Abstract: A water treatment apparatus, upper surfaces of two of the consecutively arranged ground electrodes are alternately inclined in opposite directions with respect to a horizontal plane, a gap is formed between a lower surface of an upper side ground electrode and an upper surface of a lower side ground electrode, a voltage is applied to a discharge electrode provided in the gap, thereby forming discharges both in air between the discharge electrode and the lower surface of the upper side ground electrode and in air between the discharge electrode and the upper surface of the lower side ground electrode, and water to be treated is caused to continuously flow downward from the ground electrode of an uppermost part to the ground electrode of a lowermost part along the respective upper surfaces such that the water to be treated is treated.

Abstract: A method for separating a granular synthetic material from a loose mass of various synthetic materials includes: conveying the granular mass along a trajectory having a rubbing surface subjecting the mass falling from the rubbing surface to an electrical field; and collecting at least one of the masses separated by the electrical field. The mass advances in a single layer on the rubbing surface, while maintaining the single layer contact with the rubbing surface, the rubbing surface being subjected to repeated acceleration in opposite directions in the plane of the rubbing surface, or tangential thereto to move the mass on the surface in order to improve the electrostatic charge. The rubbing surface is made of or clad with a material having intermediate triboelectric properties with respect to those of the granular mass, and is clad with a same material as that which it is intended to separate from the mass.

Abstract: A separation system includes an air separator that, in one embodiment, primarily receives Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) containing a mixture of relatively light MSW recyclable materials such as plastic, paper, cardboard, plastic containers, and/or metal containers and relatively heavy MSW such as textiles, food waste, yard debris, etc. The air separator blows the relatively light MSW recyclable materials up though a chamber and onto a first conveyor while the other relatively heavy MSW material drops down a chute onto a second conveyor. A separation screen receives the relatively light MSW recyclable materials from the air separator and separates the relatively flat fiber and plastic film materials from the other paper, plastic and metal containers. In another separation stage, an electrostatic emitter is positioned adjacent to a conveyor for applying an electrostatic charge to the fiber and plastic materials.

Abstract: A method for separating bitumen from crude oil sands comprises subjecting crude oil sands to vibration selected to cause bitumen to separate from crude oil sands and filtering the separated bitumen from the crude oil sands.

Abstract: A separation system includes an air separator that, in one embodiment, primarily receives Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) containing a mixture of relatively light MSW recyclable materials such as plastic, paper, cardboard, plastic containers, and/or metal containers and relatively heavy MSW such as textiles, food waste, yard debris, etc. The air separator blows the relatively light MSW recyclable materials up though a chamber and onto a first conveyor while the other relatively heavy MSW material drops down a chute onto a second conveyor. A separation screen receives the relatively light MSW recyclable materials from the air separator and separates the relatively flat fiber and plastic film materials from the other paper, plastic and metal containers. In another separation stage, an electrostatic emitter is positioned adjacent to a conveyor for applying an electrostatic charge to faciliate separation of the MSW recyclable materials.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for manufacturing dispersed mineral products by grinding the mineral raw material, sizing the same in a flow classifier, sorting the same in dispersion in air, and climinating the dispersion air. Also disclosed are devices and installations for carrying out said method. In prior art, mineral raw materials cannot be purified or are purified very inefficiently such that only very pure and high-quality starting raw materials, which are available in limited quantifies only, can be used for manufacturing high-quality dispersed mineral products, especially fillers. The aim of the invention is therefore to create a method for manufacturing dispersed mineral products, particularly fillers, in a dry process as well as devices for carrying out said method.

Abstract: An electrostatic separation system for separating fine metal and plastics is disclosed. An electrostatic separation system according to the present invention comprises a negative electrostatic induction plate and positive metal net made of special materials, which have appropriate dimensions and an appropriate space between them to improve separation efficiency, and a separating plate which is appropriately positioned to improve separation efficiency. The electrostatic separation system has processing capacity more than 5 times in comparison to conventional electrostatic selection systems and is able to separate fine particles of 0.1 mm in size. In addition, the electrostatic separation system has wide application in recycling other useful recourses as well as separating the mixture of fine particle metal and non-metal materials.

Abstract: [Object]The present invention provides an electrostatic separation method and an electrostatic separation device each of which, even in a case where the concentration of unburned components of coal ash produced by a boiler of a coal-fired power plant is as high as 15% to 30%, can stably separate the ash (into high unburned component ash and low unburned component ash) without generating spark, reuse the high unburned component ash as fuel, and reuse the low unburned component ash as, for example, an auxiliary material of concrete.

Abstract: An electrostatic separation apparatus for conductive particles and insulating particles with reduced separation time and improved separating capability, comprises a substantially flat-plate shaped bottom electrode (26) provided on lower side, a substantially flat-plate shaped mesh electrode (22) provided above the bottom electrode (26) as spaced a predetermined distance apart from the bottom electrode (26) and having a number of openings (24) to allow particles to pass therethrough, a direct current power supply connected to at least one of the mesh electrode (22) and the bottom electrode (24), and a voltage is applied across the bottom electrode (22) and the mesh electrode (24), thereby forming a separation zone (10) between the electrodes.

