System and process for producing animal feed from food waste

Abstract

A process is provided for producing animal feed from food waste by providing a dry, pelletized, fibrous organic material. Specifically, the invention relates to methods of thickening/dewatering solids that contain substantial amounts of moisture, e.g., ground food waste.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A process for producing animal feed from food waste, comprising the steps of: 
 (a) shredding of the food waste, resulting in ground food waste;    (b) thickening of the ground food waste through the use of an amount, effective for the purpose, of an agglomerating polymer and a synthetic organic flocculant, resulting in a low moisture product and a separate liquid phase;    (c) adding a dry carrier to the low moisture product; and    (d) treating the liquid phase so as to provide a high purity effluent for recycling, wherein the ground food waste is shredded, thickened and dried at the same location.    
     
     
         2 . The process as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the agglomerating polymer is selected from the group consisting of an organic cationic polyamine and a polyDADMAC flocculent.  
     
     
         3 . The process as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the food waste is ground to less than 6 millimeters.  
     
     
         4 . The process as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said ground food waste provides sufficient contact area for subsequent processing.  
     
     
         5 . The process as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the synthetic organic flocculent is an anionic flocculent.  
     
     
         6 . The process as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the pH of the system is about 8-9.  
     
     
         7 . The process as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the anionic flocculent is a high molecular weight polyacrylamide GRAS series.  
     
     
         8 . The process as recited in  claim 1 , wherein a hydrated lime slurry is introduced with the ground food waste.  
     
     
         9 . The process as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the dry carrier is selected from the group consisting of millfeed, bakery products, corn, soy beans, malt sprouts, dried citrus pellets and cocoa hulls.