The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for fractionating and sorting mixed solid waste comprising cellulosic biowaste (e.g., food and yard waste), inorganics, mixed plastics (e.g., HDPE and PET), metals, fiber (e.g., paper and cardboard), glass and wood to form various product streams including a purified cellulosic stream, an HDPE stream and a PET stream, and a waste stream enriched in inorganic compounds.

The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for fractionating and sorting mixed solid waste comprising cellulosic biowaste (e.g., food and yard waste), inorganics, mixed plastics (e.g., HDPE and PET), metals, fiber (e.g., paper and cardboard), glass and wood to form various product streams including a purified cellulosic stream, an HDPE stream and a PET stream, and a waste stream enriched in inorganic compounds.

In an apparatus and process described, an organic fraction of solid waste is separated from light contaminants such as plastics and heavy contaminants such as grit. The organic fraction is subsequently processed by anaerobic digestion, which converts volatile solids to gas. In a first stage of the process, the waste is processed through a separator such as a vertical mill, which removes light fraction contamination, reduces organics particle size and dilutes the waste to thereby produce a slurry. In a second stage of the process, the slurry passes through a grit removal system, which removes heavy and settleable material, for example by way of a hydrocyclone. The light and heavy fraction contaminants are not carried through to the digestion process. The particle size of the organics is also reduced to facilitate digestion and the slurry has a dry solids concentration suitable for anaerobic digestion.

In an apparatus and process described, an organic fraction of solid waste is separated from light contaminants such as plastics and heavy contaminants such as grit. The organic fraction is subsequently processed by anaerobic digestion, which converts volatile solids to gas. In a first stage of the process, the waste is processed through a separator such as a vertical mill, which removes light fraction contamination, reduces organics particle size and dilutes the waste to thereby produce a slurry. In a second stage of the process, the slurry passes through a grit removal system, which removes heavy and settleable material, for example by way of a hydrocyclone. The light and heavy fraction contaminants are not carried through to the digestion process. The particle size of the organics is also reduced to facilitate digestion and the slurry has a dry solids concentration suitable for anaerobic digestion.

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.

The subject of the present invention is a method for processing electrical and electronic components in order to recover valuable materials, such as the metals contained in printed circuit boards. According to this method, the electrical and electronic components are pre-shredded mechanically and then mixed with a liquid before they undergo wet milling (5).

According to the invention, a method for treating electronic waste with a view to individually recovering metals included in such waste is provided. Said method is characterized in that it includes the series of the following steps: grinding the waste under conditions suitable for individually separating the different metal components of the waste; mixing the ground waste with a liquid such as to form a suspension; gravitationally separating the suspension such as to separate the particles having the highest densities and containing the majority of the metals from the particles having the lowest densities; and densimetrically separating the suspension containing the majority of the metals such as to obtain suspensions containing the individually separated metals.

According to the invention, a method for treating electronic waste with a view to individually recovering metals included in such waste is provided. Said method is characterized in that it includes the series of the following steps: grinding the waste under conditions suitable for individually separating the different metal components of the waste; mixing the ground waste with a liquid such as to form a suspension; gravitationally separating the suspension such as to separate the particles having the highest densities and containing the majority of the metals from the particles having the lowest densities; and densimetrically separating the suspension containing the majority of the metals such as to obtain suspensions containing the individually separated metals.

A cyclonic separation and materials processing method and system is presented in which materials entry at one end and which is arranged so that the materials that enter will be given a tangential velocity component as they enter. Specific embodiments include a three-dimensional sorting system with the use of an outward centrifugal motion and up/down (or vertical) motion flow of water or other media, which can be thought of as “a three-dimensional separation”.

A cyclonic separation and materials processing method and system is presented in which materials entry at one end and which is arranged so that the materials that enter will be given a tangential velocity component as they enter. Specific embodiments include a three-dimensional sorting system with the use of an outward centrifugal motion and up/down (or vertical) motion flow of water or other media, which can be thought of as “a three-dimensional separation”.