The subject matter of the invention is a process for treatment of by-products of

wine growing.

The grape marc may be used as component of a number of soil mixtures and

culture media.

The compost made of grape marc may be also used as carrier of micro-organisms.

The grape marc has optimal carbon to nitrogen proportion (25 to 30 : 1) for

compost production, and contains carbohydrates easily used by micro-organisms.

The introducing stage of compost making may be started intensively in this way

(L. Alexa and S. Der: Theoretical and practical grounds of compost making [A

komposztalas elmeleti es gyakorlati alapjai] Bio Consulting Deposit Co. [Bio-

Szaktanacsadό Bt], 1998).

The authors have the opinion that intensive generation of heat occurs during

making compost from grape marc.

The different types of compost made of grape marc have especially high quality.

They have loose structure so they are easily applicable to replace peat generally

used for soil-amelioration or as carrier.

Some processes for making compost from grape marc and requirements of

additives are described in the publication "Compost Making" (Komposztalas) by

J. Dόmsδdi (Technical and Economical Information for Enviroiunent-Sparing,

Institute for Environmental Management - Kόrnyezetϋgyi Mύszaki Gazdasagi

Tajekoztatό, Kδrnyezetgazdalkodasi Intezet, 2002) as follows:

The Hungarian patent description of registration No. 216 100 describes a process

for composting lignocellulose based products wherein grape marc is used as

carrier of micro-organisms.

The wine lees are a dense settling of higher consistence remaining after

completion of fermentation in the fermentation tank.

The wine lees consist of wine yeast, rags of grape marc skins parts of tendrils and

seeds.

It is well-known that the diluted wine lees, as well as the paste of wine lees

contain a highly valuable easily used carbon source for microbes (F. Prohaszka:

Grape marc and Wine (Szδlδ es bor) Publisher for Agriculture (Mezόgazdasagi

Kiadό) 1977).

We aimed to develop a compost making process, which results in compost of

higher content of nitrogen phosphorus potassium and calcium i. e. the loss of

nitrogen and phosphorus is less than in any other process before.

We aimed also that the compost produced by the compost making process of the

invention should be more advantageous carrier i. e. it should promote the survival

of the useful microbes.

We developed a process in our experiments wherein the grape marc and the

specially pre-treated wine lees are composted together in stack in presence of

mineral materials. The individual layers of the stack are covered with waste of

bleach earth of oil industry having special oil content. The stack is turned over

after a previous ripening and its material is mixed with special additives then

after-ripened.

Consequently the subject matter of the invention is a process for treating by¬

products of wine growing wherein the grape marc is composted together with

other components in stack.

The characteristics of the process are that 60 to 70 mass % grape marc, 15 to 20

mass % farmyard manure compost, 30 to 10 mass % pre-treated wine lees, 3 to 4

mass % activated potassium trachyte and 12 to 18 mass % rock phosphate are

composted together in a layered prism in such a way that the individual layers of

the prism are covered with advantageously at least 2 cm thick layer of oil

containing waste of bleach earth of oil industry. The stack is aerated by layers in

the initial and thermophilic stages of previous ripening. The stack is turned over

after the previous ripening and 15 to 20 mass % of a mixture of solid biomass and

bed sludge and if desired 0.5 to 3 mass % perlite are added to the prism and the

subsequent ripening is performed until taking on of oxygen of 100 to 150 mg per

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kg of solid stack material per hour is reached. The stack is turned over several

times during subsequent ripening.

It is expedient to use wine lees in the process, which was previously treated at 24

to 30 ⁰ C in closed system with aeration and mixed with escaped water and

condensation water of compost making in mass proportion of 1 : 2.5 to 3.

According to another advantageous embodiment previously treated wine lees are

used, which are mixed with oil containing waste of vegetable oil production of 25

to 30 mass % then treated at 24 to 30 ⁰ C under aeration in a closed system.

The bleach earth of vegetable oil production used in the process contains 20 to 45

mass % of oil and has 35 to 65 mass % of dry material content.

In the process dry residue material of biogas production from top-grass of loose

shrubs mixed with wheat grass is used as biomass.

