JP5110011B2 - Resin sorting method and resin sorting apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to, for example, a resin sorting method and a resin sorting apparatus for sorting and collecting resin pieces used for recycling according to the material contained in the resin pieces or the content of a specific substance.

  In recent years, expectations for recycling of materials are increasing, and in household appliances and the like, there is a movement to collect and disassemble used products and recycle them by material. Various types of resin materials are used in household appliances, but in order to reuse the recovered resin as a raw material for recycling, these resins are selected with high accuracy by material. To be collected. In particular, it is necessary to select mainly used polyethylene resin (PE), polypropylene resin (PP), polystyrene resin (PS) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin (ABS). For this reason, the crushed resin pieces are sorted mainly by the difference in specific gravity. Alternatively, a method of applying static electricity and sorting by an electric field using the difference in dielectric constant of each material has been developed, and the sorting yield is improved.

  For this reason, in the conventional material separation method and apparatus, the material to be sorted is passed through the irradiation region of the transmission electromagnetic radiation, and the pneumatic ejector is operated according to the electromagnetic absorption and transmission measured by the detector. For example, a system for efficiently classifying substances is realized by arranging a conveyor belt so as to convey the separated substances (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  On the other hand, selection by the presence or absence of addition of elements that affect the environment when separated from the resin, such as chlorine and bromine, is difficult with these methods. In the current situation where regulations on the use of substances that affect the environment are being promoted, how to reduce the content of these substances in recycled resin is also promoted from the viewpoint of effective use of resources. It becomes important in the above. In particular, as a recycled resin, the content (concentration) of Br (bromine) added to the resin as a flame retardant is required to be a certain level or less. Therefore, it is necessary to regenerate after accurately measuring the Br content in the recycled resin and selecting the resin according to the content.

  For this reason, in the conventional classification device and classification method for a flame retardant-containing plastic, a separation object conveying apparatus, an irradiation generator for irradiating the separation object with X-rays or an electron beam, and detection of generated characteristic X-rays From the data processing unit that analyzes the device and characteristic X-rays, determines the type of flame retardant in plastic, determines the presence or absence of a specific flame retardant, or determines the presence or absence of a flame retardant It has a separation mechanism that properly separates plastics based on the signal of, and the data processing unit analyzes characteristic X-rays to detect elements specific to the flame retardant, the type of flame retardant, the presence or absence of a specific flame retardant, Or the presence or absence of a flame retardant is determined, the signal of the result is supplied to a classification mechanism, and classification is performed (for example, refer to patent document 2).

JP-A-5-131176 JP 2004-219366 A

  However, in the substance separation method and apparatus shown in Patent Document 1, the main purpose of the invention is to separate chlorinated plastic from a mixture containing non-chlorinated plastic, and the object to be sorted flowing on the conveyor is chlorinated plastic. The purpose is to determine whether there is, and send it to different conveyors depending on the air flow injected from the air nozzle, and to determine whether chlorine is contained or whether the two types of plastic are separated Although it exhibits a sufficient function, there are problems such as fine classification according to the content of the specific substance contained, and unsuitability for sorting a large number of plastics by type.

  Moreover, in the classification apparatus and classification method of a flame retardant containing plastic shown in Patent Document 2, the separation object is irradiated with an X-ray or an electron beam to determine the type and presence of the flame retardant in the plastic, and a separation mechanism However, there is a suggestion that you only need to perform a known process such as storing the plastic in an appropriate storage box by air blow or transferring it to another conveyor. There is no description about the technical means, and as in Patent Document 1, no mention is made of finely classifying according to the content rate of the specific substance contained, or sorting a large number of plastics by type. However, there was a problem that a solution in this case was not presented.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the resin pieces to be recycled can be accurately classified into a plurality of types according to the material or the content of the specific substance contained in the resin pieces. It aims at providing a simple resin sorter.

In the resin sorting method of the present invention , specific components are limited by passing through a step of individually holding and transporting resin pieces by an adsorption cylinder and a filter provided at a position facing the resin piece of the adsorption cylinder. The step of irradiating the resin piece with electromagnetic radiation, the step of detecting the amount of electromagnetic radiation transmitted through the resin piece, and the content of the specific material contained in the resin piece material or the resin piece according to the detected amount of electromagnetic radiation. A step of identifying and a step of sorting and collecting the identified resin pieces according to a sorting standard.

