AU7648281A - Process for separating and recovering organic and inorganic matter from waste material - Google Patents
Process for separating and recovering organic and inorganic matter from waste materialInfo
- Publication number
- AU7648281A AU7648281A AU76482/81A AU7648281A AU7648281A AU 7648281 A AU7648281 A AU 7648281A AU 76482/81 A AU76482/81 A AU 76482/81A AU 7648281 A AU7648281 A AU 7648281A AU 7648281 A AU7648281 A AU 7648281A
- Authority
- AU
- Australia
- Prior art keywords
- waste material
- feedstock
- treating
- container
- recovery
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 239000002699 waste material Substances 0.000 title claims description 48
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 33
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 claims description 32
- LFQSCWFLJHTTHZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ethanol Chemical compound CCO LFQSCWFLJHTTHZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 28
- 238000011084 recovery Methods 0.000 claims description 24
- 238000000855 fermentation Methods 0.000 claims description 23
- 230000004151 fermentation Effects 0.000 claims description 23
- 239000005416 organic matter Substances 0.000 claims description 21
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 claims description 15
- 241001465754 Metazoa Species 0.000 claims description 14
- VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N methane Chemical compound C VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 12
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 11
- CWYNVVGOOAEACU-UHFFFAOYSA-N Fe2+ Chemical compound [Fe+2] CWYNVVGOOAEACU-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 7
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 claims description 7
- 239000002253 acid Substances 0.000 claims description 6
- 102000004190 Enzymes Human genes 0.000 claims description 5
- 108090000790 Enzymes Proteins 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000007062 hydrolysis Effects 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000006460 hydrolysis reaction Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000004821 distillation Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 241000894006 Bacteria Species 0.000 claims description 3
- 240000004808 Saccharomyces cerevisiae Species 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000003513 alkali Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000000446 fuel Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000006052 feed supplement Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 230000001954 sterilising effect Effects 0.000 claims 2
- 239000011368 organic material Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 238000004659 sterilization and disinfection Methods 0.000 claims 1
- CURLTUGMZLYLDI-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon dioxide Chemical compound O=C=O CURLTUGMZLYLDI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 8
- 239000010813 municipal solid waste Substances 0.000 description 7
- 239000010865 sewage Substances 0.000 description 7
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 6
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 6
- 241000195493 Cryptophyta Species 0.000 description 5
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 5
- VEXZGXHMUGYJMC-UHFFFAOYSA-N Hydrochloric acid Chemical compound Cl VEXZGXHMUGYJMC-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 239000001569 carbon dioxide Substances 0.000 description 4
- 229910002092 carbon dioxide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- -1 ferrous metals Chemical class 0.000 description 4
- 235000013305 food Nutrition 0.000 description 4
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 4
- 150000007513 acids Chemical class 0.000 description 3
- 210000000988 bone and bone Anatomy 0.000 description 3
- 239000010794 food waste Substances 0.000 description 3
- 235000016709 nutrition Nutrition 0.000 description 3
- KKEBXNMGHUCPEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 4-phenyl-1-(2-sulfanylethyl)imidazolidin-2-one Chemical compound N1C(=O)N(CCS)CC1C1=CC=CC=C1 KKEBXNMGHUCPEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 241000251468 Actinopterygii Species 0.000 description 2
- 229920002678 cellulose Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 235000010980 cellulose Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 238000001035 drying Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000003925 fat Substances 0.000 description 2
- 150000004676 glycans Chemical class 0.000 description 2
- 235000015097 nutrients Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 239000000123 paper Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 229920001282 polysaccharide Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000005017 polysaccharide Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000004064 recycling Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 description 2
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 235000008733 Citrus aurantifolia Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 235000016936 Dendrocalamus strictus Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 238000010793 Steam injection (oil industry) Methods 0.000 description 1
- 235000011941 Tilia x europaea Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 239000000654 additive Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002154 agricultural waste Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000001913 cellulose Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000919 ceramic Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000009264 composting Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000007796 conventional method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910010272 inorganic material Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000011147 inorganic material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004571 lime Substances 0.000 description 1
