Machine for washing plastic fragments to prepare them for recycling

Abstract

A process of, and apparatus for, washing fragments, such as plastic fragments, in a continuous fashion as part of a recycling operation. The plastic fragments are fed into an axially rotating perforated tube, wherein a stationary washing and rinsing spray header are mounted therethrough for spraying the plastic fragments revolving with the tube. Wash and rinse water pass through the perforations, carrying with the water residue and unwanted particles. The wash water, rinse water and unwanted particles pass into a trough arranged below the revolving tube which collects the water and residue and transports same to either a screen separator in the case of the wash water, or a holding tank in the case of the rinse water. Auxiliary systems are disclosed for using recycled wash water and recycled rinse water for the process. A drying system which receives the plastic fragments from the washing apparatus is also disclosed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.