WO2001026802A1

WO2001026802A1 - Improved physical and thermal treatment of waste

Info

Publication number: WO2001026802A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/028662
Authority: WO
Inventors: Frank Manchak, Jr.
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-10-12
Filing date: 2000-10-12
Publication date: 2001-04-19
Anticipated expiration: 2002-04-12
Also published as: EP1230018A4; CA2385075A1; AU1654001A; EP1230018A1; WO2001026802A9

Abstract

A material processing apparatus and method, particularly for processing waste (10). The apparatus (1) includes a container (12) for holding the material (10), a loose media charge (38) within the container (12), a heater (30) in the container (12) for heating the media charge (38), and a device (31) for agitating the media charge (38). The agitator (31) may directly agitate the media charge (38) or may agitate the container (12), which in turn agitates the media charge (38). The agitation causes the media charge (38) to intermittently contact the heater (30), heating the media charge (38). The heated media charge impacts and pulverizes the material (10), thereby transferring heat to it. The impact and heating alters the material (10) into a more desirable end product.

Description

IMPROVED PHYSICAL AND THERMAL TREATMENT OF WASTE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to material processing. More particularly, the invention relates to one or more or a combination of physical, thermal and/or chemical treatment of waste.

Description of Related Art The management of chemical, biological, and radioactive wastes is of public health and environmental concern worldwide.

Most waste traditionally has been and continues to be dumped in oceans and disposed of in landfills. These methods of waste disposal are major public health and environmental concerns. Another method of waste treatment is incineration. However, use of incineration is limited due to economic considerations and environmental concerns also.

One waste treatment method currently in wide use is thermal desorption. Various devices are utilized to do this, for example, pugmills, heated disc-blenders, heated agitating vessels and heated rotary kilns. However, such waste treatment processes are inefficient. This is because they lack effective mechanical interaction and heat transfer to the waste. Furthermore, they are also highly capital and operationally cost intensive.

Other methods of waste treatments include introducing certain reagents or agents into the waste, the interaction of which removes water from and alters the composition of the waste. Examples of such systems are disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,028,240 and 4,079,003 issued to Manchak and related foreign patents. It would be desirable to provide waste treatment processes or systems that efficiently treat waste. It would also be desirable to provide a lower cost system that reduces environmental impact of the treated waste. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides systems for the processing of a wide variety of materials. Systems of the present invention mechanically impact the material to break down or pulverize it and also heat the material to remove moisture and volatile components and/or to thermochemically modify the material. Examples of materials for which the invention is suitable include, but are not limited to, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food products, and materials.

The material processing system of the present invention includes a processor having one or more heating sources, a media charge composed of one or more discrete masses disposed within the processor, and an exciter for exciting the media charge within the processor. The excitation referred to herein describes any movement of the media charge within the processor. The system may further include one or more separators for separating end product(s) from the media charge and removing the end product(s) from the processor.

The heating source or sources may be any device or mechanism that transfers heat to the media charge, and may be internal or external to the processor. Examples of internally disposed heating sources include, but are not limited to, heated wave or lift liners, heated walls, and heated mixing paddles. The heating sources may be heated electrically, e.g., resistively or inductively, or utilize heated fluids, e.g., steam, water, oil, air or the like. The heating sources heat the media charge when the latter comes into contact with the former.

Material such as waste in the processor contacts the media charge due to the excitation of the media charge. The media charge pulverizes and heats the material, which thinly coats the surface of the media charge. Due to the large total surface area provided by the discrete masses of media charge as compared to the unprocessed material, the material's surface area is greatly increased, proportionally increasing the rate and extent to which components of the waste, such as moisture or like fluids, volatile organic compounds, and certain inorganic compounds, for example, carbonates, cyanides, cyanates and related acids, may be thermally removed or evaporated therefrom, e.g., by thermochemical changes. Furthermore, reagents may be introduced into the waste, either prior to entering the processor or while within the processor, to reactively and/or chemically alter the material.

