Systems and methods for sorting recyclables at a material recovery facility

• US 8,127,933 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2005
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Re Community Holdings II, Inc. (Republic Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Re Community Holdings II, Inc. (Republic Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bohlig, James W., Duffy, Sean P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez, Joseph C
• Application Number:
  US11/883,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20080237093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,429 Days
• Field of Search: 209/12.1, 209/555, 209/576, 209/577, 209/587, 209/667, 209/930, 700/28, 700/32
• US Class Current: 209/555
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 19/0056 specially adapted for specific materials not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 23/14 with more than one separator
• CPC Class Codes: B03B 11/00 Feed or discharge devices integral with washing or wet-separating equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B03B 13/00 Control arrangements specially adapted for wet-separating apparatus or for dressing plant, using physical effects
• CPC Class Codes: B03B 9/061 the refuse being industrial
• CPC Class Codes: B03B 9/062 the refuse being glass
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/342 according to optical properties, e.g. colour according to radiation transmittivity B07C5/3416
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/3425 of granular material, e.g. ore particles, grain investigation moving fluids or granular solids using optical means G01N21/85
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 17/02 Separating plastics from other materials
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 2017/0203 Separating plastics from plastics
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 2017/0224 Screens, sieves
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 2017/0268 Separation of metals
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 2017/0272 Magnetic separation
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 2017/0279 Optical identification, e.g. cameras or spectroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/06 PE, i.e. polyethylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/12 PP, i.e. polypropylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2025/00 Use of polymers of vinyl-aromatic compounds or derivatives thereof as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2027/06 PVC, i.e. polyvinylchloride
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/00 Use of polyesters or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2705/00 Use of metals, their alloys or their compounds, for preformed parts, e.g. for inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2705/02 : Aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2705/04 : Lead
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2705/08 : Transition metals
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2705/12 : Iron
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2709/02 : Ceramics
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2709/08 : Glass
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2711/12 : Paper, e.g. cardboard
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2007/008 : Wide strips, e.g. films, webs
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7158 : Bottles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/52 : Mechanical processing of waste for the recovery of materials, e.g. crushing, shredding, separation or disassembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/60 : Glass recycling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/62 : Plastics recycling; Rubber recycling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/93 : Municipal solid waste sorting

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing a quantity of cullet having at least two colors of glass from an input stream of recyclable material and non-recyclable material. In an embodiment, the system includes a sortation station, a screening apparatus, an air classifier, and a crushing apparatus to provide as output substantially pure cullet having at least two colors.

Claims

1. A paper processing system, comprising:

conveyor that conveys recyclable material during operation of the system, the recyclable material including a paper component and a non-paper component;

a first automated sorter that sorts out cardboard material from the recyclable material during operation of the system to produce a first filtered recyclable material;

a second automated sorter that sorts newspaper material from the first filtered recyclable material during operation of the system to produce a second filtered recyclable material, the second filtered recyclable material not including the non-paper component;

an optical paper sorter that receives the second filtered recyclable material from the second automated sorter during operation of the system, and collects data associated with the paper component of the second filtered recyclable material; and

a controller operatively coupled to the optical paper sorter and the conveyor, the controller receives the data collected from the optical paper sorter during operation of the system, and adjusts a first operating speed of the conveyor to a second operating speed based on the collected data to facilitate system operation.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the collected data pertains to a volume of paper processed.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the collected data pertains to the quality of paper processed.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a glass processing system that receives an input from the second automated sorter during operation of the system, the glass processing system includes an optical composition recorder for recording glass composition data.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the controller receives the glass composition data for adjusting at least one of the processing throughput of the paper processing system and the glass processing system.

6. The system according to claim 4, further comprising a container processing system that receives an input from the second automated sorter during operation of the system, the container processing system includes an optical plastics recorder for recording plastic composition data.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the controller receives the plastics composition data for adjusting at least one of the processing throughput of the paper processing system, the glass processing system, and the container processing system.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the non-paper component is at least one of a glass component or a plastic component.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first automated sorter is operatively coupled to a baler configured to receive the cardboard material sorted out from the recyclable material.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second filtered recyclable material includes the newspaper material.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second automated sorter is a dual screen separator having an upper screen deck and a lower screen deck, the upper screen deck is configured to move the second filtered recyclable material to the optical paper sorter, the lower screen deck is configured to remove the non-paper component from the first filtered recyclable material.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second automated sorter is a screen separator having an upper screen deck, a first lower screen deck, and a second lower screen deck, the first lower screen deck is configured to remove a glass material from the first filtered recyclable material and to convey the glass material to a glass processing system operatively coupled to the paper processing system, the second lower screen deck is configured to remove a plastic material from the first filtered recyclable material and to convey the plastic material to a plastic processing system operatively coupled to the paper processing system.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first operating speed is faster than the second operating speed.

14. A paper processing system, comprising:

a conveyor that conveys an input stream of recyclable material having a paper component and a non-paper component during operation of the system;

a first automated sorter that removes a cardboard material from the recyclable material during operation of the system;

a second automated sorter having a first screen deck and a second screen deck, the first screen deck removes the non-paper component from the recyclable material during operation of the system to produce a filtered recyclable paper material, the filtered recyclable paper material includes a newspaper material; and

an optical paper sorter that, during operation of the system, sorts the filtered recyclable paper material and collects data associated with the sorted filtered recyclable paper material, the data includes at least one of a volume of paper material processed, a quality of paper material processed, or a percentage of paper material processed,

the optical paper sorter is configured to transmit the collected data to a controller operatively coupled to the paper processing system such that the controller adjusts the operation of the paper processing system based on the collected data.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the operation of the paper processing system adjusted by the controller includes at least one of the processing rate of the optical paper sorter or the speed of the conveyor.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first screen deck is operatively coupled to a glass processing system separate from the paper processing system, the glass processing system configured to receive a glass material of the non-paper component from the first screen deck, the glass processing system includes optical composition recorder that records glass composition data, the glass processing system is configured to transmit the glass composition data to the controller such that the controller adjusts the processing throughput of at least one of the glass processing system or the paper processing system.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the first screen deck is operatively coupled to a container processing system separate from the paper processing system, the container processing system configured to receive a plastic material of the non-paper component from the first screen deck, the container processing system includes optical composition recorder that records plastics composition data, the container processing system is configured to transmit the plastics composition data to the controller such that the controller adjusts the processing throughput of at least one of the container processing system or the paper processing system.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the first screen deck is configured to remove a plastic material from the recyclable material, the first screen deck is operatively coupled to a container processing system separate from the paper processing system such that the removed plastic material is conveyed to the container processing system for processing,

wherein the second screen deck is configured to remove a glass material from the recyclable material, the second screen deck is operatively coupled to a glass processing system separate from the paper processing system such that the removed glass material is conveyed to the glass processing system for processing.

19. The system of claim 14, further comprising a baler operatively coupled to the first automated sorter configured to receive and bundle the cardboard material removed from the recyclable material.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the first automated sorter includes a first screen deck and a second screen deck, the first screen deck is configured to remove the cardboard material from the recyclable material.