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Application of a gas-solid fluidized bed separator for shredded municipal bulky solid waste separation
T Sekito1, T Matsuto, N Tanaka
1Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Miyazaki, 1-1, Gakuen Kibanadai Nishi, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan. sekito@civil.miyazaki-u.ac.jp
Waste Management (New York, N.Y.)
|December 29, 2005
Summary
Separating shredded municipal bulky waste (SBW) is improved by stirring to prevent accumulation. Excluding flexible materials like paper and plastics enhances separation efficiency in fluidized bed systems.
Area of Science:
- Waste Management
- Chemical Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Shredded municipal bulky waste (SBW) presents challenges for efficient separation.
- Gas-solid fluidized bed separators offer potential for waste stream valorization.
- Particle accumulation and flexible materials hinder separation efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficiency of a laboratory-scale gas-solid fluidized bed separator for SBW.
- To identify factors affecting separation efficiency, including particle accumulation and material type.
- To optimize separation parameters for improved recovery of combustibles and incombustibles.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a laboratory-scale gas-solid fluidized bed separator (5.6-50mm particle size).
- Conducted batch-scale tests with and without stirring to assess accumulation effects.
- Investigated the impact of flexible sheet materials (paper, film plastics) on separation.
- Performed continuous feeding tests to evaluate real-world performance.
- Analyzed feedstock shape influence on separation behavior.
Main Results:
- Stirring effectively prevented SBW accumulation, improving separation.
- Excluding flexible materials like paper and film plastics yielded 90% efficiency in batch tests.
- Continuous feeding achieved 95% purity for float fractions and 86% for sink fractions (79% overall).
- Particle density was a key separation factor, but shape significantly influenced fluidization behavior.
Conclusions:
- Stirring is crucial for maintaining efficiency in fluidized bed separation of SBW.
- Material properties, particularly flexibility, significantly impact separation outcomes.
- Fluidized bed separation is viable for SBW, with density and shape being critical parameters for optimization.
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