Abstract: Fluidized bed reactor apparatus, comprising a cylindrical reactor chamber (10), and a rotating shaft (14) equipped with radially extending fluidization units (16) disposed in the reactor chamber (10), said rotating shaft (14) being connected to a drive unit (42). The apparatus further comprising means for feeding fluidizing bed material into the reactor chamber (10), creating a fluidized bed (28) in the reactor chamber (10), means for feeding organic material that shall be processed into the fluidized bed (28) in the reactor chamber (10), and one or more outlets (22,24) for discharge of material, gases and vapors, wherein the process in the reactor chamber (10) is controlled by a control system (40) connected to at least the drive unit (42). The invention also relates to a method for processing organic material using a fluidized bed reactor apparatus.

Abstract: A method of treating a material to recover an oil from the material comprises heating the material to evaporate the oil, removing gas phase fluids from the material, and separating the oil from the gas phase fluids removed from the material, wherein the method includes mixing hot vapor with the material. The material being treated in the chamber is heated by friction within the chamber generated by a rotating shaft and flail. Injection of hot vapor improves the efficiency of the process to separate oil and any other evaporable liquids at lower temperatures. The thermal energy generated within the chamber is not consumed in changing the phase of large quantities of liquids in the material, and more of the energy generated is available to heat up the material and evaporate the oil fractions from the solids.