US3773659A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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System for processing wastes
Assignee: Babson Brothers Co
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Filing: 1970-12-16
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Granted: 1973-11-20
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Expires: 1990-12-16
Abstract
Abstract The present invention provides a system for biodegrading manure or similar waste products from animal subjects such as human beings, cows, steers, swine, chickens or other domestic animals. The manure is introduced as mixed solid and liquid waste into a holding tank and water is added as needed. The liquid manure portion is withdrawn from the holding tank and delivered downwardly through a multilevel perforated horizontal plate aerator tower in combination with air or other oxygen containing gas so as to practically fill the tower with bubbles between the horizontally disposed plates. Liquid flowing from the bottom of the tower contains a substantial amount of foam and the liquidfoam mixture is delivered to a reaction vessel. Most of the liquid is recycled from the reaction vessel at a high flow rate back to the top of the tower providing a flowing cyclic stream. Liquid manure from the holding tank can be introduced into the cyclic stream at any point, e. g., into the top of the tower or into the reaction vessel. Solid grass and the like can be recovered as a separate product from the holding tank. A second stream of liquid, very low volume and low flow rate compared to the tower recycle stream, is delivered from the reaction vessel through an enzyme or settling vessel in which an enzyme producing culture provides further biodegradation. Product water is recovered from the enzyme vessel and can be deflocced, coagulated and further purified, such as by means of an ion exchange system, filtering or the like, even to the extent that it becomes potable water. A slip stream can also be withdrawn from the enzyme vessel and used to prewash product solids such as undigested grass, corn, etc., recovered from the holding tank and/or for recycling to the holding tank as an inoculum. Effluent from the settling vessel is used for secondary washing of the product solids. The liquid effluent returns to the agitating vessel. The floc recovered from the defloccing step apparently contains all of the phosphates from the manure and is useful as a fertilizer. Any grassy residue from the holding tank, e. g., as would be recovered from cow manure or the like, can be washed and used either as feed or bedding. In use, the system forms a portion of a partial life cycle in that feed or bedding recovered from the system can be used to resupply the animals which produced the manure and fertilizer from the floc component can be used to fertilize grazing lands. Useful gases, e. g., ammonia and carbon dioxide, can also be recovered from the system.
Inventors
- 👤 L Carlson
- 👤 G Ronsen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 10:02
CPC Classifications
C; C02; C02F; C02F3/00; C02F3/02; C02F3/12; C02F3/1205; C02F3/1215; C02F3/10; C02F3/34; C05; C05F; C05F3/00; Y; Y02; Y02A; Y02A40/00; Y02A40/10; Y02A40/20; Y02P; Y02P20/00; Y02P20/141; Y02P20/145; Y02W; Y02W10/00; Y02W10/10; Y10; Y10S; Y10S210/00; Y10S210/902; Y10S210/906
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said forming step comprises intermittently breaking and reforming the film for reestablishing more favorable reaction rates.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said film is formed as a plurality of bubbles.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 3 wherein said bubbles are formed by passing the aqueous liquid through a generally horizontally disposed perforated surface in contact with oxygen-containing gas.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 4 wherein said passing step comprises delivering the aqueous liquid through a vertical tower having a plurality of horizontally disposed vertically spaced levels each comprising a perforated plate across said tower.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 5 wherein air is flowed cocurrently wiTh the liquid.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 5 wherein the air is flowed countercurrently with respect to the liquid.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
60 words
The method of claim 5 wherein said liquid is introduced at the top of said tower and downwardly through said plurality of perforated plates, the top of said column is open to atmosphere and the liquid draws air in through the top for cocurrent flow with the liquid downwardly through the column thereby filling spaces between said plates with bubbles.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 8 including the steps of breaking the bubbles from the bottom of the tower to form a liquid and delivering a portion of said liquid through from the reaction zone a floc separator for separation of floc therefrom and recovering the liquid from said floc separator.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
115 words
The method of treating biodegradable aqueous liquid organic waste which comprises passing the liquid downward through a multiple perforated shelf bubble tower in contact with air and converting the liquid into a mass of bubbles within the tower in the absence of appreciable bacteria growth on the shelves, said bubbles having both inner and outer surfaces essentially completely exposed to air, delivering the bubbles and the reforming liquid from the bottom of the tower to a reaction vessel in which bacterial growth is sustained, recycling liquid from the reaction vessel to the top of said tower for additional bubble formation therefrom and delivering some of the oxidized product from the reaction vessel for further processing.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