- 235000012054 meals Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 235000013372 meat Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 238000003801 milling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000029553 photosynthesis Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010672 photosynthesis Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000047 product Substances 0.000 description 1
- 150000003839 salts Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 238000005549 size reduction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000013589 supplement Substances 0.000 description 1
- 235000013311 vegetables Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 239000002023 wood Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B09—DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE; RECLAMATION OF CONTAMINATED SOIL
- B09B—DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B09B3/00—Destroying solid waste or transforming solid waste into something useful or harmless
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
- A23K—FODDER
- A23K10/00—Animal feeding-stuffs
- A23K10/10—Animal feeding-stuffs obtained by microbiological or biochemical processes
- A23K10/12—Animal feeding-stuffs obtained by microbiological or biochemical processes by fermentation of natural products, e.g. of vegetable material, animal waste material or biomass
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
- A23K—FODDER
- A23K10/00—Animal feeding-stuffs
- A23K10/20—Animal feeding-stuffs from material of animal origin
- A23K10/26—Animal feeding-stuffs from material of animal origin from waste material, e.g. feathers, bones or skin
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
- A23K—FODDER
- A23K10/00—Animal feeding-stuffs
- A23K10/30—Animal feeding-stuffs from material of plant origin, e.g. roots, seeds or hay; from material of fungal origin, e.g. mushrooms
- A23K10/37—Animal feeding-stuffs from material of plant origin, e.g. roots, seeds or hay; from material of fungal origin, e.g. mushrooms from waste material
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61L—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES
- A61L11/00—Methods specially adapted for refuse
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61L—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES
- A61L2/00—Methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects other than foodstuffs or contact lenses; Accessories therefor
- A61L2/02—Methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects other than foodstuffs or contact lenses; Accessories therefor using physical phenomena
- A61L2/04—Heat
- A61L2/06—Hot gas
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B03—SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS
- B03B—SEPARATING SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS
- B03B9/00—General arrangement of separating plant, e.g. flow sheets
- B03B9/06—General arrangement of separating plant, e.g. flow sheets specially adapted for refuse
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E50/00—Technologies for the production of fuel of non-fossil origin
- Y02E50/30—Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y02P60/00—Technologies relating to agriculture, livestock or agroalimentary industries
- Y02P60/80—Food processing, e.g. use of renewable energies or variable speed drives in handling, conveying or stacking
- Y02P60/87—Re-use of by-products of food processing for fodder production
Landscapes
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
- Biotechnology (AREA)
- Animal Husbandry (AREA)
- Food Science & Technology (AREA)
- Zoology (AREA)
- Physiology (AREA)
- Molecular Biology (AREA)
- Epidemiology (AREA)
- Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
- Biomedical Technology (AREA)
- Public Health (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
- Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
- Mycology (AREA)
- Botany (AREA)
- Biochemistry (AREA)
- Microbiology (AREA)
- Sustainable Development (AREA)
- Processing Of Solid Wastes (AREA)
Description
"PROCESS FOR SEPARATING AND RECOVERING ORGANIC AND INORGANIC MATTER FROM WASTE MATERIAL"
Background of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for treating waste material and more particularly to a process for treating waste material such as commercial, industrial, agricultural, household and restaurant waste for the recovery of useful organic and inorganic matter contained therein.
In one particularly important aspect, the invention relates to the treatment of municipal solid waste and to the processing of swill and household garbage and sewage. The term "swill" is used throughout this specification to refer to all putrescible organic municipal and agricultural waste. Such waste includes waste food discarded by households and, particularly, hotels, restaurants and other commercial catering establishments including hospitals, and. thus can be of a high nutritional value.
Heretofore-, various methods have been devised for the treatment and disposal of waste material including landfill, ocean dumping, composting, heat treatment and incineration. With the tremendous increase in volume of waste produced, such methods have become environmentally unsafe, inefficient and very expensive. Also, swill from hotels, restaurants and other commercial catering establishments has in the past been fed to animals as a method of disposal, but in recent years this has been discouraged due to the fear of introducing diseaseto such animals.