The processes of the present invention may be conducted under various process conditions. Examples of some process conditions include, by way of example, pressure, temperature, and moisture. The system may operate in various modes, such as batch, continuous, or continuous/batch. The system may include a control system to monitor the process conditions and may be capable of modifying them depending upon the particular materials being processed and the particular mode of operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other features of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description and drawings of one or more illustrative embodiments of the invention where like reference numbers refer to similar elements throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a process according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of a waste processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the waste processing system of Fig. 2 at section A-A; Fig. 4 is a side view of a waste processing system according to another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the waste processing system of Fig. 4 at section B-B; Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of a waste processing system according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 7 is a top view of a waste processing system according to a further embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 8 is an end view of the waste processing system of Fig. 7 at section C-C; Fig. 9 is a side view of a waste processing system according to a further embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 10 is an end view of the waste processing system of Fig. 9 at section D-D.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to Fig. 1, material 10, i.e., waste, to be processed or treated is transported to a processing system 1. This may be accomplished by known material transport systems appropriate for the material (not shown). Those skilled in the art will understand various methods of transporting the material, which may include, for example, conveyors, feeders, pumps, or excavators. As noted above, the processing system 1 may process a variety of materials, which may be in various forms, such as solid, semi-solid, or liquid, or combinations thereof. Accordingly, the choice of material transport systems will ordinarily be a matter of design choice in accordance with the material to be processed, which is within the ordinary skill of persons experienced in the pertinent art.

In one embodiment of the invention, the material 10 consists of waste. Hereinafter, where the term "waste" is used, it should be understood that waste is but one example of a material processible by the invention, and that the invention is not limited to processing waste. As used herein, "waste" means any product or by-product of any process whose properties (whether for storage, disposal or further use) may be improved by processing according to the present invention. The waste 10 may originate from any source. It may originate from the contaminated subsurface of a waste site or from waste spills, piles, lagoons, waterway bottoms, holding tanks, bins, enclosures or the like, or may have been generated from one or more municipal or industrial or like processes or activities. The waste 10 may be chemically, biologically or radioactively contaminated, or otherwise may require management thereof by processing or treatment actions. Depending upon the composition of the waste 10, the processing system 1 may include a process feeder 11 for pulverizing, heating or pre-heating or treating or pre-treating the waste 10 to enhance movement or to reduce downstream drying or treating processes, thereby increasing the process efficiency.

The waste 10 is processed in a waste processor 12. The waste processor 12 may be any structure to suitably confine the waste 10 during processing. It may, by way of example, be similar to known material processing or handing equipment, which may be modified or retrofitted to include the features of the present invention. Particular examples of known material handlers may include vibratory, rotary, or disc driven equipment. The waste processor 12 may have one or more inlet sections 27 where waste enters, and one or more discharge sections 27a where processed waste and/or end products are discharged or removed from the waste processor

12. It will be understood that while the inlet section 27 and discharge section 27a are depicted in Fig. 1 as being at certain locations of the waste processor 12, they may be located at any suitable location. In this regard, "inlet section" is used herein to mean any portion of the waste processor 12 where waste enters and "discharge section" is used herein to mean any portion where end product exits. Furthermore, while Fig. 1 depicts an elongated, horizontally-oriented waste processor, the waste processor 12 may have any suitable configuration having inlet and discharge sections. For example, the waste processor may be vertically or horizontally oriented or inclined.

Providers 13 and 20 may supply a heating medium to the process feeder 11 and/or the waste processor 12. The providers 13 and 20 may be known heating medium sources. For example, provider 13 may consist of electrical components, e.g., resistive or inductive, or provide heated fluids such as steam, water, oil or the like, that may be supplied to the process feeder 11 or waste processor 12 through suitable heating medium supply conduit 22, e.g., wiring or piping, respectively. Provider 20 may be a different type of heating medium source than provider 13. For example, provider 20 may consist of a hydrosonic pump or like systems that mechanically heat fluids, and provide heated water or steam supplied to the process feeder 1 1 or waste processor 12 by a heating medium supply conduit 22a, e.g., piping, that is separate from the heating medium supply conduit 22 of provider 13.