64 words
The method of claim 10 including the step of delivering the oxidized product recovered from the reaction vessel to a settling or enzyme vessel in which a second different bacterial growth is sustained and recovering liquid from said enzyme vessel at a rate less than 10 percent of the flow rate of the recycle from the bottom of the tower to the top thereof.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 11 wherein said oxidized product is delivered from the reaction vessel to the settling vessel in the form of a foam and said foam is recovered substantially therein.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
139 words
The method of treating biodegradable aqueous liquid organic waste products containing oxidizing enzymes and in some cases reducing enzymes, particularly those involved in synthesis of living organisms, which comprises passing the liquid downward through a multiple level perforated shelf bubble tower in contact with air and converting the liquid into a mass of bubbles within the tower in the absence of appreciable bacterial growth on the shelves reconverting the bubbles to liquid and contacting the recovered liquid with a bacterial culture, recycling material and bacterial culture to the top of the tower, recovering a portion of the liquid from the bacterial culture contact zone adjusting the pH of the recovered portion of the liquid to below 6.5 and passing the recovered portion of the liquid through a mixed bed cation and anion exchange system for clarification of the liquid.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
182 words
The method of treating biodegradable aqueous liquid organic waste products containing oxidizing and some reducing enzymes and capable of total recycle which comprises delivering a mixture of solid and liquid waste materials to a hold tank, circulating liquid material from the hold tank as an aqueous liquid organic waste product to the top of multiple level bubble tower, passing the liquid downwardly cocurrently with air through the plate bubble tower thereby converting the liquid to a mass of bubbles within the tower recovering liquid and foam from the bottom of the tower and delivering the liquid and foam to a reaction vessel, recycling at least 90 percent of the liquid delivered to the reaction vessel back to the top of the tower for rebubbling, recovering non-recycled liquid from the reaction vessel and treating the non-recycled liquid for separation of floc therefrom, delivering recovered liquid from the reaction vessel to a settling vessel, recycling a slip stream of the material from the settling vessel to the hold tank for inoculating maTerial therein and releasing vent gases predominating in ammonia from the recovered liquid.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
64 words
The method of claim 14 wherein said waste product contains grass and including the steps of recovering grass from the holding tank, mixing liquid material recovered from the floc separation step with the grass recovered from the hold tank to absorb a portion of the ions present in the liquid on the grass and effectively removing noxious, odoriferous molecules as a final washing operation.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 15 including the step of mixing floc recovered from the floc separation zone with grass recovered from the hold tank for producing a fertilizer product.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 14 including the step of recovering grass from the hold tank and drying the grass to form bedding and/or feed.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
167 words
The method of treating biodegradable organic waste products which comprises establishing a first continuous cyclic stream at a high rate of flow of aqueous liquid waste products downwardly through an aeration zone in contact with air thereafter through a reaction vessel in which bacterial growth is sustained and thereafter by recycle from the reaction vessel to the top of the tower for redelivery through the tower, withdrawing a relatively low flow rate stream from said first cyclic stream and recycling the withdrawn stream through a supply of mixed solid and liquid organic waste products and returning the withdrawal stream to the first cyclic stream to thereby establish a second or low flow rate cyclic stream for delivering feed waste product to said first stream, withdrawing oxidized product from said first cyclic stream at about the same flow rate as the flow rate of said second cyclic stream is supplying waste product to said first cyclic stream, separating floc from the oxidized product and recovering the resulting liquid.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 18 wherein the rate of flow of the second cyclic stream is from 0.05 to 10 percent of the rate of flow of the first cyclic stream.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 19 including the step of clarifying the liquid recovered from the last step.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 20 including the step of returning a portion of the clarified product to said supply of waste as makeup water.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
162 words
A method of maintaining a partial life cycle which comprises collecting manure produced by a plurality of animal subjects, containing said manure in a holding tank in the presence of an aqueous medium, delivering an aqueous stream from the holding tank through an aeration zone together with oxidizing enzymes, forming the liquid into a film in the aeration zone with both surfaces of the film exposed to oxygen until the organic material is biodegraded to the desired extent, continuously recycling a major portion of the liquid recovered from the aeration zone back through the aeration zone and withdrawing another portion of the liquid, digesting the withdrawn portion of the liquid in the presence of a bacterial culture, separating phosphates and floc from the digested withdrawn material for use as fertilizer, continuously recycling a portion of the liquid as inoculum back through the holding tank for picking up additional organic waste and withdrawing grass from the holding tank and washing the withdrawn grass.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 22 wherein said washing is with fresh water to produce a grass suitable for use as feed.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 22 wherein said washing is with deflocced product to provide a grass product useful as cattle bedding.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
