Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention broadly relates to the field of biowaste management. More specifically, the present invention relates to an internet of things (IoT) enabled and machine learning based system for converting solid organic waste into livestock feed and/or nutrient materials. The livestock feed can be used for aquaculture, hydroponics, poultry, and domestic animals etc. The nutrient materials can be utilized as fertilizer for agriculture.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Municipalities and decision-makers are facing new issues in solid waste management as a result of increased urbanization, changing demographics, and changes in consumer behaviour. Numerous communities have intensified their efforts in the last ten years to discover environmentally friendly ways to manage their solid waste, particularly by creating integrated solid waste management plans that include building and operating sanitary landfills.

Current waste management techniques like landfilling or incineration are not totally sustainable, even when source segregation of recyclables and biodegradables is used. These processes either directly or indirectly impact the ecosystem by producing toxic leachate, nitrifying and acidifying soil, emitting greenhouse gasses, and using important land resources.

The global warming dilemma is made worse by conventional methods of handling biowaste, such as open dumping in less developed economies or landfilling devoid of mechanisms to collect GHGs like methane. In addition, landfills emit a variety of odours, draw disease-carrying insects, and contaminate groundwater.

Different insect species may bio-convert organic waste into a significant amount of protein and fat for use as animal feed, fertilizer, and biofuel. It is said that growing cattle conventionally has a greater environmental impact than producing protein-feed for farm animals in the form of edible insects. Compared to protein crops, the conversion process uses less-precious resources like land and water per unit of protein. A non-vector insect called black soldier fly (BSF) (Hermetia illucens) larvae can be employed to lessen the weight of organic trash. The BSF prepupae, whether raw or processed, can be utilised for a variety of commercial reasons, including chitin extraction, lipid extraction, and protein-rich animal feed. Their larvae have 29% fat and 42% crude protein, yet they have more saturated fats than most insects. They don't concentrate mycotoxins or insecticides.

The BSF adults exclusively consume liquid supplements and have no chewing or sucking parts in their mouths. Therefore, after emerging from the eggs, the BSF larvae consume a lot of different organic waste and accumulate a lot of fat and protein in its body for usage later in its life. Depending on a number of variables, including food supply, ambient conditions (temperature and relative humidity), and others, the BSF larvae typically are fed for two to four weeks. When they become prepupae, they stop consuming the substrate, empty their stomachs, and crawl away from the meal in search of a dry area. Several variables, including temperature, relative humidity, light intensity, feed quality, and feeding rate, among others, affect different stages of its lifespan.

A reference may be made to Indian patent application number 202041028148 that discloses an apparatus for organic waste treatment using black soldier fly, in which multiple honeycomb or wooden stacks are arranged with slanting profiles inside a hollow container for facilitating breeding of black soldier fly.

Another reference may be made to CN101889629B that discloses a method for processing food waste by using black soldier fly larvae, in which the food waste is coarsely crushed, auxiliary materials are added to create culture materials for the larvae, and black soldier fly spawn are grafted on the surface of the culture materials so that the larvae are hatched by the black soldier fly.

A further reference may be made to CN104945028B that discloses a method of digesting kitchen waste using black soldier flies, where sugar powder fermentation (microbial inoculum) is used and finally material residue and fresh worm are separated by vibration.

One more reference may be made to US20150296760A1 that discloses a semi-enclosed rotating barrel (feeder bin) designed for harvesting black soldier flies in which a migration path attached to one or both ends of the barrel for the exit of mature larvae.

However, all the existing technology have some deficiencies in terms of physical labour, manual control, inefficient yielding/outputs, scaling/costing; there arises a need of developing a sustainable, cost effective, and eco-friendly mechanism for enhanced production of manure/micronutrients from the biowaste (solid organic waste) by way of leveraging IoT and artificial intelligence (AI) based automation. Therefore, the present invention provides a system/device/apparatus for converting biowaste into livestock feeds and nutrient materials, which includes all the advantages of the conventional/existing techniques/methodologies and overcomes the deficiencies of such techniques/methodologies.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to manage biowaste issues by way of translating them into useful product.

It is another object of the present invention to produce nutrient materials (manure, fertilizer, micronutrient, livestock feed) from solid organic waste with the help of non-vector insects such as black soldier fly larvae.

