Patent ID: 7966741

Claim:
Apparatus for treating manure feedstock comprising: a gas turbine; a dryer vessel that receives exhaust gases from the gas turbine through a connection, wherein the dryer vessel also receives manure feedstock and wherein the connection between the gas turbine and the dryer vessel substantially precludes the introduction of air into the dryer vessel; a solids/gas separator positioned downstream from the dryer vessel for separating the manure feedstock from the exhaust gases, wherein a first outlet from the solids/gas separator directs the exhaust gases separated by the solids/gas separator to the atmosphere and a second outlet from the solids/gas separator directs the manure feedstock separated by the solids/gas separator to at least one further processing station; a connection between the dryer vessel and the solids/gas separator that directs the exhaust gases and all of the manure feedstock that exits the dryer vessel to the solids/gas separator; an air moving device that draws the exhaust gases from the solids/gas separator and also reduces backpressure on the gas turbine by drawing the exhaust gases from the dryer vessel through the connection between the dryer vessel and the solids/gas separator; a moisturizing station that adds moisture to the manure feedstock directed from the second outlet of the solids/gas separator to re-moisturize the manure feedstock; and a processing station that receives the re-moisturized manure feedstock and forms the manure feedstock through an extrusion process into a granular, pellet, or prill form.