An apparatus for recovering clean water and dry, essentially oil-free solids from aqueous solids, said apparatus comprising (1) a tank adapted to receive a stream of said aqueous solids and provided with a stirring or mixing mechanism, (2) a fluidizing oil reservoir, (3) a conduit for transmitting fluidizing oil from said oil reservoir to said tank wherein fluidizing oil and aqueous solids may be mixed, (4) an evaporator disposed to be supplied with evaporative heat, (5) a conduit extending from said tank to said evaporator wherethrough may flow a stream of aqueous solids admixed with fluidizing oil from said tank into the evaporating region of said evaporator, (6) a condenser, (7) a conduit extending from said evaporator to said condenser through which may flow water vapor formed as a result of heating of said aqueous solids and fluidizing oil mixture, (8) means for withdrawing water vapor condensate from said condenser as a clean water product, (9) a liquid-solid separating means, (10) a conduit extending from said evaporator to said liquid-solid separating means wherethrough may flow a stream of a substantially anhydrous slurry of solids in fluidizing oil, (11) a light oil reservoir, (12) a conduit extending from said light oil reservoir to said liquid-solid separating means wherethrough may flow a stream of light oil from said reservoir to said liquid-solid separating means wherein said light oil may extract residual fluidizing oil remaining on said solids after separation of fluidizing oil therefrom, (13) a deoiler means disposed to receive blowing steam to come into direct contact with any light oil-laden solids therein, and (14) a conduit extending from said liquid-solid separating means to said deoiler means wherethrough may flow a stream of light oil-laden solids.