JP7555504B2 - Recycled material density separation equipment - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a gravity separation device for recycled materials.

Conventionally, when collecting and reusing plastics used in discarded home appliances, workers manually dismantle the appliances using tools, but this limits the parts that can be dismantled. For this reason, for small parts or parts with complex shapes, it is necessary to crush the parts using special machines and separate them into, for example, plastics and metals, and then use the sorted plastics as recyclable materials.

In this case, the sorted metals include different types of metals. Also, the sorted plastics include different types of plastics. Of these, it is relatively easy to further separate different types of metals using, for example, specific gravity, electrical force, or magnetic force. On the other hand, it is considered difficult to further separate different types of plastics.

Methods for separating different types of plastic include, for example, near-infrared spectroscopy sorting, gravity sorting, and electrostatic sorting. Near-infrared spectroscopy sorting is a method in which each crushed plastic piece is irradiated with near-infrared light, and the plastic pieces are further separated according to the components of the plastic pieces that are detected. Gravity sorting is a method in which the plastic pieces are further separated according to the specific gravity of each crushed plastic piece.

Electrostatic sorting is a method in which each crushed plastic piece is charged with static electricity, and the plastic pieces are further sorted according to the amount of static charge. Compared to near-infrared spectroscopy sorting, gravity sorting and electrostatic sorting can sort large amounts of plastic pieces in a short period of time. Patent Document 1 is one of the patent documents that discloses a gravity sorting device that performs gravity sorting.

JP 2008-132485 A

The gravity sorting device that performs gravity sorting is equipped with a sorting tank (storage tank) that stores water. The collected plastics are dumped into the water stored in the sorting tank. The dumped plastics are separated and stacked in the water according to the specific gravity of the plastics, and the plastics are sorted.

Plastics recovered from discarded home appliances and other products may contain foreign objects, such as metal pieces such as copper wires, that could not be separated out during dismantling. For this reason, foreign objects gradually accumulate in the sorting tank of the gravity sorting device over the course of operating time.

When foreign matter accumulates in the sorting tank, the movement (pulsation) of the water in the tank becomes uneven, reducing the accuracy of plastic sorting. This requires maintenance work to remove the foreign matter that has accumulated in the sorting tank. In order to improve the operating rate of gravity sorting equipment, there is a need to reduce the time required for maintenance work.

This disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and its purpose is to provide a gravity separation device for recycled materials that can shorten the time required for maintenance work.

The gravity sorting device for recycled materials according to the present disclosure is a gravity sorting device for recycled materials that sorts recycled materials based on their specific gravity, and includes a storage tank, a screen, a pulsation generating unit, an inlet, a discharge port, and one or more partition members. The storage tank stores a stored liquid having a first specific gravity. The screen is arranged to divide the inside of the storage tank into a first region and a second region located above the first region, and allows the stored liquid to flow between the first region and the second region. The pulsation generating unit is provided in the first region in the storage tank and pulsates the stored liquid. The inlet is used to feed a mixed recycled material, including a first recycled material having a second specific gravity greater than the first specific gravity and a second recycled material having a third specific gravity greater than the second specific gravity, toward the second region in the storage tank. The discharge outlet is provided in the storage tank so as to face the input port, and includes a first discharge port for discharging the first recycled material and a second discharge port for discharging the second recycled material. The one or more partition members are arranged on the screen in a manner not protruding from the stored liquid. The storage tank has a first storage wall and another storage wall that face each other and extend from the input port toward the discharge port. The partition member is formed from the one storage wall to the other storage wall. The partition member has a first extension portion that extends from the one storage wall to the other storage wall in a direction that intersects with a first direction in which the recycled material input from the input port into the storage tank flows toward the discharge port.

