This specification describes a system and process for treating waste, for example municipal solid waste (MSW) or post-recycling municipal solid waste. The system includes a press and a pulper. The press is adapted to provide a wet fraction of the waste suitable for anaerobic digestion and rejects. The pulper is adapted to receive the rejects and produce pulp. The pulper may be, for example, a drum pulper. In the process, waste is separated into a press into an organic fraction and rejects. The organic fraction is treated by way of anaerobic digestion. The rejects are separated, optionally in a drum pulper, to produce a fraction containing pulp. The pulp can be re-used to make paper or other products. In some case, 70% or more or 80% or more of MSW can be diverted from landfill.

A separation device having a housing (10) with a feed conduit (1) and a reject conduit (2), between which conduits (1, 2) and an accept conduit (3) of the housing (10) is a rotor unit (13) having a shaft (4) transverse to the through-flow direction of the separation device, which shaft rotates discs (5) attached to the shaft (4), the outer surface and/or side surfaces of which discs are jagged, i.e. they have protrusions (6) and/or notches and/or these surfaces are substantially rough and the teeth (9) of at least two sieves (7, 8) attached to the housing (10), extend between the discs (5), the first sieve (7) being between the reject conduit (2) and the accept conduit (3) and the second sieve (8) being between the feed conduit (1) and the accept conduit (3).

A method for separating fibers using a container, a vacuum pump which is connected to the container volume via a vacuum valve, and a ventilation line with a cross-sectional opening and a valve. The valve can be switched between a closed and open state in a time domain of 19-41 ms and from the open state into the closed state in a time domain of 20 to 45 ms. The method has the steps of filling the container with water and fiber composite, closing the container, mixing the water and the fiber composite using mechanical energy, by stirring, generating kinetic energy in the fiber composite by lowering the container internal pressure to a value between 700 to 950 hPa, and equalizing the pressure in the container to generate cavitation in the fiber composite. The pressure equalization taking place within at least onetime domain of 0.001-1 s.

A method for treating process material using a plurality of autoclaves, wherein each of the plurality of autoclaves cycles through the following: introducing steam from one or more of the plurality of autoclaves into an interior of a vessel; increasing the temperature within the vessel by adding heat to the interior of the vessel using an indirect heat source; reducing the temperature and pressure within the vessel by flashing a portion of the steam within the interior of the vessel to another one of the plurality autoclaves; increasing the temperature within the vessel by continuing to add heat to the interior of the vessel using the indirect heat source; and reducing a moisture content of the process material in the interior of vessel to a predetermined value by venting a remaining portion of the steam to another one of the plurality of autoclaves.

A method for treating process material using a plurality of autoclaves, wherein each of the plurality of autoclaves cycles through the following steps: introducing a steam from one or more of the plurality of autoclaves to the interior of the vessel; increasing the temperature within the vessel by adding heat to the interior of the vessel using an indirect heat source; reducing the temperature and pressure within the vessel by venting a portion of the steam within the interior of the vessel to another one of the plurality vessels; increasing the temperature within the vessel by continuing to add heat to the interior of the vessel using the indirect heat source; reducing a moisture content of the process material in the interior of vessel to a predetermined value by conveying the steam to another one of the plurality of vessels.

A method of recovering structural members from a used absorbent article comprising a front sheet, a back sheet and an absorbent body between the front sheet and the back sheet, wherein at least one of the front sheet and the back sheet includes a film, and wherein the absorbent body includes an absorbent body material, may include swelling the used absorbent article with water, applying a physical shock to and disintegrating the swelled used absorbent article into at least the film and the absorbent body material, and separating the film and the absorbent body material.

A method is provided which, by a simple process, separates and recovers pulp fibers from a used absorbent article that contains pulp fibers and a superabsorbent polymer. A used absorbent article is treated with an aqueous solution that contains greater than or equal to 0.05 mass % of at least one kind of terpene selected from the group comprising terpene hydrocarbons, terpene aldehydes, and terpene ketones and that contains a deactivating agent that can deactivate the superabsorbent polymer; the superabsorbent polymer is deactivated, the adhesive that bonds together the constituent materials of the absorbent article is dissolved with the terpene to decompose the absorbent article, the pulp fibers are discharged to outside of the absorbent article, and the pulp fibers are separated from the absorbent article and recovered.

Disclosed herein is a process, comprising combining one or more additives with a feedstock to obtain a first mixture, the feedstock comprising a fibrous material and water, the fibrous material comprising lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose; and conditioning the first mixture to obtain a liquid product and a dry pulp product. Also disclosed herein are condition processes and machines for use with the same. Also disclosed herein are liquid products, dry pulp products, and fibrous pellets made by the disclosed processes, and methods of using the same.

A method for treating process material using a plurality of autoclaves. The method includes: introducing steam into a hollow interior of a first autoclave; increasing the temperature within the hollow interior of the first autoclave by adding heat to the hollow interior of the first autoclave using an indirect heat source; reducing the temperature and pressure within the hollow interior of the first autoclave by flashing a portion of the steam within the hollow interior of the first autoclave to a second autoclave; increasing the temperature within the hollow interior of the first autoclave by continuing to add heat to the hollow interior of first autoclave using the indirect heat source; and reducing a moisture content of a process material in the hollow interior of the first autoclave to a predetermined value by venting a remaining portion of the steam from the first autoclave into a third autoclave.

A sanitary tissue product may comprise a first layer comprising eucalyptus fibers and a second layer comprising eucalyptus fibers and softwood fibers. The eucalyptus fibers in the second layer may have at least 24% more vessel elements than the eucalyptus fibers in the first layer.