At NC State, we are back in the lab. This time we are working on what to do with the trash. Garbage in pits is a common occurrence across countries and a hurdle for all of us trying to empty pits, regardless of technology.
First approach: Removing the trash with the sludge.
We designed, fabricated and tested 2 mean-looking cutting heads, pictured below, that are attached to the end of the auger.
We were able to decimate certain items with the cutting heads but others still gave us problems. While none of these completely solved our trash problem, we gained valuable knowledge through the experiments. We are now turning our sights to emptying through a two-step process, with trash removal or grinding as a separate step before using the auger to empty the sludge.
Trash remnants after testing