EP2117749A1

EP2117749A1 - Thermal regeneration of foundry sand

Info

Publication number: EP2117749A1
Application number: EP08707774A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Diether Koch; Jens Müller; Marcus Frohn
Original assignee: Ashland Suedchemie Kernfest GmbH
Current assignee: ASK Chemicals GmbH
Priority date: 2007-02-19
Filing date: 2008-02-19
Publication date: 2009-11-18
Anticipated expiration: 2028-02-19
Also published as: BRPI0807534A2; AU2008217190B2; US9737927B2; CA2678292A1; EP2329900A3; JP2010519042A; KR20090113877A; AU2008217190A1; UA100853C2; EP2329900A2; CN101663112A; KR101548219B1; AU2008217190C1; DE102007008149A1; EP2117749B1; RU2496599C2; ZA200905640B; CA2678292C; WO2008101668A1; JP5401325B2

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for regenerating used foundry sand, which is contaminated with soluble glass, wherein: used foundry sand is provided, which is tainted with a binding agent made of the soluble glass, to which a particle-shaped metal oxide is added; and the used foundry sand is subjected to a thermal treatment, wherein the foundry sand is heated to a temperature of at least 200ºC, thereby obtaining regenerated foundry sand. The invention further relates to regenerated foundry sand, as that obtained from using the method.

Description

THERMAL REGENERATION OF FOOD RICE

The invention relates to a process for the recycling of foundry sand, which are tainted with water glass, and a molding material, as can be obtained with this method.

Molds for the production of metal bodies are essentially produced in two versions. A first group form the so-called cores or forms. From these, the casting mold is assembled, which essentially represents the negative mold of the casting to be produced. A second group form hollow bodies, so-called feeders, which act as a compensation reservoir. These take up liquid metal, with appropriate measures being taken to ensure that the metal remains in the liquid phase longer than the metal that is in the negative mold forming mold. If the metal solidifies in the negative mold, liquid metal can flow out of the compensation reservoir to compensate for the volume contraction that occurs when the metal solidifies.

Molds are made of a refractory material, such as quartz sand, whose grains after molding of the mold be bonded by a suitable binder to ensure sufficient mechanical strength of the mold. For the production of casting molds, one therefore uses a foundry sand which has been treated with a suitable binder. The refractory molding base material is preferably present in a free-flowing form, so that it can be filled into a suitable mold and compacted there. The binder produces a firm cohesion between the particles of the molding base material, so that the casting mold obtains the required mechanical stability.

Molds must meet different requirements. In the casting process itself, they must first have sufficient stability and temperature resistance to absorb the liquid metal in the form of exnem or more molds (part) molds formed mold. After the beginning of the solidification process, the mechanical stability of the casting mold is ensured by a solidified metal layer which forms along the walls of the hollow mold. The material of the casting mold must now decompose under the influence of the heat given off by the metal in such a way that it loses its mechanical strength, ie the cohesion between individual particles of the refractory material is abolished. This is achieved, for example, by decomposing the binder under heat. After cooling, the solidified Gußstuck is shaken, which ideally decomposes the material of the casting molds back into a fine sand, which can pour out of the cavities of the metal mold.

For the production of casting molds both organic and inorganic binders can be used, the curing of which can be carried out in each case by cold or hot processes. Cold processes are processes which are carried out essentially at room temperature without heating the casting mold become. The curing is usually carried out by a chemical reaction, which is triggered for example by the fact that a gas is passed as a catalyst through the mold to be cured. In hot processes, the molding material mixture is heated to a sufficiently high temperature after molding to expel, for example, the solvent contained in the binder or to initiate a chemical reaction by which the binder is cured, for example, by crosslinking.

At present, such organic binders are often used for the production of casting molds, in which the curing reaction is accelerated by a gaseous catalyst or cured by reaction with a gaseous hardener. These methods are referred to as "cold-box" methods.

An example of the production of molds using organic binders is the so-called polyurethane cold box process. It is a two-component system. The first component consists of the solution of a poly-ol, usually a phenolic resin. The second component is the solution of a polyisocyanate. Thus, according to US Pat. No. 3,409,579 A, the two components of the polyurethane binder are reacted by passing a gaseous tertiary amine through the mixture of molding base material and binder after molding. The curing reaction of polyurethane binders is a polyaddition, i. a reaction without cleavage of by-products, e.g. Water. Other advantages of this cold-box process include good productivity, dimensional accuracy of the molds, and good engineering properties such as the strength of the molds, the processing time of the mixture of mold base and binder, etc.

