Factors that Influence the Performance of a Two-Rotating Disks-Type Tribo-Aero-Electrostatic Separator for Micronized WEEE

Electrostatic separation of granular plastics mixtures has become a well-established technology, with industrial applications in the area of waste electric and electronic equipment recycling. The aim of this study was to pave the way to industrial application of a new two-rotating disks-type tribo-aero-electrostatic separator for finely grinded matter (i.e., granule diameter <;1 mm), by clarifying three major issues: 1) continuous operation of the equipment; 2) efficient processing of particulate mixtures composed of various proportions of two plastics; and 3) rapid evaluation of the purity of the recovered products. The experiments were carried out on a binary mixture composed of different proportions of polypropylene and polycarbonate, particles of size 250 to 500 μm. A measurement system was setup to enable the continuous and simultaneous recording of the charges and masses of the separated products. The purity of the products was evaluated using a colorimetric system. It was, thus, possible to quantify the performances of the separator under various conditions that simulated industrial operation situations.