# US 10,507,470 B2 · Method of sorting trash for recycling of paper and apparatus for sorting trash for paper recycling > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,507,470 B2 - Document ID: US10507470B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/903,318 - Filed: 2018-02-23 - Published: 2018-08-30 - Granted: 2019-12-17 - Earliest claimed: 2017-02-28 - Assignees: Van Dyk Baler Corp. - Applicants: Van Dyk Baler Corp. - Inventors: Brian Schellati - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10507470B2 ## CPC - B02C 19/186: {Use of cold or heat for disintegrating (B02C4/44, B02C7/17, B02C11/08 take precedence)} - B03B 9/06: specially adapted for refuse - B65F 1/1426: {Housings, cabinets or enclosures for refuse receptacles (B65F1/006, B65F1/1452 take precedence)} - F23G 5/006: {General arrangement of incineration plant, e.g. flow sheets} - F23G 5/02: with pretreatment - F23G 5/46: Recuperation of heat - F23G 2201/10: Drying by heat - F23G 2201/40: Gasification - F23G 2201/602: different sizes - F23G 2201/603: recyclable material - Y02W 30/64: Paper recycling - B02C: CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN ({household tools and machines for pulverising foodstuffs, e.g. coffee and spice mills A47J42/00; pharmaceutical mortars A61J3/02; mechanical processing of refuse and garbage B03B9/06; dressing mould materials by grinding B22C5/04}; obtaining metallic powder by crushing, grinding or milling B22F9/04; {recovery of plastics by disintegrating B29B17/00; crushing raw materials in starch making C08B30/02; beaters for papermaking D21D1/02; crushing devices specially for transport in mines E21F13/002; slag crushing devices F23J1/00; fuel milling devices in combustion apparatus F23K1/00; household devices for crushing coal F24B15/02; ice disintegrating devices F25C5/02}) - B03B: SEPARATING SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS - B65F: GATHERING OR REMOVAL OF DOMESTIC OR LIKE REFUSE (disinfecting refuse A61L; refuse disintegrators B02C; sorting refuse B03B; B07B; handcarts for transporting refuse receptacles B62B; sack holders B65B67/00; converting refuse into fertilisers C05F; converting refuse into solid fuels C10L; sewers, cesspools E03F; arrangements in buildings for the disposal of refuse E04F17/10; refuse-consuming furnaces F23G; {for surgical articles A61B50/36}) - F23G: CREMATION FURNACES; CONSUMING WASTE PRODUCTS BY COMBUSTION - Y02W: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT ## Abstract Methods and apparatuses can be configured to facilitate sorting of paper from garbage and/or single stream recycling and subsequently process that separated paper to remove the contaminants from the paper so that the paper is in an acceptable condition for recycling. In some embodiments, the apparatus and method may utilize at least one dryer device that is configured to heat the paper without combusting the paper to remove water from the paper. The dryer device can also be configured to mix the paper as it is dried while also removing particulate contaminants off of the paper to clean the thrown away paper sufficiently so that the paper is in a condition that is acceptable for recycling into a paper product (e.g. a cardboard box, paper plate, sheets of paper, etc.). ## Claims ### Claim 1 A garbage processing apparatus comprising: at least one sorter configured to sort paper from garbage fed to the sorter, the paper having a moisture content that is above a pre-selected threshold; at least one dryer having a chamber configured to receive the paper sorted from the garbage to heat the paper to reduce the moisture content of the paper to being at or below the pre-selected threshold; a sensor positioned to measure the moisture content of the paper in the chamber wherein the dryer is comprised of at least one arm that is moveable within the chamber of the dryer to agitate the paper as the paper is heated and the dryer is configured to clean the paper as the paper is heated therein; wherein the dryer is also comprised of a grate, the grate having holes in communication with the chamber sized and configured so that hot air is passable into the chamber via the holes for heating the paper and dirt that is removed from the paper as the paper is heated in the chamber is also passable through the holes for exiting the chamber of the dryer. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured as a garbage processing plant. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dryer has at least one moveable shaft connected to the at least one arm. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one moveable shaft is a rotatable shaft and the at least one arm is a plurality of arms positioned in the chamber to move to agitate the paper in the chamber via rotation of the rotatable shaft. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dryer is connected to at least one generator apparatus to receive exhaust gas from the generator apparatus to heat the paper. ### Claim 6 A method of sorting trash for recycling paper within the trash comprising: separating paper from garbage, wherein the separating of the paper from the garbage comprises: utilizing multiple screen separators to separate the garbage and paper mixed therein into different flows of garbage having different size ranges such that: a first screen separator separates the garbage and paper mixed therein into a first flow of garbage and paper mixed therein that has a first size range that is less than or equal to 14 inches and a second flow of garbage and paper mixed therein that has a second size range that is larger than 14 inches, a second screen separator separates the first flow of garbage and paper mixed therein having the first size range into a third flow of garbage and paper mixed therein having a third size range that is less than or equal to 5 inches and a fourth flow of garbage and paper mixed therein having a fourth size range that is greater than 5 inches and less than 14 inches; removing plastic materials from the garbage with paper mixed therein; removing metal materials from the garbage with the paper mixed