A coffee densifier is disclosed having an elongated housing having a chamber configured to receive ground coffee. The mixing chamber has an inlet end opposite a discharge end. The discharge end has a discharge door. The densifier has a shaft driven by a motor, the shaft extending along a longitudinal length of the mixing chamber. The densifier has a plurality of paddle-less pins fixed to the mixing shaft and configured to agitate a bed of coffee within the mixing chamber.

A stirring container and a stirring apparatus are provided. The stirring container includes a barrel and a plurality of stirring paddles. The barrel is defined with an inner surface, an outer surface, and a center axis. The first opening and a second opening are located at two ends of the center axis; and the paddles are fixed on the inner surface of the barrel and extend from the first opening to the second opening and the extending directions thereof are skewed to the center axis. The stirring apparatus includes the aforesaid stirring container, a supporting structure and a rotation module. The supporting structure connects to the outer surface of the barrel to make the barrel rotatable and covers the second opening. The rotation module connects to the outer surface to rotate the stirring container. Thereby, the stirring container and the stirring apparatus can provide better stirring results.

In accordance with presently disclosed embodiments, systems and methods for efficiently handling dry additives to be mixed with bulk material in a blender are provided. The systems may include a support structure used to direct bulk material from one or more portable containers on the support structure to a first outlet location, and a combined metering/transferring system for directing dry additives from another portable container to a second outlet location. Specifically, the metering/transferring system may output a metered flow of dry additives to the blender mixer to be combined with bulk material that is released from the portable containers. The metering/transferring system may utilize a gravity feed outlet coupled to a metered screw or other conveying device to move the dry additive from the portable container to the second outlet location.

The invention relates to a method for the production of calcium dipropionate by a batch process in a single pressure-resistant reaction vessel. The reaction vessel is charged with calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, calcium carbonate or a mixture thereof. Then, pure high-concentrated propionic acid, preferably in a concentration of above 99% is added to the solid raw materials. The heat (up to 160 C.) and pressure (up to 10 bar) are retained in the reaction vessel and are subsequently used to discharge the reaction water after the complete amount of acid has been added. After a reaction time of 3 to 6 hours, pure calcium dipropionate with a water content of below 1% is obtained.

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.

Disclosed herein are powder mixing apparatuses and methods that utilize the deagglomerizing and mixing effects of an air flow that impacts a flowing powder. The resulting powder can have smaller particle sizes and/or exhibit a more homogenous mixture than the premixed powder.

A mixer includes a drum having at least one inlet and one outlet. The mixer furthermore includes a drive and a stirring shaft, which is arranged in the drum and is coupled to the drive. Furthermore, the mixer includes a conveying device, which is arranged in the drum and which is arranged on one and the same axis as the stirring shaft.

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 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 but maintained in a horizontal plane above the hopper so that the hopper is open at the top.

A mixing paddle configured for use with a gravimetric blender. The mixing paddle has a first rotor; a second rotor spaced axial from the first rotor; and at least one mixing blade disposed between the first rotor and the second rotor. The at least one mixing blade of the mixing paddle includes an inner edge having a first sloped portion and a second sloped portion directed inward toward a middle portion of the at least one mixing blade. The mixing blade is configured to be narrower in the middle portion between the outer edge and the inner edge than at a first end and second end.

Disclosed herein are powder mixing apparatuses and methods that utilize the deagglomerizing and mixing effects of an air flow that impacts a flowing powder. The resulting powder can have smaller particle sizes and/or exhibit a more homogenous mixture than the premixed powder.