The invention is directed to a method for the electrostatic separation of foodstuff components present in a foodstuff composition by an electrostatic separator, said separator comprising a separation chamber and at least three plate electrodes positioned in the separation chamber, wherein the plate electrodes are positioned substantially parallel and are spaced apparat from adjacent plate electrodes; the plate electrodes are arranged to be rotated alternately around a first and a second rotation axis, which rotation axes are substantially parallel, provided at a distance from each other and substantially perpendicular to the plate electrodes; at least part of an outer surface of the plate electrodes faces at least part of an outer surface of adjacent plate electrodes; a flow path for a stream of foodstuff components is provided between the outer surface parts of adjacent plate electrodes which are facing each other; and the plate electrodes are alternately chargeable with a positive and a negative electric charge or alternately grounded and either positively or negatively chargeable.

An electrostatic separation device (is for a mixture of granules of different materials. The device includes a separation chamber having an inlet and delimiting an inner volume and a collection device for granules placed in the inner volume, opposite the inlet. At least two pairs of electrodes are successively placed in the elevation direction in the inner volume, between the inlet and the collection device. Each pair includes an anode and a cathode, placed on either side of a central axis extending in the elevation direction. At least one generating system is suitable for applying a difference in electric potential between the anode and the cathode of each pair.

Described are microparticle fractionating apparatus and methods of fractionating microparticles. Multiple electrodes may be used to charge droplets when separating and collecting microparticles based on a result analyzed by an optical methodologies. A first electrode may be used to charge a sample fluid, and a second electrode used to apply additional charge near a droplet break-off point.

A system for eliminating unexploded ordnance from a mixture. The system includes a separation plant, including a crusher, a magnetic separation station, and a screen plant. The crusher reduces the size of pieces in the mixture, the magnetic separator separates pieces containing a significant amount of ferrous metal, and the screen separates small pieces from larger pieces. The fine output of the screen is composed of pieces that are sufficiently small to pose little hazard; they may be further subjected to heat treatment. Large pieces containing ferrous metal, or large pieces containing nonferrous metal, may be explosive and are transported, using an unmanned machine, to an inspection plant where they are sorted and where any unexploded ordnance is identified and disposed of. The separation plant is sufficiently distant from the inspection plant that an explosion at the separation plant does not pose a hazard to personnel at the inspection plant.

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.

Systems and methods for the beneficiation of fine and very fine particles of iron ore are disclosed. The system includes a first triboelectric electrostatic belt-type separator (BSS) which receives and processes a stream of particles with a median particle size (d50) less than 75 microns to generate an iron rich concentrate. The system and method is water-free and carried out in a totally dry metallurgical route. The system also includes at least one air classification device that receives and processes a feed stream of particles to provide the stream of particles with a median particle size (d50) that is less than 75 microns. The system may also include a dryer and de- agglomeration system that receives a feed stream of particles and processes the feed stream of particles to provide the particle stream with a moisture of less than 2%.

An electrostatic separation device (is for a mixture of granules of different materials. The device includes a separation chamber having an inlet and delimiting an inner volume and a collection device for granules placed in the inner volume, opposite the inlet. At least two pairs of electrodes are successively placed in the elevation direction in the inner volume, between the inlet and the collection device. Each pair includes an anode and a cathode, placed on either side of a central axis extending in the elevation direction. At least one generating system is suitable for applying a difference in electric potential between the anode and the cathode of each pair.

A microparticle sorting apparatus includes a detection unit which detects microparticles flowing through a flow path; an imaging device which images a droplet containing the microparticles which is discharged from an orifice provided on an edge portion of the flow path; a charge unit which applies a charge to the droplets; and a control unit which determines a delay time as from a time that the microparticles are detected by the detection unit to the time at which a number of bright spots in a standard region, which is set beforehand, of image information imaged by the imaging device reaches the maximum, making it possible for the charge unit to apply a charge to the microparticles once the delay time has lapsed after the microparticles are detected by the detection unit.

A method is useful for triboelectrically charging chemically conditioned bulk salt mixtures by mechanically moving the bulk salt mixture in a container by at least one vertical mixer.

A method of delamination of a printed circuit board includes comminuting the printed circuit board, and soaking the comminuted PCB in a solvent system comprising at least two solvents. Once soaking has been completed the method includes separating solids, and electrostatically separating different specific solids from the separated solids.