A cactus processing system (100) for removing spines from cactus stems, wherein the system (100) comprises:
- (a) a free-standing edge cleaning member (110), wherein the edge cleaning member (110) is adapted to remove cactus spines (109) from an outer periphery of a cactus stem edge (102) of a cactus stem (101);
- (b) a free-standing conveyor member (120) comprising:
- (i) a lower transport conveyor (130) having a lower transport conveyor first end (131), a lower transport conveyor second end (132), and a lower transport conveyor open middle area (133) between the lower transport conveyor first end (131) and the lower transport conveyor second end (132), wherein a high open area mesh lower transport conveyor belt (135) is located on the lower transport conveyor (130) and surrounds the lower transport conveyor open middle area (133),
- wherein the lower transport conveyor (130) is designed to transport the cactus stem (101) from the lower transport conveyor first end (131) to the lower transport conveyor second end (132), wherein the lower transport conveyor belt (135) is designed to provide support to the cactus stem (101) while providing access to at least ninety percent of a cactus stem rear surface (104) via a lower transport conveyor belt open area (136),
- (ii) a lower cleaning conveyor (140) located entirely inside the lower transport conveyor open middle area (133), wherein a lower brushing belt (145) is located on the lower cleaning conveyor (140), wherein the lower brushing belt (145) is designed to interface with the cactus stem rear surface (104) on the lower transport conveyor belt (135) to remove cactus spines (109), wherein the lower brushing belt (145) traverses a direction opposed to the lower transport conveyor belt (135),
- (iii) an upper transport conveyor (150) having an upper transport conveyor first end (151), an upper transport conveyor second end (152), and an upper transport conveyor open middle area (153) between the upper transport conveyor first end (151) and the upper transport conveyor second end (152), wherein a high open area mesh upper transport conveyor belt (155) is located on the upper transport conveyor (150) and surrounds the upper transport conveyor open middle area (153),
- wherein the upper transport conveyor (150) is designed to transport the cactus stem (101) from the upper transport conveyor first end (151) to the upper transport conveyor second end (152), wherein the upper transport conveyor belt (155) is designed to provide support to the cactus stem (101) while providing access to at least ninety percent of a cactus stem front surface (103) via an upper transport conveyor belt open area (156), and
- (iv) an upper cleaning conveyor (160) located entirely inside the upper transport conveyor open middle area (153), wherein an upper brushing belt (165) is located on the upper cleaning conveyor (160), wherein the upper brushing belt (165) is designed to interface with the cactus stem front surface (103) on the upper transport conveyor belt (155) to remove cactus spines (109), wherein the upper brushing belt (165) traverses a direction opposed to the upper transport conveyor belt (155),
- wherein a lower transport conveyor belt upper surface (137) is moving a same direction as an upper transport conveyor belt lower surface (157), wherein the cactus stem (101) is held between the lower transport conveyor belt (135) and the upper transport conveyor belt (155), wherein cactus spines (109) from the cactus stem (101) are removed via the lower brushing belt (145) and the upper brushing belt (165), wherein the lower brushing belt (145) and the upper brushing belt (165) each comprise a plurality of U-shaped brushes (170) located thereon;
- (c) an open basin (180) located on a ground surface having a basin first end (181) and a basin second end (182), wherein the basin (180) comprises a rail (185) longitudinally located over an open basin top (183) from the basin first end (181) to the basin second end (182), wherein a mesh screen (190) is slidably located on the rail (185), wherein the mesh screen (190) perpendicularly sets in the basin (180) for straining solids from collected sludge, wherein the solids are strained out of the basin (180) and scooped out on the basin first end (181) or the basin second end (182) via manual manipulation of the mesh screen (190);
- (d) a first collecting box (200) located on the ground surface next to the basin first end (181) and a second collecting box (210) located on the ground surface next to the basin second end (182), wherein the first collecting box (200) and the second collecting box (210) are designed to catch the solids removed from the basin (180);
- (e) a cactus collecting box (220) located on the ground surface next to the lower transport conveyor second end (132), wherein the cactus collecting box (220) is designed to collect cleaned cactus stems (101) falling from the conveyor member (120);
- and
- (f) a compressed air cleaning system (230) comprising a compressed air supply and a plurality of compressed air nozzles (231), wherein the plurality of compressed air nozzles (231) is located in multiple locations within a lower brushing belt middle area (146) and an upper brushing belt middle area (166) for cleaning the lower brushing belt (145), the upper brushing belt (165), the lower transport conveyor belt (135), and the upper transport conveyor belt (155).