Provider 20 may also be supplied with waste 10. Provider 20 may at least partially de-water the waste 10 and reduce its volume or concentrate it before being transported to the process feeder 11 or the waste processor 12 by suitable waste feeder system 23 , which may be of known types and appropriately selected by those skilled in the art according to the condition of the waste. For example, piping or the like may be utilized for fluid-like waste, and a conveyor system or like may be utilized for solid-like waste. Depending on the condition of the waste 10 entering and exiting provider 20, it may be directed as a discharge end product 14 through a provider discharge system 23 a, which maybe of a design selected using similar criteria as described above for the waste feeder system 23. The discharge end product 14 may undergo further upstream processing. The fluid fraction separated from the waste 10 by provider 20 may be directed in the form of heated fluid or steam to process feeder 11 or waste processor 12 by heating medium supply conduit 22a. Provider 20 may be supplied with make-up fluid 24. In certain embodiments, the make-up fluid 24 may consist of a wastewater stream that may be, for example, contaminated by chemical or biological materials. Provider 20 may convert the stream to steam, e.g., by distillation, which may then be used as described above. The remaining contaminated wastewater stream, now beneficially processed, may be disposed of or reused. The heating medium, after being utilized by the process feeder 11 or waste processor 12 may be removed therefrom via a heating medium return return conduit 25, which, generally, may be similar to the heating medium supply conduit that supplied the heating medium. The heating medium may be redirected to providers 13 or 20 for re-use, resulting in, increased energy and cost efficiency. Alternatively, the heating medium may be safely directed to the environment.

In particular embodiments, the system 1 may include a reagent supply source 18 for adding one or more treatment reagents to the process. The reagents may be blended with the waste 10 for altering its composition or characteristics, which may assist in treating it. Reagents may be used for, among other reasons, which may include chemically elevating the temperature and pH, reducing or controlling odors, destroying or deactivating biological matter, decreasing the solubility of soluble metals, enhancing the magnetic characteristics of various inorganic compounds to facilitate and enhance their collection from the waste, or enhancing the systems ability to recover certain treatment process by-products such as ammonia and like by-products. While those skilled in the art will be aware of which reagents will obtain desirable results, preferred reagents may include a wide range of alkaline agents such as calcium oxide or materials containing calcium oxide, or other combinations of agents such as ozone, chlorine dioxide, or hydrogen peroxide.

The system 1 may have one or more control systems to monitor, and more preferably, control, one or more process conditions. For example, vacuum apparatus 26 may maintain desired vacuum levels in waste processor 12 or process feeder 11 while controlling vapor phase release 15. By operating at vacuum, the need for purging air for vapor phase removal as in prior art systems, which results in loss of large amounts of useful latent heat, is reduced or eliminated. The control system may control additional process conditions, such as temperature, moisture and others. Various monitoring devices may be positioned at various locations throughout the system 1, for example, (A-») waste introduction, (B-«) waste processing, (C-») vapor phase release, (D-«) discharging end product, to monitor the process conditions, which may be at or on near real-time. The control system may further include operational or functional process logic so that the control system may rapidly alter the process conditions, depending upon the composition and characteristics of incoming waste or waste within the waste processor 12.

The vapor phase release 15 may discharge directly to the atmosphere or to a vapor processing system 16 to post-treat the vapor. Various vapor processing systems are known in the art, such as thermal oxidizers, wet scrubbers, condensers, activated carbon beds, catalyst beds, and magnetic grates, among others, which may be utilized alone, or in combination as determined by the nature of the vapor. Treated vapor may be discharged to the atmosphere through a clean vapor release 17.

In certain embodiments, the system 1 may include a coolant source 19 to cool processed waste or resulting end product. Any coolant source may be used, such as nitrogen. The waste processor 12 may have one or more heating and/or cooling zones so that the waste 10 may be optimally processed at various stages of treatment. The number of process zones and respective process conditions therein may be determined by the characteristics of the waste 10 and the desired end product.

Referring now also to Figs. 2 and 3, the waste processor 12 comprises an elongated space, which may or may not be fully enclosed. Waste processor 12 may include an internally disposed heating wave liner 30 to heat an internally disposed media charge 38. The wave liner 30 may be positioned on at least a portion of the interior wall of waste processor 12, and may extend around the entire interior wall and extend the entire length of the waste processor 12. The wave liner 30 may be heated by internally disposed electrical heating elements 37. Alternatively, the wave liner 30 may be heated by heating media from providers 13 or 20 circulated through suitable openings and/or passageways 37 in the wave liner 30.

The waste processor 12 is vibrated or agitated by vibratory device 31. Such vibratory devices are known, such as those manufactured by GENERAL KINEMATICS, Inc. (Barrington, Illinois) and other companies. The waste processor 12 may be mounted on a base 36 and may be reciprocated by a vibratory device 31 , in the illustrated embodiment in a rotational direction 35. The reciprocation may be enhanced by opposing rebound springs 32, 33 and 34.

The vibration of the waste processor 12 agitates the waste 10 and the media charge 38, resulting in a select pattern of agitation 39. Accordingly, the media charge 38 intermittently contacts the wave liner 30 and is heated. The agitated and heated media charge mechanically impacts the waste 10 and simultaneously pulverizes and heats it. The impact of the media charge 38 against the waste 10 causes the waste 10 to thinly coat the surface of the media charge 38. The waste 10, while associated with the media charge 38, continues to absorb heat from the media charge 38, whereby liquid and other volatile components of the waste 10 are removed from it. This process may be termed "beat and heat" or "destructive distillation." During treatment, the waste 10 undergoes a process of becoming associated with and disassociated from the media charge 38. Each subsequent impact of the waste to the media charge 38 further pulverizes and heats it, removing additional amounts of volatile components. In addition, in embodiments of the invention where the waste 10 may undergo further thermal or chemical transformation, either naturally or due to added reagents, transformation continues. Preferably, the vibratory device 31 is configured so that the resulting centers of gravity of the waste processor 12 and the media charge 38 cause introduced waste 10 to become submerged in the media charge 38 so as to be acted upon thereby. In addition, the vibratory device 31 may be configured and operated to cause the waste 10 to move in a desired manner, e.g., from the inlet section 27 of the waste processor 12 towards the outlet section 27a., as is known in the art.

The media charge 38 may be any material suitable in composition and volume to process the waste in the above-described manner. For example, the media charge 38 may be metallic or non-metallic, or a combination thereof. The media charge may be composed of discrete masses. In certain embodiments, the individual masses may be generally spherical and range up to about two inches in diameter. The media charge 38 may mixed in size or shape depending upon the characteristics of the waste 10 to increase contact and maximize heat transfer, thereby optimizing effectiveness and efficiency in removing or evaporating a wide range of moisture, volatile organic compounds, certain non-volatile compounds as discussed previously, and reducing biological material. For example, using spherical media having a diameter of 0.625 inches results in a heat transfer surface area, as determined using standard mathematical equations, of more than about 60 square feet per cubic foot of media charge, e.g.., working space. This compares to about three to five square feet of surface area in currently used thermal dryers.

In various embodiments, the media charge 38 itself may add heat to the process. For example, the kinetic energy of the media charge 38 imparted to it by the vibratory device 31 or other select exciter methods may be converted to heat, e.g., by friction. Another example may include a media charge 38 composed of heat storage lithium pellets, such as those disclosed in

U.S. Patent Nos. 4,794,682 and 4,634,479 issued to Buford and 4,758,288 issued to Versic, which are incorporated herein by reference. A further example may include heat storage metallic eutectic materials, such as those described in a survey conducted by Birchenalls and Riechman reported in Metallic Transaction Periodical (1980). Yet another example of a media charge for adding heat to the waste treatment is hypereutectic alloys from which negatively large heats of fusion may be generated. The purpose of the separators 40, 41 is to remove the waste end product(s) from the waste processor but retain the media charge 38. In one embodiment, when gate 41 is opened, a media retaining screen 40 retains the media charge 38 while end product 14 is discharged through screen 40 and gate 41 by the above-described control system. The system 1 may be operated in various modes, e.g., continuous, continuous-batch, or batch operation, with varying compositions of waste.

The waste processor 12 may also contain separators to magnetically collect a wide variety of magnetically attractive metals, as are known by those in the art. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that other various end products may be removed using other types of known sep arators .

Referring further to Figs. 4 and 5, the waste processor 12 comprises a rotary shell positioned on a base 36, whereas the waste processor may be rotated on rollers 42 which are driven by a rotary drive 43. Rotary shells suitable for use by the present invention may be similar to rotary material handling and processing equipment manufactured by LOUISVILLE DRYING MACHINERY, Inc. (Louisville, Kentucky) and HEYL-PATTERSON, Inc.

(Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania) and other companies.

