Vacuum pipe garbage collection system

Vacuum pipe garbage collection refers to a process that garbage is pumped to a central garbage colletion station through pipelines by vacuum pneumatic transmission technology. This colletion system is set up with garbage inlets,transmission pipes, mechanical centres and collection-transfer stations.

Working principle

Each vacuum pipe garbage collection system is made up of five parts: throw-in ports in every floor, vertical pipelines between floors, horizontal pipelines in neighborhoods, main urbain transmission pipelines and a central collection station. Every throw-in port is connected with one vertical pipeline which joint horizontal pipelines. When there is enough garbage in vertical pipelines,the central collection station commandes garbage stations to start pumping equipements. When vacuum pump systems at the terminal start to work, a vacuum is formed inside the vacuum pipe garbage collection system, which causes pressure difference inside and out. The discharge valve in the joint between vertical and horizontal pipelines will be switched, and the air is then pumped into separators by pipelines as well as garbage. Air is sent to be purified in dusting equipement while garbage is discharged by unloaders.

Present status of adoption

Vacuum pipe waste collection system was invented by a Swedish in 1961. It is used to collect hospital wastes at the beginning , and then used to collect domestic garbage since 1967. At the moment this system has been expanded in more than thirty countries and regions, such as the United States, Japan, Germany, Denmark, Singapore and Hong Kong, and hundres of applications of this system have been installed.It is mainly used in high-rise apartment buildings, modern intensive residential areas, dense commercial areas and some areas for high environmental requirement. The system is used more commonly in European new city areas and satellite towns and large urban developing areas for Expo, Sports villages. Vacuum pipe domestic garbage collection popuralizing rate has reached 10% -20% in Spain and Portugal. In Asia the prime users are Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. Japan takes advantage of Mitsubishi system to transport garbage directly to the surrounding incineration plants, such as the Gulf of Tonkin and Yokohama. Singapore and Hong Kong have adopted the Swedish Envac system: seven sets of this application in Singapore, and nine sets in Hongkong. In China, Shanghai Pudong international Airport and the new Guangzhou Baiyun international Airport have been equiped with the system.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantage

Garbage collection and transport in a completely closed way effectively improve the whole environment and avoid a secondary pollution including odour,noise,mosquitoes and flies,vision pollution etc.
Garbage collection and tranpsport pipes are disposed under the ground, which could reduce garbage houses and get more place for other use.
Garbage collection and transport continues no matter what wheather it is because it processes in a closed pipe and collection centers.
Garbage collection and transport is more effective and reliable because fo automatical operation.

Disadvantage

The system disposable investment is very huge, and the maintenance and manage requests are very strict.