Patent ID: 8161663

Claim:
An apparatus for processing materials, the apparatus comprising: a material processing chamber having an upper portion and a lower portion, a rotatable assembly within said chamber extending from the upper portion to the lower portion, said assembly including a plurality of vertically displaced material supports supported on a portion of said assembly; a drive device for causing the material supports to rotate; a first inlet at the upper portion of the material processing chamber adapted to receive material to be processed and to deposit the material at least partially onto at least one material support; a first exhaust outlet for exiting exhaust steam generated within the material processing chamber; a second inlet for recycling at least a portion of said exhaust steam into the material processing chamber, and wherein said material processing chamber is at least partially maintained under an inert atmosphere by the recycled exhaust steam; and a heat exchanger coupled between the first exhaust outlet and the second inlet for heating at least a portion of said exhaust steam, at least a portion of the heated exhaust steam recycled to the material processing chamber.