  According to the present invention, by irradiating the electromagnetic radiation in a state where the resin pieces are individually adsorbed by the adsorption cylinder, the amount of electromagnetic radiation extracted from the resin pieces can be determined according to the material of the resin or the specific substance contained in the resin piece. There is a remarkable effect that it can be easily sorted and collected with high accuracy according to the content.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a resin sorting device in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is the schematic of the test | inspection part for demonstrating the operation | movement of the infrared test | inspection of the resin selection apparatus in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the light absorption spectrum of resin to classify | select. It is the schematic of the test | inspection part for demonstrating the operation | movement of the infrared test | inspection of the resin selection apparatus in Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a resin sorting device in a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an inspection unit for explaining an X-ray inspection operation of the resin sorting apparatus according to Embodiment 3.

  Hereinafter, a resin sorting method and a resin sorting apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention will be described.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
A resin sorting apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In FIG. 1, the resin sorting apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention sorts and collects crushed resin pieces according to the material of the resin for recycling. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a resin sorting apparatus. A hopper 3 for supplying the piece 2, and a conveying device 5 (5 A, 5 B, 5 C, 5 D,..., 5 N) that holds the resin piece 2 spread on the conveyor belt 4 by the hopper 3 and conveys it. Electromagnetic radiation is applied to the suction pump 6 for adsorbing the resin piece 2 by the conveying device 5, the recovery container 7 for collecting the resin piece 2 that has not been adsorbed, and the resin piece 2 adsorbed by the adsorption cylinder 5a of the conveying device 5. An identification device that determines the material of the resin piece 2 based on a signal from an infrared inspection device 8 that includes an infrared generation device 8a that irradiates an infrared ray as a source and an infrared detection device 8b that detects the amount of infrared light reflected from the resin piece 2. 9 and A sorting and collecting container 10 (10A, 10B) that separates and collects the resin piece 2a of material A, the resin piece 2b of material B, and the resin piece 2c of material C, which have been determined by the identification device 9, from the conveying device 5 and separated according to the material. , 10C). As shown in FIG. 2, the transport device 5 includes a plurality of suction cylinders 5a, and the upper end of the suction cylinder 5a is covered with an upper lid 5b, and a mesh 5c is attached to the suction port at the lower end of the suction cylinder 5a. In order to adsorb the piece 2, the suction tube 5d is attached to the side surface of each adsorption cylinder 5a, and an arm 5e is used to move the adsorption cylinder 5a. The suction pipe 5d is connected to a suction pump 6 that depressurizes the suction cylinder 5a, and an electromagnetic valve (not shown) for performing suction and release is attached to each suction pipe 5d. 9 is operated. The infrared inspection apparatus 8 includes an infrared generator 8a provided with a tungsten lamp 8c, which is a light source including infrared rays, corresponding to each adsorption cylinder 5a, and infrared rays emitted from the tungsten lamp 8c are adsorbed to the adsorption cylinder 5a. The infrared rays are irradiated on the resin pieces 2, and the reflected light from the individual resin pieces 2 passes through the optical filter 8 f and is detected by the light detection element 8 d and is configured by an infrared detection device 8 b. The infrared inspection device 8 is prepared according to the number of types of resin to be selected, and an optical filter 8f having a different infrared wavelength to be transmitted is used for each of the infrared inspection devices 8A, 8B, and 8C. The conveyance device 5 is set so as to pass over the infrared inspection devices 8A, 8B, and 8C sequentially.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
In general, in a recycling factory, collected resin products to be selected are crushed to a few millimeters, and are first roughly classified into metals and non-metals, that is, resin pieces, using differences in magnetic force and specific gravity. Therefore, it is only necessary to identify and classify the presence or absence of a specific substance or the type of resin for resin pieces having a substantially uniform size.

