Patents by Inventor Mark J. Girovich

Mark J. Girovich has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5215670
    Abstract: Dewatered municipal sludge is dried and simultaneously pelletized in an indirect dryer. A sweep air is introduced into the dryer to extract a water vapor and air mixture. The water vapor and air mixture is condensed and cleaned in a condensor and a scrubber to obtain a clean non-condensable gas. The non-condensable gas is heated and recycled to the dryer after heating for use as the sweep air. Since air leakage into the system is inevitable, an excess amount of air accumulates that does not need to be recycled to the dryer. The excess amount of air is diverted from the recycled sweep air and thermally treated to destroy any malodorous gaseous constituents contained therein. Preferably, the indirect dryer is a horizontal drum dryer that is heated by the hot flue gases from a combustion furnace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1993
    Assignee: Bio Gro Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Mark J. Girovich
  • Patent number: 5069801
    Abstract: Municipal sludge is dried in an indirect heating dryer to simultaneously dry and pelletize the sludge while preventing the escape of malodorous gases. The product exiting the dryer contains pelletized, undersized and oversized fractions. The dried product is classified to separate the undersized and oversized fractions from the pellets. The pellets are then cooled and stored for subsequent use as a fertilizer or fuel. The oversized fraction is crushed to obtain fines and mixed with the undersized fraction, which contains mostly fines. The fines are added to the liquid sludge before it is input to the dryer. The air that is used to cool the pellets, and that is used as sweep air in the dryer contains malodorous gases. In order to prevent the escape of these malodorous gases, the pellet cooling air and sweep air, which also includes the water vapor generated during the drying of the sludge, is deodorized by thermal treatment, preferably in a high temperature combustion zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1991
    Assignee: Bio Gro Systems, Incorporated
    Inventor: Mark J. Girovich