Grease separating method and separator system

Claim 2

A grease recovery system, comprising: (a) a main separator tank for recovering grease and solids from wastewater, said main separator tank having a bottom and side wall extending from said bottom for defining an open interior with an upwardly open top, said open interior having an upper portion and a lower portion; (b) a bladeable mass of discrete individual particles disposed in said lower portion; (c) a removable, upwardly opening, flexible water pervious filter means carried within said upper portion, said filter means covering at least a portion of said bladeable material and having an upper open mouth portion adjacent to the open top of said main tank; (d) support means for supporting said filter means for receiving wastewater poured into the mouth of said filter means so that said grease and solids are retained in said filter and a filtrate passes by gravity from said filter, said bladeable material functioning as a secondary filter for filtering the filtrate to retain residual grease and solids that pass through said filter means; and (e) means for directing the filtered filtrate from said lower portion.

Claim 3

A grease recovery system, comprising, (a) a main separator tank for recovering grease and solids from wastewater, said main separator tank having a bottom and side wall extending from said bottom for defining an open interior with an upwardly open top, said open interior having an upper portion and lower portion; (b) a bladeable mass of discrete individual particles disposed in said lower portion; (c) a removable, upwardly opening, flexible water pervious filter means carried within said upper portion, said filter means covering at least a portion of said bladeable material and having an upper open mount portion adjacent to the open top of said main tank; (d) support means for supporting said filter means for receiving wastewater poured into the mouth of said filter means so that said grease and solids are retained in said filter and a filtrate passes by gravity from said filter, said bladeable material functioning as a secondary filter for filtering the filtrate to retain residual grease and solids that pass through said filter means; (e) means for directing the filtered filtrate from said lower portion; and (f) said filter means comprising a plurality of filters disposed along the upper portion of said main separator tank and wherein said support means comprises a plurality of partitions disposed in spaced relationship to each other along the upper portion of said main separator tank for defining a plurality of individual compartments, each filter adapted for placement with a compartment.

Claim 4

A grease recovery system, comprising, (a) a main separator tank for recovering grease and solids from wastewater, said main separator tank having a bottom and side wall extending from said bottom for defining an open interior with an upwardly open top, said open interior having an upper portion and lower portion; (b) a bladeable mass of discrete individual particles disposed in said lower portion; (c) a removable, upwardly opening, flexible water pervious filter means carried within said upper portion, said filter means covering at least a portion of said bladeable material and having an upper open mount portion adjacent to the open top of said main tank; (d) support means for supporting said filter means for receiving wastewater poured into the mouth of said filter means so that said grease and solids are retained in said filter and a filtrate passes by gravity from said filter, said bladeable material functioning as a secondary filter for filtering the filtrate to retain residual grease and solids that pass through said filter means; (e) means for directing the filtered filtrate from said lower portion; and (f) said filter means comprising a plurality of filters disposed along the upper portion of said main separator tank and wherein said support means comprises a plurality of partitions disposed in spaced relationship to each other along the upper portion of said main separator tank for defining a plurality of individual compartments, each filter adapted for placement with a compartment.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said support means further comprises placement of said bed of discrete individual particles within the lower portion of said main separator tank contiguous to the compartments of the upper portion so that said bed supports said filter from below said filters.

Claim 6

A grease recovery system, comprising, (a) a main separator tank for recovering grease and solids from wastewater, said main separator tank having a bottom and side wall extending from said bottom for defining an open interior with an upwardly open top, said open interior having an upper portion and lower portion; (b) a bladeable mass of discrete individual particles disposed in said lower portion; (c) a removable, upwardly opening, flexible water pervious filter means carried within said upper portion, said filter means covering at least a portion of said bladeable material and having an upper open mount portion adjacent to the open top of said main tank; (d) support means for supporting said filter means for receiving wastewater poured into the mouth of said filter means so that said grease and solids are retained in said filter and a filtrate passes by gravity from said filter, said bladeable material functioning as a secondary filter for filtering the filtrate to retain residual grease and solids that pass through said filter means; (e) means for directing the filtered filtrate from said lower portion; and (f) said filter means being positioned above said bed of discrete individual particles, and said bed of discrete individual particles being positioned above said means for directing the filtered filtrate, whereby gravity forces wastewater poured into said filter means therethrough into said bed of discrete individual particles and into said means for directing the filtered filtrate.

Claim 7

A grease recovery system, comprising, (a) a main separator tank for recovering grease and solids from wastewater, said main separator tank having a bottom and side wall extending from said bottom for defining an open interior with an upwardly open top, said open interior having an upper portion and lower portion; (b) a bladeable mass of discrete individual particles disposed in said lower portion; (c) a removable, upwardly opening, flexible water pervious filter means carried within said upper portion, said filter means covering at least a portion of said bladeable material and having an upper open mount portion adjacent to the open top of said main tank; (d) support means for supporting said filter means for receiving wastewater poured into the mouth of said filter means so that said grease and solids are retained in said filter and a filtrate passes by gravity from said filter, said bladeable material functioning as a secondary filter for filtering the filtrate to retain residual grease and solids that pass through said filter means; (e) means for directing the filtered filtrate from said lower portion; and (f) said filter means being positioned above said bed of discrete individual particles, and said bed of discrete individual particles being positioned above said means for directing the filtered filtrate, whereby gravity forces wastewater poured into said filter means therethrough into said bed of discrete individual particles and into said means for directing the filtered filtrate.