Furthermore, conventional recycling processes used in cooperation with such disposal methods only separate out the solids from the remainder of the waste and reduce the size thereof for the recovery of ferrous metals and other useful solids such as glass and the like contained therein. This may be accomplished by subjecting the solids to magnets for the recovery of ferrous metals or by subjecting them to crushers and hammer mills for size reduction. Also, the solids may be passed through fluids moving at various speeds whereby they are separated and classified according to density and aerodynamic qualities. Such conventional recovery processes have only achieved limited success due to the fact that they recover only limited amounts of reusable material with waste material still remaining for disposal.
In addition, a result of the bans and other measures taken to discourage the feeding of swill to animals has been that the use of commercial and domestic garbage grinders for the disposal of food
wastes has increased. Thus, garbage grinders are now in use in many household kitchen sinks and, with the advent of commercial garbage grinders in hospitals, hotels, supermarkets, and so on, the food scraps from such commercial institutions which were previously collected and fed to animals as swill are now diverted into the sewage system. This diversion of the swill into the sewage system, whilst avoiding problems which would arise if it was fed to animals, gives rise to problems in itself as it causes a further load on which is often an already over-loaded sewage system.
Summary of the Invention In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a process for treating waste material for the recovery of organic and inorganic matter which is safer and more reliable than the methods mentioned above. The improved process is simple and economical of operation and recovers more useful material than the prior conventional methods. The process will therefore significantly reduce the overload of waste material going to landfills and sewage plants by recovering not only solid inorganic matter but organic matter as well.
It is an object of the invention to provide an efficient waste recovery process that is adapted to treat various type_s of waste material including materials such as paper, plastic, metal, glass, waste food, wood chips and the like for the recovery of useful organic and inorganic matter, including animal foodstuffs and fuel materials.
According to the present invention there is provided a process for treating a waste material feed¬ stock for the separation and recovery of organic and inorganic matter contained therein, which comprises the steps of:-
(i) subjecting said feedstock to conditions of heat and/or pressure to sterilize the feedstock and soften solid organic matter therein;
(ii) separating solid inorganic matter from said sterilized feedstock; and
(iii) subjecting the resulting essentially organic component of said sterilized feedstock to fermentation to form a fermentationmash.
In carrying out the present invention, separation of the solid inorganic materials from the feedstock and subjecting the organic component of the feedstock to heat and/or pressure is conveniently carried out in a single step. This may-, for example, be carried out by feeding the waste material feedstock into a container having perforations therein and mounted within a closed chamber in spaced relation to the inner surface of said closed chamber. On a small scale, this may be carried out in an autoclave, however, large scale equipment designed on similar principles can also be used. After introduction of the feedstock, it is agitated while in the container and subjected to heat and/or pressure; for example by introduction of steam to the closed chamber at a pressure from approximately
20 p.s.i. up to approximately 100 p.s.i., preferably around 60 p.s.i., for a period of, from approximately 20 minutes to approximately 2 hours, preferably about 1 hour. The conditions of heat and pressure which are thus created within the closed chamber ensure that the feedstock is rendered biologically sterile, and furthermore solid organic matter within the feedstock, particularly bones, becomes soft and pliable under these conditions. When the pressure is 0 released from the chamber, the essentially organic component of the feedstock including bones which have become soft and pliable are forced outwardly through the perforations of the container leaving solid inorganic matter such as bottles, cans and the like behind. The organic matter is thus separated from the inorganic matter. If desired, the solid inorganic matter may be further processed for recovery and recycling of any ferrous and non-ferrous metal or plastics or glass therein.
As the organic matter of the feedstock is forced through the perforations as. described above, the material is shredded and broken up. if desired, one or more . enzymes, acids or alkalis may be added to the feedstock to assist in hydrolysis of cellulose and other components thereof prior to the alcohol production step. The feedstock is then fermented for example by means of yeasts or bacteria in the known manner to form an ethanol-containing* fermentation mash, and carbon dioxide produced during the fermentation may, if * desired, be recovered and stored for later use as required. After fermentation,' the fermentation mash may be separated, preferably by passage to a
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centrifuge where the solid fraction is separated from the liquid fraction thereof. The solid fraction retains high nutritional value and is preferably recovered for use as an animal foodstuff- Ethanol may be recovered from the liquid fraction by known means, preferably by distillation, and the balance of the liquid fraction then passed for further processing.
