Process for conversion of organic, waste, or low-value materials into useful products

A process for converting animal processing waste into at least one useful material, comprising:

• preparing a slurry from the animal processing waste;
• heating the slurry to an initial temperature sufficient to maintain the slurry in a liquid state and limit biological activity in said slurry;
• heating the slurry to a first temperature sufficient to breakdown proteinaceous materials in the slurry and drive off ammonia at a pressure above the saturation pressure of water in the slurry to produce a conditioned slurry;
• reacting the conditioned slurry in a reaction at a second, higher temperature ranging from about 150° C. to about 330° C. sufficient to hydrolyze materials in the conditioned slurry to produce a reacted feed comprising at least one reacted solid product, and at least one reacted liquid product comprising floatable organic materials and water containing solubles, the pressure in said first reaction being at least at the saturation pressure of water in the conditioned slurry;
• separating the at least one reacted solid product and the water containing solubles, from the at least one reacted liquid product in the reacted feed;
• and
• converting the at least one reacted liquid product into at least one of hydrocarbon oils, fuel gas, and carbon.

A process for converting a feedstock into at least one useful material, comprising:

• providing a feedstock including animal processing waste;
• slurrying the feedstock to form a slurry;
• heating the slurry to a temperature at least sufficient to limit biological activity in the slurry and produce a conditioned slurry;
• subjecting the conditioned slurry to temperature and pressure sufficient to produce a decomposition reaction in said conditioned slurry;
• subjecting the conditioned slurry to temperature and pressure sufficient to produce a hydrolysis reaction in said conditioned slurry, the temperature being at about 200° C. to about 290° C., and the pressure being at least at the saturation pressure of water in the conditioned slurry;
• separating liquid, gaseous and solid fractions produced in said conditioned slurry by the decomposition and hydrolysis reactions;
• separating water from the separated liquid fraction to provide a fuel oil-containing liquid;
• and
• further separating liquid from the fuel oil-containing liquid to provide a fuel oil.