Patent ID: 8677647

Claim:
An apparatus for the treatment of sewage sludge, comprising: a housing having a sidewall forming a processing chamber having an upper portion and a lower portion, the housing having a diameter; a plurality of vertically spaced apart trays arranged within the upper and lower portions of the processing chamber for receiving sewage sludge cascading through the processing chamber; a source of heated gas in communication with the upper and lower portions for the treatment of sewage sludge within the plurality of trays; a manifold coupled to the sidewall for supplying the heat gas to the upper and lower portions of the processing chamber, the manifold including an elongated opening configured for discharging heated gas into the upper and lower portions in a direction transverse to the diameter of the housing, and at least one barrier within the opening for partially obstructing the discharging of heated gas from the opening into the processing chamber; and an outlet for exiting exhaust gas from within the upper and lower portions formed while treating the sewage sludge therein.