Abstract: Waste material pulping process includes(a) providing tank structure having an inlet and an outlet, and forming sequential zones through which waste material passes, including first, second and third zones,(b) providing a shredding and mulching rotor carried by the tank to rotate in the second zone, said rotor being porous and hollow and having waste mulching ribs positioned to impact and shred waste material passed to the rotor as the rotor rotates so that the shredded waste material passes into the rotor hollow wherein it is mulched as the rotor rotates,(c) passing liquid into the tank to penetrate the waste received in the first zone and the shredded waste in the second zone and within the rotor hollow, and to carry the mulched waste into the third zone, in slurry form;(d) and processing said slurry downstream of said outlet to produce solid form, usable end product waste material.

Abstract: Pulping apparatus particularly for reducing waste fibrous material into a fiber slurry. A disintegrating and mulching drum is provided to shred and tear wet feed material into clumps of wet fibrous material and the clumps then converted into water-logged masses of wet fibers. A dispersing drum then converts the water-logged masses of fibers into a fiber slurry.