Patent ID: 8216506

Claim:
A method for processing a plant, comprising the steps of: (a) liquid-fluidizing a piece of a plant containing moisture by applying a pressure and a heat to the piece of the plant in a hermetically-closed state in a forming mold while retaining the moisture contained in the piece of the plant by substantially disabling ventilation of water vapor between an atmosphere inside the forming mold and an atmosphere outside the forming mold, the piece of the plant not having been reduced to a powder; (b) pressure-molding the piece of the plant having the liquid fluidity into a molded article having a predetermined shape while in the hermetically-closed state; (c) removing, by ending the hermetically-closed state, moisture contained in the molded article made from the piece of the plant; and (d) restoring an ambient pressure and an ambient temperature after the step (c) is carried out, thereby yielding the molded article, wherein the moisture content of the piece of the plant is not less than 10% by weight, and a pressure of 100 MPa or greater is applied to the piece of the plant while heating the piece of the plant to a temperature not less than 130° C. but not more than 200° C.