Processing a waste stream by separating and recovering wire and other metal from processed recycled materials
AssigneeTav Holdings, Inc.
InventorThomas A. Valerio
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Processing waste materials to recover valuable metals, such as copper, from the materials. Waste materials are further refined to concentrate the metallic material after the waste materials are initially processed. Processes include employing air separation and screening. Processes also include employing a dynamic sensor and a vacuum pressure separator to separate metals from other materials. A central processing facility may process metal concentrate from multiple concentration facilities.
Claims10
A system for processing a waste stream comprising:
- (a) a plurality of metal concentration facilities, wherein each concentration facility is located in a geographic location different from each of the other metal concentration facilities in the plurality of metal concentration facilities, wherein each metal concentration facility comprises:
- i. a metal waste stream separator using air to separate the waste stream into a light fraction and a heavy fraction, wherein the heavy fraction comprises a concentration of non-ferrous metal as compared to the concentration of non-ferrous metal in the metal waste stream;
- ii. a vacuum pressure separator that further concentrates the non-ferrous metal fraction in the heavy fraction;
- and
- (c) a single metal concentrate processing facility operable to process non-ferrous metal concentrate from the plurality of metal concentration facilities to further concentrate the non-ferrous metal concentrate.
A system for processing a waste stream comprising:
- a metal waste stream separator comprising a close-looped air separator using air to separate the waste stream into a light fraction and a heavy fraction, wherein the heavy fraction comprises an increased concentration of non-ferrous metal as compared to the concentration of non-ferrous metal in the metal waste stream;
- a vacuum pressure separator that further concentrates the non-ferrous metal fraction in the heavy fraction to create a non-ferrous metal concentrate;
- and
- a dynamic sensor to further concentrate the non-ferrous metal concentrate.
A system for processing a waste stream comprising:
- (a) a plurality of metal concentration facilities, wherein each concentration facility is located in a geographic location different from each of the other metal concentration facilities in the plurality of metal concentration facilities, wherein each metal concentration facility comprises:
- i. a metal waste stream separator using air to separate the waste stream into a light fraction and a heavy fraction, wherein the heavy fraction comprises a concentration of non-ferrous metal as compared to the concentration of non-ferrous metal in the metal waste stream;
- ii. a vacuum pressure separator that further concentrates the non-ferrous metal fraction in the heavy fraction
- iii. a first destoner to generate a second heavy fraction and a light fraction;
- iv. a crusher for crushing the second heavy fraction in a crusher;
- and
- v. a screen for screening the crushed second heavy fraction to separate the components of the crushed second heavy fraction into a first size and a second size, wherein the first size is larger than the second size;
- b) a single metal concentrate processing facility operable to process non-ferrous metal concentrate from the plurality of metal concentration facilities to further concentrate the non-ferrous metal concentrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.