IT202300008703A1 - WORM COLLECTION MACHINE FOR VERMICOMPOST PRODUCTION - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

of the patent for industrial invention entitled:

"WORM COLLECTION MACHINE FOR VERMICOMPOST PRODUCTION"

The present invention relates to a worm farming machine for the production of vermicompost.

Vermiculture, or vermicomposting, involves the breeding of earthworms which, through a natural process, are able to transform organic materials such as manure (matrix) into earthworm humus (vermicompost), which is recognized as an excellent soil improver and has proven to be extremely effective as a nutrient for crops. In fact, vermicompost is considered very important for soil fertility as it contains high quantities of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium.

In particular, the Eisenia fetida and/or Eisenia Andrei, also called the California red earthworm, is an earthworm specialized in the consumption of decomposing organic matter, which activates a biodegradation process with the combined action of microorganisms, managing to transform organic waste into precious earthworm humus.

In other words, vermicompost is a biological organic fertilizer obtained from the digestion of earthworms, which transform the organic matrix, such as manure (horse and/or bovine and/or ovine and/or swine), into a product rich in nutrients. Once digestion is complete, the earthworm migrates to another organic matrix, leaving the finished vermicompost ready to be collected in the lower part.

In recent times, earthworm farming has had an ever-increasing success as it is a totally ecological activity and, at the same time, quite profitable as it requires extremely low initial investments, if carried out with traditional methods.

Generally, in fact, earthworm farming is carried out either on the ground, in confined portions of land, or inside special tanks called litters. In both cases, earthworms are provided with organic matrix (manure (horse and/or bovine and/or sheep and/or pig) previously matured according to the characteristics of each of the types of manure described above. Once the time necessary for the earthworms to transform the organic matrix into vermicompost has elapsed, the same is collected, separating it from the organic matrix not yet transformed, by the earthworms themselves.

The difficulty encountered by the vermiculture methods used up to now concerns the separation between the vermicompost produced and the organic matrix present which has not yet been digested by the earthworms.

As can be easily understood, the above mentioned difficulty necessarily reflects on the quality of the vermicompost obtained, contaminated for example by soil, by the various forms of life present in the soil, by the organic matter not digested by the earthworms. All this generates a vermicompost with characteristics of not high purity, in particular if this is intended for its commercialization.

To resolve these difficulties, solutions have been adopted which, however, either do not guarantee effective separation of the vermicompost from the organic matrix or are extremely complex and expensive to the point of compromising the overall economic viability of vermiculture.

Furthermore, for obvious reasons of productivity, it is important that the collection of vermicompost does not affect the earthworm breeding process. In other words, it is appropriate that the process of reproduction of earthworms and that of bio-degradation of manure should not be slowed down, or in any case hindered, during the collection of vermicompost.

There was, therefore, a need for a simple and economical solution that would guarantee effective separation of the vermicompost from the manure and that, at the same time, would ensure the absence of conditioning of the earthworm culture during the vermicompost collection.

The Applicant has satisfied the above-mentioned need by creating a machine capable of separating and collecting vermicompost more effectively than prior art systems and without, for this reason, interrupting or conditioning the earthworm farming process in any way.

The subject of the present invention is a vermicomposting machine; said machine being characterized in that it comprises (i) a composting chamber in which organic matter is converted into vermicompost and defined by a side wall and a support net; (ii) collection means arranged under the support net and arranged to receive the vermicompost formed once it has passed through the support net; and (iii) a cutting bar housed inside said composting chamber and arranged to slide on a plane parallel to said support net; said cutting bar being arranged above said support net.

Here and in the following the spatial references of the components such as "below", "above" etc. refer to the machine as arranged during its operation as illustrated in the attached figures.

Further advantageous features of the present invention are set forth in the dependent claims.

Preferably, said machine comprises at least one motorized system connected to said cutting bar and/or to said organic matter feeding means to produce its movement.

In the following, an embodiment will be described for illustrative and non-limiting purposes with the aid of the attached figures, in which:

- Figure 1 is a top perspective view of the earthworm harvesting machine of the present invention with parts removed for clarity; and

- Figure 2 is a perspective view of a sectional element of the earthworm harvester of Figure 1.

