smaller size than the size of the bedding 74 so as
to be retained thereon while permitting smaller particles such as
the manure, dirt, and sand to fall through. The vibrator assembly
209 includes an upstanding rigid peripheral frame 212 which
supports the second screen 206, with a rectangular arch portion 215
extending thereabove. The vibrator assembly 209 is resiliently
mounted on a support frame 218 of the vibratory washer 68 over a
flat walled funnel 221 mounted to the peripheral frame 212 on a
plurality of resilient mounts in the form of upright springs 224.
The vibrator assembly 209 is vibrated by a vibrator device in the
form of an electric vibrator 227 mounted atop the arch portion 215.
The vibratory motion imparted ma be vertical, orbital, or a
combination thereof including random. A plurality of very high
pressure, high velocity sprays 228 of rinsing water are emitted
from respective downwardly oriented high pressure spray nozzles 230
affixed to transverse water pipes 110 of overhead spray system 108
onto the initially cleaned bedding 138 for a final wash on the
second screen 206, and removal of any lighter waste materials such
as straws that may cling to the bedding 74. The vibratory washer 68
finally washes the initially cleaned bedding 138 to produce finally
cleaned bedding 231 by vibrating and simultaneously spraying the
initially cleaned bedding 138 with the plurality of high velocity
sprays 228 of wash water from the spray nozzles 230 over the
vibratory washer 68 onto the initially cleaned bedding 138. The
plurality of high velocity sprays 228 remove any primary dirty
water 131 remaining from pulse washing, any loose solid pieces of
solid material, and any light straws and other remaining
contaminates of waste material 77 to produce secondary dirty water
232. The wash water comes from the water source through the pipe
122, pumped by the wash water pump 125, into the pipe 113. The hand
valve 128 controls the flow of wash water through pipe 113. The
wash water from nozzles 230 flows into a large inlet 233 of the
flat walled funnel 221 and through a small outlet 236 thereof as
secondary dirty water containing fine rubber particles and other
solid particulates shaken from the initially cleaned bedding 138
into an outlet pipe (not shown) for subsequent filtering and
recycling of the cleaned filtered water 183 and disposal of a
secondary sludge (not shown) filtered therefrom.
[0050] With the remainder of the waste material 77 and primary
dirty water 131 removed, the finally cleaned bedding 231 gradually
move off an outlet edge 242 of the second screen 206 of the
vibrator assembly 209 due to a slight longitudinal downward incline
of second screen 206 from an inlet edge 245 thereof to outlet edge
242 such that the finally cleaned bedding 231 is automatically
offloaded from the vibratory washer 68 by vibration of the second
screen 206. The finally cleaned bedding 231 passes through an
outlet screen 248 affixed to the vibrator assembly 209 adjacent the
outlet edge 242 of the second screen 206 through which the finally
cleaned bedding 231 passes during offloading to retain any
remaining waste material 77, primarily straw. The finally cleaned
bedding 231 is offloaded onto a output conveyor 251 that transports
the finally cleaned bedding 231 to a stock pile 254 or to a
manually operated combination bin collector and bagging device (not
shown).
Third Preferred Embodiment
[0051] A recycling plant (not shown) for cleaning bedding,
preferably crumb rubber bedding, includes one or more of the
cleaning apparatuses described above. The dirty bedding is
stockpiled outside the recycling plant and is loaded into an input
hopper which feeds an input conveyor. The input conveyor portions
the dirty bedding into the feed hopper of the pulse washer, a
primary water filtration device, and an output conveyor. The
recycling plant receives water for washing the dirty bedding which
is pumped from an outside body of water such as a lake, river, or
well. A water pumping system pumps and filters the water prior to
use for washing bedding. A primary water filtration device receives
and filters the primary dirty water produced by the pulse washer
and removes the manure, dirt, and sand, producing cleaned filtered
water and the primary sludge comprised of manure. The primary
sludge is periodically removed and packaged in containers for
shipment to farms and other end users as fertilizer. A secondary
water filtration device receives and filters the secondary dirty
water from the vibratory washer to remove solid particles shaken
free from the initially cleaned bedding and other solid
contaminates such as straw, producing cleaned filtered water and a
secondary sludge comprised primarily of the solid particles which
is periodically removed from said secondary water filtration device
and disposed of. The water pumping system recycles a portion of the
cleaned filtered water by combining the portion with the water from
the outside body of water to wash the dirty bedding and to return a
portion of the cleaned filtered water to the outside body of water.
