Apparatus for disposal of solid wastes and recovery of fuel product therefrom

An apparatus for the processing and disposal of solid wastes and the converting of the organic fraction thereof into a fuel product comprising, in combination

• a. shredding means to reduce the particle size of solid waste containing organic and inorganic fractions to form a shredded feed material;
• b. primary separating means for separating out insufficiently shredded material from said shredded feed material and means to return said insufficiently shredded material to said shredding means;
• c. magnetic separating means for removing magnetic material from said shredded feed material;
• d. fines separating means to remove the film including glass, dirt, and sand from said shredded feed material,
• e. acid applying means for distributing an acid reagent onto said shredded feed material;
• f. grinding media;
• g. a shredded feed material drying/heating means;
• h. grinding means to reduce the organic fraction of said shredded feed material, embrittled by acid and heat, to a finely divided fuel product;
• i. grinder discharge separating means for separating upon discharge from said grinding means said grinding media and the unembrittled fraction of said shredded feed material from the embrittled organic fraction containing said fuel product;
• j. means for separating said grinding media from said unembrittled fraction;
• k. means for separating said finely divided fuel product from insufficiently ground embrittled material and means to return said insufficiently ground embrittled material to said grinding means;
• l. burner/sterilizer means for burning said fines from said fines separating means and said unembrittled fraction from said grinder discharge separating means thereby to provide hot sterile gases and a sterile solid residue;
• m. heat transfer means to use said hot sterile gases to heat said grinding media;
• and
• n. means to circulate said grinding media after heating in contact with said shredded feed material in said drying/heating means and then in said grinding means.