DE2343345A1 - Recovering metal and plastic materials from cables - by chopping to short lengths hammering and physically separating the components - Google Patents

Abstract

The cable is chopped to 1/4" lengths which are fed to a hammer mill. This separates the various materials from each other. A vacuum draws off light materials such as paper. The remainder is wetted with water and passes to an inclined vibrator table through which metal particles fall. These are dried and magnetically divided into ferrous and other metals. The plastic materials move from the table to an elutriation bath, from which the required layers are sucked off and dried in a rotary dryer.

Description

John Paul BAKER and Beryl Essie BAKER 27 View Street, MONT ALBERT, Victoria / Australia Process for the recovery of metals and plastic materials The invention relates to a method for the recovery of metals and plastic materials, in particular the conductor and insulating plastic materials of a cable, such as for example electrical wires and telephone cables.

If so far the metal was recovered from such wires and cables should be, the procedure in practice was that the insulation layer burned and then the metal was recovered. However, this has emerged from various Not found satisfactory.

First of all, the burning off of the plastic materials has to cease led to air pollution that is now considered undesirable and is generally prohibited. Second, this process removes the plastic material not recovered, which is why such a process is not so economical, how it could be if the plastic material were reclaimed. In the end is also the material from which the conductor is made usually by the Separating the plastic soiled or contaminated, so that it can be cleaned got to. Very often the conductor material is also due to the combustion temperature annealed so that its value is reduced.

The invention is therefore based on the object of addressing these disadvantages eliminate and develop a recovery process by means of which easily and simply not just the metals, especially the conductors of a cable, but those too Plastic materials, especially the insulation materials of a cable, recovered can be.

The characteristics of the method created to solve this problem emerge from the claims According to the invention it is provided that the cable in Short lengths are cut that the cut cable is subject to shock loads or pressurized to remove the conductor metal from the insulation layer to remove, and that the metal is separated from the insulation to the metal and recover the insulation material.

Preferably, the insulation material can be in a liquid bath separated from materials of different types and from impurities.

The process step for separating the conductor as well as the plastic materials can consist of the fact that the cable lengths are placed in a granulator which can be a hammer mill 0. like. The conductors can be separated from the insulation, be separated in that a vibrating water table or the like. is used.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing.

This shows schematically the implementation of the method according to the invention.

In the illustrated embodiment, the waste cable is used first in granules hznv. Cut open grains that can be relatively mine and for example have a length on the order of 6.35 mm.

The cutting device here consists of a guillotine-like one Knife 1, which can be operated automatically or manually. The granulate 2 is directed to a hammer mill 3, which has a relatively large amount of granules 2, for example up to 1016 kg / h. The hammer mill 3 by a not shown 100 hp motor can be driven, so that it is operated for a long enough time the conductor material splintered in relation to the associated insulation material and the metal as well as the plastic materials actually go through the hammer mill 3 v @ ne @ rander are separated The output from the hammer mill 3 is by a suction fan 4 passed to a storage container 5. The granulate 2 runs from it continuously or can be ejected intermittently from the storage container 5, through the Line 6 through, from which a branch line 7, the one blower 8 is assigned, can go away. The suction force of the fan 8 is dimensioned in such a way that that light material contained in line 6 from the main stream of material lifted away and transported through the line 7, from where it is via the fan 8 is passed into a collecting container 9 or the like. This light material can Pieces of paper and / or flammable string are usually included used in cable production, especially in the production of multi-core cables will.

The mixture of the plastic material and the conductors moves to the end of the line 6, from where it is driven by a motor 11 to a Cleaning or centrifugal drum 10 is passed. At this point there is also a Water inlet 12 is provided which has a manual or automatic valve 13 can to moisten the material contained in the cleaning drum 10. The cleaning drum 10 is also a surface wetting agent or a foam generating agent added, either together with the water flowing through line 12 or in any other suitable manner. After the material is moistened, it is means a container 14 removed from the cleaning drum 10 and together with water that is taken from a line 16 controlled by a valve 17, to a vibrating one Water table 15 or some other shaking device.

The vibrating water table 15 separates the heavier metal particles from the lighter particles of synthetic plastic material. The order is preferably held so that the metals are near the top of the table 15 are dispensed while the plastic material along with that from the pipe 16 coming water is transported over the table 15 away.

The plastic materials are then directed to a water bath 16 '.

This can be a chemical solution that is a special one has a specific weight, so that certain plastics can sink, while other plastics float in the water bath. Preferably a special one -specific gravity of 1.2 used, which causes polyvinyl chloride to sink, whereas polyethylene floats.

As these materials are the two most used in the manufacture of Cables are made of plastic, it is guaranteed that the Water bath 16 'a good separation between the individual parts is achieved.

A pump 17 'has a flexible inlet 18, by means of which either the particles located at the bottom or at the top of the water bath 16 'together can be absorbed with water. The discharge from the pump 17 'runs through a Outlet line 19 to a centrifuge 20 which is driven by means of a motor 22 will.