If desired, after recovery of the ethanol, the balance of the liquid fraction may be passed to a centrifuge for recovery of fats prior to. he product being passed to an anaerobic digester. In this digester, "bio-gas" is produced in the known manner and subsequently separated into methane and carbon dioxide.
If desired, the effluent from the anaerobic digester may be further processed for removal of the- remaining nutrients therein as described in more detail below.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing description that an important aspect of the present invention resides in the fermentation of the organic matter of the feedstock, for example for the production of ethanol. This production- of ethanol may be enhanced by hydrolysis of polysaccharide materials prior to fermentation and, as described above, this may be achieved by addition of an enzyme or an acid such as hydrochloric acid to the feedstock prior to fermentation. Such acids may be subsequently neutralized with basic materials such as lime to form
salts which are of benefit, for example in animal feedstuffs.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided apparatus for treatment of a waste material feedstock for the- separation and recovery of organic and inorganic matter therein, said apparatus comprising:-
(i) means for subjecting said feedstock to conditions of heat and/or pressure to sterilize the feedstock and soften solid organic matter therein;
(ii) means for separating solid inorganic matter from said sterilized feedstock; and
(iii) fermentation means wherein the resulting essentially organic component of said sterilized feedstock can be fermented to produce a fermentation mash.
Where an ethanol-containing fermentation mash is produced the apparatus may further comprise:- (iv) means to separate the fermentation mash into a solid fraction and a liquid fraction;
(v) distillation means for recovering ethanol from said liquid fraction; and," if desired, (vi) anaerobic digester means wherein the balance of said liquid fraction can be _digested for the recovery of methane.
Description of the Drawing Apparatus embodying features of the present invention and which may be employed to carry out a preferred embodiment of the improved process of this invention is shown schematically in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing.
Detailed Description of Drawing . Referring now to the drawing for a better understanding of the present invention, there is shown waste material, such as industrial, commercial, agricultural or household garbage being fed into a perforated drum or container 10 having closed ends 11 and perforations 12 at the sides thereof. In actual practice, it has been found that a container 10 cylindrical in shape and having 3/4 inch perforations at its sides is satisfactory. The container 10 is shown as being mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis 13 inwardly of a closed chamber 14 and in spaced relation to the inner surface 16 thereof as shown. In an alternative construction, however, the container 10 may be of inverted conical shape and mounted for rotation about its vertical axis.
After the waste material is fed into the container 10, it is agitated by rotation of the container and subjected to heat and pressure by suitable means, such as by introducing steam into the closed chamber 14 for a period ranging from approximately twenty minutes to two hours to bring the pressure therein up to a pressure ranging from approximately 20 p.s.i. to 100 p.s.i. The waste material is thus biologically sterilized and the
organic matter, such as vegetable matter, bones, meat scraps, paper and the like, are softened and partially hydrolized. In actual practice, it has hnnsn found that when the steam is introduced into the chamber 14 at a pressure of approximately 60 p.s.i. for approximately one hour, the process operates satisfactorily in every respect with household garbage and sewage and food scraps from restaurants. During the steam injection period, the container 10 is agitated, such as by rotating it about its longitudinal axis 13 within the chamber 14 by a conventional drive unit, not shown.
After the waste material is sterilized and the organic matter softened, the pressure within the chamber 14 is released suddenly whereby the organic matter is separated from the inorganic matter such as bottles, cans, ceramics and the like. This is accomplished due to the sudden depressurization within .• the chamber 14 which causes the softened organic matter to be forced out of the container 10 through the perforations 12 with only solid inorganic matter being left therein.
