Patent ID: 7980002

Claim:
A device for preparing bedding from pourable solid material separated from liquid cattle manure, comprising: a horizontally oriented rotary drum having an inlet side at one axial end and an outlet side at an axial end opposite the inlet side; means for rotating said rotary drum about a longitudinal rotary axis; inlet means at said inlet side of the rotary drum for supplying untreated pourable solid material into said rotary drum; outlet means at said outlet side for discharging treated pourable solid material usable as bedding from said rotary drum; and ventilation means for introducing fresh air into the interior of the rotary drum through said outlet means and means for suctioning off used air from the interior of the rotary drum in the vicinity of said inlet means, wherein said inlet means comprises at least a single release chamber disposed within the rotary drum at the inlet side thereof for receiving an amount of untreated pourable solid material, said release chamber being located radially offset from said longitudinal rotary axis; and wherein said release chamber has a discharge opening for discharging the untreated material in the release chamber into the interior of the rotary drum, and closing means adapted and configured for opening said discharge opening only when the release chamber, during rotation of the rotary drum, is in a momentary circumferential position in which it is not exposed to the pourable solid material present in the rotary drum and for closing said discharge opening in a momentary circumferential position of the release chamber prior to becoming exposed again to the pourable solid material present in the rotary drum.