Claim 8

A grease recovery system, for recovering grease from wastewater comprising: (a) a main separator tank having a bottom and upstanding walls extending upwardly from said bottom for forming an upright vessel with an open interior defining an upper chamber and a lower chamber and an open top; (b) a plurality of partitions disposed in spaced relationship to each other adjacent to said top and across said upper chamber for defining a plurality of individual juxtaposed compartments, all of which communicate with said lower chamber; (c) a plurality of individual removable filters received respectively in said compartments; (d) a bed of discrete absorbent particles in said lower chamber and extending beneath all of said filters, said bed having an upper surface, the lower portions of said filters normally resting upon said upper surface so that said absorbent particles in said lower chamber provide support for the lower portions of said filters and act as a secondary support means for said filters; and (e) removal means for removing wastewater from said bed of discrete absorbent particles, whereby, greasy wastewater poured into said compartments is filtered by said filters, which retain grease therein allowing filtrated wastewater to pass into said bed of discrete absorbent particles, wherein residual grease in said filtrated wastewater is absorbed by said bed of discrete absorbent particles while the filtrated wastewater passes through said removal means.

Claim 9

A grease recovery system, for recovering grease from wastewater comprising: (a) a main separator tank having a bottom and upstanding walls extending upwardly from said bottom for forming an upright vessel with an open interior defining an upper chamber and a lower chamber and an open top; (b) a plurality of partitions disposed in spaced relationship to each other adjacent to said top and across said upper chamber for defining a plurality of individual juxtaposed compartments, all of which communicate with said lower chamber; (c) a plurality of individual removable filters received respectively in said compartments; (d) a bed of discrete absorbent particles in said lower chamber and extending beneath all of said filters, said bed having an upper surface, the lower portions of said filters normally resting upon said upper surface so that said absorbent particles in said lower chamber provide support for the lower portions of said filters and act as a secondary support means for said filters; and (e) removal means for removing wastewater from said bed of discrete absorbent particles, whereby, greasy wastewater poured into said compartments is filtered by said filters, which retain grease therein allowing filtrated wastewater to pass into said bed of discrete absorbent particles, wherein residual grease in said filtrated wastewater is absorbed by said bed of discrete absorbent particles while the filtrated wastewater passes through said removal means.

Claim 10

A grease recovery system for separating grease and solid particles from a liquid, said system comprising; a separator tank; filter means positioned in operative relationship to said separator tank for filtering and retaining grease from said liquid and for permitting the liquid to be received in said tank as a filtrate; absorption means within said separator tank for contacting said filtrate for adsorbing residual grease and solids from the treated filtrate and for retaining the residual grease and solids in said tank as said filtrate passes therethrough; conduit means communicating with said tank for receiving said filtrate after it passes through said adsorption means; grease trap means for receiving the filtrate from said conduit means for further separating additional grease and solid particles from the filtrate; and a receptacle for receiving the grease retained by said filter means, said receptacle containing a grease adsorbing material.

Claim 11

A grease recovery system for separating grease and solid particles from a liquid, said system comprising; a separator tank; filter means positioned in operative relationship to said separator tank for filtering and retaining grease from said liquid and for permitting the liquid to be received in said tank as a filtrate; absorption means within said separator tank for contacting said filtrate for adsorbing residual grease and solids from the treated filtrate and for retaining the residual grease and solids in said tank as said filtrate passes therethrough; conduit means communicating with said tank for receiving said filtrate after it passes through said adsorption means; grease trap means for receiving the filtrate from said conduit means for further separating additional grease and solid particles from the filtrate; and a receptacle for receiving the grease retained by said filter means, said receptacle containing a grease adsorbing material.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said filter means comprises a filter having a bottom and at least one side defining a liquid receiving space for receiving an amount of the liquid, said filter being adapted to trap and retain the grease and solid particles contained in the liquid and allow the liquid to drain therethrough

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said absorption means comprises grease absorbing material positioned below said filter means and above said conduit means, whereby when the liquid is poured into said filter means, the liquid is forced by gravity through said filter means, said absorption means, and said conduit means.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a cleaning means for Washing said filter.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said cleaning means comprising means for receiving water, means for washing the filter with the water, and means for disposing of the water into said conduit means.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a stone filter for receiving liquid from said means for passing liquid from said receiving means and further filtering the liquid.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising an access means for providing access to said conduit means in order that said conduit means can be cleaned.

Claim 22

The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of retrieving the grease separated in the separator means and transferring it into the filter means.

Claim 23

The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of washing the filter means with water after the grease collected therein has been mixed with the grease absorbing material.

Claim 24

The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of disposing of the water used to wash the filters into the conduit means.

Claim 25

The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of passing the filtered liquid through a stone filter means for separating solid particles from the liquid.