An apparatus for combusting wet waste or the like comprising ignition means including an ignition chamber having an inlet passageway extending therefrom for introducing the waste, an ignition burner for heating the waste to form non-combustible solids and at least partially combustible flue gases, a first outlet for the flue gases in the wall of the inlet passageway, and a second outlet for the solids; combustion means for substantially combusting the flue gases including a combustion passageway wrapped around the inlet passageway from the ignition chamber first outlet to a combustion chamber, and a combustion burner in the combustion passageway adjacent to the first outlet for aspirating and heating the flue gases; heat recuperating means for transferring heat from the substantially combusted flue gases to preheat an oxygen- containing gas; and passageway means for transferring the pre-heated oxygen-containing gas from the recuperator to the ignition burner and the combustion burner. Also, a method of combusting wet waste comprising the steps of heating the wet waste in an ignition means to partially combust the waste and form non-combustible solids and at least partially combustible flue gases; drawing the flue gases from the ignition means into a combustion means; heating the flue gases in the combustion means to substantially combust the gases; transferring a portion of the heat from the combusted flue gases to an oxygen-containing gas; and injecting the heated oxygen- containing gas into the ignition means and the combustion means to provide the heating therein.
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