Bed sludge of freshwater lake or dead channel of river is used in the process

having at most 0.03 mass % sodium chloride and advantageously 40 to 45 mass %

calcium carbonate content.

The grape marc used in the process has advantageously 48 to 57 mass % dry

material content carbon to nitrogen proportion 27 to 32 and pH value 6.9 to 8.0.

The wine lees used in the process have pH value 7 to 7.5.

The potassium trachyte used in the process is ground volcanic rock containing 70

mass % feldspar on the average and having grain size of 0.7 to 1.2 mm.

The phosphorite used in the process is a mineral, which is found in common

deposits of marlite and limestone having 12 to 18 mass % phosphorus content

(P ₂ O ₅ ) and ground to grain size 0.7 to 1.0 mm.

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A waste of bleach earth (biologic filter) is used in the process mainly for covering

of layers and optionally admixed to the wine lees, which is obtained from

vegetable oil production in the following way:

The wastewater produced by the technologies is clarified after desliming and other

operations.

The floating materials resting after dewaxing and desliming are separated from the

wastewater of oil producing technology.

The bleach earth waste resting after clarification process contains about 20 to 45

mass % oil and 35 to 65 mass % dry material.

The biomass used in the process of subsequent ripening is a solid residuum

produced by biogas production from top-grass of loose shrubs or from that mixed

with wheat grass. It has advantageously pH value between 6.0 and 7.1 and 20 to

25 mass % or less dry material content.

The bed sludge used in the subsequent ripening advantageously originates from

superficial natural freshwater lakes or from dead channels having at most 0.03

mass % sodium chloride content pH value between 7.5 to 8.2 and containing non¬

pathogenic putida type Pseudomonas micro-organisms of germ number not higher

than lO^germs per g.

The invention is presented by examples below.

Example 1

The wine lees used in the compost making are pre-treated.

The pre-treatment is that wine lees are mixed together with escaped water and

condensation one produced in the intensive stage of compost making. The mass

proportion of wine lees to escaped water is 1 to 3.

The mixture is treated during 6 days in a closed recipient at 25 ⁰ C with intensive

aeration.

A stack of 1.5 m height and 3 m width is built up from the materials and in the

composition as described below:

- 70 mass % sweet grape marc (having 50 mass % dry material content mass

proportion of carbon/ nitrogen 28, pH value 7.4)

- 15 mass % farmyard manure compost from passive stacked compost

making process

- 7 mass % pre-treated wine lees

The pre-treated wine lees are introduced intermittently by 24 hours through a

perforated tube laid in a profile in 35 cm under the surface of the stack.

The dry material content of the wine lees mixture is 8 mass % the pH value is 7.0.

- 4 mass % activated potassium trachyte of grain size 0.4 mm 27 mass %

humidity content and 7 mass % potassium content

- 4 mass % phosphorite of grain size of 1 mm 14 mass % phosphorus content

calculated in P ₂ O ₅ .

Biological filter covering of 2 cm thickness is used on each layer of 30 cm.

The biological filter is waste of bleach earth originating from vegetable oil

production of 22 mass % oil content and 54 mass % dry material content.

The stack of above described structure is statically aerated in the rate of 10 kg air

per kg of dry material through perforated tubes in the height of 85 cm from the

surface of and on the bottom of the stack during 16 days.

The temperature of the compost is kept under 55 ⁰ C considerably reducing the loss

of nitrogen in this way.

Having completed the pre-ripening the material of the stack is turned over and

transferred to subsequent ripening.

During the subsequent ripening 16 mass % of a mixture of biomass remaining

from sorghum after fermentation gas production and bed sludge of 30 mass % dry

material and 0.02 mass % sodium chloride contents of pH value 8.0 stabilised in

aerobic way. The bed sludge contains non-pathogenic putida type Pseudomonas

micro-organisms of germ number of 10 ⁶ germs/kg.

2 mass % perlite is added to the compost during the subsequent ripening.

The stacks are turned over regularly each week.

The compost making is continued until oxygen taking on of 140 mg per kg per

hour is reached.

The result of compost making is shown in the Table 1.