A waste feed port 44 may be connected to the waste processor 12 by a rotatable connection, e.g., a swivel. A discharge 45 and an upper outlet 46 discharge end product and release vapor phase to the vapor phase release 15, respectively, and may be rotatably connected to the waste processor 12 by known couplings. A heating distribution assembly 47, connected to the waste processor 12 by a rotatably connection 48, e.g., a swivel, delivers heat to the waste processor 12 from provider 13 or 20 as earlier described.

The waste processor 12 may be rotated by drive 43 in either direction as shown by arrow 51. The media 38, in response to the rotation, agitates within the waste processor 12, possibly in movements or patterns 39, and impacts and heats the waste 10 as earlier described.

The agitation causes the media 38 to intermittently contact and absorb heat from the heating wave or lift liner 30, which is heated by the heating elements or ports 37. A plurality of heated tube bundles 50 may be passed through the waste processor 12 and may enhance the heating of the media charge 38 and the waste 10 as they agitate around the heating tube bundles 50. Shown in Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail of the heated wave or lift liner 30. Figure 6 shows the media charge 38 being moved in or by the waves or lifts 52 of the liner 30, whereby the media charge 38 is heated by contacting lift liner 30. Lift liner 30 may be heated by the elements or ports 37 circulating heating media from providers 13 and 20, e.g., air, liquid or other fluids.

Referring now to Figs. 7 and 8, the waste processor 12 has an internally disposed arrangement of one or more rows of heating discs 73 being rotatably affixed to rotary stems that are rotated by rotating drives 70. Thermal disc dryers suitable for use by the present invention may be similar to rotary material handling and processing equipment manufactured by BETHLEHEM Corporation (Easton, Pennsylvania) and HEYL & PATTERSON (Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania) and others. The media charge 38 is heated and agitated with the waste 10 by the heating discs 73. The heating discs may be arranged in a suitable manner to cause the media charge 38 and the waste to migrate within the waste processor 12. The waste 10 and the media charge may migrate in a looping pattern. An example of a looping pattern in one embodiment of the invention is shown by 71, 72, 74, 75 and back to 71. However, it will be understood that various migration patterns are possible depending upon the arrangement of the heating discs 73. In certain embodiments, heating grids 79 are located between the heating discs 73. The heating grids 79 heat the media charge 38 and the waste 10 as they pass through openings in the heating grids, i.e., propagated by the heating discs 73.

After the waste 10 has been sufficiently processed, gate 41 at the outlet section 14 is opened for removal of the end product(s), which may be an environmentally suitable or desired end product. The end product(s) pass though media retaining screen 40 while the media charge 38 remains within the waste processor 12, as described above.

Figs. 9 and 10 show an arrangement of process feeders 11 having an internally disposed arrangement of one or more suitable heating sources being in the form of upright members 103, liners 30, and/or horizontal grids 104 being internally positioned in the process-feeder 11 at various locations. The upright members 103, liners 30, and/or horizontal grids 104 may be heated with heating media from providers 13 or 20. One or more agitators 100 agitate a process feeder 11, e.g., by vibration, and thereby agitates the waste 10 therein. Such agitation may occur, for example, in a pattern 106. In various embodiments, media charge 38 in the process feeder(s) 11 may be agitated by agitators 100 and/or heated by the above- mentioned heating sources. The media charge 38 may pre- or post-process the waste 10. The process feeders 11 may be connected to each other and/or the waste processor 12 by baffles or expansion joints 102 to absorb the agitation of the process feeder(s) 11. Of course, as a wide range of materials with greatly varying physical and compositional properties can be processed according to the invention, those skilled in the art will understand that the multiple configurations and parameters of the invention described and claimed herein depend not only upon the particular material but the desired result, which may include economic or environmental considerations. Those in the art will recognize that verification of such processing may be realized by actual processing of a material, e.g., via a pilot treatability study using a reduced-scale pilot apparatus. One could utilize this pilot study by selecting different configurations and/or parameters and determining those that yield desired results. For example, one could vary the processing apparatus, media charge, e.g., size, material, or combinations thereof, temperature, humidity, pressure, or any relevant parameter. Once such verification is completed, one skilled in the art would know how to extrapolate the resulting data to a full-scale processing program.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the apparatuses and methods of the present invention will have various other uses in addition to the above described embodiments. It will be appreciated that the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings are set forth by way of illustration and not limitation of the invention. It will further be appreciated that various modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which is to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: L A material processing system comprising: a container having at least one inlet and outlet; a media charge disposed within said container, said media charge being movable relative to said container; a media charge conduction heater disposed within said container; and a media charge exciter.

