Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology – Process of utilizing an enzyme or micro-organism to destroy... – Destruction of hazardous or toxic waste
Patent
1997-07-28
1999-09-28
Beisner, William H.
Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology
Process of utilizing an enzyme or micro-organism to destroy...
Destruction of hazardous or toxic waste
4352904, 4352941, 71 9, 71 10, 210603, 210612, C12S 1300, C05F 1700
Patent
active
059587563
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for treating waste, and particularly for treating solid and liquid waste in two stages.
Abattoirs, farms, food processing plants and the like regularly produce solid organic waste which needs to be treated in order to render it suitable for discharge into the environment.
One method which is known for digesting such waste is described in British patent number 2 230 004, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. This document describes a two stage digestion process which uses an installation comprising a fluids digestion vessel and a solids digestion vessel which are connected together. The solids digestion vessel is in the form of a tower or other fixture which is located in or on the ground, and the fluids digestion vessel is an adjacent tank. Bacterially active waste is fed from the fluids digestion vessel into the solids digestion vessel until at least some of the solids have been sufficiently digested to be environmentally acceptable. The digested solids are then removed, perhaps for use as a soil conditioning agent, and a further batch of solids waste is added to the solids digestion vessel.
A problem with this process is that the organic waste material which is to be digested must be loaded onto a transport container where it is produced, and subsequently transferred from the transport container into the solids digestion vessel. Typically the waste producer uses a skip into which the waste is tipped for transport. The untreated waste often smells offensive, and it may be hazardous to health.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a process for digesting solid waste material which reduces the above mentioned problems, and apparatus for use in carrying out the process.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a process for digesting a solid waste material, which process comprises: digestion vessel at a first location; is sited a source of organic material undergoing anaerobic bacterial digestion in a fluid phase digestion stage to produce a fluid fraction containing active bacteria; digestion stage into the solids digestion vessel to provide at least part of a fluid phase in the solids digestion stage; and fraction from the solids digestion stage.
Preferably the process also includes the step of transporting the solids digestion vessel away from the second location. The solids digestion vessel is preferably transported back to the first location, although it may alternatively be transported to another site.
The fluid which is transferred from the fluid source may also transfer heat and/or nutrients to the solids digestion vessel.
By using a mobile solids digestion vessel the waste may be loaded directly into the vessel at source, thereby reducing the amount of materials handling necessary in the process. Furthermore, the vessel may be substantially sealed during transport so as to reduce the escape of odour into the environment.
An additional benefit is that the producer of the waste may readily have the treated waste returned to him in the same vessel. The treated waste may then be unloaded at leisure, and a new load of waste loaded into the vessel. This reduces the handling required for the solid waste products, and it ensures that the waste producer will receive back his own treated waste, and not someone else's treated waste of unknown origin and therefore unknown composition.
It is preferred that the solids digestion vessel is connected to the fluid source by a pipe or other conduit means so that the feeding of fluid from the fluid source to the vessel may be conveniently carried out. It would however be possible to feed the fluid to the solids digestion vessel by other means, for example in one or more buckets. For convenience hereinafter the invention will be described with reference to at least one connection for feeding fluid from the fluid source to the solids digestion vessel.
The solids digestion vessel may be either wholly or partially mobile by being mounted on, or part of,
REFERENCES:
patent: 2458431 (1949-01-01), Schlenz
patent: 3214195 (1965-10-01), Zahuranec et al.
patent: 4414335 (1983-11-01), Kipp, Jr.
patent: 4885094 (1989-12-01), Srinivasan et al.
patent: 5342097 (1994-08-01), Hanson
English language translation of FR 2,121,934, Sep. 1998.
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