Method for the composting of organic materials
First Claim
1. A modular system for composting organic waste materials comprising a plurality of self-contained modular containers including a first modular container and a plurality of second modular containers for holding predetermined amounts of said organic waste materials for substantially the entire composting period, said plurality of modular containers having a size such that a relatively uniform temperature profile may be maintained within each of said plurality of modular containers, said first modular container holding said predetermined amount of said organic waste material which has been composting for a first period of time and said plurality of second modular containers holding said predetermined amounts of said organic waste material which have been composting for a plurality of second periods of time, said plurality of second periods of time being progressively shorter than said first period of time, each of said first and said plurality of second modular containers including air inlet means and exhaust means whereby air may be circulated through said predetermined amounts of said organic waste materials in each of said first and said plurality of second modular containers, temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature in said first and said plurality of second modular containers, interconnection means for selectively interconnecting said first modular container with a selected one of said plurality of second modular containers based upon said measured temperature of said selected one of said second plurality of containers being less than said temperature of said first modular container by a predetermined temperature difference, and circulation means for circulating ambient air separately through said first and said selected one of said plurality of second modular containers and for alternatively circulating ambient air through said first modular container and circulating said air from said exhaust means of said first modular container to the air inlet means of said selected one of said plurality of second modular containers, so as to accelerate the composting of said organic waste material in said selected one of said plurality of second modular containers.
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Abstract
Modular systems are disclosed for composting organic waste. The systems include a number of modular containers for holding predetermined amounts of the organic waste materials, these amounts being selected such that a relatively uniform temperature profile may be maintained within each of the modular containers. Each of the containers also includes an air inlet and an exhaust so that air may be circulated through the organic waste materials in each of the modular containers, a temperature probe for measuring the temperature in the modular containers, and a fan for circulating air from the exhaust of a first modular container to the air inlet of a second modular container when the temperature in the second modular container is greater than the temperature in the first modular container by a predetermined temperature difference, so as to accelerate the composting of said organic waste material.
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Citations
39 Claims
- 1. A modular system for composting organic waste materials comprising a plurality of self-contained modular containers including a first modular container and a plurality of second modular containers for holding predetermined amounts of said organic waste materials for substantially the entire composting period, said plurality of modular containers having a size such that a relatively uniform temperature profile may be maintained within each of said plurality of modular containers, said first modular container holding said predetermined amount of said organic waste material which has been composting for a first period of time and said plurality of second modular containers holding said predetermined amounts of said organic waste material which have been composting for a plurality of second periods of time, said plurality of second periods of time being progressively shorter than said first period of time, each of said first and said plurality of second modular containers including air inlet means and exhaust means whereby air may be circulated through said predetermined amounts of said organic waste materials in each of said first and said plurality of second modular containers, temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature in said first and said plurality of second modular containers, interconnection means for selectively interconnecting said first modular container with a selected one of said plurality of second modular containers based upon said measured temperature of said selected one of said second plurality of containers being less than said temperature of said first modular container by a predetermined temperature difference, and circulation means for circulating ambient air separately through said first and said selected one of said plurality of second modular containers and for alternatively circulating ambient air through said first modular container and circulating said air from said exhaust means of said first modular container to the air inlet means of said selected one of said plurality of second modular containers, so as to accelerate the composting of said organic waste material in said selected one of said plurality of second modular containers.
- 14. A method for composting organic waste materials comprising supplying predetermined amounts of said organic waste martial to a plurality of modular containers including a first modular container and a plurality of second modular containers, holding said predetermined amount of said organic waste material which has been composting for a first period of time in said first modular container and holding said predetermined amounts of said organic waste material which have been composting for a plurality of second periods of time in said plurality of second modular containers, said second periods of time being progressively shorter than said first period of time, said predetermined amounts being selected so that a relatively uniform temperature profile may be maintained within each of said plurality of modular containers, circulating air through said predetermined amounts of said organic waste material in each of said first and said plurality of second modular containers, measuring the temperature in said first and said plurality of second modular containers, interconnecting said first modular container with a selected one of said plurality of second modular containers based upon the measured temperature of said selected one of said plurality of second modular containers being less than said measured temperature of said first modular container by a predetermined temperature difference, and circulation at least a portion of said air which has passed through said organic waste material in said first modular container to said organic waste material in said selected one of said second modular containers, so as to accelerate the composting of said organic waste material in said selected one of said second modular containers.
- 25. A modular system for composting organic waste materials comprising a plurality of modular containers including a first modular container and a second modular container for holding predetermined amounts of said organic waste materials for substantially the entire composting period, said plurality of modular containers having a size such that a relatively uniform temperature profile may be maintained in each of said plurality of modular containers, each of said first and second modular containers including air inlet means and exhaust means whereby air may be circulated through said predetermined amount of said organic waste materials in a first direction from said air inlet means to said exhaust means in each of said first and second modular containers, temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature in said first and second modular containers, and circulation means for circulating ambient air separately through said first and second modular containers in said first direction and for alternatively circulating ambient air through said first modular container in said first direction and circulating said air from said exhaust means of said first modular container to said air inlet means of said second modular container for circulating said air through said second modular container in said first direction, when said temperature in said first modular container is greater than said temperature in said second modular container by a predetermined temperature difference, so as to accelerate the composting of said organic waste material in said second modular container.
- 29. A modular system for composting organic waste materials composting a plurality of self-contained modular containers including a first modular container and a plurality of second modular containers for holding predetermined amounts of said organic waste materials for substantially the entire composting period, said plurality of modular containers having a size such that a relatively uniform temperature profile may be maintained within each of said plurality of modular containers, said first modular container holding said predetermined amount of said organic waste material which has been composting for a first period of time and said plurality of second modular containers holding said predetermined amounts of said organic waste material which have been composting for a plurality of second periods of time, said plurality of second periods of time being progressively shorter than said first period of time, each of said first and second modular containers including air inlet means and exhaust means whereby air may be circulated through said predetermined amounts of said organic waste materials in each of said first and said plurality of second modular containers, temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature in said first and said plurality of second modular containers, interconnection means for interconnecting said first modular container with a selected one of said plurality of second modular containers based upon said measured temperature of said selected one of said plurality of second modular containers being less than said measured temperature of said first modular container by a predetermined temperature difference, and circulation means for circulating air from said exhaust means of said first modular container to said air inlet means of said selected one of said plurality of several modular containers.
- 34. A method for composting organic waste materials comprising supplying a first predetermined amount of said organic waste material to a first modular container, composting said first predetermined amount of said organic waste material in said first modular container for a first period of time, supplying a second predetermined amount of said organic waste material to a second modular container, composting said second predetermined amount of said organic waste material in said second modular container for a second period of time, said first period of time being longer than said second period of time whereby said organic waste material in said first modular container has progressed to a greater degree of composting than said organic waste material in said second modular container, and each of said first and second predetermined amounts of said organic waste material in said first and second modular containers being selected so that a relatively uniform temperature profile may be maintained within each of said modular containers, and being entirely composed of organic waste material which has been composting for substantially the same periods of time, circulating air through said predetermined amounts of said organic waste material in each of said first and second modular containers during said first and second periods of time, and circulating at least a portion of said air which has passed through said organic waste material in said first modular container to said organic waste material in said second modular container when said temperature in said first modular container is greater than said temperature in said second modular container by a predetermined temperature difference, so as to accelerate the composting of said organic waste material in said second modular container.
Specification