In this centrifuge 20, the excess liquid is either passed through an outlet 21 into the sink or returned to the bath 16 '. When the liquid is directed to the sink, the bath 16 'must continuously fresh Liquid are supplied and it must also be ensured that the special specific gravity of the bath 16 'remains at the required, desired level. When the liquid is diverted away via the outlet 21, a control of the special specific weight of the bath 16 'required, since the loading 16' fresh water continuously passes along with the plastic particles. One further pump 23 is also assigned a flexible inlet 24 which is used for this purpose can be to withdraw the plastic particles from the housing of the centrifuge 20. The output from this pump 23 is directed to a rotary dryer 25, which can be suspended from chains 26, one of these chains 26 by means of a motor 27 is driven.

The downstream end of the station locker 25 is one Associated heating device 28, which can generate a blown stream of hot air, the from the outlet side to the inlet side of the rotary dryer 25 over its entire Length is passed. This ensures that the at the bottom of the rotary dryer 25 dispensed particles with the available The hottest air has been treated and dried, then the air gradually loses its heat and absorbs moisture from the particles along the Rotary dryer 25 moves further up; this is continued until the air either leaves the upper end of the dryer 25 or is saturated, The particles are assigned to a dryer 25 from the dryer 25 Container 29 discharged.

It has been shown that the plastic material thus recovered is sufficiently pure to be put in an extruder without any further treatment to be able to be reused.

The metal runs from the vibrating water table 15 through a conduit 30 to a collecting container 31, from which it is directed to a dryer 32 can. This dryer 32 corresponds to the dryer 25 and is driven by a motor 33 driven. A heater 34 is disposed at the outlet end of the dryer 32, which functions in a similar manner to the heating device 28 already described.

In this case, however, the metal will not be at the outlet of the dryer 32 caught immediately, but directed to a conveyor 35, along it a section of the conveyor 35, namely above, a further conveyor 36 is arranged. Inside the conveyor 36 are near that lower One or more magnets 37 arranged on the run, either permanent magnets or electromagnets could be. This will add to any other magnetic material that may be may still be on the conveyor 35, exerted a magnetic force of attraction. Since many cables have a steel wire reinforcement insert, it is not uncommon to that a relatively large amount of steel accumulates in the pipe material used. This steel is pushed up by the magnets 37 to the underside of the conveyor 36 is drawn and moves below the magnets 37 in the longitudinal direction, as there is also the conveyor 36 is moved forward. The steel is past the end of the magnet 37 directed, at which point it then moves into one of the lower run of the conveyor 36 associated collecting funnel 38, a container 39 or the like. Can fall into it.

In contrast, the material that is not paramagnetic runs in simply via the end of the lower conveyor 35 into a collecting container 40 or the like

It is not usually common for a specific cable to have more than has a special conductor shape. It has now been shown that the collecting container 40, if a given type of cable is used, small particles of extremely high pure conductor metal, which is usually copper or aluminum, whereas the receptacle contains 39 steel. Of course, the scrap value is from K @ pfer or Alumi @@ much higher @ than that of steel, which is why it is desired is to get the copper or aluminum in as pure a state as possible. It has shown on the basis of an investigation that the degree of pollution of the contents of the Metal container 40 is very small, and it can be shown that this metal with recovered to a purity of the order of 98% or more will may or even match the original analysis of the alloyed materials. It can therefore either be sold or sold in the normal metal markets but can be returned for reprocessing for cables.

If in the above description on special insulation materials Reference was made to polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene.

Of course, however, the invention can also be fully implemented satisfactorily with other forms of insulation materials such as apply to pure or synthetic rubber.

Claims (10)

Claims 1,) Process for the recovery of metals and plastic materials, in particular the conductor and insulation materials of a cable, characterized in that that the cable is cut into short lengths, that the cut cable is under Shock loads or pressure is processed to remove the conductor metal from the insulation layer remove the metal from the insulation, metal and insulation material is separated. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the cut Cable is worked in a hammer mill to break the insulation and to remove the metal from the insulation. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that After processing, the material is subjected to suction pressure to remove light impurities to remove from the material. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that that the material is cleaned with water after processing 5. Procedure according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the metal on a vibrating The water table or high-speed device is separated from the insulation. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that that the separated insulation is passed to a liquid bath that a certain adjusted specific gravity exhibits1 by different forms of isolation from each other or to separate the isolation from impurities. 7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the insulation removed from the bath and dried for packaging. 8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the drying isolation is carried out by centrifugation and / or by means of heat. 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that that the separated metal is dried before packaging. 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in, that the separated metal is moved along a first conveyor above which a second non-magnetic conveyor is arranged, above which magnets are arranged and which extends over the first conveyor and beyond the magnets, so that the magnetic material contained on the first conveyor is from the second conveyor attracted and passed through the force field of the magnets to a collecting container will.