A method for treating wastewater or sludge comprises the steps of adding the wastewater or sludge to a reactor and mixing the wastewater or sludge with a stream to thereby decrease a ratio of alkalinity to ammonium in the reactor, the reactor containing ammonium oxidising bacteria that oxidise ammonium to produce nitrite and decrease pH.

A method of processing biological solids includes blending a sludge with calcium oxide and delivering the blended sludge and calcium oxide to a pressurized container; injecting, into the blended sludge and calcium oxide in the pressurized container, an additive capable of exothermic reactions with the calcium oxide; regulating pH in the pressurized container to produce class A biological solids from the sludge; and pumping the blended sludge, calcium oxide, and additive from the pressurized container to a reactor. A system used for this process include sources of calcium oxide and biological solids, an additive injector, and a pressurized reactor.

Described is a process of extracting metals from a wet mass which comprises: a step A of concentrating the metals in a carbonaceous solid by means of a thermochemical treatment of the wet mass, with the ancillary production of a treatment gas; a step B of thermochemical decomposition of the carbonaceous solid in an atmosphere constituted by an operating gas which contains oxygen in substoichiometric quantity to carry out the thermochemical decomposition in order to promote a combination of the metals with substances present in the carbonaceous solid to form salts and others solid compounds and to concentrate the latter in residual ashes of the carbonaceous solid at the same time providing for the formation of a combustible synthesis gas comprising hydrocarbons from the carbonaceous solid; a step C of extraction of the metals from the ashes produced.

An apparatus, method and system is provided for treating sewage sludge by dewatering the sewage sludge, heating the sewage sludge being treated to destroy pathogens, and then reducing volatile solids in the sewage sludge being treated through biochemical decomposition to produce a treated biosolids product that meets government regulations for pathogen reduction and vector attraction reduction.

A method for selectively removing micro-contaminants from sludge, the method includes a) providing sludge contaminated with micro-contaminants, and b) subjecting the sludge to a primary treatment step, thereby producing a first stream of primary sludge comprising a first part of micro-contaminants and a second stream of remaining sludge comprising a second part of micro-contaminants, c) subjecting the second stream of remaining sludge to a secondary treatment step, thereby producing biological sludge, wherein the first stream of primary sludge and the biological sludge are further subjected to separate treatment steps whose effects are coupled, so as to divert, capture and destroy the first part of micro-contaminants in the primary treatment step.

A method for selectively removing micro-contaminants from sludge, the method includes a) providing sludge contaminated with micro-contaminants, and b) subjecting the sludge to a primary treatment step, thereby producing a first stream of primary sludge comprising a first part of micro-contaminants and a second stream of remaining sludge comprising a second part of micro-contaminants, c) subjecting the second stream of remaining sludge to a secondary treatment step, thereby producing biological sludge, wherein the first stream of primary sludge and the biological sludge are further subjected to separate treatment steps whose effects are coupled, so as to divert, capture and destroy the first part of micro-contaminants in the primary treatment step.

In an embodiment, a circuit includes: a transformer defining an inductive footprint within a first layer; a grounded shield bounded by the inductive footprint within a second layer separate from the first layer; and a circuit component bounded by the inductive footprint within a third layer separate from the second layer, wherein: the circuit component is coupled with the transformer through the second layer, and the third layer is separated from the first layer by the second layer.

In an embodiment, a circuit includes: a transformer defining an inductive footprint within a first layer; a grounded shield bounded by the inductive footprint within a second layer separate from the first layer; and a circuit component bounded by the inductive footprint within a third layer separate from the second layer, wherein: the circuit component is coupled with the transformer through the second layer, and the third layer is separated from the first layer by the second layer.

A waste treatment system includes: at least one reformer for hydrolyzing waste; and a microbial reactor for microbially degrading a reformed material containing at least a solid among the waste hydrolyzed in the at least one reformer.

A device for sterilizing fluid waste to render said waste noninfectious, said device comprising a U-shaped conduit means, a pump, and a heating means, wherein the conduit means is oriented vertically so that fluid moving through it is subjected to higher pressures at the bottom of the loop, heat is applied to fluid at the bottom of the loop by the heating means, and the pump moves the fluid through the conduit means at a flow rate that ensures sufficient heat is applied to the fluid for a sufficient period of time.