Patent ID: 6337203
Filing Date: 2002-01-08
Classification: B01D,C05F,Y02A,Y02P,Y02W

Abstract:
A process for aerobically composting at least one member selected from the group consisting of household, commercial and industrial waste containing organic matter and noncompostable waste material, comprising the steps of:receiving said waste in a closed waste-receiving building area including a waste pit, and accumulating said different types of waste in the waste pit; installing in a bioreactor building area a single-compartment horizontal tubular bioreactor having a longitudinal and a horizontal rotation axis, first and second ends, a waste supply inlet at the first end of the bioreactor, a material-delivering outlet at the second end of the bioreactor, and an inner microorganism-retaining, nongrinding waste-delacerating corrugated surface; selectively feeding, by a remotely operated overhead crane and grapple assembly installed between the waste pit and the waste supply inlet of the bioreactor, said waste, including said organic matter and noncompostable waste material, from the waste pit to the waste supply inlet of the bioreactor without breaking down said waste; rotating the bioreactor about said longitudinal and horizontal rotation axis to convert the organic matter into a crude compost; delacerating the waste processed in the bioreactor without grinding said waste during rotation of the bioreactor and by the inner microorganism-retaining, nongrinding waste-delacerating corrugated surface; exposing the organic matter of the waste processed in the bioreactor during rotation of the bioreactor to microorganisms retained on said inner microorganism-retaining, nongrinding waste-delacerating corrugated surface to promote aerobic composting of said organic matter; humidifying and oxygenating the organic matter of the waste processed in the bioreactor in view of maintaining in the bioreactor optimal conditions of aerobic composting of said organic matter; supplying noncompostable waste material and crude compost from the material-delivering outlet of the bioreactor to a primary refining area and, in said primary refining area, separating the noncompostable waste material from the crude compost, wherein separation of the noncompostable waste material from the crude compost is facilitated since the waste has not been ground; and maturing the crude compost from the primary refining area in a compost-maturation building area.