198 words
The method of claim 23 including the step of feeding the recovered solid grass to said animal subjects. 26. Apparatus for treating biodegradable aqueous liquid organic waste products which comprises a hold tank for containing a mixture of solid and liquid waste materials, a multiple level perforated plate bubble tower, means for delivering the liquid from the hold tank together with air downward through said tower for converting the liquid to a mass of bubbles within the tower, a reaCtion vessel, means for recovering liquid and foam from the bottom of the tower and delivering the liquid and foam to the reaction vessel, means for recycling a major portion of the liquid from the reaction vessel back to the top of the tower for rebubbling, means for recovering nonrecycled liquid from the reaction vessel, a settling vessel, means for delivering recovered liquid from the reaction vessel to the settling vessel, means for treating the nonrecycled liquid for separation of floc therefrom, vent means for venting gases predominating in ammonia and carbon dioxide from the recovered liquid and means for recycling a slip stream of the material from the settling vessel to the hold tank for inoculating material therein.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
133 words
Apparatus for treating animal waste products which comprises a holding tank for receiving animal waste products, means defining an aeration zone, means for delivering an aqueous stream from the holding tank through the aeration zone together with oxidizing enzymes, means in the aeration zone for forming the liquid into a film with both surfaces of the film exposed to oxygen, means for continuously recycling a portion of the liquid recovered from the aeration zone back through the aeration zone, means for withdrawing another portion of the liquid, means for digesting the withdrawn portion of the liquid in the presence of a bacterial culture, means for separating floc from the digested withdrawn material and means for continuously recycling a portion of the liquid back through the holding tank for picking up additional organic waste.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
142 words
A method of maintaining a partial life cycle which comprises collecting manure produced by a plurality of animal subjects, containing said manure in a holding tank in the presence of an aqueous medium, withdrawing and washing the solids grass portion of the manure from the holding tank, delivering a combined stream of the liquid portion of the manure and the wash water through an aeration zone together with enzymes, forming the liquid into a film in the aeration zone with both surfaces of the film exposed to oxygen until the organic material is biodegraded to the desired extent, continuously recycling a major portion of the liquid recovered from the aeration zone back through the aeration zone and recovering another portion of the liquid as a separate stream, and digesting said separate stream of the liquid in the presence of a bacterial culture.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
176 words
A system for maintaining a partial life cycle which comprises means for collecting manure produced by a plurality of animal subjects, a holding tank for receiving said manure in the presence of an aqueous medium, means for recovering the solid grass and liquid portions of the holding tank as separate portions, means for washing said solid grass portion with water, an aeration zone, means for combining the liquid portion of the manure and the wash water and delivering a stream of the combined liquid through the aeration zone, means in the aeration zone for forming the liquid into a film with both surfaces of the film exposed to oxygen, means for continuously recycling a major portion of the liquid recovered from the aeration zone back through the aeration zone whereby the liquid is exposed to oxidizing enzymes in the presence of oxygen until digested to the desired extent, means for recovering another portion of the liquid as a separate stream, and means for digesting said separate stream of liquid in the presence of a bacterial culture.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
120 words
A method of maintaining a partial life cycle which comprises collecting manure produced by a plurality of animal subjects, said manure having a liquid portion and an undigested grass solids component, containing said manure in a holding tank in the presence of an aqueous medium, separating the solid grass portion of the manure by washing the manure on a screen, recovering the wash water from the grass, combining the liquid portion of the manure and the grass wash water, recycling at least a portion of the combined liquid as a streAm to the holding tank as additional wash liquid, recovering the solid grass as a separate component and returning the recovered grass to said animal subjects for use as bedding.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-11-19 | 1977-05-21 | 1977-11-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-11-19 | 1981-05-21 | 1981-11-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-11-19 | 1985-05-21 | 1985-11-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |