An apparatus for separating the main component constituting a raw material from impurities includes: a raw material supply unit for supplying a raw material; a charging unit for charging the raw material supplied from the raw material supply unit; an electrostatic sorting unit for sorting the raw material, which has been charged by the charging unit, according to polarity; and a storage unit for collecting the raw material sorted by and falling from the electrostatic sorting unit, wherein the charging unit includes a charging chamber having a space therein for charging the raw material supplied from the raw material supply unit, and a charging rotor rotatably provided in the charging chamber, for impacting the raw material supplied from the raw material supply unit by the rotating force, thus effectively separating the impurities such as ash and sulfur contained in a raw material, e.g. coal.

A method of making a fluorinated fibrous web, which method includes providing a nonwoven web 22 that contains polymeric fibers, creating a plasma that contains fluorine atoms at a first location 14, and contacting the nonwoven web with products from the plasma at a second location 26 remote from the first location 14. The method avoids exposure of the web to the plasma and hence expands the manufacturing processing window. Webs so fluorinated have a different C.sub.3F.sub.4H.sup.+ to C.sub.2F.sub.5.sup.+ ratio when compared to locally fluorinated webs having similar levels of surface fluorination. The remote fluorinated webs can be subsequently charged electrically to provide a good performing electret filter 40 suitable for use in an air purifying respirator 30. Webs fluorinated in accordance with this invention also may exhibit good performance even after being aged at high temperatures.

An installation is provided that is intended to separate two families of components of a mixture placed in a receptacle. The installation is provided with a screen and comprises a first electrode, a second electrode, and a generator that generates, between the first and second electrodes, an agitating alternating electrical field. The alternating electrical field is capable of alternately projecting all or some of the components of the mixture that is present in the receptacle towards or against the first electrode and then towards or against the second electrode in order to generate mechanical impacts on the components that contribute to breaking down the mixture within the receptacle and in order to facilitate the passage of components belonging to the second family through the screen. The screen ensures components belonging to the first family are retained in the receptacle.

A method of sorting municipal solid waste by creating a frictional force in refuse particulate using at least one frictional roller assembly to electrically charge waste material in the refuse particulate, and separating the waste material using an electrostatic force. A system of sorting municipal solid waste, including at least one frictional roller to electrically charge a waste material contained within refuse particulate, and at least one electrostatic separator to separate the waste material from the refuse particulate.

A tribo-electrostatic separation process for fractionating a feed mixture derived from dried distiller's grains (DDG) or distiller's dried grains and mixed with solubles (DDGS) is disclosed.

The system extracts water from lunar regolith and includes a regolith intake having a digging bucket that collects lunar regolith soil and a gravel separator that separates and discharges gravel and passes a mixture of ice-regolith powder having ice grains that are about 10-100 microns along the conveyor. A pneumatic separator receives the ice-regolith powder and pneumatically splits the ice-regolith powder into streams of different sized lithic fragments and ice particles per the ratio of inertial force and aerodynamic drag force of the lithic fragments and ice particles. Each split stream may include a magnetic separator that separates further the magnetic and paramagnetic lithic fragments from ice particles to discharge up to 80 percent of lithic fragments to slag.

An installation is provided that is intended to separate two families of components of a mixture placed in a receptacle. The installation is provided with a screen and comprises a first electrode, a second electrode, and a generator that generates, between the first and second electrodes, an agitating alternating electrical field. The alternating electrical field is capable of alternately projecting all or some of the components of the mixture that is present in the receptacle towards or against the first electrode and then towards or against the second electrode in order to generate mechanical impacts on the components that contribute to breaking down the mixture within the receptacle and in order to facilitate the passage of components belonging to the second family through the screen. The screen ensures components belonging to the first family are retained in the receptacle.

The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for electrostatic separation of trichomes from plant biomass, addressing the limitations of conventional separation techniques. The method relies on differences in electrical properties of trichomes and plant material, utilizing an external electric field. A multi-component electrostatic separation assembly may prepare and separate one or more samples, thereby incorporating a dispensing component, a pipeline component, and a separation chamber comprising at least one electrode assembly. Moreover, the present invention may also provide for electrode assemblies that feature self-cleaning mechanisms.

An installation intended to separate the components of a mixture containing fibers (2) and granules (3) is provided. The installation comprises a tribocharger (4) for conferring an electrostatic charge upon the components (2, 3), and at least one pair of electrodes (5, 6) for generating a separating electric field that conveys the charged components, according to their polarity, up to collectors (10, 11). The tribocharger (4) has a containment grating (14) arranged so as to retain the components in the tribocharger (4) until the components (2, 3) have reached a sufficient charge, then to allow the components, once charged, through into the gap (7), from which point the components (2, 3) reach their collector (10, 11) under the effect of the separating electric field.

The invention relates to a method for separating, in batches, a mixture comprising granules of at least two materials, comprising the following successive steps for each of the batches: introducing a batch into a fluidizing chamber (40) defined by a reactor (16) and obtaining an introduced batch (38), the granules of the batch being initially at rest, starting fluidization and obtaining at least one fluidized bed (18) in the fluidizing chamber, the fluidization being achieved by way of at least one ascending stream of fluid (42) that puts at least a fraction of the granules of the introduced batch into suspension, the fluidized bed being charged via the triboelectric effect, modifying the stream of fluid (42) and discharging at least 90% by mass of the introduced batch from the fluidizing chamber, passing the fed out batch in one or more electric fields intended to separate the discharged batch.