The solid inorganic matter is removed from the container 10 by suitable means for further processing and separation into useful glass, ferrous and non- ferrous materials. This may be accomplished by passing the solids over a magnet 17 to remove the ferrous metals and then introducing the remainder thereof to a conventional crusher 18 where the glass is shattered and recovered from non-ferrous metals for reuse in a manner well understood i the art.
The softened organic matter is shredded and broken up as it is forced through the perforations 12 and is then transferred to a conventional storage container 19 where suitable additives to hydrolyse the organic matter, such as acids, alkali or enzymes, may be added. The shredded and treated organic matter is transferred from the storage container 19 to a fermentation chamber 21 where it is fermented with yeast or bacteria in a conventional manner to form an ethanol-containing mash.
The mash is separated into liquid and solid portions by passing it through a conventional centrifuge 22. This solid portion contains high nutritional value and is preferably recovered for use as an animal feed supplement. This may be accomplished by feeding in a wet state to form a wet feed or by drying the solid portion in a conventional manner to a moisture' content not greater than approximately 13% by weight. After drying, the solid portion is passed through a conventional milling apparatus such as a hammer mill where it is pulverized into a meal or granular type substance with high protein content.
The separated liquid portion of the mash is passed to a distillation column 23 for the recovery of ethanol, with the residue therefrom being transferred to a second centrifuge 24 for the recovery of fats and animal feed before passing the solubles into an anaerobic digester 26. To aid in.the production of ethanol, acid, such as hydrochloric acid, alkali or enzymes, such as celluloses may be added to the organic matter prior-to.fermentation. This will enhance the
hydrolysis of the polysaccharide materials contained therein. In the anaerobic digester 26, a "bio-gas" is produced and separated into carbon dioxide and methane in a conventional scrubber, not shown. In view of the fact that recovering methane, carbon dioxide and ethanol from the processes mentioned above is well known in the art, no further description is deemed necessary.
The effluent from the anaerobic digester 26 may be transferred to an algae pond 27 where algae is grown from the remaining nutrients through photosynthesis, The algae may be harvested and used as an animal feedstuff or contents of the algae pond 27 may be passed into a fish pond 28 where a portion of the algae is used primarily as a food for fish with the remainder of the pond contents being used as food for water plants. The plants may be harvested and again, either used as an animal feedstuff or returned to the anaerobic digester 26, while at the same time the water is being cleaned and recycled for use in steam production.
From the foregoing, the operation of the preferred embodiment of the improved process for treating waste material for the recovery, of useful organic and inorganic matter will be readily understood.
As an illustration of the effectiveness of the process of this invention, it is noted that in a pilot plant operation, amounts of more than 50 gallons °f anhydrous ethanol have been recovered per ton (dry weight basis) of municipal waste.
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It will thus be seen that this invention provides an improved process for treating waste material which is simple and very economical to carry out. Also this improved process permits waste material to be diverted from landfills and' overloaded sewage systems and converted into useful and valuable fuels and supplements for animal feed.
While the present invention has beczn shown in detail in only one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.
Claims (15)
1. A process for treating a waste material feedstock 'for the separation and recovery of organic and inorganic matter contained therein, which comprises the steps of:-
(i) subjecting said feedstock to conditions of heat and/or pressure to sterilize the feedstock and soften organic matter therein;
(ii) separating solid inorganic matter from said sterilized feedstock; and
(iii) subjecting the resulting essentially organic component of said sterilized feedstock to fermentation to form a fermentation mash.
2. The process for treating a waste material feedstock as defined in claim 1, in which said . sterilization and separation steps comprise carrying out the following steps in the sequence named:
(a) feeding said waste material feedstock into a container having perforations therein and mounted within a closed chamber in spaced relation to the inner surface of said closed chamber,
(b) agitating said waste material feedstock while in said container, (c) subjecting said waste material feedstock in said container to heat under a pressure ranging from approximately 20 p.s.i. to 100 p.s.i. for a period ranging from approximately twenty minutes to two hours to sterilize said waste material feedstock and soften said organic matter contained therein, and
(d) releasing the pressure from said chamber- suddenly to thus force the softened organic matter outwardly of said container through said performations, so that said organic matter is separated from solid inorganic matter in said container.
