An apparatus and process for removing moisture from sludge. The apparatus comprises a housing having an inlet and outlet for respective receipt and discharge of the sludge. A conveyor is located in the housing and is configured to transport the sludge from the inlet to the outlet. The apparatus further comprises a heater to heat the sludge to remove moisture therefrom whilst the sludge is being transported by the conveyor. The apparatus also comprises a vacuum pump arranged to extract air from the apparatus and, at the same time, to cause moisture removed from the sludge to flow therefrom together with the extracted air.

Methods and apparatus for drying harvested products using a mobile drying system are disclosed. According to some embodiments, a refractance window dryer is implemented on a mobile platform that includes two mobile units (e.g., trailers or transportable skid mounted assemblies) that may be transported to a remote location (e.g., at a harvest location). A first mobile unit may include a refractance window dryer module, and a second mobile unit may include utility equipment that supports operation of the refractance window dryer module.

The invention relates to a method and a device for obtaining dewatered biomass from algae and/or microorganisms. The concentrated biomass available as a result of the harvesting process is spread over an endless conveyor belt (1) and exposed to heated air on the conveyor belt (1). The air is heated by the sun and/or an air heater (5) in a closed system, the conveyor belt (1) being enclosed by a light-permeable casing (2). The drying process is carried out until a residual moisture is achieved, the dewatered biomass adhering to the conveyor belt (1) at the end of the drying process. Said biomass is separated from the conveyor belt (1) by means of a doctor- or scraper edge (9) and is gathered in a collection container (8).

Transfer systems for receiving and conveying material such as earthen slurries discharged from vacuum excavators are disclosed. The transfer system may include a holding tank and a conveyor such as a drag-slat conveyor that extends into the tank to remove and convey material from the tank. The transfer system includes a hatch. The hatch is moveable from a closed position in which vehicles travel over the hatch to an open position in which the holding tank is open to receive material from the vacuum excavator.

A method and a fiber-treatment system dry wet or damp fibers. A fiber mat (13) including wet or damp fibers is formed on a treatment band (31) which is moved in a conveying direction (x). An air flow (36, 36a) composed of heated drying air is generated in the fiber dryer (30). The heated drying air is guided in an upward direction through the treatment band and the fibers contained in the fibre mat (13, 14) are loosened and dried. Linters (16) possibly produced by any moving fibers are captured by a filter band (32) arranged above the treatment band, which is also moved in the conveying direction (x). At the outlet of the fiber dryer, the fibers are detached from a support (17) formed on the filter band, in particular when guiding the detached fibers back towards the dried fibers guided to the treatment band (31, 31c).

A modular oast floor panel and an oast drying system is disclosed, particularly for use in drying agricultural crops such as herbs, hops and the like.

Provided are systems and methods for drying a cereal grass, such as alfalfa, barley, clover, rye grass, Timothy grass, and the stalks, stems, grains and leaves of a cereal grass, such as oats, wheat, buckwheat, maize, millet, rice and sorghum. The systems include a first pressing roll and a second pressing roll that form a nip through which the cereal grass or forage crop can be pressed, pressing the liquid out of the cereal grass or forage crop to form a first product stream comprising a dewatered cereal grass or forage crop and a second product stream comprising liquid pressed out of the cereal grass or forage crop; at least one suction device for collecting the second product stream; an atomizer for converting the second product stream into droplets that can be applied to the surface of the first product stream; a drying chamber; and a circulation system for moving a drying medium through the drying chamber.

Provided are systems and methods for drying a cereal grass, such as alfalfa, barley, clover, rye grass, Timothy grass, and the stalks, stems, grains and leaves of a cereal grass, such as oats, wheat, buckwheat, maize, millet, rice and sorghum. The systems include a first pressing roll and a second pressing roll that form a nip through which the cereal grass or forage crop can be pressed, pressing the liquid out of the cereal grass or forage crop to form a first product stream comprising a dewatered cereal grass or forage crop and a second product stream comprising liquid pressed out of the cereal grass or forage crop; at least one suction device for collecting the second product stream; an atomizer for converting the second product stream into droplets that can be applied to the surface of the first product stream; a drying chamber; and a circulation system for moving a drying medium through the drying chamber.

The invention relates generally to a process for the preparation of water-absorbent polymer particles, comprising the process steps including of drying the polymer gel particles wherein in process step (viii) the gel particles obtained in process step (vii) are charged onto the surface of the belt material of a belt dryer at a position L.sub.0 and are subsequently dried on their way through the belt dryer and wherein the belt material has been cooled before coming into contact with the gel particles. The invention also relates to water-absorbent polymer particles obtainable by such a process.

A method for drying biomass fuel using waste heat of flue gas from a power plant. The method includes: 1) stepwise recovering, by multi-stage condensation, sensible heat of flue gas; stepwise heating air using the sensible heat, to yield first-stage dry air and second-stage dry air; 2) convectively drying and dehydrating biomass fuel using the first-stage dry air having a temperature of between 150 and 180 C.; 3) further convectively drying and dehydrating the biomass fuel using the second-stage dry air having a temperature of between 80 and 100 C.; and 4) drying and dehydrating the biomass fuel using the third-stage dry air having a temperature of less than or equal to 25 C.