Abstract: Methods, systems and media for separating polymer mixtures. A mixture including polymeric components is provided. A particulate media is added to the mixture, where the particulate media can selectively mediate a triboelectric charging of the polymer mixture. The media includes a polymeric material having a selected position within an electrostatic charging sequence and a functional additive. The mixture is triboelectrically charged with the media. Two or more components of the polymer mixture are separated according to the triboelectric charge. A portion of the particulate media can be recovered using a recovery process, where the functional additive is selected for compatibility with the recovery process.

Abstract: A first and second electrostatic sorting sections are arranged below a tribo-electrifying device in this order in a vertical direction to form a sorting electrostatic field between a drum electrode and an opposing electrode. Plastic pieces separated from the other plastic pieces by the sorting electrostatic field in the first electrostatic separating section are introduced into a sorting electrostatic field in the second electrostatic separating section for second separation, thereby increasing the separation purity and recovery rate of plastic pieces.

Abstract: A feed tray (22) for guiding tribo electrified plastic pieces (2) to a drum electrode (6) is provided with a vibrator (23), thereby making it possible to vibrate the plastic pieces (2) to form a thin uniform layer, and to reliably apply appropriate image force and centrifugal force to the plastic pieces (2) fed to the drum electrode (6); thus, the plastic pieces (2) can be separated according to kind with high precision.

Abstract: A device for electrostatically separating different kinds of crushed plastic pieces and correctly sorting them according to kind. The device has a classifying section (40) for classifying plastic pieces according to size, a frictional charging device (17), a pair of drum type electrostatic separating devices (41), and collecting sections (26) disposed below the electrostatic separating devices. Partition walls (52-55) for partitioning the collecting sections are constructed to be horizontally movable according to the fall positions associated with the polarity and amount of electric charge of each plastic piece (16). Therefore, separation can be correctly effected without changing the voltage from a high voltage power source device (24).

Abstract: This invention relates to improving the separation efficiency in a triboelectric separator by adding media against which the components of the mixture will charge. As a result, random charging between the components of the mixture is reduced and controlled, and predictable charging is achieved.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method and apparatus for separating mineral particles according to their dielectric and/or electrophysical properties. In one practical example, rutile particles can be separated from zircon particles. In the method, the mineral particles which are to be separated are passed through a sharply non-homogenous electrical field. Particles with different dielectric and/or electrophysical properties are subjected to different forces which separate them spatially. The spatially separated particles are collected in discrete fractions.

Abstract: When plastic pieces of plural different types of resins fed into a hopper are agitated to be triboelectrically charged, the plastic pieces are not imparted with sufficient amounts of charges or proper polarities which are required for separation of the plastic pieces if there are great differences in quantity between the different types of plastic pieces. This makes it impossible to properly separate the plastic pieces. Where the amount of pieces of a particular plastic to be separated is small, pieces of the particular plastic are additionally fed as a triboelectrification agent into a triboelectric charger (3) and agitated with the plastic pieces. Thus, different types of plastic pieces (1) (e.g., PVC and PE) are prevented from being imparted with the same polarity and are imparted with different amounts of charges, so that the separation can assuredly be carried out in an electrostatic separating section (G) for recovery of the particular plastic pieces.

Abstract: A conveyor (3) feeds batches of plastic chips (2) in feeding amounts W1 to a charging device (4). After the plastic chips (2) have been stirred and charged inside the charging device (4) for a certain period of time T, they are ejected in batches and fed continuously by a screw feeder (20) to a drum electrode (5) at a feeding amount per unit time W2. The feeding amount per unit time W2 is adjusted so as to satisfy W1/T≦W2≦v×B×H×D where v is the rotation speed of the drum electrode (5), B is a width of the drum electrode (5), H is an average thickness of the plastic chips (2) that have been fed onto the drum electrode (5), and D is a bulk density of the plastic chips (2).

Abstract: The invention concerns a process as well as an apparatus for separating broken goods, consisting of broken nibs or beans and their shells and especially the separation of broken cacao beans (nibs) from the cacao shells in an electrostatic manner. In this connection the broken goods are electrostatically charged in fractionated configuration within a charging area between two differently charged electrodes and thereafter the beans and shells are differently deflected on downfalling within a homogeneous electrical field generated by two other electrodes defining the downfall section. The broken beans and shells then separated by means of a mechanical separator into two different product streams, consisting essentially of a stream of broken nibs and a stream of shells, which product streams are then removed.

Abstract: A method of separating particulate materials of different properties has been developed. It consists of feeding a mixture of dry, powdered materials to one end of the surface of a planar electrode, which is vibrating to move the particles forward. At least one type of the particulate materials acquires a charge via conduction or triboelectrification. Those particles that acquire charges of the same sign as that of the planar electrode are lifted and collected at the V-shaped counter electrodes installed above. The new separation method is particularly useful for removing unburned carbons from fly ash and any other conducting materials from nonconducting ones.