Apparatus mixing, filtering, reacting and drying materials

An apparatus for processing material comprising:

• a chamber for containing the material, a rotatably driven shaft extending within the chamber to which is attached at least one element which engages the material in the chamber during rotation thereof, a drive mechanism for rotating the rotatably driven shaft, at least one of a heat source thermally coupled to the chamber for adding heat to the chamber and a vacuum source also coupled to the chamber for applying a vacuum to the chamber with the at least one source driving off liquid present in the chamber and a control means for controlling the drive mechanism and the at least one source and wherein:
• the control means controls the at least one source during rotation in first and second directions and the drive mechanism to rotate the driven shaft in a first direction to cause the at least one element to engage the material, in a fluid state, while the chamber is partially filled with the material through an angular rotation which lifts the material upward beyond a level of the material in the chamber without reaching a position which is directly above the driven shaft while the at least one source drives off liquid in the material and the control means controls the drive mechanism to rotate the driven shaft in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, to cause the at least one element to engage the material, in a fluid state, through an angular rotation which lifts the material beyond the level of the material in the chamber without reaching a position which is directly above the driven shaft while the at least one source drives off liquid in the material;
• and
• after rotation of the driven shaft in the first and second directions, the control means controls the drive mechanism to rotate the driven shaft in one direction and the at least one source to drive off the liquid to produce dried material during the rotation in the one direction.