A treatment system for solid bulk materials such as limestone or mineral ore is provided having a belt conveyor configured for receiving the solid bulk material upon a transportation surface thereof and for displacing the material from a charging region to a discharging region according to a rectilinear path and a heating chamber, configured to receive a solar radiation conveyed by an external field of heliostats. A length portion of the transportation surface passes within or below the heating chamber so that thermal energy associated with the solar radiation is transferred to the bulk material by direct impingement or by reflection or re-irradiation by internal surfaces or walls of the heating chamber.

A material drying system provides for consistent and efficient drying of organic materials, such as cannabis. In certain embodiments, a partial vacuum drying system is used to dry the materials and includes a container, a heating system, a depressurization system, and a control system. Air in the container is heated to within a range of temperatures and a low vacuum is applied to assist with evaporation. In addition, the volume flow rate of air pulled out of the container is monitored and maintained at a predetermined rate, which pulls moisture away from the materials so as to prevent degradation of the materials during the drying process while also reducing drying time. A relatively high air volume flow rate is maintained at low pressure by adjusting the area of an opening in the chamber.

A continuous dryer heat exchanger device has a plurality of heat exchanger units. Waste air of an associated dryer section of the associated continuous dryer is guided through an individual heat exchanger unit and contaminants from the waste air are deposited in the heat exchanger unit. A cleaning device for cleaning the continuous flow heat exchanger device of the contaminants is thereby provided, which cleaning device has a plurality of cleaning units. An associated heat exchanger unit is to be cleaned by means of the individual cleaning unit. A switching device is provided, by means of which the cleaning units are to be switched in series one after the other.

A continuous dryer heat exchanger device has a plurality of heat exchanger units. Waste air of an associated dryer section of the associated continuous dryer is guided through an individual heat exchanger unit and contaminants from the waste air are deposited in the heat exchanger unit. A cleaning device for cleaning the continuous flow heat exchanger device of the contaminants is thereby provided, which cleaning device has a plurality of cleaning units. An associated heat exchanger unit is to be cleaned by means of the individual cleaning unit. A switching device is provided, by means of which the cleaning units are to be switched in series one after the other.

Various implementations include a biomass dehydration system including a wet biomass chamber containing wet biomass, a belt or chain defining one or more cavities, two or more pulleys including a drive pulley that the belt or chain extend around and that are configured such that the cavities are disposable within the wet biomass chamber as the belt or chain moves along the pulleys to cause wet biomass to enter the cavities, and a drying chamber for dehydrating wet biomass disposed in the cavities into solid pellets. The drive pulley engages the belt or chain and causes the belt or chain to move around the pulleys. At least a portion of the belt or chain extends from the wet biomass chamber through the drying chamber. One of the pulleys includes one or more ejection protrusions for engaging the cavities and ejecting solid pellets from the cavities.

Disclosed is a method for thermally drying pasty products, in particular wastewater sludge, and a belt dryer implementing such a method. The principle consists of partitioning the drying operations and using, for each of the successive operations, a different quality of air: (i) hot air for “searing” the sludge, (ii) low temperature air, then (iii) cold air for quenching the sludge before the extraction of same. Also proposed are loops of air supply circuits making it possible to optimize the energy consumption of the dryer by reusing energy produced within these circuits. Moreover, the loops make it possible to recover unavoidable low temperature energy or cheap energy, further optimising the consumption of the dryer.

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.

A vibration unit assembly for a belt conveyor has a vibration element, and vibration generator and a connection assembly. The vibration generator is operatively connected to the vibration element for inducing vibrations in the vibration element. The connection assembly connects the vibration element to the belt conveyor so that the vibration element may move relative to the belt conveyor. A contact surface of the vibration element engages a material to vibrate and compress the material as it is transported on the belt conveyor. The vibration element may include a plate or a roller. A method for treating a material involves applying a vibration force and applying a compressive force to compact the material. A method for drying a material involves applying a vibration force to the material to release fluid and applying a compressive force to compact the material.

Devices, systems, and methods for drying a bulk waste product, such as animal waste, having a moisture content of 95% or more water can include a trough configured to receive the bulk waste product and to dispense it in a form suitable for convective drying, one or more conveyors having an air-permeable conveyor belt, each conveyor receiving the waste product from the trough and transporting the waste product along a transport path; and one or more air moving devices (AMDs) that pass air through the air-permeable conveyor belt and across the waste product as it is transported along the transport path to transform the bulk waste product into a dried waste product having a moisture content of about 5% to about 20%, inclusive.

A drying apparatus can include a wet end portion, a dry end portion, and a drying chamber. The wet end portion can include a spray apparatus configured to apply a product puree to a belt, and the dry end portion can include a knife portion configured to remove a dry product from the belt. The drying chamber can extend between the wet end portion and the dry end portion and can include one or more table sections. Each table section can include a basin portion and one or more temperature control elements. The drying chamber can further include an air inlet and an air outlet such that air can flow through the drying chamber in a direction opposite a direction of the belt.