  Here, for example, a case will be described in which three types of resins, ie, polyethylene terephthalate resin (PET) as material A, polystyrene resin (PS) as material B, and PE resin (polyethylene) as material C are sorted by material. In FIG. 3, the light absorption spectrum in the infrared region of PET resin, PS resin, PE resin, and polypropylene resin (PP) is shown. The PET resin has an absorption peak near a wavelength of 1,655 nm, the PS resin has an absorption peak near a wavelength of 1,690 nm, and the PE resin and PP resin have an absorption peak near a wavelength of 1,730 nm. PP resin also has a second peak near the wavelength of 1,710 nm. Therefore, it is possible to sort into the above three groups by the optical filters F1 (PET), F2 (PS), and F3 (PE) whose transmission centers are wavelengths corresponding to these light absorption peaks. The PE resin and the PP resin can be selected from each other by using the optical filter F4 having a transmission center of 1,710 nm. Specifically, F1 is used for the optical filter 8f of the infrared detection device 8b of the infrared inspection device 8A, F2 is used for the optical filter 8f of the infrared detection device 8b of the infrared inspection device 8B, and the optical of the infrared detection device 8b of the infrared inspection device 8C. F3 may be attached to each filter 8f. Actually, for example, if the amount of infrared light detected by the infrared inspection device 8A of the resin piece 2 is small and the amount of infrared light detected by the other infrared inspection devices 8B and 8C is large, it is determined that the resin is PET resin. The resin piece 2a is obtained. The same applies to PS resin and PE resin, which are resin pieces 2b and 2c, respectively. That is, by passing the resin piece 2 through these three infrared inspection devices 8, the material of the resin piece 2 can be identified and determined from its transmission characteristics. Since the absorption peak amounts of PET resin, PS resin, and PP resin are different, they are corrected in advance.

  First, the resin pieces 2 sprayed on the conveyor belt 4 from the hopper 3 are respectively sucked into the suction cylinders 5a of the transport device 5 connected to the suction pump 6 through the suction pipe 5d while moving on the conveyor belt 4. Adsorbed and transported. The resin piece 2 that has not been adsorbed by the adsorption cylinder 5 a falls from the conveyor belt 4 and is collected in the collection container 7. The transfer device 5 is moved to the infrared inspection device 8A by the arm 5e, where light is applied to the resin pieces 2 adsorbed to the adsorption cylinder 5a from the tungsten lamp 8c as a light source including infrared rays, and the reflection is performed. Among the infrared rays, the amount of infrared rays transmitted through the F1 optical filter 8f of the infrared detection device 8b is detected by the light detection element 8d. Here, the infrared detecting device 8b is configured by an array of a plurality of infrared detecting elements 8d corresponding to the suction cylinder 5a. Similarly, in the infrared inspection apparatuses 8B and 8C, the amount of infrared light transmitted through the optical filters 8f of F2 and F3 is detected by the light detection element 8d. Each material of the resin piece 2 is determined by the identification device 9 from the results of the infrared inspection devices 8A, 8B, and 8C. Furthermore, the resin piece 2a determined to be the material A by the identification device 9, the resin piece 2b determined to be the material B, and the resin piece 2c determined to be the material C are sorted and collected by the resin material 10A ( Electromagnetic valves (not shown) individually moved to the suction pipe 5d based on instructions from the identification device 9 are moved onto the PET resin), 10B (for PS resin), and 10C (for PE resin). The suction is stopped by operation, and each material is separated from the adsorption cylinder 5a on a predetermined sorting and collecting container 10 and sorted and collected. The plurality of transfer devices 5 (5A, 5B, 5C, 5D,..., 5N) used are a process of adsorbing the resin piece 2, a step of measuring the material of the resin piece 2 by infrared rays, and a desorption of the resin piece 2. The sorting and collecting process to the sorting and collecting container 10 is rotated like a ferris wheel while repeating these operations in order, and the resin pieces 2 on the conveyor belt 4 are individually adsorbed and sorted. If there is a resin piece 2 that cannot be sorted, the resin piece 2 may be dropped and collected in a separate collection container (not shown). Further, the suction opening mesh 5c is provided from the viewpoint of preventing suction because the resin piece 2 smaller than the inner diameter of the suction cylinder 5a may be sucked into the suction cylinder 5a.

  In the first embodiment, the suction port of the suction cylinder does not necessarily have a circular cross section, and may have another shape such as a square. Further, by configuring the suction port of the suction cylinder to have a narrowed cross section like a star shape, it is not necessary to attach a mesh provided from the viewpoint of preventing suction of the resin piece.

  In addition to the above resins, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin (ABS) is used as the resin mainly used for home appliances and the like, but an optical filter corresponding to the light absorption spectrum of the ABS resin is used. Therefore, it is possible to sort out and to apply to other resins. In the above description, the optical filter is prepared for each individual light detection element, but it may be a single optical filter that covers all the light detection elements of the infrared detection device.

  Further, in order to prevent erroneous determination of the material, a partition plate may be provided between the individual light detection elements in order to prevent the scattered light from entering from other adjacent resin pieces.

