An ingredient blending apparatus is disclosed which blends a plurality of ingredients into a homogeneous blend. The apparatus includes a container which receives various ingredients in a prescribed amount. A vacuum motor has its intake side in communication with the interior of the container to suck the ingredients from the container and blow the same into a blending chamber. The ingredients blown into the blending chamber are mixed and recycled into the vacuum motor and the blending chamber until the ingredients are properly mixed or blended. When the ingredients are properly mixed or blended, they may be sent to an ingredient collection apparatus.

A gravimetric blender has a frame, at least one material storage hopper at the top of the frame including a hopper cover, a weigh bin located within the frame, below the hopper, for receipt of material from the hopper to be weighed and being adapted for downward discharge of the material in the bio bin after the material received from the hopper has been weighed, at least one load cell connecting the weigh bin to the frame for sensing the weight of contents of the weigh bin, a mixer within the frame below the hopper, for mixing material weighed in the weigh bin after that material falls downwardly from the weigh bin to the mixer, and a guide adapted for vertical movement of the hopper cover therealong between positions which the cover contacts and thereby closes the hopper and at which the cover is spaced vertically above the hopper so that the hopper is open at the top.

In accordance with presently disclosed embodiments, systems and methods for efficiently managing bulk material are provided. The disclosure is directed to systems and methods for efficiently combining additives into bulk material being transferred about a job site. The systems may include a support structure used to receive one or more portable containers of bulk material, and a mulling device disposed beneath the support structure to provide bulk material treatment capabilities. Specifically, the mulling device may facilitate mixing of coatings or other additives with bulk material that is released from the portable containers, as well as transfer of the mixture to an outlet location.

A device for mixing powders by cryogenic fluid, characterised in that it comprises at least: a chamber for mixing powders, comprising a cryogenic fluid; a chamber for supplying powders in order to allow the powders to be introduced into the mixing chamber; means for agitation in the mixing chamber so as to allow the mixing of the powders placed in suspension in the cryogenic fluid.

A device for mixing powders by a cryogenic fluid, characterised in that it comprises: a chamber for mixing the powders, comprising a cryogenic fluid, provided with means for forming a fluidised powder bed; a chamber for supplying powders in order to allow the powders to be introduced into the mixing chamber; a chamber for supplying cryogenic fluid in order to allow the cryogenic fluid to be introduced into the mixing chamber; a system for generating vibrations in the fluidised powder bed; and a system for controlling the system for generating vibrations.

Animal litter having up to a sixty percent reduction in bulk density can be produced by combining flat-shaped cellulosic materials and sodium bentonite clay. Not only is the resulting litter lighter, but it also maintains a high clump strength as compared to clay-based animal litters that contain greater than ninety percent by weight sodium bentonite clay.

The present disclosure involves systems and methods for applying CO2 to concrete, which may be performed in-situ or through a separate, stand-alone process. According to another embodiment disclosed herein, a system and method for applying CO2 to one or more materials used in the production of concrete is also provided.

A control system for mixing materials having a container to receive the materials, agitators, a driveline to drive the agitators at an output speed with an output torque, an power source to provide an input speed with an input torque, a continuously variable transmission that connects the driveline and the power source, and an electronic control unit configured to adjust a speed ratio of the continuously variable transmission to provide a linear relationship between the input torque and the output torque with a slope, when the input torque is below a control input threshold, and to follow a corrected linear relationship between the input torque and the output torque with a corrected slope smaller than the slope when the input torque is above the control input threshold.

A coffee densifier is disclosed. The coffee densifier comprises an elongated chamber, a densifier motor, a shaft, a plurality of densifier members, a discharge door actuator, a densifier motor load sensor, and a controller. The plurality of densifier members are fixed to the shaft and configured to polish a plurality of coffee particles of the ground coffee within the elongated chamber when the plurality of densifier members are rotated by the shaft through the ground coffee within the mixing chamber. The controller configured to signal the discharge door actuator to move the discharge door to increase or decrease a density of the ground coffee exiting the chamber through the discharge opening when the densifier motor load is outside a predefined densifier motor load operating range.

An automated production system is disclosed herein. One aspect of the present technology, for example, is directed toward an automated system for the continuous production of baked bread. The system can include a priming assembly having a dry ingredients priming unit and a wet ingredients priming unit. The dry ingredients priming unit can include a vertically-oriented hopper and a screw positioned within an interior region of the hopper, wherein the first screw extends along the central longitudinal axis of the hopper and is configured to rotate about its own central longitudinal axis. The system can also include a mixing assembly, a forming assembly, an oven, and a controller. The controller can be coupled to the priming assembly and configured to adjust the amount of dry ingredients delivered from the hopper to the mixing chamber by controlling rotation of the screw.