It is one more object of the present invention to monitor and control the production/formation of nutrient materials/livestock feed by way of implementing IoT and machine learning tools.

It is a further object of the present invention to a system for converting solid organic waste into livestock feed and/or nutrient materials.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor delineate the scope of any or all aspects. The summary’s sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

In one aspect, the present invention provides an internet of things enabled and machine learning based system for converting solid organic waste into nutrient livestock feeds/materials that can be utilized as fertilizer, or food for aquaculture, hydroponics, poultry, and domestic animals. The system comprises an enclosure coupled to a conveyor assembly at its bottom; a solid organic waste receiving region, a non-vector larvae receiving region, a bioreactor for containing waste and larvae, and a plurality of sensors all being mounted inside the enclosure. The waste is decontaminated using a UV light then mixed with the larvae followed by incubation for 4 to 7 days in the bioreactor. A processor is configured to monitor and control the incubation operation of the bioreactor by way of determining developmental stages of nutrient materials using data as acquired from the sensors, and generating signal based on the determination results to activate an actuator of a nutrient material collecting device mounted therein for transmitting the nutrient materials into outside containers.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which delineate the present invention in different embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying figures.

Fig. 1 is schematic diagram of whole setup of an enclosure/housing configured in the system of converting solid organic waste into nutrient materials, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of multiple interlinked housings, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic exploded view of an enclosure/housing, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 shows arrangement of sensors inside a bioreactor of the system, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 shows arrangements of nutrient (bioreactor content) collecting device of the system, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

List of reference numerals
100 enclosure box or housing
102 (solid organic) waste receiving region
104 (non-vector insect) larvae receiving region
106 wall opening
108 wall
108a wall frame
200 conveyor assembly
202 conveyor belt
204 roller
300 ultraviolet (UV) ray emitting device
400 bioreactor
500 processor
600 sensor assembly
602 optical camera
604 sensors
606 holding stand/member
608 holding rotor
700 bioreactor content (nutrient material/livestock feed) collecting device
702 arm with suction/vacuum cup
704 servo motor
706 rotor pin
708 base
800 outside container for collecting larvae nutrient
900 outside container for collecting waste nutrient
1000 solar panel
B (solid organic) biowaste
L larvae
N nutrients

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Various embodiments described herein are intended only for illustrative purposes and subject to many variations. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

The use of terms “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein are meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Further, the terms, “an” and “a” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items. The term ‘biowaste’ refers to all kinds of solid organic waste such as kitchen waste, and agricultural waste. The term ‘nutrient materials’ refers to consumable products of plant and animals/birds/fish such ads livestock feeds, fertilizer, and manure.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 1-3, a system for converting biowaste into nutrient materials is depicted. The system comprises at least one enclosure/housing (100) having a biowaste (solid organic) receiving region (102), a non-vector (insect) larvae receiving region (104), and at least one bioreactor (400) accommodated therein. The enclosure/housing (100) is connected to a conveyor assembly (200) at bottom. The biowaste receiving region (102) is adapted to receive the biowaste (B) as fed through a conveyor belt (202). The larvae receiving region (104) is adapted to receive the non-vector larvae (L) through an opening (106) created on a wall (108) of the enclosure/housing (100). Both the biowaste (B) and the larvae (L) are transferred into the bioreactor region (400) where they undergo an incubation (resting) period of 4-7 days, preferably 5 days, to produce final products (livestock feeds/nutrients) (N). The final products may include a larvae portion and a residual (manure) portion which are collected/transported into two separate containers (800, 900), respectively, located outside the enclosure (100). The larvae portion can be utilized for feed to aquaculture, hydroponics, poultry, and domestic animals. On the other hand, the residual (manure) portion can be utilized as organic fertilizers for improving agricultural yield. A control unit may be employed to monitor and control the entire conversion operation in fully automatic manner, thus minimizing manual labour and cost.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the biowaste (B) is decontaminated using an ultraviolet (UV) ray emitting device (300) mounted above the biowaste receiving region (102). The conveyor assembly (200) comprises a roller (204) below the UV ray emitting device (300) to roll the biowaste (B) for proper decontamination. The UV light ray can destroy all harmful microorganism present in the biowaste (B) before being mixed with the larvae (L) in the bioreactor (400), thus improving quality of the final yield (i.e., eliminating toxicity and retaining nutritious properties). The prior UV light exposure of the biowaste for sufficient time period becomes advantageous in terms of sterilizing the biowaste receiving region as well as its contents fully.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 2-3, the enclosure/housing (100) may be a container shaped having a floor, a roof, side walls. The walls (108) may be formed of two frames (108a) filled with insulation materials therebetween to maintain desired temperature therein. The enclosure/housing (100) may comprise a sensor assembly (600) to detect/measure/evaluate one or more internal parameters associated developmental/formation stages of the final products (N) therein. The system may comprise multiple enclosures (100) interlinked to one another along the conveyor belt assembly (200) on a fixed base/stand (110). The base/stand (110) may have a plurality of rack/shelf (row-wise/column-wise) adapted to hold multiple housings or bioreactors.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 5, a nutrient material (bioreactor content) collecting device (700) is mounted near the bioreactor (400). The nutrient material collecting device (700) may be a robotic device comprising at least one motorized gripper arm coupled with one or more suction/vacuum cups (702) that are adapted to transfer the bioreactor content (N) into the outside containers (800, 900). Such robotic device may have a platform (708) on which a servomotor (704) coupled to a rotor pin (706) for providing multi degrees of freedom to the arm (702).

