Recovery of valuable components from a waste stream
AssigneeMicro Fines Recycling Holdings
InventorsJerry Ryan Njavro, Samuel P. Jacobs
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for separating components of a waste stream. In one embodiment, the process includes providing shredded material in a form of particles each having a size of less than 2 inches. The particles of shredded material are separated based on size into a plurality of streams. Each of the plurality of streams is separated, based on density, into a first substream of greater density and a second sub stream of lesser density. Brittle components of each first substream are pulverized, leaving metallic components in sheet form. Metallic components are separated from the first substream after the pulverizing. The process can be utilized to recover metals from automobile shredder residue, such as copper, aluminum, and precious metals.
Claims17
A process for recovering metal components from a waste stream, the process comprising:
- providing shredded material in a form of particles, wherein at least 95% of the particles have a size of less than 1 inch;
- separating, based on size, the particles into a plurality of streams comprising a first stream with particles in a first size range, a second stream with particles in a second size range greater than the first size range, and a third stream with particles in a third size range greater than the second size range;
- separating, using a gravity separation table, each of the plurality of streams into a first substream of greater density and a second substream of lesser density;
- pulverizing, using a vibratory dowel mill, the first substream of greater density of both of the first and second streams, leaving metallic components in flattened sheet form;
- collecting, after the pulverizing, the metallic components in flattened sheet form from the first substream of the first and second streams, wherein the metallic components in flattened sheet form comprise at least 60 wt. % copper;
- and
- collecting additional metallic components from the first substream of the third stream, wherein the additional metallic components comprise aluminum, copper, and steel.
A process for separating metallic components from automobile shredder residue, the process comprising:
- providing automobile shredder residue in a form of particles, wherein at least 95% of the particles have a size of less than 25 mm;
- separating, based on size, the particles into a first stream of a first size range, a second stream of a second size range greater than the first size range, and a third stream of a third size range greater than the second size range;
- separating, based on mass, each of the plurality of streams into a first substream of particles of greater mass and a second substream of particles of lesser mass;
- processing, using a dowel mill, the first substream of the first and second streams, leaving metallic components in sheet form;
- collecting, after the pulverizing, the metallic components in flattened sheet form from the first substream of the first and second streams;
- collecting additional metallic components from the first substream of the third stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.