therein; separating the third flow of garbage and paper mixed therein having the third size range that is less than or equal to 5 inches so that the garbage and paper mixed therein that is less than 2 inches in size is separated from the third flow of garbage; separating the paper from the garbage that is greater than 2 inches in size for feeding the separated paper that is greater than 2 inches in size to a dryer such that: the fourth flow of garbage and paper mixed therein is processed to separate paper from the garbage of the fourth flow for feeding the paper separated from the fourth flow to the dryer, and paper is separated from the third flow of garbage and paper mixed therein so that paper within the third flow that is greater than 2 inches in size is separated for feeding to the dryer to be dried and cleaned; and feeding the separated paper to the dryer so that the paper separated from the third flow and the paper separated from the fourth flow is fed to the dryer; and drying the paper so that a moisture content of the paper is below a pre-selected threshold such that the drying of the paper within a chamber of the dryer removes contaminants adhered to the paper to clean the paper during the drying so that contaminants removed from the paper as the paper is dried in the chamber pass out of the chamber of the dryer in which the paper is dried via holes of a grate that are in communication with the chamber. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, comprising: baling the paper after it is dried. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, comprising: passing exhaust from a generator apparatus into the chamber via the holes of the grate to heat the paper while the contaminants are passed out of the chamber via the holes of the grate. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the pre-selected threshold is 20%, 18%, 15%, 12% or a value between 20% and 12%. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the drying of the paper also removes contaminants absorbed in the paper. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, comprising: feeding exhaust gas from at least one plant process to the dryer for use in heating the paper for drying and cleaning the paper. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the drying is performed in a dryer having at least one rotatable shaft connected to a plurality of arms that move within the chamber of the dryer for agitating the paper within the chamber while the paper is heated for drying and cleaning the paper. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the grate defines a portion of the chamber and the method also comprises: processing the paper separated from the third flow and the paper separated from the fourth flow to a pre-selected size range for feeding to the dryer. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the drying of the paper is performed at a temperature that is no greater than 400° F. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the drying of the paper is performed at a temperature that between 250° F.−400° F. ### Claim 16 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the dryer has at least one rotatable shaft connected to a plurality of arms that move within the chamber of the dryer for agitating the paper within the chamber while the paper is heated for drying and cleaning the paper. ### Claim 17 A method of sorting trash for recycling paper within the trash comprising: separating paper from garbage; utilizing multiple screen separators to separate the garbage and paper mixed therein into different flows of garbage having different size ranges such that: a first screen separator separates the garbage and paper mixed therein into a first flow of garbage and paper mixed therein that has a first size range that is less than or equal to 14 inches and a second flow of garbage and paper mixed therein that has a second size range that is larger than 14 inches, a second screen separator separates the first flow of garbage and paper mixed therein having the first size range into a third flow of garbage and paper mixed therein having a third size range that is less than or equal to 5 inches and a fourth flow of garbage and paper mixed therein having a fourth size range that is greater than 5 inches and less than 14 inches; separating the third flow of garbage and paper mixed therein having the third size range that is less than or equal to 5 inches so that the garbage and paper mixed therein that is less than 2 inches in size is separated from the third flow of garbage for waste disposal; separating the paper from the garbage that is greater than 2 inches in size for feeding the separated paper that is greater than 2 inches in size to a dryer such that: the fourth flow of garbage and paper mixed therein is processed to separate paper from the garbage of the fourth flow for feeding the paper separated from the fourth flow to the dryer, and paper is separated from the third flow of garbage and paper mixed therein so that paper within the third flow that is greater than 2 inches in size is separated for feeding to the dryer to be dried and cleaned; and feeding the separated paper to the dryer so that the paper separated from the third flow and the paper separated from the fourth flow is fed to the dryer; and drying the paper in the dryer so that a moisture content of the paper is below a pre-selected threshold such that the drying of the paper within a chamber of the dryer removes contaminants adhered to the paper to clean the paper during the drying so that contaminants removed from the paper as the paper is dried in the chamber pass out of the chamber of the dryer in which the paper is dried via holes of a grate that are in communication with the chamber, wherein the dryer has at least one rotatable shaft connected to a plurality of arms that move within the chamber of the dryer for agitating the paper within the chamber while the paper is heated for drying and cleaning the paper. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the drying of the paper is performed at a temperature that is between 250° F.-400° F.