Patent Issued for Solids Separator and Method of Treatment for Biowaste

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Life Science Weekly — Steris Europe, Inc. Suomen Sivuliike (Tuusula, FI) has been issued patent number 8764975, according to news reporting originating out of Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx editors (see also Steris Europe, Inc. Suomen Sivuliike).
The patent’s inventors are Salmisuo, Mauri (Tuusula, FI); Mattila, Juha (Porvoo, FI); Nurminen, Teppo (Ojakkala, FI).
This patent was filed on April 11, 2012 and was published online on July 1, 2014.
From the background information supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: “Biological waste in the form of liquids and suspensions is produced e.g. in hospitals, agricultural or biological research and production facilities, plasma fractionation facilities, etc. Biological wastes produced in such facilities cannot be directly conducted to a sewer system, as these wastes often contain micro-organisms, such as bacteria, viruses, germs and the like, which are hazardous to humans and animals. Prior to conducting to a sewer system, such biowaste must first be deactivated in a treatment plant designed for this purpose. For the treatment of biowaste, different treatment plants have been designed in which biowaste is sterilized prior to conducting to the sewer system. The sterilization of biowaste can be carried out chemically or by means of heat. The treatment plants can operate continuously or batchwise.
“Sterilization in the context of the present discussion includes the killing of microbes including bacteria and viruses so as to render them non-pathogenic, as well as the destruction of other biological agents that may cause harmful effects.
“A typical thermal continuous biowaste sterilisation apparatus comprises a separating unit for solid matter, a storage tank, a heating unit and a dwell circuit as well as a circulation circuit for circulating biowaste through said heating unit and said dwell circuit.
“Separation of solid matter from a biowaste suspension or slurry is necessary in order not to cause clogging of the system or excessive scaling of heat transfer surfaces. Biowaste slurries may contain considerable amounts of solids. As the separated solids also constitute a biological hazard, they must be separately and reliably sterilized, by way of e.g. heat treatment, before being disposed of.”
Supplementing the background information on this patent, NewsRx reporters also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “According to the present invention, a device is provided for the reliable separation and sterilization of solids of a given dimension from a biowaste slurry. The device comprises a chamber with a main inlet port and first and second main outlet ports. A unit for separating solids, preferably a filter or screen unit, is adapted to the first main outlet port so, that liquid leaving the chamber will pass through the solids separating unit. A second outlet port is provided directly from the chamber to allow removal of solids collected in the chamber. Means for temperature measurement are provided at representative locations to ensure that sterilizing conditions have been reached in all parts of the solids contained in the device. Preferably, such means comprise temperature sensors connected to a control system.
“During operation, solids are separated from the feed stream and remain in the chamber. In the case the separation device is a filter or screen, it is preferably periodically back flushed using steam to ensure sufficient throughput. When the chamber capacity is reached, the feed is stopped, valves are set to appropriate positions and the collected batch of solids is sterilized within the chamber, preferably using heat treatment. Discharge of the sterilized solids takes place through the second main outlet port.
“According to a further embodiment of the invention, the mechanical separation device is a cyclone.
“According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for separating solid material from a biowaste suspension and subsequently sterilizing said solid material, comprising the steps of conducting a suspension of biowaste into a chamber, conducting the suspension out of the chamber through a mechanical separation device thereby separating solid particles from the suspension, essentially draining the liquid part of the suspension from the chamber, raising the temperature of the solid material remaining in the chamber by means of direct steam injection to a predetermined sterilization temperature, maintaining said sterilization temperature for a predetermined period of time, and removing the sterilized solid material from the chamber.
“The addition of a base to the material to be sterilized may be used as a supplement to steam injection. Examples are alkali metal hydroxides.
“Preferably, the sterilized solid material is cooled and the chamber flushed in connection with the removal step.”
For the URL and additional information on this patent, see: Salmisuo, Mauri; Mattila, Juha; Nurminen, Teppo. Solids Separator and Method of Treatment for Biowaste. U.S. Patent Number 8764975, filed April 11, 2012, and published online on July 1, 2014. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=\%2Fnetahtml\%2FPTO\%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=8764975.PN.&OS=PN/8764975RS=PN/8764975
Keywords for this news article include: Steris Europe Inc. Suomen Sivuliike.
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