Production of clean glass particles from post-consumer waste

A method for producing a stream of clean, sterilized, and sized glass particles from post consumer and like waste streams, comprising the steps of

• pulverizing the glass into relatively small fragments, while not breaking other materials in the waste stream;
• employing a magnet to removing ferrous metals from the waste stream;
• employing a trommel separator to separate the glass fragments by size from other less-frangible materials in the waste stream;
• blowing a stream of air across at least one of the glass streams exiting the trommel separator for removing paper and other light materials there from;
• exposing the glass particles to ozone to kill bacteria;
• employing a fluidized bed dryer, to dry residual moisture from the particles with a stream of hot air at a temperature sufficiently low as to avoid burning or oxidation of non-glass particles;
• employing a first screening system to perform size-based separation of the glass particles;
• agitating the particles in a gyratory screening device to cause fine fibers of paper and plastic mixed with the glass particles to agglomerate;
• and
• providing a vibratory conveyor comprising a pan to receive a layer of glass particles from the gyratory screening device, and driving the pan in a vibratory manner causing agglomerated fine paper and plastic fibers to rise to the surface of the layer of glass in the pan, and passing the glass particles over a screen section having a screen of mesh sized such that the glass particles fall through the screen, while the agglomerated paper and plastic fibers remain on the screen for subsequent removal.