Method for disinfecting and stabilizing organic wastes with mineral by-products

Disclosed is a method of disinfecting and stabilizing organic wastes wherein organic waste is intimately mixed with one or more mineral by-products to produce a mixture having a pH of less than about 9. The mixture is heated and dried to produce a stable, granular bio-mineral product that may be used for example, as a fertilizer, soil amendment or as a soil substitute. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the heat for heating and/or drying the mixture is provided by residual heat in at least one of the one or more mineral by-products. Also provided are stable, granular bio-mineral products formed by the methods of the present invention and fertilizers, soil amendments, and soil substitutes that include these stable, granular bio-mineral products. Further provided are systems for disinfecting and stabilizing organic waste, and systems for making a stable, granular bio-mineral product.

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We claim:

1. A method of disinfecting and stabilizing organic waste, comprising intimately mixing organic waste with one or more mineral by-products to form a mixture having a pH of less thanabout 9; and heating and drying the mixture to produce a stable, granular bio-mineral product, wherein at least a portion of the heat for heating and/or drying the mixture is provided by residual heat in the mineral by-product and, wherein the pH ismaintained at less than about 9 throughout the method.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mineral by-product is selected from the group consisting of coal combustion waste, cement kiln dust, steel slag, wood ash and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the coal combustion waste comprises hot fly ash.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising directly transferring residual heat from the mineral by-product to the organic waste.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein residual heat from the mineral by-product is directly transferred to the organic waste by mixing a hot mineral by-product with the organic waste.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising indirectly transferring residual heat from the mineral by-product to the organic waste.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein residual heat from the mineral by-product is indirectly transferred to the organic waste by contacting a hot mineral by-product with a heat exchange surface in contact with the organic waste.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the organic waste is partially de-watered.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more mineral by products are present in an amount of at least about 10% by wet weight of the organic waste.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the organic waste comprises waste selected from the group consisting of sewage sludge, animal manure, bio solid, pulp and paper waste, fermentation biomass, food waste, and combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more mineral by-products comprise a mineral by-product having a pH of less than about 9 or a mixture of mineral by-products having a combined pH of less than about 9.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more mineral by-products comprise two or more mineral by-products, at least one of which has residual heat.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein one or more mineral by-products is selected from the group consisting of coal combustion wastes, wood ash, calcitic and dolomitic limestone, cement kiln dust, mineral and rock fines, gypsum, steel slag, andcombinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the level of solids in the mixture is in the range from about 30% to about 50% by weight of the mixture.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the heating and drying takes place in a hot air dryer.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the heating and drying is by a direct or indirect dryer.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the stable, granular bio-mineral product is disinfected.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the stable, granular bio-mineral product has a solids level of at least about 60% after drying.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the stable, granular bio-mineral product has a pH less than about 9 after drying.

20. A method of making a stable, granular bio-mineral material, comprising intimately mixing organic waste with one or more mineral by-products to form a mixture; and heating and drying the mixture to produce a stable, granular bio-mineralproduct, wherein at least a portion of the heat for heating and/or drying the mixture is provided by residual heat in at least one of the one or more mineral by-products; and wherein the mixture has a pH of less than about 9 and, wherein the pH ismaintained at less than about 9 throughout the method.

21. A stable, granular bio-mineral product made by a method comprising intimately mixing organic waste with one or more mineral by-products to form a mixture having a pH of less than about 9; and heating and drying the mixture to produce astable, granular bio-mineral product, wherein at least a portion of the heat for heating and/or drying the mixture is provided by residual heat in at least one of the one or more mineral by-products and, wherein the pH is maintained at less than about 9throughout the method.

22. A fertilizer comprising a biologically stable, granular bio-mineral product made by a method comprising intimately mixing organic waste with one or more mineral by-products to form a mixture having a pH of less than about 9; and heating anddrying the mixture to produce a stable, granular bio-mineral product, wherein at least a portion of the heat for heating and/or drying the mixture is provided by residual heat in at least one of the one or more mineral by-products and, wherein the pH ismaintained at less than about 9 throughout the method.

23. A soil amendment comprising a biologically stable, granular bio-mineral product made by a method comprising intimately mixing organic waste with one or more mineral by-products to form a mixture having a pH of less than about 9; and heatingand drying the mixture to produce a stable, granular bio-mineral product, wherein at least a portion of the heat for heating and/or drying the mixture is provided by residual heat in at least one of the one or more mineral by-products and, wherein the pHis maintained at less than about 9 throughout the method.

24. A soil substitute comprising a biologically stable, granular bio-mineral product made by a method comprising intimately mixing organic waste with one or more mineral by-products to form a mixture having a pH of less than about 9; andheating and drying the mixture to produce a stable, granular bio-mineral product, wherein at least a portion of the heat for heating and/or drying the mixture is provided by residual heat in at least one of the one or more mineral by-products and,wherein the pH is maintained at less than about 9 throughout the method.