Patent ID: 7244401

Claim:
An apparatus for the separation of waste constituents from matrices, the apparatus comprising: a vessel comprising a frame; one or more removable trays adapted to be laterally inserted in the frame; a manifold for removal of gases emerging from the matrices; and a heater positioned below the one or more removable trays when the one or more removable trays are inserted in the frame; and a device for mechanically agitating the matrices, comprising: at least one mixing flight located in an interior of the one or more removable trays and which moves in a plane that is substantially parallel to the bottom part of the one or more removable trays; a central drive shaft to which the at least one mixing flight is attached; a motor for driving the at least one mixing flight; a drive sprocket coupled to the motor; and a slave sprocket coupled to the central drive shaft and is coupled to the drive sprocket via a drive chain in a configuration that reduces the power requirements of the motor, wherein the frame receives the one or more removable trays; wherein the one or more removable trays comprises a bottom part and peripheral sidewalls extending therefrom, the bottom part and the peripheral sidewalls have a unitary construction, the bottom part is structured so as to define orifices in the bottom of the one or more removable trays, and the sidewalls form the outer walls of the vessel when the one or more trays are inserted into the vessel; and wherein the manifold is positioned on top of the vessel and is raised to allow the one or more trays to be inserted into the vessel or removed from the vessel and is lowered after the tray is inserted into the vessel and is sealed to a top edge of the one or more removable trays so that air is forced to flow through the matrices and not around the matrices.