The gravity separation device for recycled materials according to the present disclosure has one or more partition members arranged on a screen that vertically divides the inside of a storage tank into a first region and a second region, and the partition member has a first extension portion that extends in a second direction that intersects with a first direction in which the recycled material fed from the feed port into the storage tank flows toward the discharge port. Therefore, foreign matter contained in the recovered mixed recycled material accumulates in a limited area from the feed port side of the screen to the partition member. This narrows the area on the screen where foreign matter accumulates compared to when no partition member is arranged on the screen and foreign matter accumulates over the entire surface of the screen. As a result, the maintenance time required to remove foreign matter accumulated on the screen can be shortened, which can contribute to improving the operating rate of the gravity separation device for recycled materials.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a specific gravity separation device for recycled materials according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view showing the gravity separation device for recycled materials in the embodiment. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the specific gravity separation device for recycled materials in the embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a specific gravity separation device for recycled materials according to a comparative example and its operation. FIG. 4 is a top view for explaining the operation of the specific gravity separation device for recycled materials in the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a specific gravity separation device for recycled materials according to a second embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view showing the gravity separation device for recycled materials in the embodiment. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the specific gravity separation device for recycled materials in the embodiment. FIG. FIG. 4 is a top view for explaining the operation of the specific gravity separation device for recycled materials in the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a top view for explaining the operation of the specific gravity separation device for recycled materials according to a modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a specific gravity separation device for recycled materials according to a third embodiment. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the specific gravity separation device for recycled materials in the embodiment. FIG.

In the gravity sorting device for recycled materials according to each embodiment, recycled materials are sorted based on the specific gravity of the recycled materials. Here, the recycled materials are plastics with a specific gravity greater than the specific gravity of water (=1). Plastics with a specific gravity greater than 1 include, for example, plastics with different specific gravities depending on the plastic material.

Here, plastics with a specific gravity greater than 1 that are relatively high are called heavy specific gravity plastics, and plastics with a relatively low specific gravity are called light specific gravity plastics. Heavy specific gravity plastics include, for example, polycarbonate (specific gravity ≧1.1). Light specific gravity plastics include, for example, polystyrene (specific gravity = 1.06).

In a specific gravity sorting device for recycled materials, mixed plastics, which are a mixture of heavy and light specific gravity plastics, are sorted based on specific gravity. Below, the specific gravity sorting device for recycled materials according to each embodiment will be explained. Note that when explaining the specific gravity sorting device for recycled materials, X-Y-Z coordinates (three-dimensional coordinates) will be used as necessary.

Embodiment 1.
An example of a density separation device for recycled materials according to embodiment 1 will be described. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the density separation device for recycled materials 1 includes a storage tank 3, a pulsation generating unit 7, a screen 9, a partition member 11, an inlet 13, and a discharge outlet 14.

A storage liquid 5 is stored in the storage tank 3. Here, water is stored as an example of the storage liquid 5. The pulsation generating unit 7 is disposed at the bottom of the storage tank 3. The pulsation generating unit 7 has the function of pulsating the storage liquid 5 stored in the storage tank 3 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction).

The screen 9 is arranged so as to divide the interior of the storage tank 3 vertically into a first region 3a and a second region 3b. The screen 9 is arranged so as to be approximately parallel to the bottom of the storage tank 3 at a height position above the pulsation generating section 7 from the bottom of the storage tank 3. The screen 9 is made of a steel plate and has many through holes. The screen 9 is formed, for example, from punched metal or a net.

In the storage tank 3, the screen 9 allows the stored liquid 5 to flow between the first region 3a below the screen 9 and the second region 3b above the screen 9. Meanwhile, the screen 9 does not allow mixed plastics 20 (see FIG. 3) as recycled material to pass through, and the mixed plastics 20 accumulates on the screen 9. Note that the screen 9 is not limited to steel plate, and other materials may be used as long as the material allows the stored liquid 5 to pass through but does not allow the mixed plastics to pass through.

The inlet 13 is located at one end (X-axis direction) of the storage tank 3. Mixed plastic 20, which is a mixture of heavy specific gravity plastic 23 and light specific gravity plastic 21, is fed into the storage tank 3 from the inlet 13 (see Figure 3).

The discharge outlet 14 is disposed on the other end side (X-axis direction) of the storage tank 3 so as to face the input port 13. The discharge outlet 14 includes a first discharge outlet 15 and a second discharge outlet 17. The first discharge outlet 15 is disposed at the top of the storage tank 3, and the second discharge outlet 17 is disposed below the first discharge outlet 15.

