Rockwool International A/s

Rockwell International Corporation

Jean Marie Wilhelmus Cuypers

Paul Bouwens

Eelke Gjalt Hempenius

Andreas Leismann

Stuart Lambie

Daan De Kubber

Erling Lennart Hansen

Lars Naerum

Povl Nissen

Daan Louis De Kubber

Frank Hendrikus Peter Janssen

Frank Hendrikus Janssen

Poul Nissen

This invention includes a coherent growth substrate product formed of mineral wool, the product having two opposed top and bottom surfaces and a seed hole extending from the top surface towards the bottom surface, the base of the seed hole defining a seed bed, wherein the volume of the growth substrate product is not more than 150 cm, and wherein the seed bed has a width of at least 5 mm.

Growth substrate product formed of mineral wool

The invention provides a method of growing plants in a mineral wool growth substrate, the method comprising:

Method of growing plants

The invention relates to a method of making a particulate material comprising; providing mineral wool base material in a form having size at least 80% not more than 40 mm, subjecting the mineral wool base material to sintering by use of a pulse combustor and thereby forming a particulate material in the form of particles having size at least 80% not more than 20 mm. An apparatus for carrying out the method comprises means for size reduction of coherent mineral wool substrate and a reaction chamber in communication with a pulse combustor.

Method of making particulate material

The present invention provides a method of producing a granular product, the method comprising providing waste stone wool product of which at least 90% is in coherent form having minimum dimension at least 50 mm and which has a content of at least 10% water, by weight of the waste stone wool product; producing a base material from the stone wool by reducing the coherent stone wool to particulate form such that at least 80% by weight of the base material is in the form of particles having size not more than 40 mm, and has water content not more than 50 wt % based on the particulate base material; forming the particulate base material into granules, wherein at least 80% by weight of the granules have size not more than 40 mm, and subjecting the granules to sintering at a temperature in the range 900 to 1050&#xb0; C. to form a granular product wherein at least 80% by weight of the granular product is in the form of granules having size not more than 40 mm, and during the operation of the method no binder is added. The present invention also relates to a product obtainable by the method described above.

Method of treating stone wool

The invention provides a method of growing plants in a non-fibrous growth substrate, the method comprises providing at least one non-fibrous growth substrate comprising wetting agent, positioning one or more plants for growth in the growth substrate, characterized in that the wetting agent comprises ionic surfactant and the non-fibrous growth substrate is selected from the group consisting of urea formaldehyde foam, perlite, vermiculite, expanded clay, coco chips, coco dust, lava, pumice and mixtures thereof.

The invention provides a method of growing plants in a mineral wool growth substrate, the method comprises providing at least one mineral wool growth substrate comprising binder and wetting agent, positioning one or more plants for growth in the growth substrate, characterized in that the height of the mineral wool growth substrate is at least 53 mm and the wetting agent comprises ionic surfactant.

Growth substrates, their production and their use

The invention provides a method of growing at least three plants simultaneously in mineral wool growth substrate, the method comprises positioning the plants for growth in mineral wool growth substrate so that the roots of each plant are positioned in a growth region, and irrigating the plants with irrigation water over a period of at least three days, wherein during the irrigation period at least one water content parameter as measured in the growth regions surrounding the plant roots varies over the set of all growth regions by not more than 45%, and wherein the growth substrate comprises binder and wetting agent, the wetting agent comprising ionic surfactant.

Growing community of inventors

Linne, Netherlands

Jean Marie Wilhelmus Cuypers