Table 1

Control* The control experiment is performed by a stack consisting of the

following components: 70 mass % sweet grape marc 27 mass % poultry dung 3

mass % soil of 30 mass % clay content.

The other parameters of compost making are identical to those of the above-

mentioned process.

Comparing the macro-element contents of compost types we could establish that

the product made by the process of the invention had significantly higher macro¬

element concentration than the control one.

Consequently it has by 27 % higher nitrogen content, phosphorus and potassium

by about 27 and 22 % respectively.

Our examinations covered the examination of survival of Rhizobium strains. The

results are shown in the Figure 1, wherein — ♦ — signs the result of Example 1

and — ■ — signs the result of Control experiment.

We used the following method: The Rhizobium strain Rm 1021 is bred in liquid

culture and 10 ml inoculating material is added to 200 g compost.

The material is incubated during three weeks.

It may be established regarding the results of the examination that the increase of

germ number of Rhizobium Rm 1021 strain is higher by 6 % in the compost

produced by the process of the invention than in the control one (2 %).

At the end of third week we established that the germ number was nearly two

times less in the control compost than in the one of the invention.

Example 2 The wine lees used for compost maJking are pre-rreated.

The way of pre-treatment is as follows. The wine lees are mixed with 29 mass %

waste of bleach earth. The bleach earth has pH value 7.7 carbon to nitrogen

proportion 17 to 26 germ numbers of F. coliform and F. Streptococcus are < 10.

The mixture is treated in a closed recipient at 29 C ⁰ during 6 days under intensive

aeration.

A 1.6 m high and 3.2 m wide stack of is built up having the following

composition:

- 63 mass %grape marc from distillation

of 56 mass % dry material content carbon to nitrogen proportion 33 and pH

value 6.9

- 20 mass % farmyard dung compost from passive stack composting

- 10 mass % pre-treated wine lees

- 3 mass % potassium trachyte of grain size 0.4 mm 27 mass % humidity

content and 7 mass % potassium content

- 4 mass % phosphorite of grain size 1 mm 14 mass % phosphorus content

(calculated in P ₂ O ₅ )

The individual layers of 30 cm of the stack are covered with 2 cm thick biological

filter.

The biological filter is waste of bleach earth of vegetal oil production of 22 mass

% oil and 54 mass % dry material content.

The stack built up as described above is statically aerated in proportion of 12 parts

of air to a part of dry material through aerating tubes in the height of 76 cm from

the surface and on the bottom of stack during 19 days.

The temperature of the compost material is kept under 55 C° reducing the loss of

nitrogen also in this way.

After the previous ripening stage the material of stack is turned over and led to

subsequent ripening.

In the subsequent ripening a mixture of 20 mass % biomass residue of biogas

production from top-grass of loose shrubs mixed with wheat grass and bed sludge

of pH value 7.5 55 mass % dry material content and 0.03 mass % sodium chloride

content is added to the material of .

The bed sludge contains non-pathogenic putida type Pseudomonas bacteria of 10 ³

germs per kg.

4 mass % perlite is also added to the compost stack during the subsequent

ripening.

The stacks are regularly turned over each week.

The compost making is continued until oxygen absorption of 150 mg O ₂ per kg

per hour is reached. The results measured in the compost made are shown in the

Table 2.

Table 2

Control* : The control experiment is performed with a stack built up as follows:

70 mass % sweet grape marc 15 mass % poultry dung 3 mass % soil of 30 mass %

clay content 2 mass % of Thomas slag and 10 mass % wood shavings.

The other parameters of compost making are the same as those of above-

mentioned experiment.

The results in the table show that the compost made by the process of invention

has significantly higher contents of macro elements than the control one, which

means higher nitrogen content by about 20 % and surplus of phosphorus and

potassium contents by nearly 23 and 30 % respectively.

The nitrogen concentration calculated in NO ₃ was measured higher by 16 % in the

compost made by the invented process than in the control one.

The loss of nitrogen and that of phosphorus appear considerably lower in the

process of the invention than in the control one.

The loss of phosphorus appears nearly twice as high in the control experiment

than in the process of the invention.