Jinkai Intelligent Food Waste Treatment Machine

The circulation of products and materials principle refers to the diverse use of biological materials in the economy and natural systems, effectively utilizing them when circulating between different purposes. Many people find it challenging to reuse food waste due to its foul odor and high-water content leachate.

Food waste mainly consists of leftovers, fruit and vegetable peels, discarded meat and fish, prawn and crab shells, eggshells, etc. Food waste is not only prone to rot and emit unpleasant odors but also easily breeds mosquitoes and other insects. Under the influence of these insects and microorganisms, the rate of food waste decomposition accelerates, and the foul odor intensifies. Improperly managed food waste not only spreads diseases through insects but also poses health risks and significantly impacts living environments.

Food waste often contains a large amount of liquid, which increases during the decomposition process. When mixed with other waste, it forms the most unpleasant and challenging waste leachate to handle. Waste leachate is not only foul-smelling and difficult to manage but also corrosive, reducing the lifespan of waste transport vehicles and increasing the cost of waste disposal. Food waste, with its high moisture content, easily contaminates other waste. Recyclables in municipal waste, such as paper, plastic, clothing, glass, etc., have value for recycling as long as they are dry, clean, and odorless. However, once contaminated by food waste, they become dirty and foul-smelling, losing their recycling value. Food waste reduces the recyclable rate of waste and increases the volume of urban waste.

Therefore, based on the above considerations, Jinkai has developed the Intelligent Food Waste Treatment Machine. Within the treatment chamber, Jinkai has equipped two patented products: activated oxygen agents and deodorizing and sterilizing filters. When food waste in the rubbish pit of the Intelligent Food Waste Treatment Machine reaches a certain weight, the rubbish is automatically transferred to the filtration pool within the treatment chamber. During the filtration process, the treatment chamber injects activated oxygen agents into the waste and heats it. As the heated, turbid mixed steam passes through the deodorizing and sterilizing filter, the activated agents continuously spray, neutralizing the turbid mixed steam to achieve disinfection and deodorization. This process thoroughly sterilizes and deodorizes the waste while adding natural aromatic substances, emitting a fresh and pleasant odor. Additionally, the activated agents help break down the cell walls of organic matter in food waste, making it soft and easy to handle in subsequent processing.

After deodorization, the waste is crushed to reduce its diameter or length, increasing its density. The crushed waste enters the solid-liquid separation stage, where the solid-liquid separator separates suspended solids and solid materials above 2mm and presses and dehydrates them to form tailings. Oil and water are discharged into the oil-water separator, which separates heavy oil, light oil, sewage, and sludge from food waste wastewater. The separated oil, sewage, and sludge enter the oil storage tank, sewage treatment device, and sludge collection tank, respectively. The collected oil is further processed into soap and detergent. The sewage flows into the sewage purification device within the treatment chamber for deep purification. After purification, the sewage can be used for landscape watering, fish farming, and irrigation.

In conclusion, Jinkai's outstanding performance in circulating products and materials demonstrates the importance of designing products to promote the circular economy. Ensuring the smooth circulation of products in the biological cycle is crucial for the success of product design. During the design process, consideration must be given to the final circulation of the product. In the current linear economic model, many products cannot be recycled and ultimately become waste (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2019). Therefore, when engineers manufacture the Jinkai Intelligent Food Waste Treatment Machine, they constantly consider how this machine can adapt to the biological cycle, such as through oil-water separation and the circulation of waste materials and raw materials. This comprehensive consideration and innovative design enable Jinkai's products to better integrate into the circular economy system, making significant contributions to waste reduction and efficient resource utilization.

Promote Natural Regeneration (Recycle)

Promoting natural regeneration in the circular economy refers to avoiding the use of non-renewable resources and preserving or enhancing renewable resources, such as returning valuable nutrients to the soil to support regeneration. By composting or anaerobically digesting organic materials, valuable nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and trace nutrients can be used to help regenerate the land, allowing people to grow more food or renewable materials (Ellen Macarthur Foundation, 2023).

Jinkai recognizes the valuable organic materials contained in food waste, which can be safely returned to agricultural land after composting or anaerobic digestion (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, n.d.). Therefore, this need was particularly considered when developing the Intelligent Food Waste Treatment Machine. After crushing and solid-liquid separation, the solid tailings are subjected to subcritical hydrolysis treatment. This treatment takes place in a high-temperature and high-pressure water environment without the addition of other chemicals, decomposing the organic matter in the solid tailings into simpler compounds, achieving resource recovery and utilization. The subsequent dynamic fermentation process provides a new pathway for the reuse of these organic materials. These solid tailings undergo dynamic fermentation in the treatment chamber for 2-3 days, where organic matter is further decomposed by microorganisms, releasing beneficial nutrients and microorganisms for the soil. The resulting organic soil conditioner is not only rich in nutrients but also has a good soil improvement effect, improving soil fertility and water retention, promoting plant growth and development. Additionally, the organic soil conditioner produced by the Jinkai Intelligent Food Waste Treatment Machine can be customized for different purposes. By adjusting parameters and ratios during the processing, organic fertilizers suitable for different types of crops, such as leafy vegetables, fruits, and root vegetables, can be produced. These organic fertilizers help rebuild soil organic matter, improve soil health, increase water infiltration and retention, prevent erosion, and allow the soil to absorb more carbon.

Moreover, producing fertilizers through this regeneration method not only saves the land and infrastructure of fertilizer plants but also gradually decouples economic activities from material extraction by maintaining the circulation of materials after use, leading to the gradual rewilding of more land (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, n.d.).

Therefore, the research and application of the Jinkai Intelligent Food Waste Treatment Machine demonstrate the importance of achieving natural regeneration in the circular economy. By converting organic waste into organic soil conditioners, Jinkai provides agriculture with a sustainable nutrient source while reducing the demand for chemical fertilizers. This innovative technology not only helps reduce waste treatment costs but also promotes resource recovery and reuse, making a positive contribution to environmental protection and sustainable development.