Light specific gravity plastics 21 are discharged from the first outlet 15 together with the pulsating stored liquid 5 (water) (see Figure 3). Heavy specific gravity plastics 23 are discharged from the second outlet 17 together with the stored liquid 5 (water) as the rotary valve rotates (see Figure 3). The stored liquid 5 (water) discharged from the storage tank 3 is returned to the storage tank 3 by a circulation pump (not shown).

The partition member 11 is plate-shaped. The partition member 11 is arranged on the screen 9. The partition member 11 is arranged at a position that does not affect the sorting accuracy when the light specific gravity plastics 21 and the heavy specific gravity plastics 23 are sorted and discharged from the discharge outlet 14. It is desirable to arrange the partition member 11 at a position closer to the input port 13 than the midpoint between the input port 13 and the discharge outlet 14.

The partition member 11 has a first extension portion 11a extending in one direction. The first extension portion 11a extends so as to intersect obliquely with the direction in which the stored liquid 5 flows (X-axis). The first extension portion 11a is disposed from the side wall portion 4a of the storage tank 3 toward the side wall portion 4b in a manner having a negative X-axis component and a negative Y-axis component.

The mixed plastics 20 may contain foreign matter, such as metals or coating materials, that could not be separated and collected. Such foreign matter is captured by the partition member 11. The gravity separation device 1 for recycled materials according to the first embodiment is configured as described above.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned recycling material specific gravity separation device 1 will be described. As shown in Figure 3, the collected mixed plastics 20 are fed into the storage tank 3 (second area 3b) from the feed port 13. The mixed plastics 20 contain light specific gravity plastics 21 and heavy specific gravity plastics 23. Furthermore, the mixed plastics 20 may contain foreign matter 25 that could not be collected separately.

In the storage tank 3, the light specific gravity plastics 21, heavy specific gravity plastics 23, and foreign matter 25 are more mixed together the closer to the inlet 13. When the pulsation generating unit 7 is operated, the stored liquid 5 (water) pulsates in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). When the stored liquid 5 pulsates in the vertical direction in the storage tank 3, the light specific gravity plastics 21 and heavy specific gravity plastics 23 move up and down, and also move from the inlet 13 toward the outlet 14.

In addition, as the stored liquid 5 pulsates in the vertical direction, the light specific gravity plastics 21 move to an upper region in the stored liquid 5, and the heavy specific gravity plastics 23 move to a lower region in the stored liquid 5. The foreign matter 25 moves to a region in the stored liquid 5 below the heavy specific gravity plastics 23.

As a result, the foreign matter 25, the heavy specific gravity plastic 23 and the light specific gravity plastic 21 are piled up in that order on the screen 9. At this time, the foreign matter 25 is piled up in a limited area in the storage tank 3 from the inlet 13 side to the partition member 11. Specifically, the foreign matter 25 is piled up in the area surrounded by the storage wall including the side wall portions 4a, 4b from the inlet 13 side to the partition member 11 in the storage tank 3 and the partition member 11 (see Figure 5).

As the stored liquid 5 continues to pulsate, foreign matter having a specific gravity greater than that of the heavy specific gravity plastic 23 does not move beyond the partition member 11 toward the discharge port 14. On the other hand, the light specific gravity plastic 21 and the heavy specific gravity plastic 23, which have a specific gravity less than that of the foreign matter 25, move beyond the partition member 11 toward the discharge port 14.

As a result, in the area within the storage tank 3 from the partition member 11 to the discharge outlet 14, no foreign matter 25 accumulates on the screen 9, and heavy specific gravity plastic 23 and light specific gravity plastic 21 accumulate on the screen 9 in that order.

The light specific gravity plastics 21 located relatively higher are discharged from the first outlet 15 to the outside of the storage tank 3 together with the stored liquid 5. The heavy specific gravity plastics 23 located relatively lower are discharged from the second outlet 17 to the outside of the storage tank 3 together with the stored liquid 5. In this way, the light specific gravity plastics 21 and the heavy specific gravity plastics 23 contained in the mixed plastics 20 are separately recovered.