Hot-curing organic processes include the hot-box process based on phenolic or furan resins, the warm-box Process based on furan resins and the croning process based on phenolic novolak resins. In the hot-box and hot-box processes, liquid resins are processed into a molding compound with a latent curing agent that is only effective at elevated temperatures. In the croning process mold base materials, such as quartz, chrome ore, zirconium, etc., are coated at a temperature of about 100 to 160 ⁰ C with a liquid at this temperature phenol novolac resin. Hexamethylenetetramine is added as a reaction partner for the subsequent curing. In the above-mentioned hot-curing technologies shaping and curing takes place in heated tools, which are heated to a temperature of up to 300 ⁰ C.

Regardless of the curing mechanism, all organic systems have in common that they thermally decompose when the liquid metal is poured into the mold, releasing pollutants such as benzene, toluene, xylenes, phenol, formaldehyde and higher, sometimes unidentified cracking products. Although various measures have succeeded in minimizing these emissions, they can not be completely avoided with organic binders. Even in the case of inorganic-organic hybrid systems which, like the binders used, for example, in the resol-CO ₂ process, contain a proportion of organic compounds, such unwanted emissions occur during the casting of the metals.

In order to avoid the emission of decomposition products during the casting process, it is necessary to use binders which are based on inorganic materials or contain at most a very small proportion of organic compounds. Such binder systems have been known for some time. Binder systems have been developed which can be cured by the introduction of gases. Such a system is described for example in GB 782 205, in which an alkaline water glass is used as a binder, which can be cured by the introduction of CO2. In DE 199 25 167 an exothermic feeder composition is described which contains an alkali metal silicate as binder. Furthermore, binder systems have been developed which are self-curing at room temperature. Such a system based on phosphoric acid and metal oxides is described, for example, in US Pat. No. 5,582,232. Finally, inorganic binder systems are known which are cured at higher temperatures, for example in a hot tool. Such hot-curing binder systems are known, for example, from US Pat. No. 5,474,606, in which a binder system consisting of alkali water glass and aluminum silicate is described.

In the production of castings, large quantities of used foundry sand, which are contaminated with binder residues, are produced. These used sands must either be disposed of or treated in a suitable manner so that they can be used again, if necessary, for the production of casting molds. The same applies to so-called raid sand, i. Sand that has been mixed with binder, but has not hardened, or for cores or core lumps that have not been cast.

The most widespread is the mechanical regeneration, in which the remaining after casting on the used foundry sand binder residues or decomposition products are removed by rubbing. For this purpose, for example, the sand can be moved strongly, so that the residues of adhesive adhering to it are detached by collision of adjacent sand grains. The binder residues can then be separated by sieving and dust removal from the sand.

Frequently, however, it is not possible to completely separate the binder residues from the sand by the mechanical regeneration. Furthermore, due to the strong forces involved in the mechanical re- On the grains of sand act, a strong abrasion occur or the grains of sand can splinter. The processed by mechanical regeneration sand therefore usually does not have the same quality as new sand. Therefore, using mechanically regenerated sand to make molds may result in inferior quality castings.

To remove residues of organic binders, the used foundry sand can be heated in the presence of air, so that the binder residues burn. Thus, in DE 41 11 643 a device for the continuous regeneration of resin-bonded foundry sands is described. Here, the used foundry sand is fed to a mechanical pre-cleaning a thermal regeneration stage, in which the remains of the sand grains remaining organic binder are burned. This thermal regeneration stage comprises a sand preheater, a continuous countercurrent cascade furnace with fluidized beds superimposed on individual levels and a sand cooler. The cooling air forced through the sand cooler in coils is fed to the furnace as hot air for turbulence. It is also used as burner air. Furthermore, the hot air from the interior of the sand cooler is fed to the sand preheater for heating the sand. Thus, a temperature distribution in the furnace is achieved, which leads at no point to incomplete and therefore harmful exhaust-forming combustion.

Usually, the used sand is separated from the casting before recycling. However, there is also known a method in which the castings, together with the cores and molds made using organic binders, are heated to a temperature of about 400 to 550 ^° C for a long time immediately after casting in an oven. Due to the thermal See treatment is effected in addition to the removal of the organic binder and a metallurgical modification of the casting.

