BR-102022024748-B1 - Equipment for extracting spores from the surface of cereal grains for laboratory application and its operational process.

Abstract

EQUIPMENT FOR EXTRACTING SPORES FROM THE SURFACE OF CEREAL GRAINS FOR LABORATORY APPLICATION AND ITS OPERATIONAL PROCESS. Represented by an inventive solution whose utility is aimed at supplying bio-input fungicidal spores, of the Beauveria, Trichoderma, Metarhizium, etc. type, to the agricultural biopesticide industry, where it was conceived as an auxiliary tool in the quality control of the reproduction/multiplication of fungal spores obtained from the reproduction technique on the surface of cereal grains, from which these spores feed on nutrients, culminating in the development of the spore extractor equipment, composed of the component parts: mobile structure (a), vacuum cleaner (b); cyclone assembly (c), extraction assembly (d), feeding hopper (e); rotor assembly (g), control panel (f) and locking lever (h), being particularly useful to researchers and producers, enabling the development of their processes in order to obtain better results in both the quality and quantity of fungal spores produced, thus assisting in the quantification of processes and providing references for future comparisons.

Inventors

• LUIZ APARECIDO BASSINELLO

Assignees

• INDUSTRIAS MACHINA ZACCARIA S/A

Dates

Publication Date

20260317

Application Date

20221202

Claims (2)

1. 1) “SPORE EXTRACTION EQUIPMENT FROM CEREAL GRAIN SURFACE FOR LABORATORY APPLICATION” characterized by being composed of the following component parts: - Mobile structure (a), formed by a metal frame responsible for uniting all parts of the assembly into a compact, functional and easy-to-handle device; - Vacuum cleaner (b); - Cyclone assembly (c), a device with a defined geometry responsible for promoting the separation of solid particles (spores and starch) from the air based on centrifugal separation, formed by the following component parts: cyclone body (c1); cyclone ring (c2); lid (c21); vacuum connector tube (c3); control valve (c4); extraction assembly connector tube (c5); internal filter (c6); spore collector (c7); - Extraction assembly (d) formed by the following component parts: casing (d1); Perforated sheet metal screen (d2) across the entire inner surface of the casing (d1); extraction chamber (d3); outer casing (d4), responsible for collecting spore particles and fixing clamp (d5) of the extraction assembly; - Feeding hopper (e); - Rotor assembly (g), formed by the component parts: motor base (g1); motor (g2); rotor (g3); shaft/bearing assembly (g4); coupling assembly (g5); motor protection (g6); - Control panel (f), electrical assembly enclosed in a metal box where electrical devices are arranged inside to activate the electric motor (g2) and control its operating time according to pre-programmed settings, where on its exterior are defined control buttons, on/off switch, process time indicator display and emergency stop button; and - Locking lever (h);
2. 2) “OPERATIONAL PROCESS” of the spore extractor equipment of claim 1 characterized by, during the spore extraction process, with the aid of the vacuum cleaner (b), creating a negative pressure inside the extraction chamber (d3) of the extraction assembly (d), where the rotor (g3) defined inside this chamber (d3), when driven by the motor (g2), begins to rotate at revolutions per minute (RPM), this rotation causing movement of the cereal grains (Cer), creating friction between them and due to contact with the inner surface of the screens (d2) and with the rotor itself (g3), the friction between these parts with the grains (Cer) causes the spores to detach, which, once free, are carried by an airflow (Fa1) to the outside of the screens (d2), creating a barrier that separates the spores (finer) from the cereal grains, which in turn are retained inside the extraction chamber (d3), in turn the spores (Es) extracted from the extraction chamber (d3) together with the airflow (Fa1) are carried into the interior of the cyclone assembly (c) causing a downward circular motion causing the denser product (spores) to precipitate into a collecting container (c7) and the stream of clean air to exit through the central area of the cyclone (c).

Description

TERMINOLOGY [1] For the purpose of better understanding the subject matter disclosed and claimed in this patent of invention, the meaning of some terms and acronyms frequently cited in the body of the descriptive report is presented, where: [2] - EMBRAPA: Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation. [3] - NR 12: Technical standard concerning the safety of work with machinery and equipment. It establishes protective measures to guarantee the physical integrity of workers and prevents the manufacturing, import, marketing, exhibition and transfer to any person during the design and use phase of machinery and equipment. [4] - NR 10: Technical standard for “Safety in electrical installations and services” — is the Regulatory Standard that aims to establish the minimum safety conditions for workers who, in their work, interact directly or indirectly with electrical installations. Therefore, this NR concerns professionals working for the electricity concessionaire, but also those who work with the implementation of electrical projects in civil construction, for example. [5] - Biological pesticides: or bio-pesticides, are agricultural products developed from a biological active ingredient, an active ingredient of natural origin. The uses of these inputs aim to eliminate targets (diseases or pests) that are harming the crop, but without harming the environment. [6] - Spores: are small structures produced in large quantities by bacteria, fungi and plants, with the ability to generate a new individual. Spores help fungi spread through the environment, since many are dry and small, which allows them to remain suspended in the air. [7] - Polished: defined by the Ministry of Agriculture to identify cereal grains that have undergone a processing procedure in which the husk, bran and germ fraction have been removed. [8] Cereal grain: This can be any natural or synthetic particle containing the necessary nutrients, whether natural or artificial, for the growth and reproduction of spores. INTRODUCTION [9] “ANIMAL FARM” [10] Biological products are advancing exponentially and driving a multi-billion dollar market, involving producers, investors and science” (By Mariana Grilli). [11] This was the headline of an article published in Globo Rural Magazine, issue number 441, October 2022: [12] “Around the year 2000, tomato producers in the Indaiatuba region in the interior of São Paulo faced severe productivity losses due to crop diseases. Rural workers even gave up on the orchards and returned to their countries of origin, as the situation became unsustainable and the chemical management that had been used until then did not produce results. [13] Faced with the problem, businessman Antônio Maia proposed investing in biological control in tomato cultivation and since then this process has been gaining important ground, leading more and more investors to bet on the business so that it is no longer restricted to fruits and vegetables, and the treatment has gained relevance for other agricultural crops. [14] The biological implements industry has been investing R$ 300 million per year in this segment. [15] EMBRAPA estimates that by 2025 Brazil will become the second largest consumer market for “bio inputs” with an annual increase from 3% to 15% of participation in the national plant protection market. [16] According to EMBRAPA, among the products for biological pest control, those based on the fungi Beauveria, Trichoderma, Metarhizium, etc. stand out.” INVENTION DEMAND [17] Fungal spore production is developing, so both growth and surface extraction processes on cereal grains are being optimized to obtain better yields from each batch produced. [18] In this way, it is essential that this production be standardized on an industrial scale and that this standard be a reference for previously defined quality criteria. [19] As a follow-up to the assessment of this desired excellence in productivity with spore quality from the surface of cereal grains, samples must be collected for submission to control tests on a laboratory scale, analogous to the process on an industrial scale. DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES [20] Figure .1 is a flowchart representation of a fungal spore reproduction process; [21] Figure .2 is a first-view perspective representation of the spore extraction equipment from the surface of cereal grains for laboratory application; [22] Figure .3 is a second-view perspective representation of the spore extraction equipment from the surface of cereal grains for laboratory application; [23] Figure .4 is a third-view perspective representation of the spore extractor equipment from the surface of cereal grains for laboratory application; [24] Figure .5 is a fourth-view perspective representation of the spore extraction equipment from the surface of cereal grains for laboratory application; [25] Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view representation of the spore extractor equipment for cereal grain surfaces for laboratory application;