In figure 1, the earthworm harvesting machine which is the object of the present invention is indicated as a whole with 1.

Machine 1 comprises a composting chamber 2 defined by a rectangular support net 3 and by four side walls 4 and 5 arranged to contain the organic matter that rests on the support net 3.

In particular, the side walls 4 and 5 define a parallelepiped-shaped composting chamber closed laterally by two short walls 4 and two long walls 5.

The support net 3 is made of stainless galvanized steel while the side walls 4 and 5 are made of polypropylene and have a light color functional for the positioning of the earthworms as will be described below.

The support net 3 has square meshes with sides preferably equal to 4 cm.

The machine 1 comprises a cutting bar 6 also made of stainless galvanized steel, which slides along the entire extension of the support net 3 on a plane parallel to it. The cutting bar 6 has the function of separating the vermicompost produced from the organic matrix (horse and/or bovine and/or ovine and/or swine manure) and promoting its fall through the support net 3. The cutting bar has a length equal to the transverse extension of the support net 3 and is designed to slide along the entire longitudinal extension of the support net 6 itself.

In particular, the cutting bar is supported at the ends by two sled elements arranged to slide at low friction along respective tracks, which extend along the longitudinal sides of the support net 3.

The movement of the cutting bar 6 can be carried out either manually by means of a simple winch, or by means of an electric motor 7 illustrated schematically in figure 1. In both cases the bar will be connected to a closed chain engaged by the winch or by the motor 7.

As illustrated in figure 2, the cutting bar 6 has a cross-section of substantially trapezoidal shape with rounded edges and has a flat lower surface 6a and an upper surface 6b of extremely small dimensions compared to the lower surface 6a.

A plurality of teeth 8 extend from the upper surface 6b and are arranged to form a comb-like structure. This comb-like structure has the function of further moving the material that is above the cutting bar 6 during its movement.

According to a further embodiment, the cutting bar 6 may also comprise a lower comb structure, the teeth of which extend from the lower surface 6a.

The vermiculture machine 1 comprises collection means 9 arranged under the support net 3 and represented schematically and in dashed lines in figure 1.

The collection means 9 have the function of collecting the vermicompost which, thanks to the movement of the cutting bar 6, separates from the organic matrix and then passes through the support net 3 itself.

The collection means 9 may comprise a conveyor belt which, once the vermicompost has been received, deposits it in a storage and maturation structure.

The earthworm harvesting machine 1 comprises an electrified net 10, also made of stainless galvanized steel and housed in the composting chamber 2. The electrified net 10 is arranged parallel to the support net 3, from which it is approximately 2-3 cm away. In this regard, the electrified net 10 is preferably arranged above the support net 3, but can also be arranged below the support net 3.

The role of the electrified net 10 is to keep the earthworms away from the area where they have already created the vermicompost to prevent them from being collected together with the vermicompost itself by the action of the cutting bar 6.

The earthworm farming machine 1 comprises a plurality of repellent lamps, housed on an upper end of the side walls 5 and oriented in such a way as to illuminate the inside of the composting chamber 2. The function of the lamps is to force the earthworms to remain inside the organic matrix (horse and/or bovine and/or ovine and/or swine manure) to carry out their composting action. In fact, earthworms can be defined as photosensitive or photophobic and, therefore, the presence of a light above the organic matrix pushes the earthworms to remain inside it to better and more rapidly carry out their digestive action.

In this regard, the side walls 4 and 5 are light in colour, if not white, in order to reflect the light coming from the lamps and better achieve the above effect.

The earthworm farm 1 comprises a humidification system 12 which in turn comprises a plurality of nozzles 13 arranged above the composting chamber 2 so as to be able to humidify the organic matrix mass present. According to a preferred embodiment, the nozzles are fixed to a pipe 14, in which water flows and which is fixed to the centre of the upper sides of the two short side walls 4.

The earthworm farming machine 1 also comprises feeding means 15 of organic matrix (horse and/or bovine and/or ovine and/or swine manure) which are shown schematically and in dashed lines in figure 1. The feeding means 15 may comprise a hopper, possibly automated, placed above the composting chamber 2, in such a way as to periodically feed it with organic matter. According to a preferred embodiment, the feeding means are movable above the composting chamber by means of a movement system connected to the same electric motor 7 responsible for moving the cutting bar 6.