  As described above, in the resin sorting apparatus according to Embodiment 1, the crushed resin pieces to be sorted are irradiated with infrared rays while being individually adsorbed by the adsorption cylinder, and the reflected infrared light amount is detected. It is possible to operate the resin pieces completely individually, so that the resin pieces in the vicinity that are problematic in the air blow selection are caught together, and so-called misjudgment is made. There is no “companion”, and there is a remarkable effect that resin pieces can be easily sorted and collected with high accuracy by material.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
A resin sorting apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4.
In FIG. 4, the resin sorting apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention sorts and collects resin pieces according to the material of the resin. Instead of the tungsten lamp 8c as the light source including the infrared rays of the infrared ray generating apparatus 8a according to the first embodiment. A semiconductor laser is used, and the optical filter 8f installed in front of the light detection element 8d is removed. Other configurations are the same as those in FIG. 1 and FIG.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
For example, as in the first embodiment, a case where three types of resins, PET resin, PS resin, and PE resin, are selected will be described. The semiconductor laser 8g used as the infrared light source of the infrared generator 8a has an oscillation wavelength corresponding to the peak value of the light absorption spectrum of the PET resin, PS resin, and PE resin shown in FIG. The semiconductor laser 8g of the infrared inspection apparatus 8A has an oscillation wavelength near 1,655 nm corresponding to PP resin, and the semiconductor laser 8g of the infrared inspection apparatus 8B has an oscillation wavelength near 1,690 nm corresponding to PS resin. In addition, the semiconductor laser 8g of the infrared inspection apparatus 8C has an oscillation wavelength of about 1,730 nm corresponding to PE resin. For example, an InGaAsP semiconductor laser having an oscillation wavelength in the infrared region can be used as the semiconductor laser 8g, and an InGsAs photodiode can be used as the light detection element 8d.

  The transport device 5 is moved to the infrared inspection device 8A by the arm 5e, where infrared light is irradiated to the resin pieces 2 adsorbed to the adsorption cylinder 5a from the semiconductor laser 8g of the infrared generation device 8a, respectively. The reflected infrared light amount is detected by the light detection element 8d. Here, the infrared detecting device 8b is composed of an array of a plurality of light detecting elements 8d corresponding to the suction cylinder 5a. Further, similarly, in the infrared inspection apparatuses 8B and 8C, the amount of infrared light reflected on the resin piece is similarly detected by the light detection element 8d. Based on the measurement results of the infrared inspection devices 8A, 8B, and 8C, the identification device 9 determines the individual material of the resin piece 2. Since the resin piece sorting method in the subsequent steps is the same as that in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  Note that the oscillation wavelength of the semiconductor laser 8g to be used is not necessarily matched with the light absorption peak value of the resin to be selected. It is only necessary to be able to distinguish the resin of other materials, and the light absorption peak value of each resin is the center. Any wavelength in the vicinity may be used.

  Further, as described in the first embodiment, a partition plate may be provided between the individual light detection elements in order to prevent intrusion of scattered light from other adjacent resin pieces in order to avoid erroneous determination of the material.

  As described above, in the resin sorting apparatus according to the second embodiment, the crushed resin pieces to be sorted are irradiated with infrared rays from the semiconductor laser while being individually sucked by the suction cylinder, and the reflected infrared light amount is obtained. Since it has a function to identify the material by detecting it, it becomes possible to operate the resin piece completely individually without using an optical filter, and the resin piece is sorted and collected with high accuracy by material. It is possible to achieve a remarkable effect that it can be easily performed.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
A resin sorting apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The resin sorting apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention sorts and collects crushed resin pieces according to the content of the specific substance contained in the resin for recycling. In FIG. 5, 1 is a resin sorting apparatus. Yes, a hopper 3 for supplying the resin piece 2, and a conveying device 5 (5A, 5B, 5C, 5D,...) That sucks, holds and conveys the resin piece 2 spread on the conveyor belt 4 by the hopper 3. 5N), a suction pump 6 for adsorbing the resin piece 2 by the conveying device 5, a collection container 7 for collecting the resin piece 2 that has not been adsorbed, and a resin piece 2 adsorbed by the adsorption cylinder 5a of the conveying device 5 X-ray generator 11 for irradiating X-rays, which are electromagnetic radiation sources, X-ray detector 12 for detecting the X-ray dose transmitted through resin piece 2, and the content of Br based on signals from X-ray detector 12 Identification device 9 for determining More Br resin piece 2d which content is determined in, 2e, sorted collection container 10 to desorbed sorting recovering 2f from the conveyor device 9 (10D, 10E, 10F) and is constituted by. As shown in FIG. 6, the conveying device 5 includes a plurality of suction cylinders 5a and an upper lid 5b made of an X-ray transmitting material at the upper end of the suction cylinder 5a, and a suction port at the lower end of the suction cylinder 5a. A mesh 5c is attached to the suction pipe 5d. The suction pipe 5d is attached to the side surface of each suction cylinder to suck the resin piece 2, and the arm 5e is used to move the suction cylinder 5a. The suction pipe 5d is connected to a suction pump 6 that depressurizes the suction cylinder 5a, and an electromagnetic valve (not shown) for performing suction and release is attached to each suction pipe 5d. 9 is operated.