The output conveyor transports the finally cleaned bedding from the
vibratory washer to a stockpile area for the finally cleaned
bedding. A bagging machine bags the stockpiled finally cleaned
bedding for subsequent shipment back to farms and stables for
re-use as bedding.
[0052] A typical cleaning plant would be designed to handle ten
tons of dirty bedding per day. The cleaning plant would pump about
fifty tons of water per day from the water source, preferably a
lake or river, and return about ten tons of water per day returned
to the lake as cleaned filtered water. The removal and return of
water requires compliance with laws and regulations governing clean
water removal and return to lakes including those of the
Environmental Protection for water quality and management. The
water from the water source must be reasonably clean and available
in quantities of at least fifty gallons per minute. The cleaning
plant filters removes all contaminates and waste materials from the
bedding during cleaning to an acceptable level for reuse as new
bedding. The cleaning plant stockpiles the cleaned bedding for
bagging or other packaging. The plant may be mobile such as the
cleaning apparatus being mounted on the trailer of a tractor
trailer rig for transport to and from customer sites.
Fourth Preferred Embodiment
[0053] Referring to FIG. 9, the business method 257 for recovering,
cleaning, and recycling dirty bedding used at customer sites in
barns and stables which house animals such as horses and cows that
produce manure begins by a corporate entity 260 negotiating
transactions with bedding suppliers to supply new bedding as
needed, block 263. The bedding preferably comprises crumb rubber.
The corporate entity 260 negotiates bedding cleaning and
replacement service contracts with customers such as stable owners
and farmers, the customers, to remove the manure contaminated dirty
bedding and replace with clean bedding, block 266. The dirty
bedding is picked up from the customer's site, transported to the
cleaning plant, and cleaned, block 269. The cleaned bedding is
transported back to the customer's site and replaces dirty bedding
in the stalls and barns, block 272. The corporate entity 260 bills
customers and receives periodic customer payments for the bedding
cleaning and replacement service, block 275. The corporate entity
260 pays operational costs including utilities, overheads, and rent
for picking up, cleaning, and replacing the dirty bedding from the
customer payments, block 278. The corporate entity 260 replaces all
filters as needed and pays for regular maintenance for the cleaning
plant from the customer payments, block 281. The corporate entity
260 orders replacement new bedding from bedding suppliers as
needed, receives the new bedding, and pays for the new bedding
received, block 284. Profits are retained at a bank and drawn by
the corporate entity 260 as needed, block 287.
[0054] Many variations of the present invention are possible while
staying within the same inventive concept. For example, an
insecticide may be sprayed from a spray fogger after cleaning onto
the bedding to repel or kill flies and other insects which are
attracted to manure on the bedding. The bedding may be vibration
dried by turning off the flow of water prior to unloading onto the
output conveyor, heat dried, or even sterilized using heat or
chemicals prior to unloading. Various types of conveyors may be
used, such as centerless conveyor with spiral flights, a conveyor
with screw-driven and centered V-rams, and a conveyor with both
center axis and spiral flights, and the like. The entire cleaning
apparatus may be truck mounted, skid mounted, or free standing, and
can be manually or automatically operated. The cleaning device may
be adapted for use with other types of animal bedding such as
crushed walnut shells or corn cobs, though this likely necessitates
sanitizing, drying, and possibly application of an insecticide due
to the possibility of decay and mold forming.
[0055] While the invention has been described, disclosed,
illustrated and shown in various terms or certain embodiments or
modifications which it has assumed in practice, the scope of the
invention is not intended to be, nor should it be deemed to be,
limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may
be suggested by the teaching herein are particularly reversed
especially as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims
here appended.
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