Apparatus for manufacturing pulp fiber from lignocellulose-containing material is disclosed, including a preheater, a defibrator with a pressurized housing, a conveying screw to convey the preheated lignocellulose-containing material from the preheater to the defibrator, a horizontal separator, a blow pipe for transferring the defibrated lignocellulose-containing material and steam from the defibrator to the horizontal separator, in which the horizontal separator includes a pulp outlet, a steam outlet, and a screw conveyor which includes screw threads which have a screw thread angle which substantially corresponds to the angle at which the blow pipe enters the horizontal separator. The screw conveyor in the horizontal separator feeds the defibrated lignocellulose-containing material from the blow pipe to the pulp outlet in the form of a pulp plug which maintains the pressure within the separator, and a steam transfer line is provided transferring the separated steam from the steam outlet to the preheater. The flow resistance in the blow pipe and the steam transfer line is less than the flow resistance in the screw conveyor between the preheater and the defibrator so that the steam flows from the defibrator to the horizontal separator and to the preheater. Methods for manufacturing pulp fiber from lignocellulose-containing materials utilizing this apparatus are also disclosed.