Abstract: An apparatus for processing waste material comprises a piston arrangement acting upon a mass of refuse in a receptacle formed by a cylindrical wall and a counter-piston constituting the bottom. The counter-piston can rise in such a way as to block sludge outlets in the cylindrical wall during the initial phase of compression of the waste by the piston arrangement. Thereafter, the counter-piston descends so as to free the sludge outlets when a certain pressure is attained. The compression-piston arrangement comprises two coaxial pistons designed to ensure constant, substantially uniform pressure in the mass of waste. Thus, virtually all liquid, semisolid, or viscous materials can be extracted from the waste to obtain sludge useful in agriculture. Also obtained are virtually dry and non-brittle blocks of refuse which has not been crushed but subjected to internal shearing and contraction, thus yielding a good agglomerate. These blocks may be used as fuel briquettes.

Abstract: A machine intended for comminuting objects which are bulky and/or resistant to destruction comprises two shafts bearing comminutor rings disposed alternatingly along each of the shafts. The rings are formed of separate elements, at least some of which are comminutor elements having comminutor noses. The elements each have an inverted-U profile and are secured to the shafts by fitting over shaft-collars integral with the shafts. Journal-and-screw assemblies passing through precision bores in the sidewalls of the elements and in the shaft-collars firmly fix the elements to the shaft-collars, and thus to the shafts. The comminuting machine is very sturdy and withstands very high axial mechanical stresses.

Abstract: An apparatus for comminuting bulky objects, especially vehicle tires and parts of automobile bodies, comprises two parallel shafts arranged for rotation in opposite directions and at different speeds, each shaft being driven by a separate hydraulic motor and provided with comminuting rings alternately axially staggered with respect to one another on each of the shafts. The rings are provided with means including sharp, pointed portions for seizing and comminuting the objects while conveying them through interstices defined between adjacent rings on the shafts and by smooth portions of the shafts themselves. The shafts comprise a number of alternately disposed grooved bearing surfaces and smooth surfaces constituting the smooth portions. The rings are formed of a number of ring-elements, each in the shape of a sector of an annulus and having a grooved, concave, cylindrical inner surface engaged with a portion of a grooved bearing surface.