Finally, the earthworm machine 1 includes a sensor system for the purpose of checking parameters, such as pH, humidity and temperature, inside the composting chamber during the process.

The materials of the various components may be different from those specified above, but the important thing is that they are able to satisfy the functionality and integrity requirements depending on the environment in which they operate.

Earthworms and manure are placed in the composting chamber 2, taking care that the earthworms are positioned close to the support net 3. Once the time required for a lower layer of the organic matrix to be transformed into vermicompost has elapsed, the movement of the cutting bar 6 is activated, which necessarily causes the vermicompost produced to crumble and fall through the support net 3 onto the collection means 9.

Earthworms, after consuming a layer of manure, have a tendency to climb upwards to find more food. Thanks to this natural tendency of earthworms and the presence of the electrified net, the absence of earthworms in the vermicompost layer is guaranteed and a lower layer of vermicompost will form which will be separated from the manure by the cutting bar.

Once the vermicompost layer has been detached from the manure and has therefore exited the composting chamber 2, the worm breeding process will continue without interruption with the composting of a new lower layer which, in turn, will then be detached by the action of the cutting bar. At the same time, each time the lower layer of vermicompost is detached, the feeding means 15 will feed the composting chamber 2 with new organic matrix (horse and/or bovine and/or ovine and/or swine manure) to maintain a constant quantity of material in the composting chamber 2 itself and allow the continuous worm breeding process.

At the same time, the humidification system 12 is activated to maintain the correct level of humidity of the manure also with the aid of sensors that indicate the level.

Finally, the earthworm harvesting machine of the present invention is suitable to be automated with the operations of moving the cutting bar 6, activating the feeding means 15 and the humidification system 12 activated by a previously set electrical control unit.

From the above description it is clear that the earthworm farming machine of the present invention guarantees the obtaining of a very pure and high quality vermicompost, substantially free from pollutants without, for this reason, interrupting or, in any case, conditioning the earthworm farming process.

Claims (10)

1. Worm farm machine (1) for the production of vermicompost; said machine being characterised by the fact that it comprises (i) a composting chamber (2) in which organic matter is converted into vermicompost and defined by a lateral wall (4, 5) and a support net (3); (ii) collection means (9) arranged under the support net (3) and arranged to receive the vermicompost formed once it has passed through the support net (3); and (iii) a cutting bar (6) housed inside said composting chamber (2) and arranged to slide on a plane parallel to said support net (3); said cutting bar (6) being arranged above said support net (3). 2. Earthworm harvesting machine (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that said cutting bar (6) is positioned at a distance between 3 and 10 cm from said support net (3). 3. Earthworm harvesting machine (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said support net (3) has meshes with sides between 2 and 7 cm. 4. Earthworm harvesting machine (1) according to one of the previous claims, characterised by the fact that it comprises an electrified net (10) arranged inside said composting chamber (2) at a distance between 1 and 5 cm from said cutting bar (6). 5. Earthworm harvesting machine (1) according to one of the previous claims, characterised by the fact that it comprises means for feeding organic matter (15), arranged above said composting chamber (2). 6. Earthworm harvesting machine (1) according to claim 5, characterised in that said organic matter feeding means (15) are movable on a plane parallel to said support net (3). 7. Earthworm harvesting machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises a plurality of lights (11) arranged to illuminate the inside of said composting chamber (2). 8. Earthworm harvesting machine (1) according to claim 7, characterised in that said side wall (4, 5) of said composting chamber (2) is made of polymeric material and light in colour to reflect the light coming from said lights (11) inside the composting chamber (2). 9. Earthworm harvesting machine (1) according to one of the previous claims, characterised in that it comprises humidifying means (12, 13, 14) suitable for introducing water into the composting chamber 10. Earthworm harvesting machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said cutting bar (6) has a flat lower surface (6a) and a plurality of teeth (8) extending upwards from an upper surface (6b) thereof opposite to said flat lower surface (6a).