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Abstract

A method and apparatus for reclaiming fats and oils from sewage scum includes a scum cooker, a solids separation system, a vacuum dryer, and a condenser. The scum cooker liquifies and renders sewage scum obtained from a sewage treatment plant by maintaining the raw sewage scum at an elevated temperature and an elevated pressure to sterilize and separate the scum into the solid, aqueous, and oily components. The solid separation system removes the solid and particulate matter from the liquified scum for disposal, preferably after washing the solids with treated water from the sewage treatment plant. The solid-free liquified scum is then communicated to a digester for degradation or transferred to the vacuum dryer which is maintained at an elevated temperature and preferably at least a moderate vacuum to remove the water and other volatiles from the liquified scum. These volatile components are condensed in the condenser for retreatment in the vacuum dryer or return to the sewage treatment plant to be processed with the remainder of the sewage. The oily components of the liquified sewage scum collected in the vacuum dryer may be stored in a storage tank which is heated to make the oily substances flowable.

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First Claim