Abstract: An apparatus is presented for separating loose paper pieces from a bath of caustic soda, such as is ejected from a bottle washing machine including a housing having a reservoir in its upper portion, the reservoir having finely perforated bottom walls sloping toward the center where there is an elongated opening. An elongated helical screw conveyor is provided in the housing spaced below and parallel to the elongated opening with a perforated conveyor sleeve closely surrounding the conveyor on the bottom and sides leaving an open top which communicates with the paper coming down from the upper reservoir. Two cylindrical perforated drums are mounted in the housing on axes parallel to the screw conveyor and on opposite sides of the center of the housing. These drums may be rotated from time to time as set forth. A paper-chopping apparatus is provided at the end of the conveyor which discharges paper outside of the housing.

Abstract: This invention discloses apparatus for freeing water or other liquids of accumulated water-borne matter so that the liquid may be used again. It comprises a liquid holding tank through which an inclined conveyor belt of fine mesh woven wire runs upwardly in an inclined manner from a zone near the bottom of the tank at the waste water input end to a discharge zone at a higher point in the tank on the opposite side, and thereafter the conveyor belt runs horizontally for a short distance and then turns upon itself for a return run back to the lower portion of the tank where it started. The collected floating refuse is filtered out by passing through both runs of the conveyor belt and is washed off at the upper end of the belt into a collecting refuse collector.