Classifying – separating – and assorting solids – With heat treatment
Patent
1996-01-23
1998-06-30
Young, Karen M.
Classifying, separating, and assorting solids
With heat treatment
209 1, B03B 102
Patent
active
057720410
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention concerns a method for recovering materials, and, in particular, a method for recovering pairs of materials of the plastic/metal type from waste.
More particularly, this invention concerns a method enabling the recovery, from rejects or scraps of new or used sheathed cable and/or insulated wire, of both the plastic sheathing or insulating material, which covers the core of the cable or wire, and the metal material actually forming the core.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
One of the known methods for recovering these sheathed cable and insulated wire reject or scrap materials consists of removing with the use of a flame, that is to say, essentially by combustion, the plastic material forming the sheathing, then recovering the almost stripped core.
The major disadvantage of this method is that the plastic material, having been burnt, has decomposed, so that it is impossible subsequently to recover and recycle it. Furthermore, this method involves the emission of polluting gases which have to be processed, in order to comply with environmental protection legislation, by heavy and costly industrial installations before being released into the atmosphere, which makes this process uneconomic.
A second known method consists of mechanically stripping the cables or wires with the aid of mechanical operations implemented by an appropriate machine. This method unfortunately is not entirely satisfactory since it has been noted that there remains on the stripped cables or wires residue of the sheathing material and that metallic particles forming the core of the cable are found in the plastic material. The stripped scraps and plastic material thus obtained have a lower commercial value and their ability to be recycled is markedly reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A main object of the invention is thus to overcome the disadvantages of the aforementioned prior art by providing a method for recovering materials which enables the materials processed to be recovered in their entirety and in their purest possible form, that is to say without any reciprocal pollution.
The invention thus concerns a method for recovering materials from parts to be processed, such as rejects or scraps of new or used sheathed cables and/or insulated wires, characterised in that it comprises :
(a) introducing said parts into an airtight enclosed space and placing them on a support provided with draining means, (b) removing the oxygen contained in the enclosed space to create a neutral, non-oxidising atmosphere in the latter, (c) raising the temperature inside the enclosed space until it reaches a melting temperature of one of the materials forming said parts, and until said material drains through the draining means, (d) collecting said melted material in a recovery tank maintained at a temperature less or equal to said melting temperature, (e) further raising the temperature inside the enclosed space to cause said material, remaining on the parts to dissipate in the form of vapour or gas, and (f) recovering after cooling, on the one hand, the material drained into said tank, and on the other hand, the material or materials remaining on the support.
It is understood that thanks to this method, only a slight decomposition of the material takes place, in particular of the plastic material which is melted and collected in the recovery tank, said material being able to be wholly recycled by subsequently being cut into granules and mixed in a chosen proportion with a "new" material to produce new parts, for example new sheathed cables or new insulated wires.
It is further understood that it is possible, thanks to this method, to process significant volumes of materials while considerably limiting the polluting effects. Furthermore, this method can be easily implemented by an operator, thanks to appropriate programming of the heating periods and levels of the enclosed space as a function of the plastic/metal pairs of materials to be processed.
Other features and advantages of the invention will appear more cle
REFERENCES:
patent: 3670969 (1972-06-01), Terada
patent: 3744779 (1973-07-01), Perry
patent: 4091825 (1978-05-01), Baker
patent: 4750993 (1988-06-01), Donhauser et al.
patent: 5350562 (1994-09-01), Anthony
Buluschek Bruno
Kertscher Eberhard
E. Kertscher S.A.
Morse Gregory A.
Young Karen M.
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