Mechanized separation of mixed solid waste and recovery of recyclable products

• US 8,684,288 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2012
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Upland Road IP Holdco LLC
• Original Assignee: Organic Energy Corporation
• Inventors: Gitschel, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenbaum, Mark
• Application Number:
  US13/693,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20130092770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• Field of Search: 241/19, 241/20, 241/24.13, 241/24.14, 241/24.18, 241/24.19, 241/24.22, 241/DIG.38, 241/79, 241/79.1, 241/30, 241/24.2, 209/3.1, 209/930
• US Class Current: 241/19
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 23/08 Separating or sorting of material, associated with crushing or disintegrating B02C23/18 takes precedence ; beater mills combined with sifting devices B02C13/13, B02C13/14; for tumbling mills B02C17/1835
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 23/14 with more than one separator
• CPC Class Codes: B03B 9/06 specially adapted for refuse
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 1/18 with magnets moving during operation
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 1/247 obtained by a rotating magnetic drum
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 1/30 Combinations with other devices, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 2201/18 Magnetic separation whereby the particles are suspended in a liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 11/04 Control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 11/06 Feeding or discharging arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 15/00 Combinations of apparatus for separating solids from solids by dry methods applicable to bulk material, e.g. loose articles fit to be handled like bulk material using wet methods B03B7/00; using gas currents B07B9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 4/02 while the mixtures fall
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 9/00 Combinations of apparatus for screening or sifting or for separating solids from solids using gas currents; General arrangement of plant, e.g. flow sheets
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/20 Waste processing or separation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/52 Mechanical processing of waste for the recovery of materials, e.g. crushing, shredding, separation or disassembly

Abstract

The method and systems efficiently extract recyclable materials from a mixed solid waste stream. The methods and systems use sizing, density and dimensional separation to produce intermediate waste streams that are enriched in particular recyclable materials. The recyclable materials can then be efficiently sorted from the individual intermediate streams using mechanized sorting equipment.

Claims

1. A method for recovering recyclable materials from mixed solid waste stream, comprising:

providing a mixed waste stream comprising comingled dry organic material, wet organic material, and inorganic material;

shredding the mixed waste stream in a shredder and fractionating the shredded mixed waste stream by size to produce first and second sized waste streams;

fractionating the first sized waste stream in a first density separator to produce a light fraction stream and a heavy fraction stream;

fractionating the heavy fraction stream in a second density separator to produce an inorganic stream and a heavy organic stream; and

separately recovering light organics from the light fraction stream and heavy organics from the heavy organic stream.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising fractioning the heavy organic stream in a third density separator to produce a wet organic stream and a heavy dry organic stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the light fraction stream includes paper and plastic and the heavy fraction stream includes wood and textiles.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the heavy fraction stream includes wood and textiles and the method further comprises separating the wood and textiles using a 2D-3D sorter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the light fraction stream includes paper and plastics and the paper and plastics are separated using an optical sorter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sized waste stream has a lower cutoff size greater than or equal to 2 inches and an upper cutoff less than 16 inches.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sized waste stream has an upper cutoff size less than 18 inches and a ratio of the upper cutoff to lower cutoff is less than 10:

1.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sized waste stream has an upper cutoff size less than 16 inches and a ratio of the upper cutoff to lower cutoff is less than 6:

1.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mixed waste stream includes at least one high value recyclable material selected from the group consisting of paper, plastic, and metal, wherein the mixed waste stream includes at least 20% by weight of a low value material selected from the group consisting of wet organics, green waste, food waste, grit, fines less than 1 inch, asphalt, concrete, textiles, and wood, rubber, film plastic, PVC, foil, rock, used consumer products, low value glass, composite materials, and combinations of these.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the waste stream includes at least 50% by weight of the low value material.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the waste stream includes at least 10% by weight of wet organic, food waste, and/or green waste.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sized waste stream is sized larger than the second sized waste stream.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second sized waste stream has an upper cutoff of less than 4 inches.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second sized waste stream has an upper cutoff and a lower cutoff with a ratio less than 10:

1.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the second sized waste stream has an upper cutoff and a lower cutoff with a ratio less than 6:

1.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the second sized waste stream has been sized to remove grit.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the second sized waste stream is fractionated in a third density separator to produce an organic stream and an inorganic stream.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the organic stream from the third density separator is fractionated in a fourth density separator to separate wet organics from dry organics.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the wet organic stream includes food waste.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising digesting the food waste in an anaerobic digester.