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4, the control unit may comprise a sensor assembly (600) having at least image/video tracking device/sensor (602), and plurality of sensors (604) all being mounted on a holding stand (606) arranged in the bioreactor region (400). The holding stand (606) may have multiple movable bars/members coupled to rotors (608) so that the sensors mounted thereon can easily move in desired directions to capture various data which affect to formation of the nutrient materials (N). The image/video tracking device/sensor (602) may be an optical camera adapted to capture/monitor images/video of the bioreactor content continuously. The other sensors (604) are temperature sensor, humidity sensor, pH sensor, gas sensor, and weight sensor which are adapted to continuously monitor values of temperature, humidity, pH, gaseous (O2, CO2) components, and weight (of biomass/biowaste), respectively. For example, there may be four temperature sensors mounted at four corners in the bioreactor (400). There may be a (microbial) sensor to check the decontamination level of the biowaste after passing under the UV light (300) so that the necessary action can be taken immediately to further decontaminate the biowaste or introduce fresh biowaste to get improved final products.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 1, the control unit may include a memory for storing data and a set of executable instruction/program/code, and a processor (500) adapted to execute the instruction/program/code. The control unit may further be integrated with cloud computing and blockchain network. Preferably, the processor (500) is communicatively coupled to the sensor assembly (600) and the nutrient material collecting device (700). The processor (500) may have embedded therein a machine learning based trained model (artificial intelligence tool) configured to monitor and control the incubation operation inside the bioreactor (400).

In a preferred embodiment, the processor (500) may be configured with the optical camera (602) to extract features associated with shape, size, colour, and motion of content of the bioreactor (400). The processor (500) may be configured with the other sensors (604) to read/measure, record, and analyse various physicochemical parameters such as values of temperature, humidity, pH, gaseous components, and weight of the bioreactor content (larvae/biomass, biowaste). The internal environmental factors such as pH, humidity, temperature, and concentration all play a significant role in regulating effective organic waste treatment. On the other hand, the non-vector larvae growth can be distinguished based on its colour, shape, motion, and size. Accordingly, the operator can get all internal information remotely and take the necessary steps to balance the physicochemical parameters inside the bioreactor through some external means (such as supplying heat, oxygen etc.).

