Apparatus and Method for Sterilizing Waste and Producing a Biofuel Therefrom
OwnerRonald Eugene Lukinsinventor
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Abstract
The invention is an apparatus and method for sterilizing waste and, optionally, producing a biofuel. The method utilizes an apparatus for sterilizing waste by dehydrating it at ambient pressure or reduced pressure, maintaining the waste temperature above 0° C., collecting the distillate, applying a rough vacuum, sterilizing the waste by creating a plasma, and collecting the residual from the process. The rough vacuum must be between 133 Pa (1 torr) and 13 Pa (0.1 torr), and the plasma is a low-energy plasma having an energy of 50 to 300 Watts.
Claims20
A method for sterilizing waste comprising:
- a. providing a quantity of waste;
- b. dehydrating said waste;
- c. collecting the distillate;
- d. applying a vacuum;
- e. sterilizing the waste by creating a plasma;
- and
- f. collecting the residual from the process.
A method for sterilizing waste comprising:
- a. providing a quantity of waste, where the quantity of waste can be at least one of the following:
- solid, semi-solid, sludge, or liquid;
- b. dehydrating said waste, where dehydration is done at ambient pressure;
- 101 Pa, or less than 101 Pa;
- c. heating the waste;
- d. where dehydration occurs at any temperature above 0° C.;
- e. collecting the distillate in at least one cold trap;
- f. applying a vacuum, where the vacuum is between 133 and 13 Pa;
- g. sterilizing the waste by creating a low-energy plasma of 50 to 100 Watts;
- h. where the method is run under air or oxygen;
- i. collecting the residual, where the residual is a biofuel.
An apparatus for sterilizing waste comprising:
- a. at least one hollow chamber that can be sealed and unsealed;
- b. a means to supply waste to the chamber;
- c. a means to apply heat;
- d. a means to create a vacuum;
- e. a means to convey waste into and out of the hollow chamber;
- f. a means to create a plasma;
- g. at least one Faraday cage;
- and
- h. at least one cold trap.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.