Abstract: A method and product for sterilizing and drying waste products such as plant sludge, animal excrement and process wastes wherein the waste material is first settled or dewatered to a moisture content between 4% to 60% and then blended and reacted with alkaline earth metal oxides in the presence of an atmosphere of carbon dioxide, and in the absence of the oxygen. After the sludge is blended with the alkaline earth oxides, the carbon dioxide is removed so that air or oxygen will contact the blended constituents. A violent exothermic reaction takes place between the water in the constituents and the alkaline earth oxides causing a rapid rise in temperature of the constituents and thus sterilizing the constituents to produce a safe and useable end product.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a high rate method for combining waste materials to produce valuable products for agricultural, horticultural, sylvicultural or public use. Specifically, the present invention combines the steps of alkaline stabilization, beneficiating and pelletizing waste materials, such as wastewater treatment plant sludge or animal excrement and reaction with carbon dioxide, to thereby convert the waste materials to useful products such as soil conditioners or fertilizer supplements.

Abstract: There is provided a method and apparatus for the accurate volumetric feeding of materials which require agitation to induce flow, the apparatus includes a hopper for containing said materials including a lower horizontally disposed, cylindrically shaped trough portion, an adjustably feed opening for feeding said material from said hopper disposed at a first end of said lower trough portion, a feeder assembly comprising a plurality of radially extending material working tools circumferentially mounted at equal angular displacements along a rotatable shaft and a feed helix longitudinally mounted on said shaft. The feeder assembly is disposed longitudinally in the lower trough portion and the shaft thereof defines the center of said trough portion.

Abstract: There is provided a thermal processor and method for thermally processing non-Newtonian, shear sensitive, viscous materials which are difficult-to-dry and difficult-to-handle, in particular dewatered waste water sludge from industrial plants such as metal hydroxide sludge from surface finishing and plating operations. The thermal processor includes a container having two parallel shafts disposed longitudinally therein for counter-rotational movement therebetween, a plurality of working tools attached by radially extending arms to said shafts and extending towards and substantially up to the sidewalls of the container. The parallel shafts are spaced from each other such that the paths of travel of the respective working tools attached to the shafts overlap therebetween in an area of material interaction.

Abstract: There is provided a method and apparatus for discharging storage bins within which difficult-to-handle materials are stored, the apparatus including a container adapted to be fixed to the bottom of the storage bin or silo, having horizontally spaced apart parallel shafts disposed within the container for counter-rotational movement therebetween. Working tools are attached to the shafts by radially extending arms and extend toward and substantially up to the side walls of the container. The working tools are double wedge shaped having substantially triangularly shaped sides converging toward each other at their connection to the shafts and converging toward each other to define a forward or leading edge in the direction of rotation of the tool. The bottom surfaces of the tools are recessed from the bottom edges of the triangularly shaped sides.

Abstract: A method for the lime stabilization of wastewater sludge, includes the steps of dewatering sludge so as to produce a sludge cake containing from about 10 to 60% by weight of dry solids and rapidly and intimately mixing and reacting the sludge cake with calcium oxide so as to produce stabilized sludge pellets. An apparatus for performing the process is also provided.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for mixing viscous materials in a double arm mixer having a container with a pair of spaced apart shafts pivotably disposed through the container and a plurality of mixing plows connected to the periphery of each shaft in spaced apart relationship. When the shafts are rotated in opposite directions, the working tools force the viscous material to the bottom of the container so that at its densest point, it interacts between the shafts before it is divided. The velocity of the individual particles varies in proportion to their distance from the axis from each of the shafts so that the shafts produce a radial inversion on a random basis as the particles are moved. The centrifugal force causes a radial shifting of the material from the axes of each shaft toward a path of higher velocity before the particles are divided. This results in uniform shear with a random division of all of the particles being mixed.