On the other hand, the foreign matter 25 contained in the mixed plastic 20 is captured by the partition member 11. As a result, the foreign matter 25 accumulates on the screen 9 in a limited area from the inlet 13 to the partition member 11.

In the above-mentioned recycling material density separation device 1, the foreign matter 25 contained in the mixed plastics 20 accumulates on a limited area of the screen 9. This makes it possible to reduce the time required for maintenance of the recycling material density separation device 1. This will be explained in comparison with a recycling material density separation device according to a comparative example.

As shown in Figure 4, the gravity separation device 101 for recycled materials in the comparative example includes a storage tank 103, a pulsation generating unit 107, a screen 109, an inlet 113, and an outlet 114. In the gravity separation device 101 for recycled materials, no partition member is arranged on the screen 109. The outlet 114 includes a first outlet 115 and a second outlet 117. Water is stored in the storage tank 103 as the stored liquid 105.

Next, the operation of the recycling material specific gravity separation device 101 will be described. As shown in Figure 4, the collected mixed plastics 120 are fed into the storage tank 103 from the feed port 113. In the storage tank 103, the stored liquid 105 (water) is pulsated in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by the pulsation generating unit 107.

As the stored liquid 105 pulsates in the vertical direction, the mixed plastics 120 move from the inlet 113 toward the outlet 114. During this time, the light specific gravity plastics 121 move to an upper region in the stored liquid 105, and the heavy specific gravity plastics 123 move to a lower region in the stored liquid 105. The foreign matter 125 moves to a region in the stored liquid 105 below the heavy specific gravity plastics 123.

As a result, the foreign matter 125, the heavy specific gravity plastic 123, and the light specific gravity plastic 121 are piled up in that order on the screen 109. In the gravity separation device 101 for recycled materials in the comparative example, since no partition member is attached to the screen 109, the foreign matter 125 in particular is piled up over the entire area of the screen 109 from the inlet 113 to the outlet 114.

For this reason, when removing the foreign matter 125, it is necessary to remove the foreign matter 125 that has accumulated over the entire surface of the screen 109. As a result, maintenance takes time, the downtime of the specific gravity separation device 101 for recycled materials increases, and the operating rate of the specific gravity separation device 101 for recycled materials decreases.

In addition, in the comparative example of the gravity separation device 101 for recycled materials, foreign matter 125 also accumulates on the screen 109 on the discharge outlet 114 side, so that the flow of the stored liquid 105 (water) is affected by the foreign matter 125, causing disturbances in the flow of the stored liquid 105. This results in a decrease in the sorting accuracy of discharging light specific gravity plastics 121 from the first discharge outlet 115 and discharging heavy specific gravity plastics 123 from the second discharge outlet 117.

In contrast to the gravity separation device 101 for recycled materials in the comparative example, in the gravity separation device 1 for recycled materials in the first embodiment, a partition member 11 is attached to the screen 9 as shown in Figure 1. The partition member 11 is attached between the inlet 13 and the outlet 14. For this reason, as shown in Figure 3, foreign matter 25 accumulates on the screen 9 in a limited area from the inlet 13 to the partition member 11.

Moreover, the partition member 11 is provided with a first extension portion 11a that intersects obliquely with the flow of the mixed plastics 20 (the flow of the stored liquid 5). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the foreign matter 25 tends to accumulate in the portion of the partition member 11 that is located downstream of the flow of the stored liquid 5.

4, it is only necessary to remove the foreign matter 25 that has accumulated on the limited area of the screen 9 from the inlet 13 to the partition member 11, compared to removing the foreign matter 125 that has accumulated over the entire area of the screen 109 from the inlet 113 to the outlet 114. As a result, the time required for maintenance can be shortened, and the downtime of the density separation device 1 for recycled materials can be shortened, which can contribute to improving the operating rate of the density separation device 1 for recycled materials.

In addition, in the recycling material density separation device 1 according to the first embodiment, the foreign matter 25 is captured by the partition member 11, and the foreign matter 25 does not accumulate on the screen on the discharge outlet 14 side. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, no disturbance occurs in the flow of the stored liquid 5, compared to the case where the foreign matter 125 also accumulates on the screen 109 on the discharge outlet 114 side.