2. System of claim 1, wherein said container defines a confined space.

3. System of claim 1, wherein said media charge conduction heater utilizes heated fluids.

4. System of claim 1, wherein said container comprises at least one processing zone.

5. System of claim 4, wherein said at least one zone is confined to operate at different temperatures.

6. System of claim 5, further including a coolant source for lowering at least one of processing temperature and temperature of end product discharged from said processor.

7. System of claim 6, wherein said coolant source is nitrogen.

8. System of claim 1, wherein said media charge comprises at least one discrete mass.

9. System of claim 8, wherein said media charge comprises a plurality of discrete masses.

10. System of claim 9, wherein said masses are generally spherical and range in size up to about two inches in diameter.

11. System of claim 1 wherein said media charge is heat-generating.

12. System of claim 1, further comprising at least one monitoring and control system for monitoring and controlling process conditions.

13. System of claim 12, wherein said process conditions are selected from the group consisting of temperature, pressure, and moisture.

14. System of claim 13, further including a vacuum device for controlling pressure within said container.

15. System of claim 1, further comprising at least one process feeder.

16. System of claim 15, wherein said at least one process feeder includes media charge disposed therein.

17. System of claim 16, further comprising at least one process feeder agitator for agitating said media charge disposed within said process feeder.

18. System of claim 15 further comprising means for heating material in the process feeder.

19. System of claim 1, further comprising means for introducing reagent into said container.

20. System of claim 1, further comprising means for processing vapor released from said material during processing.

21. System of claim 1, wherein said material comprises waste.

22. Apparatus for processing waste into at least one end product, said apparatus comprising: a processor having at least one wall, an inlet section for receiving said waste into said processor, and an outlet section for discharging end product from said processor; a media charge disposed in said processor, said media charge being nonconnected to said at least one wall; means within said processor for heating said media charge by conduction; and means for exciting said media charge so as to cause it to come into sporadic contact with said heating means and to further cause said media charge to impact said material within said processor.

23. Apparatus of claim 22, wherein said means for heating said media charge includes heated fluids.

24. Apparatus of claim 22, wherein said processor comprises at least one compartment.

25. Apparatus of claim 22, further comprising an heating source external to said processor, said heating source providing heat to said heating means.

26. A method of processing material, comprising: providing a processor for containing said material, at least one heating source disposed within said processor, and a non-connected media charge disposed within said processor; conductively heating said media charge with said at least one heating source; and exciting said media charge.

27. Method of claim 26, wherein said step of conductively heating said media charge includes utilizing heated fluids.

28. Method of claim 26, wherein said exciting step causes said media charge to intermittently contact said at least one heating source and subsequently impact said material.

29. Method of claim 26, wherein said excitation causes said material to migrate within said processor.

30. Method of claim 29, wherein said processor includes an inlet section for receiving said material and an outlet section for discharging said material, and wherein said excitation causes one of migration of said material from said inlet section toward said outlet section, migration of said material from said outlet section toward said inlet section, and migration of said material without substantial migration thereof toward said inlet and outlet sections.

31. Method of claim 26, further comprising mixing said material with at least one reagent.

32. Method of claim 26, further comprising controlling process conditions within said processor.

33. Method of claim 32, wherein said controlling process conditions includes monitoring process conditions with said processor.

34. Method of claim 32, wherein said controlling process conditions includes varying process conditions according to characteristics of said material.

35. Method of claim 32, wherein said processor has a plurality of processing zones and said controlling process conditions includes independently controlling said process conditions in each of said plurality of zones.

36. Method of claim 32, wherein said controlling process conditions includes monitoring pressure.

37. Method of claim 32, wherein said controlling process conditions includes monitoring temperature.

38. Method of claim 37, including adding a coolant to said processor to control said processing.

39. Method of claim 38, including adding nitrogen to said processor.

40. Method of claim 32, wherein said controlling process conditions includes monitoring said moisture.

41. Method of claim 26, wherein said material is waste.