Patent ID: 7863039

Claim:
An apparatus for aerobically composting waste material in an aerated composting process, the apparatus comprising: an enclosed vessel comprising a first end wall, a second, opposing end wall and side wall(s) defining an interior vessel space; a rotatable shaft located within said vessel space; a drive means operatively connected to said rotatable shaft for driving said shaft: size reduction means for reducing the size of waste material introduced to the vessel; wherein said size reduction means divides the interior vessel space into first and second regions and defines a zone of size reduction through which waste material must pass as it passes through the vessel; said size reduction means comprising one or more cantilevered bars, blades or cutting plates rigidly mounted on said rotatable shaft and rotatable with said shaft, and one or more fixed bars, blades or cutting plates mounted on and extending from said side wall(s), wherein said rotatable and fixed bars, blades or cutting plates overlap and co-operate together to create a shearing action so as to reduce the size of the waste material as said waste material passes through said size reduction means; a loading port through which waste material may be introduced to said first region of the vessel; a discharge port through which waste material may be removed from the second region of the vessel; and a source of oxygen for maintaining conditions within said vessel suitable for the aerobic composting of said waste material; wherein, when the apparatus is in use, waste material introduced to said vessel moves from said first region through the size reduction means to said second region.