Systems and methods for separating heavier from lighter materials in mixed auto shredder residue (ASR) from end-of-life vehicles. Vehicles are shredded and the resulting mixed ASR is fed into a system that efficiently segregates heavier (typically metal) from lighter (typically plastic) pieces. The system has an inlet feed chute angled downward to a lower end over a separator tank filled with water. One or more nozzles configured to introduce water at a velocity into the separator tank create a flow of water across the tank to push smaller and lighter particles over an exit weir. Heavier particles sink toward a heavy matter removal conveyor having a lower end positioned within the separator tank so that the heavier particles are transported upward out of the separator tank. The heavy matter removal conveyor may be one or more Archimedes screws, a flat, ribbed or cleated conveyor, or a drag chain.

A treatment device for treating a mixture of at least a liquid, organic solids and inorganic, mineral solids, includes a container for receiving the mixture. The container tapers in a funnel shape in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the container. An inlet tangentially supplies the mixture to the container. An outlet discharges the liquid essentially containing the organic solids from the container. A discharge apparatus serves for discharging the inorganic, mineral solids. The treatment device also includes a sleeve adapted to guide the mixture between an outer wall of the sleeve and an inner wall of the container and to guide the liquid containing the organic solids within an inner wall of the sleeve for discharge from the outlet.

A hydraulic density separation device for separating a heavy material fraction with components of higher density from a light material fraction with components of lower density from a feed material includes a conveying device for conveying away the heavy material fraction, receiving chamber which can be filled with water for receiving the feed, a flow generator for generating a water flow in the receiving chamber and a water-fillable separation chamber for receiving the light material fraction. The conveying device has a shaft with a screw conveyor section for conveying the heavy material fraction out of the receiving chamber. The flow generator is designed and arranged such that a flow path of the water flow leads from the receiving chamber into the separation chamber. The conveying device has, in addition to the screw conveyor section, at least one washing section having a plurality of separate paddles arranged on the shaft.

This application discloses a separator for separating and recovering materials from a waste stream. The separator has a cyclone having a top section and a bottom section, an impeller within the cyclone, a media inlet for accepting a flow of media or a pulsating flow of the media operatively connected to the impeller in which media or fluid flows through the impeller into the separator; a first discharge passage for a collecting a light fraction, and a second discharge passage for collecting a heavy fraction.

This application discloses a separator for separating and recovering materials from a waste stream. The separator has a cyclone having a top section and a bottom section, an impeller within the cyclone, a media inlet for accepting a flow of media or a pulsating flow of the media operatively connected to the impeller in which media or fluid flows through the impeller into the separator; a first discharge passage for a collecting a light fraction, and a second discharge passage for collecting a heavy fraction.