As a result, in the area of the storage tank 3 from the partition member 11 to the discharge outlet 14, the heavy specific gravity plastics 23 and the light specific gravity plastics 21 are deposited in that order on the screen 9. As a result, the light specific gravity plastics 21 can be discharged from the first discharge outlet 15 and the heavy specific gravity plastics 23 can be discharged from the second discharge outlet 17 without reducing the sorting accuracy.

Embodiment 2.
An example of a density separation device for recycled materials according to embodiment 2 will be described. As shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, in the density separation device for recycled materials 1 according to embodiment 2, a first extension portion 11a and a second extension portion 11b are arranged on a screen 9 as a partition member 11. The first extension portion 11a extends from a side wall portion 4a of the storage tank 3 in a manner having an X-axis positive direction component and a Y-axis negative direction component. The second extension portion 11b extends from a side wall portion 4b of the storage tank 3 in a manner having an X-axis positive direction component and a Y-axis positive direction component.

The first extension portion 11a and the second extension portion 11b are connected to each other at approximately the midpoint between the side wall portion 4a and the side wall portion 4b. The partition member 11 is arranged in a V-shape in a plan view of the storage tank 3 from above (Z-axis direction). The rest of the configuration is the same as that of the recycling material specific gravity separation device 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2, so the same members are given the same symbols and their descriptions will not be repeated unless necessary.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned recycling material specific gravity separation device 1 will be described. As shown in Figure 8, the collected mixed plastics 20 are fed into the storage tank 3 from the inlet 13. The pulsation generating unit 7 causes the stored liquid 5 to pulsate vertically in the storage tank 3, so that the light specific gravity plastics 21 and heavy specific gravity plastics 23 move vertically and also move from the inlet 13 towards the discharge outlet 14.

In addition, as the stored liquid 5 pulsates in the vertical direction, the light specific gravity plastics 21 move to an upper region in the stored liquid 5, and the heavy specific gravity plastics 23 move to a lower region in the stored liquid 5. The foreign matter 25 moves to a region in the stored liquid 5 below the heavy specific gravity plastics 23.

As a result, the foreign matter 25, the heavy specific gravity plastic 23, and the light specific gravity plastic 21 are piled up in that order on the screen 9. At this time, the foreign matter 25 is piled up in a limited area in the storage tank 3 from the inlet 13 side to the partition member 11.

As described above, as the stored liquid 5 continues to pulsate, the light specific gravity plastics 21 and heavy specific gravity plastics 23 move beyond the partition member 11 toward the discharge outlet 14. On the other hand, foreign matter does not move beyond the partition member 11 toward the discharge outlet 14. As a result, in the region from the partition member 11 to the discharge outlet 14 within the storage tank 3, foreign matter 25 does not accumulate on the screen 9, and heavy specific gravity plastics 23 and light specific gravity plastics 21 accumulate on the screen 9 in that order.

The light specific gravity plastics 21 located relatively higher are discharged from the first outlet 15 to the outside of the storage tank 3 together with the stored liquid 5. The heavy specific gravity plastics 23 located relatively lower are discharged from the second outlet 17 to the outside of the storage tank 3 together with the stored liquid 5. In this way, the light specific gravity plastics 21 and the heavy specific gravity plastics 23 contained in the mixed plastics 20 are separately recovered.

On the other hand, the foreign matter 25 contained in the mixed plastic 20 is captured by the partition member 11. The foreign matter 25 accumulates on the screen 9 in a limited area from the inlet 13 to the partition member 11.

In the above-mentioned recycling material specific gravity separation device 1, the partition member 11 has a first extension portion 11a and a second extension portion 11b. The first extension portion 11a and the second extension portion 11b are arranged in a V-shape in a plan view of the storage tank 3 seen from above (Z-axis direction). The bottom of the V-shape is located on the discharge outlet 14 side. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the foreign matter 25 is efficiently captured in a limited area corresponding to the bottom of the V-shape where the first extension portion 11a and the second extension portion 11b are connected to each other. In other words, the foreign matter 25 is efficiently accumulated in a localized area on the screen 9.

