US3897215A — Converting municipal refuse into compost

Claim 1

Independent Claim 348 words

APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING MUNICIPAL REFUSE INTO COMPOST COMPRISING: A SPERATOR MEANS FOR REMOVING FERROUS MATERIALS FROM THE REFUSE, GRINDING MEANS FOR REDUCING THE REFUSE TO FINELY DIVIDED PARTICLES, MEANS FOR CONVEYING TO SAID GRINDING MEANS FROM SAID SEPARATOR MEANS THE REFUSE THUS FREED OF FERROUS MATERIALS, MEANS FOR SEPARATING GLASS PARTICLES AND PARTICLES OF OTHER NON-FERROUS MATERIALS, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A TANK CONTAINING A BODY OF LIQUID, AND CYCLONIC AIR SEPARATOR CHAMBER HAVING A CYLINDRICAL WALLMOUNTED ON SAID TANK ABOVE SAID BODY OF LIQUID WITH THE LOWER END OF SAID WALL EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY INTO SAID BODY OF LIQUID BELOW THE SURFACE THEREOF SO THAT THE SURFACE OF THE LIQUID FORMS THE BOTTOM WALL OF THE CHAMBER, SAID CHAMBER INCLUDING A TOP WALL HAVING AN OUTLET PIPE EXTENDING INTO THE CHAMBER, SAID CHAMBER ALSO HAVING A TANGENTIAL AIR INLET ABOVE THE LOWER END OF SAID OUTLET PIPE, MEANS INCLUDING A POWER DRIVEN CENTRIFUGAL AIR PUMP HAVING ITS INLET COMMUNICATION ITH SAID GRINDING MEANS AND ITS OUTLET CONNECTED TO SAID TANGENTIAL AIR INLET OF SAID CYCLONIC AIR SEPARATOR CHAMBER FOR CONVEYING THE PARTICLES FROM THE GRINDING MEANS TO THE CYCLONIC SEPARATOR CHAMBER UNDER POSITIVE AIR PRESSURE WHEREBY THE PARTICLES ARE AERATED AND FALL BY GRAVITY ON THE SURFACE OF THE LIQUID AND THE HEAVIER PARTICLES SINK IN THE BODY OF LIQUID WHILE THE LIGHTER PARTICLES ARE SUSPENDED IN THE LIQUID IN FORM OF A SLURRY, MEANS FOR AGITATING THE SLURRY, MEANS FOR REMOVING THE HEAVIER PARTICLES FROM THE SLURRY AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID TANK, A WET PULPING APPARATUS, MEANS FOR REMOVING THE SLURRY FROM THE TANK ADJACENT THE SURFACE OF THE SLURRY AND CONVEYING SAID SLURRY TO SAID WET PULPING APPARATUS IN A MIXING CONTAINING ABOUT NINETY PERCENT LIQUID WHICH FURTHER FINELY DIVIDES AND WASHES THE PARTICLES AND PRODUCES A MOMOGENIZED WET PULPY MIXTURE DEVOID OF GLASS PARTICLES AND OTHER HEAVIER NON-FERROUS PARTICLES, A DRIER FORDEHYDRATING SAID PULPY MIXTURE INTO A DEHYDRATED MASS HAVING A MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE ORDER OF 50 PERCENT, AND MEANS FOR CONVEYING SAID WET PULPY MIXTURE FROM SAID WET PULPING APPARATUS TO SAID DRIER.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 348 words

APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING MUNICIPAL REFUSE INTO COMPOST COMPRISING: A SPERATOR MEANS FOR REMOVING FERROUS MATERIALS FROM THE REFUSE, GRINDING MEANS FOR REDUCING THE REFUSE TO FINELY DIVIDED PARTICLES, MEANS FOR CONVEYING TO SAID GRINDING MEANS FROM SAID SEPARATOR MEANS THE REFUSE THUS FREED OF FERROUS MATERIALS, MEANS FOR SEPARATING GLASS PARTICLES AND PARTICLES OF OTHER NON-FERROUS MATERIALS, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A TANK CONTAINING A BODY OF LIQUID, AND CYCLONIC AIR SEPARATOR CHAMBER HAVING A CYLINDRICAL WALLMOUNTED ON SAID TANK ABOVE SAID BODY OF LIQUID WITH THE LOWER END OF SAID WALL EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY INTO SAID BODY OF LIQUID BELOW THE SURFACE THEREOF SO THAT THE SURFACE OF THE LIQUID FORMS THE BOTTOM WALL OF THE CHAMBER, SAID CHAMBER INCLUDING A TOP WALL HAVING AN OUTLET PIPE EXTENDING INTO THE CHAMBER, SAID CHAMBER ALSO HAVING A TANGENTIAL AIR INLET ABOVE THE LOWER END OF SAID OUTLET PIPE, MEANS INCLUDING A POWER DRIVEN CENTRIFUGAL AIR PUMP HAVING ITS INLET COMMUNICATION ITH SAID GRINDING MEANS AND ITS OUTLET CONNECTED TO SAID TANGENTIAL AIR INLET OF SAID CYCLONIC AIR SEPARATOR CHAMBER FOR CONVEYING THE PARTICLES FROM THE GRINDING MEANS TO THE CYCLONIC SEPARATOR CHAMBER UNDER POSITIVE AIR PRESSURE WHEREBY THE PARTICLES ARE AERATED AND FALL BY GRAVITY ON THE SURFACE OF THE LIQUID AND THE HEAVIER PARTICLES SINK IN THE BODY OF LIQUID WHILE THE LIGHTER PARTICLES ARE SUSPENDED IN THE LIQUID IN FORM OF A SLURRY, MEANS FOR AGITATING THE SLURRY, MEANS FOR REMOVING THE HEAVIER PARTICLES FROM THE SLURRY AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID TANK, A WET PULPING APPARATUS, MEANS FOR REMOVING THE SLURRY FROM THE TANK ADJACENT THE SURFACE OF THE SLURRY AND CONVEYING SAID SLURRY TO SAID WET PULPING APPARATUS IN A MIXING CONTAINING ABOUT NINETY PERCENT LIQUID WHICH FURTHER FINELY DIVIDES AND WASHES THE PARTICLES AND PRODUCES A MOMOGENIZED WET PULPY MIXTURE DEVOID OF GLASS PARTICLES AND OTHER HEAVIER NON-FERROUS PARTICLES, A DRIER FORDEHYDRATING SAID PULPY MIXTURE INTO A DEHYDRATED MASS HAVING A MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE ORDER OF 50 PERCENT, AND MEANS FOR CONVEYING SAID WET PULPY MIXTURE FROM SAID WET PULPING APPARATUS TO SAID DRIER.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 272 words

Apparatus for converting municipal refuse into compost comprising: a separator means for removing ferrous materials from the refuse, grinding means for reducing the refuse to finely divided particles, means for conveying to said grinding means from said separator means the refuse thus freed of ferrous materials, means for separating glass particles and particles of other non-ferrous materials, Said means comprising a tank containing a body of liquid, and a cyclonic air separator chamber having a cylindrical wall mounted on said tank above said body of liquid, said chamber including a top wall having an outlet pipe extending into the chamber, said chamber also having a tangential air inlet above the lower end of said outlet pipe, means including an air pump to convey the particles from the grinding means to the cyclonic air separator under positive air pressure whereby the particles are aerated and fall by gravity into the liquid in the tank and the heavier particles sink to the bottom of the tank, means for removing the heavier particles from the bottom of the tank, a wet pulping apparatus, means for removing the slurry from the tank adjacent the surface of the slurry and conveying said slurry to said wet pulping apparatus in a mixture containing about ninety percent liquid which further finely divides and washes the particles and produces a homogenized wet pulpy mixture devoid of glass particles and other heavier non-ferrous particles, a drier for dehydrating said pulpy mixture into a dehydrated mass having a moisture content of the order of 50 percent, and means for conveying said wet pulpy mixture from said wet pulping apparatus to said drier.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 272 words

Apparatus for converting municipal refuse into compost comprising: a separator means for removing ferrous materials from the refuse, grinding means for reducing the refuse to finely divided particles, means for conveying to said grinding means from said separator means the refuse thus freed of ferrous materials, means for separating glass particles and particles of other non-ferrous materials, Said means comprising a tank containing a body of liquid, and a cyclonic air separator chamber having a cylindrical wall mounted on said tank above said body of liquid, said chamber including a top wall having an outlet pipe extending into the chamber, said chamber also having a tangential air inlet above the lower end of said outlet pipe, means including an air pump to convey the particles from the grinding means to the cyclonic air separator under positive air pressure whereby the particles are aerated and fall by gravity into the liquid in the tank and the heavier particles sink to the bottom of the tank, means for removing the heavier particles from the bottom of the tank, a wet pulping apparatus, means for removing the slurry from the tank adjacent the surface of the slurry and conveying said slurry to said wet pulping apparatus in a mixture containing about ninety percent liquid which further finely divides and washes the particles and produces a homogenized wet pulpy mixture devoid of glass particles and other heavier non-ferrous particles, a drier for dehydrating said pulpy mixture into a dehydrated mass having a moisture content of the order of 50 percent, and means for conveying said wet pulpy mixture from said wet pulping apparatus to said drier.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 134 words

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said drier comprises a housing supported in an upstanding inclined position and having a bottom wall, an intermediate wall and a top wall, a cylindrical screen mounted between said bottom wall and said intermediate wall, a power driven screw rotatable in said screen and journaled in said bottom wall and said intermediate wall, said outlet of the wet pulper being connected to the lower end of said screen and the upper end of the screen opening through said intermediate wall whereby the slurry is elevated and compressed by the screw to squeeze water therefrom which water accumulates at the bottom of said housing, and means for pumping said water to said tank of the means for separating glass from the refuse and to said wet pulping apparatus.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1978-07-28	1979-01-27	1979-07-29	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1982-07-28	1983-01-27	1983-07-29	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1986-07-28	1987-01-27	1987-07-29	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Converting municipal refuse into compost

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