Floating shaftless helix screw press

An apparatus for the compaction and reduction of liquid content in a material in which the apparatus includes a floating, shaftless helix with a hollow center (3, 53) rotatable at one end about its axis by drive means at said one end of the helix, said helix being disposed in a casing (2, 52) which, at least along a part of its extent in the longitudinal direction, wholly encloses the helix, said casing including an infeed portion and a discharge portion with a discharge opening, the casing surrounding, in the region of the discharge portion, the helix with slight play, and also embracing a region most proximal the discharge opening of the casing where no helix is present, for the formation of a compaction zone in which movement of the material is resisted, said apparatus further comprising in the discharge portion of the casing, an unsupported elongate body (100) fixed to the helix and extending aubstantially in the axial direction thereof to arrest the movement of said material, said shaftless helix comprising a continuous blade wound spirally at a determined pitch, said blade extending substantially radially in said casing and having a radial extent to form said hollow center with an open central axial passage longitudinally along the length of said helix for passage of said material therethrough, wherein the perimeter of said hollow center is defined by said continuous spiral blade at the inner edge thereof, said elongate body extending in continuation of said axial passage axially thereof.