Bioorganically-augmented high value fertilizer

• US 8,557,013 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Profile Products LLC
• Original Assignee: Vitag Holdings, LLC (Anuvia Plant Nutrients Corporation)
• Inventors: Burnham, Jeffrey C., Carr, James P., Dahms, Gary L.
• Primary Examiner(s): LANGEL, WAYNE A
• Application Number:
  US12/981,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20110154873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 71 11- 63, 210/710, 210/749, 210757-760
• US Class Current: 71/11
• CPC Class Codes: C05B 17/00 Other phosphatic fertilisers, e.g. soft rock phosphates, bone meal
• CPC Class Codes: C05B 7/00 Fertilisers based essentially on alkali or ammonium orthophosphates C05B11/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C05C 1/00 Ammonium nitrate fertilisers
• CPC Class Codes: C05C 11/00 Other nitrogenous fertilisers
• CPC Class Codes: C05C 3/00 Fertilisers containing other salts of ammonia or ammonia itself, e.g. gas liquor
• CPC Class Codes: C05C 9/00 Fertilisers containing urea or urea compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C05D 1/00 Fertilisers containing potassium C05D7/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C05D 9/02 containing trace elements
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 11/00 Other organic fertilisers
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 11/08 Organic fertilisers containing added bacterial cultures, mycelia or the like
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 17/00 Preparation of fertilisers characterised by biological or biochemical treatment steps, e.g. composting or fermentation
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 17/50 Treatments combining two or more different biological or biochemical treatments, e.g. anaerobic and aerobic treatment or vermicomposting and aerobic treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 3/00 Fertilisers from human or animal excrements, e.g. manure
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 3/06 Apparatus for the manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 5/008 Waste from biochemical processing of material, e.g. fermentation, breweries
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 7/00 Fertilisers from waste water, sewage sludge, sea slime, ooze or similar masses
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 9/00 Fertilisers from household or town refuse
• CPC Class Codes: C05G 1/00 Mixtures of fertilisers belonging individually to different subclasses of C05
• CPC Class Codes: C05G 3/00 Mixtures of one or more fertilisers with additives not having a specially fertilising activity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/20 Fertilizers of biological origin, e.g. guano or fertilizers made from animal corpses
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/129 : Energy recovery, e.g. by cogeneration, H2recovery or pressure recovery turbines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/145 : the feedstock being materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/40 : Bio-organic fraction processing; Production of fertilisers from the organic fraction of waste or refuse

Abstract

The invention is directed to processes for treating biosolids that result in high-value, nitrogen-containing, slow-release, organically-augmented inorganic fertilizer that are competitive with less valuable or more costly conventional commercially manufactured fertilizers. The process involves conditioning traditional waste-water biosolids and processing the conditioned biosolids continuously in a high throughput manufacturing facility. The exothermic design and closed loop control of the primary reaction vessel decreases significantly the amount of power necessary to run a manufacturing facility. The process utilizes green technologies to facilitate decreased waste and enhanced air quality standards over traditional processing plants. The fertilizer produced from recovered biosolid waste is safe and meets or exceeds the United States Environment Protection Agency (USEPA) Class A and Exceptional Quality standards and is not subject to restrictions or regulations.

Claims

1. A method for a continuous treatment of biosolids comprising:

dewatering the biosolids to form a pump-able fluid;

injecting steam into the dewatered biosolids in a first pug-mill;

mixing concentrated oxidizing agents and one or more first acids into the dewatered biosolids in the first pug-mill;

feeding the mixed biosolids into a pressure vessel;

injecting one or more second acids and ammonia into the pressure vessel to combine with the mixed biosolids and form conditioned biosolids;

feeding the conditioned biosolids into a second pug-mill;

treating the conditioned biosolids with one or more hardening agents in the second pug-mill; and

drying the hardened biosolids to form a fertilizer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the biosolids comprise one or more of municipal biosolids, heat-dried biosolids, pharmaceutical fermentation wastes, microbial digests of organic products, food stuffs, food byproducts, animal manures, digested animal manures, organic biosolids, biosolids containing microorganisms, or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, the dewatered biosolids are created by subjecting biosolids to filtration, centrifugation, pressure, or a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more first acids comprises at least phosphoric acid at a concentration of 50% or more.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more second acids comprise phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid, or both, and the ammonia comprises anhydrous or aqueous ammonia.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more second acids and the ammonia together create an exothermic reaction within the mixture.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the exothermic reaction takes place without external heating.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the pressure vessel is maintained at a temperature of 230°

F. or greater.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding one or more ferrates to the mixture.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more ferrates is selected from the group consisting of a calcium ferrate, a sodium ferrate, a potassium ferrate, ferrous sulfate heptahydrate, and combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more ferrates is formed from reaction of a solid-state sodium hydroxide with sodium hypochlorite and ferric chloride.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more oxidizing agents is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen peroxide, calcium hypochlorite, sodium hypochlorite, potassium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, ozone, oxygen, and combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the biosolids are retained in the pressure vessel for 15 minutes or less.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of acidity, pressure, flow speed, pH, base infusion speed are controlled by closed-loop computer controls to maintain a predetermined reaction temperature.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein biosolids are continuously processed through the pressure vessel.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein organic material in the treated and dried biosolids is partially or completely hydrolyzed, denatured, or sterilized.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the organic material is selected from the group consisting of one or more members selected from the group consisting of pharmaceutical compounds, antibiotics, hormones, hormone-like molecules, biologically active compounds, macromolecules, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, fats, lipids, proteins, and combinations thereof.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein phosphate content of the dried biosolids is from 0.5% to 4%.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein nitrogen content of the dried biosolids is enhanced by aqueous ammonia that is added to the pressure vessel.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding a granulating agent to the mixture before drying to form a dried and granulated mixture.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising crushing the dried and granulated mixture.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising passing the dried and granulated mixture through one or more screens to isolate granules of a predetermined size.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising coating the dried granules with a coating agent.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the coating agent is applied to the granules within a cooling apparatus.

25. The method of claim 20, further comprising cooling the dried and granulated mixture in a cooling apparatus to a temperature of 140°

F. or less.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the cooling apparatus is a fluidized bed, an ammonia chiller, or a rotating drum.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising passing the conditioned biosolids through a second pressure vessel.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding one or more plant nutrients to the biosolids in the first pug-mill.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the one or more plant nutrients are selected from the group consisting of urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, monoammonium phosphate, diammonium phosphate, urea ammonium nitrate, liquid urea, potash, iron oxide, soluble iron, chelated iron and combinations thereof.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardening agents are selected from the group consisting of ferric oxides, alum attapulgite clay, industrial molasses, lignon, ligno sulfonate, urea formaldehyde polymerizer and combinations thereof.

31. A method for treatment of biosolids comprising:

combining dewatered biosolids with steam and a first acid to form a mixture;

injecting the mixture, one or more second acids, and ammonia into a pressure vessel to create an exothermic reaction;

subjecting the mixture to a predetermined temperature and pressure for a retention time;

removing the mixture from the pressure vessel after the retention time; and

drying the mixture.