Abstract: A method is provided for obtaining concentrated solutions of mucilaginous material by heating plants in an aqueous alkaline medium to form a mixture of solid and liquid, then rapidly expressing the liquid from a thin layer of plant in the apparatus. Apparatus for successively expressing liquid from batches of liquid-solid mixture, said apparatus including a porous septum at the open face of a chamber, the chamber being intermittently sealed to the septum, and having a piston to press the mixture against the septum to express liquid through the septum, the solid residue from each batch being conveyed beyond the unsealed chamber as the next batch is being conveyed into it.

Abstract: A mixture of sea plants, some of which have compacted sticky characteristics and others of which exhibit hard incompactible fronded characteristics is separated into its components by pressing against a perforated surface to extrude the compacted sticky material through the perforations.