  Some resin pieces crushed for recycling contain several mass% of Br, which is one of the environmentally controlled substances, as a specific substance as a flame retardant, and are contained in the resin piece when recycled. It is necessary to accurately grasp the content (concentration) of and to sort by content. In general, the Br content of a product using a recycled resin may be controlled so as not to exceed 0.1% by mass, which is the upper limit of reusability. From the experiments by the inventors so far, it has been confirmed that the overall standard can be satisfied by excluding resin pieces whose Br content exceeds 1% by weight. Even if the content of Br as a specific material contained in the resin piece as a flame retardant is 1% by mass, there is a difference in the X-ray absorption rate between the resin contained and the resin not contained, Since contrast of light and shade is obtained in the X-ray fluoroscopic image, it is possible to identify and determine the content ratio of Br.

  Therefore, as an example, with the content rate of Br of PP resin as the object of identification determination, sample A containing 1 mm of Br, sample B containing 1% by mass of Br, and 4% by mass of Br with PP resin pieces having a thickness of 2 mm Table 1 shows the results of calculating the X-ray transmittance as Sample C to be contained. For convenience, in the calculation, it was assumed that the Br layer corresponding to 1% by mass or 4% by mass was overlapped on the resin piece (in Table 1, 1% by mass and 4% by mass are expressed as 1% and 4%, respectively). .

  When X-rays of 13.47 keV or higher, which is the X-ray absorption edge of Br, are irradiated, as is clear from the calculation results in Table 1, there is no significant difference in X-ray transmittance between samples at 13.0 keV. However, the X-ray transmittance of Sample B with respect to Sample A at 14.0 keV is 22% lower, the X-ray transmittance of Sample C with respect to Sample A is 63% lower, and the transmittance is higher than the Br content. There is a difference, and it is possible to identify a resin piece containing Br. Furthermore, although it implemented also about 3 mm-thick PP resin piece (sample D) which does not contain Br, the direction of the transmittance | permeability of the sample B containing 1 mass% Br of 2 mm thickness is falling significantly with 16%, and the result Since the change due to the inclusion of Br is larger than the change due to the thickness, it can be identified, and there are few erroneous determinations due to the thickness. Therefore, if the resin pieces to be sorted are arranged in a flake shape having a thickness of 2 to 3 mm and a size of several mm, the weight of each resin piece is less than 1 g, and the inner diameter is about 1 mm kept at a negative pressure. It is easy to adsorb and convey it to the adsorption cylinder.

Next, the operation | movement which sorts and collects the crushed resin piece in Embodiment 3 according to Br content rate is demonstrated.
First, the resin pieces 2 spread on the conveyor belt 4 from the hopper 3 are respectively sucked into the suction cylinders 5a of the transport device 5 connected to the suction pump 6 through the suction pipe 5d while moving on the conveyor belt 4. Adsorbed and transported. The resin piece 2 that has not been adsorbed by the adsorption cylinder 5 a falls from the conveyor belt 4 and is collected in the collection container 7. The adsorption cylinder 5a is moved by the arm 5e to the X-ray generator 11, where X-rays are irradiated and the transmitted X-ray dose is detected by the X-ray detector 12. From the result of the X-ray detection device 12, the discriminating device 9 determines the Br content contained in each of the resin pieces 2. Further, the resin piece 2d whose Br content is determined to be less than 1% by mass in the identification device 9, the resin piece 2e which is determined to be 1% by mass or more and less than 4% by mass, and the resin piece 2f which is determined to be 4% by mass or more. Are moved to the sorting and collecting containers 10D (for less than 1% by mass), 10E (for less than 4% by mass), and 10F (for 4% by mass or more) prepared according to the Br content, and each is instructed from the identification device 9. Based on the above, suction is stopped by operating a solenoid valve (not shown) provided individually in the suction pipe 5d, and separated and separated from the adsorption cylinder 5a on the predetermined sorting and collecting container 10 for each material. Collected. The plurality of transfer devices 5 (5A, 5B, 5C, 5D,..., 5N) used are a step of adsorbing the resin piece 2, a step of measuring the content rate of Br by X-rays of the resin piece 2, and a resin piece 2 and the sorting and collecting process to the sorting and collecting container 10 are rotated like a ferris wheel while repeating these operations in order, and the resin pieces 2 on the conveyor belt 4 are individually adsorbed and sorted. If there is a resin piece 2 that cannot be sorted, it may be dropped into a collection container (not shown) prepared separately and collected. Further, the suction pipe 5d and the suction pump 6 can be connected by using a rotary joint or the like (not shown) so that the suction pipe 5d is not twisted by the rotation of the conveying device 5, and the suction pipe 5d can be connected. It is preferable to have flexibility.

