METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SEPARATING DUST-CONTAINING MATERIAL MIXTURES FROM THE PROCESS OF RECYCLING ELECTRIC OR ELECTRONIC DEVICES

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a system for separating dust-containing material mixtures which contain fibers, preferably glass fibers, and have heavy metal (SM) and/or precious metal (EM) from the process of recycling electric or electronic devices, wherein the method has at least one step (S1) of mechanically releasing particles from fiber-containing mixed material agglomerates in a dry manner and at least one step (S2) of mechanically releasing fiber-containing mixed material agglomerates in a dry manner.

Claims

1. A method for separating dusty material mixtures containing fibers and comprising heavy metal and/or precious metal from the recycling of electric or electronic devices, the method comprising: at least one step (S1) for mechanically and drily detaching particles from mixed material agglomerates containing fibers; and at least one step (S2) for mechanically and drily breaking up mixed material agglomerates containing fibers, wherein a fractionation according to particle sizes is carried out simultaneously in the step (S1) of detaching particles, and/or a fractionation according to particle sizes is carried out simultaneously in the breakup step (S2), fractions produced in the method being subjected to smelting or supplied to a refinery wherein, in at least two fractionating steps (S1, S3, S4, S5) producing a fraction of particles less than 100 μm in size in one spatial direction, the respective fractions are sorted out or provided for smelting or for transfer to a refinery.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step (S1) of detaching the particles is executed as a first step.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a fractionation of 3 to 8 fractions according to particle sizes is carried out simultaneously in the step (S1) of detaching particles.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a fractionation of 2 to 3 fractions according to particle sizes is carried out simultaneously in the breakup step (S2).

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a manipulation reducing the adhesion of fibers among each other is carried out in the breakup step (S2).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a milling and/or grinding process is carried out in the breakup step (S2).

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising at least one other separating and/or fractionating step (S3, S4, S5).

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the separating and/or fractionating steps (S3, S4, S5) and the fractions produced therein lead to a ramified material flow, in which two or more fractions from different fractionating steps are merged in at least one point.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein in at least two fractionating steps producing a fraction of particles less than 50 μm in size in one spatial direction, the respective fraction is sorted out or provided for smelting or for transfer to a refinery (S6).

10-20. (canceled)

21. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fibers are glass fibers.

22. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fractions produced are subject to smelting or supplied to a refinery to recover metals.

23. The method according to claim 5, wherein the manipulation is a surface manipulation of the fibers, a shortening of the fibers, and/or a spatial separation of the fibers.

24. The method according to claim 5, wherein the manipulation is a manipulation of a pre-fractionated portion of the material mixture.

25. The method according to claim 6, wherein the milling and/or grinding process is of a pre-fractionated portion of the material mixture.

26. The method according to claim 7, wherein the at least one other separating and/or fractionating step comprises 3 other separating and/or fractionating steps.

27. The method according to claim 7, wherein the material mixture produced by the breakup step (S2) is supplied as material input in at least one fractionating step (S3).

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the material mixture produced by the breakup step (S2) is a material fraction produced in the breakup step (S2).

29. The method according to claim 8, wherein the two or more fractions from different fractionating steps are from different fractionating devices (04).

30. The method according to claim 9, wherein in each fractionating step (S1, S3, S4, S5) producing a fraction of particles less than 50 μm in size in one spatial direction, the respective fraction is sorted out or provided for smelting or for transfer to a refinery (S6).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] Advantages and embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the schematic drawing below.

[0049] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a system according to the invention including a schematic illustration of the steps of a method according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] FIG. 1 shows a system 01 according to the invention for separating dusty material mixtures, which preferably contain fibers, in particular glass fibers, from the recycling of electric or electronic devices. System 01 comprises a detaching device 03 as an inlet device 02, detaching device 03 already detaching particles from mixed material agglomerates containing fibers in a first step S1 by means of a dry mechanical treatment and simultaneously achieving a fractionation into different size fractions 04.

[0051] Size fractions 04 thus produced can be selectively used further in steps S2 and S3. Detaching device 03 can be a tumbler screen, for example. In the tumbler screen, mechanical vibrations acting on the mixed material agglomerates containing fibers detach particles from the mixed material agglomerates. The finest or most fine-grained fractions produced in detaching device 03 are either directly separated for subsequent smelting or supplied to another fractionating device 07, which effects another fractionation. For example, fractionating device 07 can be an air separation table 06, in which a light fraction and a heavy fraction are produced in step S3 and a fraction with cyclone dust collected in a filter is additionally separated by suctioning.

[0052] The other fractions produced in detaching device 03, which is inlet device 02, can be supplied to a separating device 05 together or one after the other, separating device 05 being configured to reduce the adhesion of fibers, in particular glass fibers, among each other in step S2, in particular by influencing the surface, particularly preferably smoothing the surface, of the fibers, shortening the fibers and/or spatially separating the fibers from each other. Separating device 05 can preferably be a barrel finishing device or a rod mill device operated in dry mode.

[0053] Separating device 05 can additionally effect a fractionation of different size fractions 04 also in step S2. For instance, separating device 05, too, can comprise suction means for aspirating finest dust particles and other screening or separating means. In separating device 05, a major part of the mixed material agglomerates containing fibers are broken up or at least made smaller with the result that significant amounts of particles otherwise bound or embedded in the mixed material agglomerates are released and transferred into a flowable state and therefore overall into a state allowing separation or fractionation. One of the fractions produced in separation device 05, which comprises particularly many flowable particles, can be supplied to another fractionating device 07 together with fractions from fractionating device 07 of step S3, for example; other fractionating device 07 can be a tumbler screen 03 and effects further fractionation in step S4. The fractions obtained in this fractionating device 07 can also be selectively processed further. A part can be directly separated for smelting or processing in a refinery in step S6; other fractions can be directly supplied to thermal disposal or landfilling in step S7. Another fraction can be divided or fractionated once more in step S5 by means of another fractionating device 07, such as another air separator 06, these fractions being supplied either to disposal S7 or to smelting S6 for their part.

[0054] Tests with the method according to the invention have shown that 90% to 95% of the metal value can be concentrated in less than 30% of the mass of the input mixture. Since this portion or this concentration is metallurgically utilized, only about 70% of the mass of the input mixture remains to be landfilled.

[0055] In another step of the method according to the invention, the portion of the mass to be landfilled is reduced further. Since this is a fine-grained material having high calorific value, it lends itself to being used as a refuse-derived fuel.

[0056] It is known that residue from powder coatings also have a high calorific value and have to be disposed of as dust at high cost. The powder coatings comprise polyester resins, for example, which begin to flow when compressed by means of matrixes and therefore liquefy into a plastic mass. When a suitable mixture of dusts from the recycling of electric or electronic devices, such as particles with a grain size of less than 3 mm, and preferably greater than 0.1 mm, and from the recycling of powder coatings is formed, refuse-derived fuels, such as pellets, can thus be simply produced by compression.

REFERENCE SIGNS

[0057] 01 system [0058] 02 inlet device [0059] 03 detaching device [0060] 04 size fraction [0061] 05 separating device [0062] 06 air separator [0063] 07 fractionating device