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US 6,199,778 B1Granted
Systems and processes for recycling glass fiber waste material into glass fiber product
AssigneePPG Industries Ohio, Inc.
InventorCurtis L. Hanvey, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and processes of the present invention for recycling glass fiber waste into glass fiber product include a supply of scrap glass fibers having a mean average length of less than about 5 millimeters; a crusher having at least one pair of rotatable rollers which rotate at essentially the same speed, the rollers having intermeshing protuberances for crushing scrap glass fibers passing therebetween; and an air separating device for separating a first portion of crushed glass fibers having a mean average length of less than about 3 millimeters from a second portion of oversize glass fibers.
Claims26
A system for producing glass fiber product from scrap glass fibers, the system comprising:
- (a) a scrap glass fiber supply comprising scrap glass fibers having a mean average length of less than about 0.025 meters;
- (b) a crusher positioned to receive scrap glass fibers from the scrap glass fiber supply, the crusher comprising at least one pair of rotatable, intermeshing rollers and a drive device for rotating at least one of the rollers such that each pair of rollers rotate at essentially the same speed, each roller having an outer surface comprising a plurality of protuberances which are essentially free of serrations, at least a portion of one protuberance of a first roller of the pair of rollers contacting a corresponding portion of at least one protuberance of a second roller of the pair of rollers for crushing scrap glass fibers passing therebetween to form crushed glass fibers;
- and
- (c) an air separating device positioned to receive crushed glass fibers from the crusher and separate a first portion of crushed glass fibers having a mean average length of less than about 5 millimeters and a second portion of oversize glass fibers.
1 more element
A waste material processing system comprising:
- (a) a waste material supply comprising waste material produced by a glass fiberizing process and comprising scrap glass fibers;
- (b) a shredder positioned to receive waste material from the waste material supply, the shredder for shredding the waste material to form shredded waste material;
- (c) a moisture reducing device positioned to receive shredded waste material from the shredder, the moisture reducing device for reducing the mean average moisture content of the shredded waste material to form moisture-reduced waste material;
- (d) a primary crusher comprising:
- (1) a body comprising a cavity having a first end positioned to receive the moisture-reduced waste material from the moisture reducing device, a second end distal to the first end, and a length therebetween;
- (2) a rotatable screw auger positioned within the cavity of the body for crushing and conveying the moisture-reduced waste material from the first end of the cavity in a first direction toward the second end of the cavity, the auger having a first end proximate the first end of the cavity, a second end proximate the second end of the cavity, and a length therebetween;
- and
- (3) a pressurizing device for exerting a pressure ranging from about 1.38×104 to about 5.51×106 pascals upon at least a portion of the moisture-reduced waste material positioned about the second end of the auger in a direction generally opposite to the first direction in which the auger conveys the moisture-reduced waste material such that the portion of the scrap glass fibers in the moisture-reduced waste material are crushed to form crushed glass fibers having a mean average length of less than about 0.025 meters;
- (e) a dryer positioned to receive the moisture-reduced waste material from the primary crusher, the dryer for drying the moisture-reduced waste material to form dried waste material having a mean average moisture content of less than about 1 weight percent;
- (f) a separating device positioned to receive the dried waste material from the dryer, the separating device for separating the dried waste material into a first portion of dried waste material having a mean average length of less than about 5 millimeters from oversized dried waste material;
- (g) a secondary crusher positioned to receive the first portion of dried waste material from the separating device, the secondary crusher comprising at least one pair of rotatable, intermeshing rollers and a drive device for rotating at least one of the rollers such that each pair of rollers rotate at essentially the same speed, each roller having an outer surface comprising a plurality of protuberances which are essentially free of serrations, at least a portion of one protuberance of a first roller of the pair of rollers contacting a corresponding portion of at least one protuberance of a second roller of the pair of rollers for crushing scrap glass fibers passing therebetween to form dried crushed glass fibers;
- and
- (h) an air separating device positioned to receive the dried crushed glass fibers from the secondary crusher and separate a first portion of dried crushed glass fibers having a mean average length of less than about 3 millimeters and a second portion of oversize dried glass fibers.
10 more elements
A process for recycling waste material produced by a glass fiberizing process, the process comprising the steps of:
- (a) crushing scrap glass fibers having a mean average length of less than about 0.025 meters in a crusher comprising at least one pair of rotatable, intermeshing rollers and a drive device for rotating at least one of the rollers such that each pair of rollers rotate at essentially the same speed, each roller having an outer surface comprising a plurality of protuberances which are essentially free of serrations, at least a portion of one protuberance of a first roller of the pair of rollers contacting a corresponding portion of at least one protuberance of a second roller of the pair of rollers for crushing scrap glass fibers passing therebetween to form crushed glass fibers;
- and
- (b) separating the crushed glass fibers received from the crusher in an air separating device into a first portion of crushed glass fibers having a mean average length of less than about 5 millimeters and a second portion of oversize glass fibers.
A process for recycling waste material produced by a glass fiberizing process, the waste material comprising scrap glass fibers, the process comprising the steps of:
- (a) shredding glass fiber waste material;
- (b) drying the glass fiber waste material to form moisture-reduced waste material;
- (c) crushing the moisture-reduced waste material in a crusher comprising:
- (1) a body comprising a cavity having a first end positioned to receive the moisture-reduced waste material from the moisture reducing device, a second end distal to the first end, and a length therebetween;
- (2) a rotatable screw auger positioned within the cavity of the body for crushing and conveying the moisture-reduced waste material from the first end of the cavity in a first direction toward the second end of the cavity, the auger having a first end proximate the first end of the cavity, a second end proximate the second end of the cavity, and a length therebetween;
- and
- (3) a pressurizing device exerting a pressure ranging from about 1.38×104 to about 5.51×106 pascals upon at least a portion of the moisture-reduced waste material positioned about the second end of the auger in a direction generally opposite to the first direction in which the auger conveys the moisture-reduced waste material such that the portion of the scrap glass fibers in the moisture-reduced waste material are crushed to form crushed glass fibers having a mean average length of less than about 0.025 meters;
- (d) drying the moisture-reduced waste material received from the crusher;
- (e) separating a first portion of dried waste material having a mean average length of less than about 5 millimeters from oversized dried waste material;
- (f) crushing the first portion of dried waste material in a second crusher comprising at least one pair of rotatable, intermeshing rollers and a drive device for rotating at least one of the rollers such that each pair of rollers rotate at essentially the same speed, each roller having an outer surface comprising a plurality of protuberances which are essentially free of serrations, at least a portion of one protuberance of a first roller of the pair of rollers contacting a corresponding portion of at least one protuberance of a second roller of the pair of rollers for crushing the first portion of dried waste material passing therebetween to form crushed dried waste material;
- and
- (g) separating the crushed glass fibers of the crushed dried waste material received from the second crusher in an air separating device into a first portion of crushed glass fibers having a mean average length of less than about 3 millimeters and a second portion of oversize glass fibers.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.