Electrostatic sorting apparatus

An electrostatic sorting apparatus comprising:

• sorting means comprising a trough-like channel formed on a substantially horizontal conveyor member, said conveyor member being driven from a supplying position of a mixture to be sorted toward a sorting and recovering position, said mixture comprising conductive particles and insulating particles, said insulating particles having a larger specific weight than said conductive particles;
• a high voltage d-c electrode comprising a flat electrode confronting said conveyor member, said conveyor member forming an opposed electrode with said flat electrode and being at a different potential than said flat electrode, wherein said insulating particles of said mixture remain in said channel of said sorting means, and wherein said conductive particles of said mixture are charged with the same polarity as said conveyor member by electrostatic induction to reciprocate said conductive particles between said conveyor member and said flat electrode of said high voltage electrode by electrostatic force to thereby move said particles out of said channel;
• mixture supplying means for supplying said mixture to the said channel of said sorting means;
• and
• means for separately collecting said conductive particles and said insulating particles sorted from said mixture.

An electrostatic sorting apparatus comprising:

• sorting means comprising a conveyor plate rotatably driven in a predetermined direction around a vertical shaft, a trough-like channel being circumferentially formed on an upper channel portion of said sorting plate;
• high voltage d-c electrode means comprising in combination a corona discharge electrode and a flat electrode, said flat electrode plate confronting said conveyor plate in a circumferential area on an upper surface of said conveyor plate of said sorting means between a mixture supplying position and mixture recovering position, wherein insulating particles of said mixture are charged with the same polarity as said high voltage electrode means by means of an ion shower caused by said corona discharge electrode to attract said insulating particles into said channel of said sorting means, and wherein conductive particles of said mixture are charged with the same polarity as said sorting means by electrostatic induction to reciprocate said conductive particles between said conveyor plate and said flat electrode of said high voltage electrode by electrostatic force;
• mixture supply feeder means at said supplying position for supplying a mixture of insulating and conductive particles to said channel of said sorting means;
• and
• an insulating particle recovering hopper means at said recovering position for recovering particles from said channel and a conductive particle recovering hopper means at said recovery portion for recovering particles outside said channel of said sorting means.

An electrostatic sorting apparatus comprising:

• sorting means comprising a conveyor plate rotatably driven in a predetermined direction around a vertical shaft, an annular trough-like channel being formed on an upper central portion of said sorting plate;
• high voltage d-c electrode means comprising a flat electrode plate disposed opposite said channel between a mixture supplying position and a mixture recovering position, supply means for supplying a mixture of insulating and conductive particles with said insulating particles having a larger specific weight than said conductive particles, so that said conductive particles of said mixture are charged with the same polarity as said conveyor plate by electrostatic induction to reciprocate said conductive particles between said sorting plate and said flat electrode of said high voltage electrode by electrostatic force;
• and
• means for separately collecting conductive particles and insulating particles sorted from said mixture.