  In order to satisfy the RoHS regulation value of recycled resin products and to recycle as many resin pieces as possible, by selecting and collecting multiple resin pieces according to the Br content, it is possible to meet applications and standards. The mixing ratio of recycled resin and new material can be changed accordingly. For example, if the selection standard value is selected with a Br content of 1% by mass or less, it can be recycled without problems, and if it is less than 4% by mass, a new product is produced as a mixture with new materials or other resins. Therefore, it is effective to select three types according to the Br content.

  In the third embodiment, since the transmitted X-ray dose is detected while the resin pieces 2 are individually adsorbed to the adsorption cylinder 5a, the resin pieces 2 are irradiated with X-rays during adsorption and transportation. It is necessary to do so. Therefore, if the X-ray can be irradiated to the resin piece 2 from the upper end portion of the suction cylinder 5a, and the X-ray can be transmitted through the upper and lower openings, the suction cylinder 5a itself may not transmit the X-ray. Therefore, the adsorption cylinder 5a does not necessarily need to be made of a material that transmits X-rays, and can be made of a material having excellent workability such as aluminum. Of course, there is no problem if the adsorption cylinder 5a is made of an X-ray transmitting material. Further, the adsorption cylinder 5a is exhausted from the side surface of the adsorption cylinder 5a for adsorption of the resin piece 2, and the upper end portion of the adsorption cylinder 5a is covered with an upper lid 5b made of a material having a high X-ray transmittance. A covering structure may be used (see FIG. 6). For example, a polyimide film has excellent mechanical strength and has a strength that can withstand a pressure difference between the atmospheric pressure and the inside of the adsorption cylinder 5a reduced to 1/50 atm even when a 50 μm thick film is attached to a 50 mm diameter cylinder. Therefore, it is suitable as an upper lid material that transmits X-rays. Actually, a polyimide film having a thickness of about 100 μm may be used as the upper cover 5b of the adsorption cylinder 5a. The transmittance of a 100 μm-thick polyimide film for 14 keV X-rays used for measurement is 98.4%, and the amount of absorption is small, and there is little practical impact. Further, from the viewpoint of preventing suction of the resin piece 2 into the suction cylinder 5a, the mesh 5c provided at the suction port is made of a material having a small amount of X-ray absorption such as polyimide. As the X-ray detection element 12a, for example, a scintillator type line sensor can be applied.

  In the description of Embodiment 3 above, the resin piece adsorbed on the adsorption cylinder is irradiated with X-rays from above the adsorption cylinder outside the conveyor belt, and the X-ray dose transmitted through the resin piece is detected. In the case of determining the content rate, on the conveyor belt, X-rays are irradiated from above on the resin piece adsorbed on the adsorption cylinder, and an X-ray detector is disposed under the conveyor belt to determine the X-ray dose. Even in the case of detection, the same effect can be obtained. Alternatively, the X-ray generator may be disposed below, the X-ray may be irradiated onto the resin piece from below, and the transmitted X-ray may be received by the X-ray detector disposed above.

  In the description of the third embodiment, the measurement of the Br content of a resin piece containing Br used as a flame retardant has been described, but X-rays are similarly applied to phosphorus (P) flame retardants. It can also be applied to the case where the content rate is measured by using.

