Solid material comminution or disintegration – Processes – By utilizing kinetic energy of projected or suspended material
Patent
1996-12-11
1998-06-23
Rosenbaum, Mark
Solid material comminution or disintegration
Processes
By utilizing kinetic energy of projected or suspended material
241 23, 241 29, 241 65, 2411522, 241275, B02C 1912
Patent
active
057693315
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for recycling empty aluminum cans that have been used as containers for drinks as new aluminum cans, an aluminum source, or steel making deoxidizers or additives.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, aluminum cans have been widely used as containers for beer or carbonated drinks, and a large number of empty used cans have been abandoned, leading to an environment problem. In addition, refining aluminum ores requires a large amount of electric energy as well as the discharge of CO.sub.2 gas. Recycling empty aluminum cans is thus very important because it contributes to energy saving, the preservation of underground resources, and the protection of global environment.
Empty aluminum cans abandoned by general homes with other wastes are separated from garbages and steel cans, and then molded into pressed blocks of a fixed size by recycling companies. To reuse pressed blocks, the following two processing methods are used.
One of them is to melt the pressed blocks directly or after pre-processing such as cutting, roasting, or press molding and then to cast them into molds to obtain ingots. The other is to cut aluminum cans into pieces of an appropriate size, to roast them directly or after further cutting, and then to press mold them so that they will have an appropriate size, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-67687. Materials obtained by such processing are reused as new aluminum cans or steel making deoxidizers.
The above conventional processing methods for manufacturing recycling aluminum materials from pressed blocks have the following problems arising from the mixture of paints or pigments applied to the surface of the cans due to the direct recycling of collected empty cans.
As reported in "Effects of paints in the recycling of empty used cans" in R. D Kobe Seiko Technical Report/Vol. 43, No. 2 (1993), conventional melting methods have the following problems: completely removed.
This literature indicates that the above decrease in yields can be minimized by burning at high temperatures (798.degree. K or higher) and that the mixture of Ti can be prevented by capturing TiO.sub.2 in slag to remove it. It, however, also points out metal losses caused by melting and the need of new methods for removing paints from empty cans during pre-processing and removing oxides from aluminum during melting.
The inventions in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-53494 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-160473 are disclosed as such processing methods. FIGS. 12 and 13 show the configurations of these inventions.
In FIG. 12, reference numeral 1 designates a crusher with a screen la; 2 is an exhauster; 3 is a cyclone; 4 is a back filter; and 5 is a sieve. Reference numeral 6 denotes a magnetic separator; 7 is a tank; 8 is a thermal treatment device; 8a is a burner; and 9 is an impact granulating machine.
In the invention of the configuration shown in FIG. 12, the crusher 1 crushes empty cans into scales, the exhauster 2 supplies air to the cyclone 3, the back filter 4 and the sieve 5 operate to remove impurities, and the magnetic separator 6 operates to remove iron pieces. The heat treatment device 8 further burns and removes synthetic resins, and the impact granulating machine 9 applies striking and twisting impacts to release and remove residual metallic substances contained in residual carbides and paints in order to carry out granulation.
In FIG. 13, reference numeral 1 indicates a pot drum; 2 is a shot section; 3 is a discharge port; 4 is a screw conveyor; 5 is a bucket conveyor; 6 is a concentrator; 7 is an opening and closing device. In this apparatus, a crusher cuts aluminum chips into small pieces 10 to 60 mm in size, which are then heated at about 150.degree. C. to burn and remove attachment such as vinyl. After burning and removing attachment, the small pieces obtained from the aluminum chips are fed into the drum 1, the door 7 of which is then closed, and the pieces are rotated and agitated inside th
REFERENCES:
patent: 4044459 (1977-08-01), Burlingame
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-160473.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-83167.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-67687.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-42411.
Arikata Kazuyoshi
Kondo Toshio
Kurozumi Takao
Yamagishi Yoshinao
Nippon Chuzo Kabushiki Kaisha
Rosenbaum Mark
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