Manure slurry pre-treatment method and apparatus

An apparatus, for connection to an alternating current source, to pre-treat a raw manure slurry stream, the apparatus comprising:

• a first electrode, the first electrode formed of a substantially inert and electrically conductive material, and having a first slurry contact surface;
• a second electrode, the second electrode formed of a substantially inert and electrically conductive material, and having a second slurry contact surface;
• a nonconductive tubular body, having an inlet and an outlet and carrying, between the inlet and the outlet, the first and second electrodes, the first and second electrodes being electrically isolated from each other in a spaced apart configuration with a generally uniform spacing between the first and second slurry contact surfaces, defining therebetween a pre-treatment zone, the pretreatment zone being in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet;
• leads connected to the first and second electrodes for connection to an alternating power source;
• and,
• wherein the first electrode extends radially inward from an interior surface of the nonconductive tubular body to an orifice and the second electrode is a conical body generally centered within the nonconductive body.