Thus, EP 0 612 276 B2 describes a process for the heat treatment of a casting with a sand core adhering thereto, which comprises sand bound with a burn-out binder, with which the sand can be recovered from the sand core. The casting is introduced into an oven and the furnace is heated so that parts of the sand core are detached from the casting. The detached sand particles collected within the furnace are recovered. The process step of the recovery comprises at least one fluidizing the detached sand core parts within the furnace. The fluidizing of the detached sand core parts can for example be done by introducing compressed air, with which the sand particles are held in suspension.

Used foundry sands contaminated with inorganic binders, such as water glass, can be recycled by mechanical regeneration. It can be achieved by thermal pretreatment of the used sand embrittlement of the sand grain surrounding binder film, so that the binder film can be easily rub off mechanically.

In DE 43 06 007 Al a thermal treatment of contaminated with water glass foundry sand is described. The used foundry sand is obtained from forms that have been cured with acidic gases, usually carbon dioxide. The used foundry sand is first mechanically comminuted and then heated to a temperature exceeding 200 ⁰ C. The thermal treatment destroys or converts interfering constituents in such a way that the foundry sand is suitable for a further molding process. The description does not include examples so that the exact execution of the procedure remains unclear. In particular, it is not described whether, after the thermal treatment of the used sand, the binder is rubbed off mechanically from the sand grains.

DE 1 806 842 A likewise describes a process for the regeneration of foundry used sands, in which the used sand is first calcined and then specially treated to remove binder residues. All used foundry sands can be used per se, irrespective of whether they have been bound by organic or inorganic binders. Solely for cement-bound foundry sands, a work-up by washing with water is recommended. To remove binder residues from the annealed used foundry sand, the annealed sand is first cooled and possibly remaining binder residues are removed by gentle rubbing or beating of the sand grains. The sand is then spotted and dedusted. Preferably, the annealed sand is shock-cooled by water to a temperature of slightly above 100 ⁰ C, wherein caused in the binder residues shrinkage stresses and the sudden formation of steam from the surface of the sand grains, the binder residues are blown up, whereby the binder residues can be easily detached from the sand grains ,

M. Ruzbehi, Giesserei 74, 1987, pp. 318-321, reports on investigations on the thermo-mechanical regeneration of molding materials with a water glass ester binder system. By thermal treatment of the used sand embrittle the water glass ester system used as a binder and therefore easier to rub mechanically from the sand grains. The author assumes that the Na ₂ O content is crucial for the regeneration of water-glass-bound sand. As the Na ₂ O content increases, the fire resistance of the sand decreases. The when using the Water glass ester binder system remaining in the used sand ester residues lead to its reuse to uncontrolled hardening. Since the concentration of ester residues in the used sand is difficult to determine, the author uses the Na ₂ O content of the regenerated sand as a measure of reprocessing, ie removal of the binder from the used sand. After circulating the sand several times, the balance of the Na ₂ Ü content in regenerated used sand sets in from around the seventh orbit. In the thermal treatment, the used sand is heated to about 200 ⁰ C. This does not cause sintering of the grains of sand. Microscopic images of the thermally treated sand grains show embrittlement and tearing of the binder film, so that it can be abraded mechanically by the sand grain.

However, it has been shown that the abrasion of the binder is very incomplete and the grains have a rough surface after treatment. Compared to new sand, regenerated used sand has a number of disadvantages. Thus, the regenerated used sand can shoot less well on conventional core shooting machines. This is evident, for example, in the lower density of the shaped bodies produced from regenerated used sand. Also, the moldings produced from regenerated used sand show a lower strength. Finally, the processing time of molding mixes made from regenerated virgin sand is also shorter than for blends made using virgin sand. The molding compound mixtures produced from mechanically regenerated used sand crust significantly faster.

Although the processing time of such molding mixtures prepared from mechanically regenerated used sand can be improved by adding about 0.1 to 0.5% by weight of water, if appropriate mixed with a surfactant, to the molding material mixture. By This measure also makes it possible to improve the strength of the molded articles produced from this molding material mixture. However, the regenerated used sand does not reach the quality of new sand by this measure. Furthermore, the results are limited reproducible, so that in the process of manufacturing molds occur imponderables that can not be taken into account in an industrial production per se.

Inorganic binders, especially those based on water glass, are still largely water-soluble even after the mold has hardened. The processing of the foundry sand can therefore also be done by washing off residues of the inorganic binder on the sand with water. The water can already be used to clean the casting from adhering old sand. Thus, for example, the production line described in EP 1 626 830 provides for wet decortication. The regeneration of old sand is not discussed.

