Patent ID: 8061057

Claim:
A method for removing water from sludge comprising the steps of: de-watering the sludge by compression; after de-watering the sludge by compression, mixing the sludge and a compressible blending material such that the blending material is distributed throughout the sludge in a substantially uniform manner to form a mixture; providing a compression apparatus including a compression ram and a plate press, the plate press comprising a plurality of apertures vertically disposed below the compression ram to enable gravitational pull of water through the apertures; disposing a porous material on the plate press to cover the plurality of apertures, said porous material allows through passage of liquids and minimizes flow of solids; disposing the mixture of sludge and blending material on the porous material and below the compression ram; and the compression ram compressing the mixture of sludge and blending material against the porous material and the plate press to release water through the apertures.