As a result, when removing the foreign matter 25, it is only necessary to remove the foreign matter 25 that has accumulated in a localized area within the storage tank 3. As a result, the time required for maintenance can be shortened, and the downtime of the specific gravity separation device 1 for recycled materials can be shortened, which contributes to improving the operating rate of the specific gravity separation device 1 for recycled materials.

In order to deposit foreign matter contained in the mixed plastics 20 more efficiently in localized areas on the screen 9, the partition members 11 may be arranged to provide multiple localized areas. As shown in FIG. 10, in a plan view of the storage tank 3 from above (Z-axis direction), the partition members 11 may be arranged in a W-shape to provide two localized areas. Furthermore, the partition members 11 may be arranged to provide three or more localized areas.

Embodiment 3.
An example of a specific gravity separation device for recycled materials according to embodiment 3 will be described. As shown in Fig. 11, in the specific gravity separation device 1 for recycled materials according to embodiment 3, in addition to the partition member 11, a partition member 12 is arranged on the screen 9. The partition member 12 is arranged on the side closer to the discharge port 14 than the partition member 11.

The partition members 11 and 12 may be arranged, for example, in a manner having a negative X-axis component and a positive Y-axis component from side wall portion 4a to side wall portion 4b in the storage tank 3 as shown in Figure 2, or may be arranged in a manner shown in Figure 7 or 10. Note that the rest of the configuration is the same as that of the recycling material density separation device 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2, so the same members are given the same reference numerals and the description will not be repeated unless necessary.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned recycling material specific gravity separation device 1 will be described. As shown in Figure 12, the collected mixed plastics 20 are fed into the storage tank 3 from the inlet 13. The pulsation generator 7 causes the stored liquid 5 to pulsate vertically in the storage tank 3, so that the light specific gravity plastics 21 and heavy specific gravity plastics 23 move vertically and also move from the inlet 13 towards the discharge outlet 14.

In addition, as the stored liquid 5 pulsates in the vertical direction, the light specific gravity plastics 21 move to an upper region in the stored liquid 5, and the heavy specific gravity plastics 23 move to a lower region in the stored liquid 5. The foreign matter 25 moves to a region in the stored liquid 5 below the heavy specific gravity plastics 23.

As a result, the foreign matter 25, the heavy specific gravity plastics 23, and the light specific gravity plastics 21 are piled up in that order on the screen 9. At this time, the foreign matter 25 is piled up in the area from the inlet 13 side to the partition member 11 in the storage tank 3. As the stored liquid 5 continues to pulsate, the light specific gravity plastics 21 and the heavy specific gravity plastics 23 move beyond the partition member 11 to the outlet 14 side.

Here, it is assumed that some of the foreign matter 25 accumulated in the area up to the partition member 11 may move beyond the partition member 11 toward the discharge port 14. In such a case, the foreign matter 25 that has moved beyond the partition member 11 toward the discharge port 14 is captured by the partition member 12 and accumulates on the screen 9 between the partition members 11 and 12.

When foreign matter 25 moves beyond the partition member 11 toward the discharge outlet 14, it is captured by the partition member 12, and in the area on the screen 9 extending from the partition member 12 to the discharge outlet 14, heavy specific gravity plastics 23 and light specific gravity plastics 21 accumulate in that order.

The light specific gravity plastics 21 are discharged from the first outlet 15 together with the stored liquid 5 to the outside of the storage tank 3. The heavy specific gravity plastics 23 are discharged from the second outlet 17 together with the stored liquid 5 to the outside of the storage tank 3. In this way, the light specific gravity plastics 21 and the heavy specific gravity plastics 23 contained in the mixed plastics 20 are separately recovered.

In the above-mentioned recycling material specific gravity separation device 1, in addition to the partition member 11, a partition member 12 is arranged on the screen 9. The partition member 12 is arranged on the side closer to the discharge outlet 14 than the partition member 11.

Therefore, even if some of the foreign matter 25 accumulated in the area up to the partition member 11 moves beyond the partition member 11 toward the discharge outlet 14, such foreign matter 25 will be captured by the partition member 12 and accumulated on the screen 9 between the partition members 11 and 12.

