Abstract: A jetted bag opener separates mixed solid waste from flexible containers such as plastic and paper bags, and includes a housing configured with an ingress and an egress, at least two sets of a plurality of fluid delivery nozzles, where a first set of the nozzles is arranged along a sidewall at a first side of the housing, and a second set of the nozzles is arranged along the sidewall at a second side of the housing opposite the first side, and as fluid is sprayed from the nozzle outlets, the fluid is delivered at a force sufficient to penetrate into the flexible containers passing through the housing to thereby create an opening in the flexible containers for release of the mixed solid waste held therein.

Abstract: Some variations provide a system for extracting a product from biomass, comprising: a process chamber having an internal volume; one or more mechanical elements configured to controllably and reversibly mechanically seal the process chamber and reduce the internal volume to mechanically compress the biomass; a fluid port in flow communication with the process chamber; and a collection sub-system in flow communication with the fluid port. Other variations provide a method of extracting a product from biomass, the method comprising: introducing biomass into a process chamber; mechanically sealing the process chamber; mechanically compressing the biomass to release a first fluid material; mechanically decompressing the biomass; introducing an extraction solvent into the process chamber; maintaining process-chamber pressure from about 1 bar to about 1000 bar, wherein the extraction solvent extracts a second fluid material; and recovering the second fluid material from the process chamber.

Abstract: Some variations provide a system for extracting a product from biomass, comprising: a process chamber having an internal volume; one or more mechanical elements configured to controllably and reversibly mechanically seal the process chamber and reduce the internal volume to mechanically compress the biomass; a fluid port in flow communication with the process chamber; and a collection sub-system in flow communication with the fluid port. Other variations provide a method of extracting a product from biomass, the method comprising: introducing biomass into a process chamber; mechanically sealing the process chamber; mechanically compressing the biomass to release a first fluid material; mechanically decompressing the biomass; introducing an extraction solvent into the process chamber; maintaining process-chamber pressure from about 1 bar to about 1000 bar, wherein the extraction solvent extracts a second fluid material; and recovering the second fluid material from the process chamber.