Further, by using the extracted features and the measured values (i.e., sensor data), the machine learning trained model determines developmental/formation stages of the livestock feeds/nutrient materials (N) and then generate signal to send appropriate notifications/messages (in text/audio/video format) to a remote monitoring device (for example smartphone) or activate an actuator (i.e., servomotor) of the nutrient material collecting device (700) for collecting the nutrient materials (N) from the enclosure (100) into the outside containers (800, 900). The machine learning model can be trained by using a large number samples related to image/video of a non-vector insect (i.e., Black Soldier Fly) larvae and the range of temperature, humidity, pH, gaseous components, and weight as required for feeding, growth, and development of the larvae before transforming into fly. It may be noted that the present invention does not consider any breeding or rearing stage of the fly. The processor (500) triggers alert as soon as the larvae is fully developed (but not grown into fly/insect) by way of converting the biowaste into the manure/livestock feed. Further, the processor (500) is configured to transmit the alert notification to the remote monitoring device if any of the measured values falls outside its threshold range.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the system comprises a solar power source having a solar panel (1000) mounted on the roof of the enclosure (100). The power is supplied to run the control unit, the sensor assembly, and the bioreactor content collecting device.

In an exemplary embodiment, various components of the system can be made using corrosion. free, mould/fungi resistant, non-toxic, moisture controlled, water resistant technology to make the whole setup leak-proof.

In an exemplary embodiment, the image processing and simultaneous operation can be done using an optical imaging CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensor.

In an exemplary embodiment, the enclosure/housing may have height of 20 ft/40ft and internal dimensions of 5.89m X 2.35m X 2.36m and 11.78m X 4.7m X 4.72m with a cubic capacity of 33m3 and 66 m3 respectively.

Further, the present invention provides following advantages including but not limited to:

• The system is designed to extend the time during which black soldier fly neonates can be stored and the time in which larvae progress, thus overcomes problems with existing techniques of using flies/insects.
• A sustainable, environment-friendly, and cost-effective approach of transforming biowaste into biomass that is ready for use in agriculture and feeding livestock animals.
• Improved automated monitoring and control mechanism for producing nutrient enriched yields/byproducts.

The foregoing descriptions of exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The exemplary embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable the persons skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions, substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but is intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the scope of the claims of the present invention. , Claims:We Claim:

1. A system for converting biowaste into nutrient materials, the system comprising:
at least one enclosure (100) coupled to a conveyor assembly (200) at its bottom;
a biowaste receiving region (102) inside the enclosure (100) to receive the biowaste (B) as fed through the conveyor assembly (200), wherein the biowaste (B) is decontaminated using an ultraviolet (UV) ray emitting device (300) mounted above the biowaste receiving region (102);
a non-vector insect larvae receiving region (104) inside the enclosure (100) to receive the non-vector larvae (L) as fed through an opening (106) provided on a wall (108) of the enclosure (100);
at least one bioreactor (400) into which the decontaminated biowaste (B) and the larvae (L) are transmitted and incubated for 4 to 7 days inside the enclosure (100); and
a processor (500) configured to monitor and control the incubation operation inside the bioreactor (400), wherein the processor (500) is communicatively coupled to a plurality of sensors (600) and a nutrient material collecting device (700),
wherein the processor (500) has embedded therein a machine learning based trained model configured to:
determine developmental stages of the nutrient materials (N) using data as acquired from the sensors (600), and
generate signal based on the determination results to activate an actuator of the nutrient material collecting device (700) for collecting the nutrient materials (N) from the enclosure (100) into outside containers (800, 900).

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensors (600) include at least one optical image sensor configured with the processor (500) to extract features associated with shape, size, colour, and motion of content of the bioreactor (400).

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensors (600) include temperature sensor, humidity sensor, pH sensor, gas sensor, and weight sensor, each being configured with the processor (500) to measure values of temperature, humidity, pH, gaseous components, and weight respectively.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the processor (500) is configured to transmit an alert/notification to a remote monitoring device if any of the measured values falls outside a threshold range.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the enclosure wall (108) is formed of insulated material sandwiched between two frame (108a).

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nutrient material collecting device (700) comprises at least one motorized gripper arm coupled with one or more suction cups (702) that are adapted to transfer the bioreactor content into the outside containers (800, 900).

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system comprises a solar power source having a solar panel (1000) mounted on roof of the enclosure (100).

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conveyor assembly (200) comprises a roller (204) below the UV ray emitting device (300) to roll the biowaste (B) during the decontamination.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the biowaste (B) is a solid organic waste selected from a group consisting of kitchen waste and agricultural waste.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nutrient materials (N) include livestock feed. manure, and fertilizer.