An apparatus and process for the separation, recovery and recycling of municipal solid waste (MSW) in which hot water 48 is added to shredded and homogenized MSW 2 as it enters a rotating feed preparation drum 34 equipped with internal lifter blades 36. The blades 36 and rotation of the drum 34 cause mixing and pulping of the MSW before discharge into a rotating thermal processor 56 also equipped with lifter blades 58 and cone section 64, and in which the moist MSW 2 is heated by heating the hot...

Municipal waste materials are processed by crushing the materials so that pieces of noncombustible material are smaller than a selected size and pieces of combustible material are larger than the selected size. The crushed materials are placed on a vibrating mesh screen conveyor belt having openings which pass the smaller, noncombustible pieces of material, but do not pass the larger, combustible pieces of material. Pieces of material which become lodged in the openings of the conveyor belt may ...

Municipal waste materials are processed by crushing the materials so that pieces of noncombustible material are smaller than a selected size and pieces of combustible material are larger than the selected size. The crushed materials are placed on a vibrating mesh screen conveyor belt having openings which pass the smaller, noncombustible pieces of material, but do not pass the larger, combustible pieces of material. Consecutive conveyors may be connected by an intermediate vibratory plate. An ai...

A method for processing municipal waste substantially reduces the volume of material to be disposed into a landfill by increasing the volume of materials of value collected from the municipal waste and by composting the remaining materials to create a salable product. The process includes the removal of materials of value by magnetic devices to extract ferrous materials, by an air classifier to extract light plastic materials, by an eddy current mechanism to extract aluminum materials, and by a ...

A tower extractor and method to continuously and coarsely or roughly separate paper, film plastic products and like, lighter materials from the heavier materials in a relatively large volume conglomerate of mixed solid municipal wastes or refuse. The separation occurs as the result of an airstream being directed into the conglomerate of mixed solid wastes as the mixed solid wastes begin to slide down a chute at least 30 feet long disposed at an angle of about 60.degree. to 80.degree. from vertic...

Municipal refuse is treated to produce a particulate mixture consisting essentially of its organic constitutents substantially free of inorganic materials, the particles in the mixture being of less than a predetermined maximum particle size, and the mixture also being characterized on a volumetric unit basis by (a) substantial homogeneity of component materials, (b) substantial uniformity from the standpoint of distribution of particle sizes, (c) substantially uniform moisture content, and (d) ...

A system for disposing of municipal waste including garbage and sewage which converts the garbage portion into a matrix filter which is used to separate the liquids and solids in the sewage. The liquids are purified in a normal manner, for example by aeration, and the solids are converted into a food material suitable for livestock consumption.

A process for converting cellulose-containing refuse into a fuel comprising forming a suspension of said cellulosic material in a polycyclic hydrogen donor substance and hydrogenating the suspension at elevated temperature and pressure in the presence of a catalyst to produce a mixture of gaseous, liquid and solid hydrocarbons having a low oxygen content and correspondingly high calorific value.

There is provided a process for treating municipal solid waste or the like characterized by disposing such material as a burden on a traveling grate, passing hot gases through the burden to carbonize carbonizable fractions thereof, and separating gas-entrained materials, e.g. water and organic materials, from the gases issuing from the burden. The unvolatilized solid material is composed largely of glass and metallics which may be further processed as desired. The process is characterized in tha...

A highly concentrated municipal waste sludge is recovered in a process which involves adding alum and a flocculating agent under alkaline conditions to a dilute waste sludge, adding calcium oxide or hydroxide and filtering the resultant mixture under pressure.