3. The process for treating a waste material feedstock as defined in claim 2, in which steam under pressure *is introduced to heat and pressurize said waste material in said container.
4. The process for treating a waste material feed¬ stock as defined in claim 2 or claim 3, in which steam is introduced for a period of approximately one hour and at a pressure of approximately 60 p.s.i.
5. The process for treating a waste material feedstock as defined in claim 1, in which said solid inorganic matter is separated into ferrous and non- ferrous materials by subjecting it to a magnetic field to remove said ferrous material therefrom.
6. The process for treating a waste material feedstock as defined in claim 1, in which said organic matter is subjected to fermentation by yeast to form said mash.
7. The process for treating a waste material feedstock as defined in claim 1, in which said organic material is subjected to fermentation by bacteria to form said mash.
8. The process for treating a waste material feedstock as defined in claim 1, in which said fermentation mash is separated into a liquid portion and a solid portion, with said liquid portion being treated for the recovery of fuels and with said solid portion being treated for the recovery of animal feed supplements.
9. The process for treating a waste material feedstock as defined in claim 8, in which said liquid portion is distilled for the recovery of ethanol with the residue thereof optionally being fed into an anaerobic digester for the recovery of methane.
10. The process for treating a waste material feedstock as defined in claim 8 in which" said solid portion is dried to a maximum moisture content of approximately 13% by weight.
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11. The process for treating a waste material feedstock as defined in claim 1, in which said essentially organic component of said sterilized feedstock is subjected to hydrolysis prior to said fermentation step*
12. The process for treating a waste material feedstock as defined in claim 11, in which hydrolysis is performed by addition of at least one enzyme, acid or alkali to said essentially organic component.
13. Apparatus for treatment of a waste material feedstock for the separation and recovery of organic and inorganic matter therein, said apparatus comprising:—
(i) means for subjecting said feedstock to conditions of heat and/or pressure to sterilize the feedstock and soften solid organic matter therein;
(ii) means for separating solid inorganic matter from said sterilized feedstock; and
(iii) fermentation means wherein the resulting essentially organic component of said sterilized feedstock can be fermented to produce a fermentation mash.
14. Apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein said means for sterilizing said feedstock and said separating means comprises:-
(a) a container having perforations therein and mounted within a closed chamber in spaced relation to the inner surface of said closed chamber;
(b) means for feeding said waste material feedstock into said container;
(c) means for agitating said waste material feedstock while in said container;
(d) means for subjecting said waste material feedstock in said container to heat under pressure; and
(e) means for suddenly releasing the pressure from said chamber.
15. Apparatus as defined in claim 13 or claim 14, further comprising:-
(iv) means to separate the fermentation mash into a solid fraction and a liquid fraction;
(v) distillation means for recovery of ethanol from said liquid fraction; and, if desired, (vi) anaerobic digester means wherein the balance of said liquid fraction can be digested for the recovery of methane. . .
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| AU76482/81A AU550794B2 (en) | 1980-11-03 | 1981-10-11 | Process for separating and recovering organic and inorganic matter from waste material |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUPE6331 | 1980-11-03 | ||
| AUPE633180 | 1980-11-03 | ||
| AU76482/81A AU550794B2 (en) | 1980-11-03 | 1981-10-11 | Process for separating and recovering organic and inorganic matter from waste material |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| AU7648281A true AU7648281A (en) | 1982-05-21 |
| AU550794B2 AU550794B2 (en) | 1986-04-10 |
Family
ID=25638370
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AU76482/81A Ceased AU550794B2 (en) | 1980-11-03 | 1981-10-11 | Process for separating and recovering organic and inorganic matter from waste material |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| AU (1) | AU550794B2 (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4540495A (en) * | 1984-05-15 | 1985-09-10 | Lewis B. Holloway | Process for treating municipal solid waste |
-
1981
- 1981-10-11 AU AU76482/81A patent/AU550794B2/en not_active Ceased
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| AU550794B2 (en) | 1986-04-10 |
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