As a result, when removing the foreign matter 25, it is only necessary to remove the foreign matter 25 that has accumulated in the limited areas on the screen 9, namely, the area from the inlet 13 to the partition member 11 and the area from the partition member 11 to the partition member 12. As a result, the time required for maintenance can be shortened, and the downtime of the specific gravity separation device 1 for recycled materials can be shortened, which can contribute to improving the operating rate of the specific gravity separation device 1 for recycled materials.

On the other hand, for the mixed plastics 20, the heavy specific gravity plastics 23 and the light specific gravity plastics 21 accumulate in this order in the region (on the screen 9) from the partition member 12 to the discharge outlet 14 in the storage tank 3. This allows the light specific gravity plastics 21 to be discharged from the first discharge outlet 15 and the heavy specific gravity plastics 23 to be discharged from the second discharge outlet 17 without reducing the sorting accuracy.

In the above embodiments, water is given as an example of the stored liquid 5 stored in the storage tank 3. The stored liquid 5 is not limited to water, which has a specific gravity value of 1. For example, salt water or sugar water can be used as the stored liquid 5 having a specific gravity value greater than 1. The specific gravity value can be adjusted by the concentration of salt water or sugar water.

On the other hand, for example, ethanol can be used as a stored liquid having a specific gravity value less than 1. Also, although plastic is given as an example of the material to be sorted, the material to be sorted is not limited to plastic, and the method can also be used to sort metals, coal, iron ore, etc.

The recycling material density separation devices described in each embodiment can be combined in various ways as needed.

The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and are not intended to be limiting. The present disclosure is defined by the scope of the claims, not the scope described above, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

It is effectively used in recycling material density sorting devices that sort and recover recycling materials based on their specific gravity.

1 Gravity sorting device, 3 Storage tank, 3a First region, 3b Second region, 4a Side wall portion, 4b Side wall portion, 5 Retained liquid, 7 Pulse generating portion, 9 Screen, 11 Partition member, 11a First extension portion, 11b Second extension portion, 12 Partition member, 13 Mixed plastic inlet, 14 Discharge outlet, 15 Light specific gravity plastic discharge outlet, 17 Heavy specific gravity plastic discharge outlet, 20 Mixed plastic, 21 Light specific gravity plastic, 23 Heavy specific gravity plastic, 25 Foreign matter.

Claims (5)

A gravity sorting device for sorting recycled materials based on their specific gravity, comprising:
a storage tank for storing a storage liquid having a first specific gravity;
a screen disposed to divide the inside of the storage tank into a first region and a second region located above the first region, the screen allowing the stored liquid to flow between the first region and the second region;
a pulsation generating unit provided in the first region of the storage tank and configured to pulsate the stored liquid;
an inlet for injecting a mixed recycled material including a first recycled material having a second specific gravity greater than the first specific gravity and a second recycled material having a third specific gravity greater than the second specific gravity, toward the second region of the storage tank;
a discharge port provided in the storage tank so as to face the input port, the discharge port including a first discharge port for discharging the first recycled material and a second discharge port for discharging the second recycled material;
and one or more partition members disposed on the screen in a manner not protruding from the stored liquid;
The storage tank has a first storage wall and another storage wall that face each other and extend from the inlet toward the outlet,
The partition member is formed from the one storage wall to the other storage wall,
A gravity separation device for recycled materials, wherein the partition member is provided with a first extension portion extending in a direction intersecting from one storage wall to the other storage wall with respect to a first direction in which the recycled material input into the storage tank from the input port flows toward the discharge port. The partition member includes a second extension portion that extends in a direction intersecting the first direction from the other storage wall toward the one storage wall and is connected to the first extension portion,
The gravity separation device for recycled materials as described in claim 1, wherein the first extension portion and the second extension portion are connected between the one storage wall and the other storage wall in a manner such that they approach each other from the inlet to the outlet. The one or more partition members include
A first partition member;
3. The gravity separator for recycling materials according to claim 1, further comprising a second partition member disposed on a side closer to the discharge outlet than the first partition member. The gravity separation device for recycled materials according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second discharge outlet is disposed below the first discharge outlet. The gravity separation device for recycled materials according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the stored liquid includes water.

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