Organic waste is polished to remove floatable contaminants prior to being biologically treated. In one application, pressed organic waste is polished before being sent to a wet anaerobic digester, optionally to be co-digested with wastewater treatment plant sludge. The organic waste is polished by flinging globs of the organic waste against a screen (3,4) while flowing air across the flinging globs. The polishing can be performed in a device having a rotor (6) with discrete paddles (9,10) inside of a cylindrical screen (2,3,4).

Organic waste is polished to remove floatable contaminants prior to being biologically treated. In one application, pressed organic waste is polished before being sent to a wet anaerobic digester, optionally to be co-digested with wastewater treatment plant sludge. The organic waste is polished by flinging globs of the organic waste against a screen (3,4) while flowing air across the flinging globs. The polishing can be performed in a device having a rotor (6) with discrete paddles (9,10) inside of a cylindrical screen (2,3,4).

A manual food ricer tool includes a lower body assembly, one or a plurality of lower handles or grips connected to the body assembly, a strainer with interchangeable and replaceable screen inserts and a handle connected to the sleeve insert that is pivotally disposable into the body assembly, a pressure applying pusher plate disposed on the upper handle assembly that is pivotably attached to the lower body assembly and displaceable into the sleeve insert, the upper handle assembly pivotably connected to the pusher plate and the body assembly. The upper and lower handles and grips feature ergonomic inserts for easier handling and operation, while the replaceable screen inserts provide convenience in selecting ricer patterns as well as faster switching between ricer patterns during use, and easier disassembly and cleaning of the ricer tool during and after usage. The manual food ricer tool offers reduced expense, easier convenience in use and cleaning, reduced discomfort and fatigue and reduced likelihood of repetitive motion injury with prolonged usage.

A manual food ricer tool includes a lower body assembly, one or a plurality of lower handles or grips connected to the body assembly, a strainer with interchangeable and replaceable screen inserts and a handle connected to the sleeve insert that is pivotally disposable into the body assembly, a pressure applying pusher plate disposed on the upper handle assembly that is pivotably attached to the lower body assembly and displaceable into the sleeve insert, the upper handle assembly pivotably connected to the pusher plate and the body assembly. The upper and lower handles and grips feature ergonomic inserts for easier handling and operation, while the replaceable screen inserts provide convenience in selecting ricer patterns as well as faster switching between ricer patterns during use, and easier disassembly and cleaning of the ricer tool during and after usage. The manual food ricer tool offers reduced expense, easier convenience in use and cleaning, reduced discomfort and fatigue and reduced likelihood of repetitive motion injury with prolonged usage.

Described is a rosin press system for extracting rosin (oil) from plant material. The rosin press system includes a male plate with a male protrusion and a female plate formed to matingly receive the male protrusion. The plates can be heated such that when plant material is pressed between the plates, rosin is pressed from the plant material and allowed to drain from a drain hole positioned at the middle of the female plate.

Juice extraction using multiple pairs of juice extractors and comminutors which reduce the food pieces into successively smaller pieces with juice extraction occurring after each comminuting step. Coarse food pieces are pressed with extracted juice directed to a juice holding tank. The pressed coarse chop food pieces fall into the hopper of a second comminutor which performs a medium chop on the now pressed but still coarse chopped food pieces. The medium chopped food pieces are then fed from the second comminutor into the juice extraction chamber of a second juice extractor whereupon the medium chopped food pieces are pressed with extracted juice directed to a juice holding tank. Any number of comminutor and juice extraction pairs may be used in serial fashion to optimize the percentage of juice extracted in a minimum amount of time.

Juice extraction using multiple pairs of juice extractors and comminutors which reduce the food pieces into successively smaller pieces with juice extraction occurring after each comminuting step. Coarse food pieces are pressed with extracted juice directed to a juice holding tank. The pressed coarse chop food pieces fall into the hopper of a second comminutor which performs a medium chop on the now pressed but still coarse chopped food pieces. The medium chopped food pieces are then fed from the second comminutor into the juice extraction chamber of a second juice extractor whereupon the medium chopped food pieces are pressed with extracted juice directed to a juice holding tank. Any number of comminutor and juice extraction pairs may be used in serial fashion to optimize the percentage of juice extracted in a minimum amount of time.

A handheld citrus juicer includes first and second arms with respective inner and outer ends. The inner ends of the arms are pivotally connected such that the outer ends are manually movable relative to each other on an arc centered on a pivot axis. The arms include respective gripping portions adapted to be gripped by an associated user with one hand to squeeze the arms toward each other. The first arm includes a rotatable element connected thereto and selectively manually rotatable by the associated user about a rotational axis. The second arm includes a bowl connected thereto, the bowl aligned with the rotatable element when the first and second arms are moved toward each other. The rotatable element and the bowl are adapted to engage and extract juice from an associated cut-half of citrus fruit located between the rotatable element and the bowl. The rotatable element can be a reamer or a cup.

A handheld citrus juicer includes first and second arms with respective inner and outer ends. The inner ends of the arms are pivotally connected such that the outer ends are manually movable relative to each other on an arc centered on a pivot axis. The arms include respective gripping portions adapted to be gripped by an associated user with one hand to squeeze the arms toward each other. The first arm includes a rotatable element connected thereto and selectively manually rotatable by the associated user about a rotational axis. The second arm includes a bowl connected thereto, the bowl aligned with the rotatable element when the first and second arms are moved toward each other. The rotatable element and the bowl are adapted to engage and extract juice from an associated cut-half of citrus fruit located between the rotatable element and the bowl. The rotatable element can be a reamer or a cup.

Waste, such as municipal solid waste (MSF) or a portion of MSW, is separated into a wet fraction and rejects in a press. The press produces a wet fraction and rejects. The wet fraction may be treated, for example by anaerobic digestion or compost to thereby divert waste from landfill. The waste is pre-treated by spraying water at high pressure against the waste while moving or mixing the waste. The pre-treatment increases the amount of cellulosic material, such as paper or cardboard, that passes into the wet fraction.