Patent ID: 7361303

Claim:
A process for the reduction of organic waste in an apparatus comprising a first chamber, a second chamber and a third chamber, the process comprising the steps of: loading said waste into said first chamber; weighing said waste; purging said first chamber of oxygen; transferring said waste to said second chamber; treating, sterilizing and reducing said waste for a first period of time by means of reverse polymerization using a reduction means comprising a plurality of magnetron assemblies for the application of microwave energy to said waste to treat, reduce and sterilize said waste, comprising a magnetron mounted on a waveguide and a porous, microwave transparent plate between said magnetron and said second chamber, said first period of time being determined by the weight of said waste determined by said weighing step; transferring said reduced waste to said third chamber; cooling said reduced waste for a second period of time; and comminuting said reduced waste for storage and ultimate disposal, wherein during the step carried out in each of said chambers, said chamber is sealed from the exterior of said apparatus, and from said other chambers.