Separation Science and Technology, Vol.49, No.3, 464-468, 2014
Experimental Investigation of Electrostatic Separators of Plastic Particles using Different Charging Devices
Tribo-electrostatic separation is a clean technology that enables the recycling of plastics contained in granular waste of electric and electronic equipment (WEEE). The granules are first charged using a tribocharging device and then separated in a horizontal intense electric field generated between two vertical electrodes energized with two high-voltage supplies of opposite polarities. The aim of this paper is to perform a comparison between three different tribocharging devices commonly used: the fluidized bed, the static charger, and the tribo-cyclone. The study was carried out using the same granular sample comprising 50% PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) and 50% HDPE (High-density polyethylene) particles of 1-2mm average granulometric size. In spite that particles acquire higher electric charge using the cyclone device, separation efficiency is better with the fluidized bed device.