PATENT ABSTRACTS 337

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M E T H O D F O R P R O D U C I N G E T H A N O L F R O M B I O M A S S

Stanley J Pavilon

Biomass slurry is hydrolyzed in a fuel fired hydrolysis heater. When the biomass is fruit waste, the organic acid in the waste is used as the hydrolysis catalyst. When the biomass does not contain organic acid, carbon dioxide generated in a fermenter is fed to the hydrolysis heater as carbonic acid to provide the catalyst. Solids are separated from the hydrolyzed effluent, and flue gas from the hydrolysis heater is used to dry same. The effluent is fermented and sub- sequently distilled at substantially atmospheric pressure to produce ethyl alcohol vapor. The vapor is fed to a vacuum distillation tower for producing anhydrous ethyl alcohol. Vacuum distillation tower bottoms provide the reflux for the atmospheric distillation unit. A portion of the stillage from the atmospheric distillation unit is recycled by mixing with new feedstock. The remaining stillage is evaporated to a syrup, mixed with unreacted solids, and dried to pro- duce an animal feed byproduct.

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A N A E R O B I C D I G E S T I O N O F F I S H W A S T E S

A P P A R A T U S A N D M E T H O D F O R P R O C E S S I N G T R A P W A S T E S

A N D T H E L I K E

William G Urbani assigned to Industrial Service Corporation

A method and apparatus for processing trap waste and the like into its component solids and liquids treatable in a sewage treatment plant in- cludes a cooker, a solids separation system, and a digester. The cooker liquifies and renders trap waste obtained from, for example, restaurant traps by maintaining the waste at an elevated temperature and an elevated pressure to sterilize and separate the trap waste into solid and non- solid portions thereof. The solid separation sys- tem removes the solid and particulate matter from the liquified trap waste for disposal, pre- ferably after washing the solids with treated water from the sewage treatment plant. The separated non-solid portion of the rendered trap waste is then communicated to a digester for either aerobic or anaerobic degradation; the digest is thereafter treated to remove additional solids. The remainder of the treated trap pure- pings can then be processed in a sewage treat- ment plant with munipal or industrial sewage. Gases and vapors escaping the trap waste are recovered and cleaned by condensation, scrub- bing, and/or incineration prior to release to the atmosphere.

James R Ferguson assigned to Biotherm Inter- national Inc

A method and apparatus for anaerobic digestion of fish wastes and production of useful by- products including fertilizer and biogas. The method includes grinding up the fish wastes and adding liquid to create a suspension of up to 25% solids; optionally adding lipase to break down the fish oil; and anaerobically digesting the fish suspension over a period of approximately 20 days at a temperature in the range of 35 degrees- 55 degrees C. with mixing provided by recircula- tion or other means. After digestion, the suspension is pumped to a secondary chamber for storage, further breakdown by mechanical means such as agitation or recirculation, cen- trifugation to remove suspended solids, produc- tion of an enhanced fertilizer by the addition of seaweed, urea, nitrogen, potash and chelated micronutrients, deodorization, by the addition of potassium permanganate, treatment to reduce the B.O.D. or evaporation to reduce liquid.

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O R B A L W A S T E W A T E R T R E A T M E N T P R O C E S S

John W Wittmann, Donald J Thiel, George W Smith assigned to Envirex lnc

In an orbal wastewater treatment process in- cluding a plurality of concentric, annular basins or channels having surface aeration means, wastewater and recycled activated sludge are mixed in a first channel by a combination of the surface aeration means and introducing an oxygen-containing gas such as air into the lower portion of the zone under conditions which pro- duce a complete mix reaction and sufficient oxy- gen is supplied to meet the biological oxygen demands of the mixed liquor. The gas is in- troduced, preferably by a plurality of fine bubble