Patent ID: 8500048

Claim:
An apparatus for drying and powderizing material, the apparatus comprising: at least one chamber comprising: an intake adapted to receive warm air and material into the at least one chamber; an outlet adapted to transport warm air and powderized material out of the at least one chamber; at least one flat blade assembly on at least one rotatable drive shaft, the at least one flat blade assembly comprising a flat blade hub about the at least one rotatable drive shaft and at least one flat blade coupled to the flat blade hub, wherein the at least one flat blade assembly is positioned to receive the material from the intake and pre-break the material to expose a surface of the material to the warm air so that moisture in the material evaporates into the warm air; at least one fixed blade assembly on an interior wall of the at least one chamber and adjacent to the at least one flat blade, wherein the at least one fixed blade assembly comprises at least one fixed blade and is positioned to pre-break the material between the at least one flat blade and the at least one fixed blade; at least one angled blade assembly on the at least one rotatable drive shaft, the angled blade assembly comprising an angled blade hub about the at least one rotatable drive shaft and at least one angled blade coupled to the angled blade hub, wherein the at least one angled blade assembly is positioned to receive the pre-broken material from the at least one flat blade assembly, to transport the pre-broken material through the at least one chamber, and to powderize the pre-broken material; and at least one paddle assembly on the at least one rotatable drive shaft, the paddle assembly comprising a paddle hub about the at least one rotatable drive shaft and at least one paddle coupled to the paddle hub, wherein the at least one paddle assembly is positioned to receive the powderized material from the at least one angled blade assembly, to accelerate the powderized material, and to transport the powderized material through the outlet, wherein the at least one flat blade has a wide flat surface that is perpendicular to the drive shaft, wherein the at least one paddle has a wide paddle surface that is parallel to the drive shaft, and wherein the angled blade has a wide angled surface that has an angle to a longitudinal axis of the at least one rotatable drive shaft that is between that of the wide flat surface and the wide paddle surface.