System and process for sorting and recovery of recyclable materials from mixed waste

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11717857-B2
Application number	US-202117473120-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2021
Priority date	Nov 29, 2018
Publication date	Aug 8, 2023
Grant date	Aug 8, 2023

Abstract

A system and process for sorting and recovery of recyclable materials, and in particular, sorting and recovery of recyclable materials from mixed waste comprising municipal solid waste in a materials recovery facility.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for sorting and recovering materials from a mixed solid waste stream, the process comprising:
screening the mixed solid waste stream in a plurality of screeners to produce a solid waste stream comprising heavier weight materials, medium weight materials and lighter weight materials;
passing the solid waste stream through a first air separator and removing the heavier weight materials from the solid waste stream;
passing the solid waste stream through a second air separator and removing the medium weight materials from the solid waste stream, wherein the medium weight materials comprise one or more of higher density plastics, ferrous/tin cans, and mixed paper, such that the solid waste stream substantially comprises lighter weight materials, wherein the lighter weight materials comprise contaminants and other materials;
passing the solid waste stream through a third air separator and contacting the solid waste stream with an air stream to isolate the contaminants from the other materials;
recombining the medium weight materials and the contaminants from the lighter weight materials to produce a recombined solid waste stream;
introducing the recombined solid waste stream into a mechanical separator and separating the recombined solid waste stream into containers materials comprising bottles and cans, and other materials;
passing the containers materials sequentially through a first eddy current separator and a second eddy current separator to remove all or substantially all non-ferrous metals; and
passing the containers materials though one or more optical sorters to remove plastics materials.

Assignees

• Wm Intellectual Property Holdings L L C
• Wm Intellectual Property Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Torriere Bob

Classifications

• Y02W30/62

  Plastics recycling; Rubber recycling · CPC title

• B07B9/00 Primary

  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 title

• B03C1/23

  with material carried by oscillating fields; with material carried by travelling fields, e.g. generated by stationary magnetic coils; Eddy-current separators, e.g. sliding ramp · CPC title

• B07C5/342

  according to optical properties, e.g. colour {(according to radiation transmittivity B07C5/3416)} · CPC title

• B07B4/08

  while the mixtures are supported by sieves, screens, or like mechanical elements · CPC title