North Carolina State University

Joseph L Stuckey

Christopher B Hopkins

A system for reducing moisture content of a wet waste product includes a drying surface; a dispenser that deposits the wet waste product onto the drying surface; an air moving device (AMD) that induces a flow of ambient air over the wet waste product on the drying surface to produce a dried waste product from the wet waste product; a collection area that transports the dried waste product away from the drying surface; and an agitator that moves the dried waste product from the drying surface to the collection area after the dried waste product has been dried to have a predetermined moisture content. A corresponding method for reducing moisture content of the wet waste product comprises using the system to convectively dry the wet waste product to produce the dry waste product. The wet waste product can be from a swine lagoon.

Ambient air drying of sludge

Devices, systems, and methods for drying a bulk waste product, such as animal waste, having a moisture content of 95% or more water can include a trough configured to receive the bulk waste product and to dispense it in a form suitable for convective drying, one or more conveyors having an air-permeable conveyor belt, each conveyor receiving the waste product from the trough and transporting the waste product along a transport path; and one or more air moving devices (AMDs) that pass air through the air-permeable conveyor belt and across the waste product as it is transported along the transport path to transform the bulk waste product into a dried waste product having a moisture content of about 5% to about 20%, inclusive.

Growing community of inventors

Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Joseph L Stuckey