A modular nut cleaning plant comprises a nut sizer and a stick remover mounted to the nut sizer. A vacuum unit is mounted to the stick remover. A nut product stream will pass on the stick remover through the vacuum unit which will vacuum light debris from the nut product stream. The nut product stream moves on a chain on the stick remover. Large debris and sticks that do not fall through openings in the chain will pass into a debris conveyor. Nuts and debris that fall through the openings in the chain will be delivered to the nut sizer. The nut sizer will rotate and tumble nuts and debris in the nut product stream. Nuts of an undesirable size and debris will pass into a debris conveyor. Nuts of a desired size will pass through the nut sizer into a chute or other conveyance to be delivered to further nut processing apparatus.

A nut sizer includes a nut sizer frame and a rotatable nut sizer cage mounted therein. A motor is attached to the nut sizer frame at an intake end thereof. The motor will drive a drive sprocket which will in turn drive a reel sprocket that is connected to the rotatable sizer cage. A chain engages the drive sprocket and the reel sprocket. The sizer cage may be lifted from the nut sizer frame by removing the chain. The nut sizer cage is a sectioned sizer cage and includes a first sizer section and a second sizer section detachably connected thereto.

A nut processing apparatus includes a pair of side panels with a vacuum duct connected thereto. The nut processing apparatus which may be referred to as a vacuum unit is configured to be mounted directly to other nut processing equipment such as for example a stick remover. The vacuum unit includes a vacuum duct with an upper stationary portion and a lower pivotable portion.

A nut processing apparatus includes a pair of side panels with a vacuum duct connected thereto. The nut processing apparatus which may be referred to as a vacuum unit is configured to be mounted directly to other nut processing equipment such as for example a stick remover. The vacuum unit includes a vacuum duct with an upper stationary portion and a lower pivotable portion.

The invention relates to a method and system for the environmental remediation of materials that are contaminated with heavy minerals, such as heavy metals. The invention finds utility in removing heavy minerals from materials such as soils, sediments, mine tailings and ores. The invention provides a means for removing heavy minerals from contaminated materials without the use of water while reducing the generation of dust. Thus, the invention provides an environmentally friendly method for the remediation of sites that are contaminated with heavy minerals.

A padding machine for moving along a side of a ditch, scooping up excavated material from the side of the ditch, and sifting the excavated material into padding material for falling in the ditch comprises a frame comprising side frame members and frame rails spaced apart from the side frame members. A screening belt is driven around pulleys supported by the frame. The screening belt comprises a screen for collecting and conveying the excavated material upwardly. The screen comprises apertures for sifting the excavated material into padding material by permitting the padding material to fall through the apertures of the screen. The screen runs over the frame rails which support the screen. A discharge conveyor is mounted to the frame beneath an upper run of the screening belt. The discharge conveyor receives the padding material passing through the screen and discharges the padding material into the ditch.

A padding machine for moving along a side of a ditch, scooping up excavated material from the side of the ditch, and sifting the excavated material into padding material for falling in the ditch comprises a frame comprising side frame members and frame rails spaced apart from the side frame members. A screening belt is driven around pulleys supported by the frame. The screening belt comprises a screen for collecting and conveying the excavated material upwardly. The screen comprises apertures for sifting the excavated material into padding material by permitting the padding material to fall through the apertures of the screen. The screen runs over the frame rails which support the screen. A discharge conveyor is mounted to the frame beneath an upper run of the screening belt. The discharge conveyor receives the padding material passing through the screen and discharges the padding material into the ditch.

The invention pertains to a method to purify coccidial oocysts having dimensions between Dmin and Dmax from faeces comprising the steps of collecting the faeces containing the coccidial oocysts from host animals, diluting the faeces in an aqueous medium, separating a coarse fraction comprising macroscopic particulate matter from the diluted faeces and collecting an aqueous fraction containing the oocysts, characterised in that the method further comprises sieving the aqueous fraction over a first sieve deck having mesh openings to let the oocysts pass, to obtain an aqueous filtrate comprising the oocysts and a first residue comprising particles larger than the oocysts, and sieving the aqueous filtrate over a second sieve deck having mesh openings to obstruct passing of the oocysts through this sieve deck, to obtain a second residue comprising the purified oocysts and a waist filtrate comprising particles smaller than the oocysts. The invention also pertains to a system suitable for applying this method and to oocysts obtained therewith.

A piler conveyor system for screening debris such as tare dirt from materials such as beets as the materials are conveyed across a piler. The piler conveyor system generally includes a frame supporting an upper conveyor and a pair of lower conveyors. The upper conveyor is adapted to receive materials such as beets. As the materials are conveyed by the upper conveyor, debris such as tare dirt or the like will fall through screening openings in the upper conveyor and onto the lower conveyor. The lower conveyor may then dispense the debris through a debris opening. The materials will drop off the end of the upper conveyor and fall onto the second lower conveyor, which will convey the screened materials to be dispensed.

A piler conveyor system for screening debris such as tare dirt from materials such as beets as the materials are conveyed across a piler. The piler conveyor system generally includes a frame supporting an upper conveyor and a pair of lower conveyors. The upper conveyor is adapted to receive materials such as beets. As the materials are conveyed by the upper conveyor, debris such as tare dirt or the like will fall through screening openings in the upper conveyor and onto the lower conveyor. The lower conveyor may then dispense the debris through a debris opening. The materials will drop off the end of the upper conveyor and fall onto the second lower conveyor, which will convey the screened materials to be dispensed.