  Furthermore, in the description of the third embodiment, the case where X-rays are used as electromagnetic radiation for the measurement of the content rate of Br is described. However, there is an identification method using infrared light, terahertz light, or the like. In this case, it goes without saying that a source of electromagnetic radiation and an appropriate detector are provided. In addition, the upper lid of the upper end of the adsorption cylinder according to the present invention effectively transmits those electromagnetic radiation. The material to be selected may be selected.

  As described above, in the resin sorting apparatus according to the third embodiment, the crushed resin pieces to be sorted are irradiated with X-rays while being individually adsorbed by the adsorption cylinder, and the transmitted X-ray dose is detected. Since it is equipped with a detection device and an identification function based on the amount of transmitted X-rays, it is possible to operate the resin pieces completely individually. In other words, there is no so-called “joint” that causes the resin pieces to be easily collected and collected with high accuracy according to the content of the specific substance Br.

  In the above description of Embodiments 1, 2, and 3, the resin piece that has been subjected to the determination of the resin material or the Br content in the adsorption state in the adsorption cylinder is directly conveyed to the sorting position by the adsorption cylinder and removed. By releasing the vacuum for adsorption at the position to be separated, it is allowed to fall naturally and be collected and collected in the collection container. However, the suction cylinder is provided with a suction / desorption function to increase / decrease the air and release the vacuum. In the case of handling a resin material that is difficult to fall by itself, it can be forcibly detached and dropped by switching the air from reduced pressure to pressurized pressure.

  In the above description of the first, second and third embodiments, the case where the number of sorting types for the resin material or the content of Br is set to three types has been described. Needless to say, the above materials can be sorted and collected. Sorting out a large number of resin pieces in a short time by increasing the number of adsorption cylinders or arranging multiple adsorption cylinders in parallel and preparing a light source, photodetection element and X-ray detection element suitable for the number of adsorption cylinders And the processing capacity can be improved.

  In the first, second, and third embodiments, the case where a single suction pump is shared by a plurality of transfer devices has been described. However, a suction pump is individually arranged for each transfer device, and the transfer device is provided. In addition, the same effect as that in the case of sharing the suction pump may be obtained.

  Moreover, although the said Embodiment 1, 2, and 3 demonstrated the case where a conveyance apparatus was rotated on a vertical surface like a ferris wheel, the same effect is acquired even if it rotates on a horizontal surface like a merry-go-round.

  Moreover, in the figure, the same code | symbol shows the same or an equivalent part.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Resin sorter 2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f Resin piece 5, 5A, 5B, 5C, ..., 5N Conveyor 5a Adsorption cylinder 5d Suction pipe 6 Suction pump 8, 8A, 8B, 8C Infrared inspection device 8a Infrared generator 8b Infrared detector 9 Identification device 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F Sorting and collecting container 11 X-ray generator 12 X-ray detector

Claims (5)

A step of individually holding and transporting resin pieces by suction cylinders;
Irradiating the resin piece with electromagnetic radiation with a specific component limited by passing through a filter provided at a position facing the resin piece of the adsorption cylinder ;
Detecting the amount of electromagnetic radiation transmitted through the resin piece;
Identifying the content of the resin piece or the specific substance contained in the resin piece according to the detected electromagnetic radiation amount;
Sorting and collecting the identified resin pieces according to sorting criteria. The resin selection method according to claim 1, wherein the specific component whose transmission is limited in the step of irradiating electromagnetic radiation is an energy component lower than 13.47 keV which is an X-ray absorption edge of bromine (Br) . A transport device having a plurality of suction cylinders and individually holding and transporting the resin pieces by the suction cylinders;
An electromagnetic radiation source for irradiating the resin piece with electromagnetic radiation whose specific component is restricted by a filter provided at a position facing the resin piece of the adsorption cylinder;
A detector for detecting the amount of electromagnetic radiation transmitted through the resin piece;
An identification device for identifying a material content of the resin piece or a content rate of a specific substance contained in the resin piece based on the detected electromagnetic radiation amount;
And a sorting and collecting container for separating and collecting the resin pieces identified by the identifying device from the transport device according to a sorting standard. 4. The resin sorting according to claim 3, wherein the filters provided in the plurality of adsorption cylinders contain a substance having a high absorption rate of energy component lower than 13.47 keV which is an X-ray absorption end of bromine (Br). apparatus. 4. The resin sorting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the filters provided in the plurality of adsorption cylinders have a function as a band-pass filter for infrared light having a specific wavelength.

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