In DE 10 2005 029 742 a process for the treatment of foundry mold materials is described wherein a part of the used foundry sand is washed with water. For this purpose, the old sand bound with inorganic binder is separated from the cast piece dry after casting. Stucco parts are crushed dry. The crushed sand is screened to a certain grain size and unwanted fines removed. The screened sand is separated into two sub-streams, with one sub-stream is fed to a temporary storage. The other part stream is washed with water until the grain surface is sufficiently cleaned of residual binder and products of the casting process. After washing, the wash water is separated and the sand is dried. The washed sand can then be mixed again a portion of the removed from the intermediate storage sifted used sand. The wet cleaning of the used foundry sand is very effective in itself. The strength of cores made from the washed used reclaimed sand corresponds approximately to the values achieved when new sand is used. However, the processing time of these blends made of regenerated used sand is slightly lower than when using new sand. However, the cleaning of the used sand is very expensive, since large amounts of wash water incurred, which must be cleaned again. As a further disadvantage, the wet sand must be dried before reuse.

Finally, DE 38 15 877 C1 describes a process for separating off inorganic Bmdemittelsystemen in the regeneration of foundry old sands, in which a Aufschlammung the used sand in, for example, water is treated with ultrasound. Exemplary binder systems include bentonite, waterglass, and cement. According to a preferred embodiment, the used sand can be subjected to a thermal treatment before the ultrasonic treatment. As preferred temperature ranges for the thermal pretreatment 400 to 1200 ⁰ C, particularly preferably 600 to 950 ⁰ C specified. In the examples, the workup of used sand is described, which adhered to bentonite / carbon as binder residues. The thermal treatment serves to remove carbon which accumulates in the form of polyaromatic carbons at a concentration in the bentonite which does not permit direct reuse.

As discussed above, the importance of waterglass-based binders for the production of molds is increasing, as it can significantly reduce harmful emissions during the casting process. More recently, very efficient binders on waterglass been developed base containing portions of a finely divided metal oxide, in particular finely divided silica. These binders are cured hot, ie by evaporation of the water contained in the water glass. The addition of the finely divided metal oxide, among other things, the strengths are increased immediately after removal from the hot tool, so that even very complicated cores can be prepared using this inorganic binder. Such a glass-water-based binder is described, for example, in WO 2006/024540 A.

However, in the regeneration of used sands which had been previously solidified with such a waterglass-based binder, it has been observed that the regenerated used sand has a shortened pot life when reused with a waterglass-based binder. In order to address this problem and achieve a processing time suitable for industrial applications, for example, a higher amount of virgin sand may be added to the regenerated used sand in order to reduce the relative proportion of the binder introduced with the regenerated used sand. It is also possible to mix the regenerated used sand with other regenerated used sands having other properties. The old sands are chosen so that a satisfactory processing time is achieved after re-addition of a water glass-containing binder.

By using the newly developed binders based on water glass, it is also possible, as already described, to produce cores and molds with a very complex geometry. As the increasingly stringent emission and occupational health and safety regulations are expected to increase the importance of inorganic binders for the foundry industry, larger quantities of old-fashioned water-borne sands will be generated in the future. that need to be reprocessed. Therefore, there is a great need for methods for regenerating spent foundry sand, which should be easy to carry out and must provide a reproducible quality of the regenerated used sand, ie the regenerated used sand should be processed in much the same way as virgin sand.

The invention therefore an object of the invention to provide a method for reprocessing waterglass-tipped foundry sand available, which can be easily and inexpensively performed, so that the sand has a high quality for the production of foundry molds even after repeated reprocessing. In particular, such old sands should be able to be regenerated by the method, which were previously solidified with a waterglass-based binder, to which, inter alia, to increase the strength of a particulate metal oxide, in particular silica was added.

This object is achieved by a method having the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the method according to the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

Surprisingly, it has been found that the cohesion between grains of a foundry sand decreases significantly when the used casting mold, as it is present after the metal casting, is heated for a prolonged time to a temperature of at least 200 ^° C. The reclaimed by thermal treatment molding sand shows no premature curing when reused with a waterglass-based binder. The processing time of the regenerated used sand is comparable to the processing time of new sand. It is not necessary that after the thermal treatment, the binder is rubbed off mechanically from the sand grains. Rather, the regenerated Reuse used sand immediately after the thermal treatment. For the removal of oversize, a classification may be carried out if necessary, for example by sieving or air classification.

The inventors suppose that in a regeneration of the used sand by mechanical abrasion of the binder from the sand grain or in an at least partial wet workup small amounts of the particulate metal oxide, in particular silica, are introduced with the regenerated used sand in a newly prepared molding material mixture. The particulate metal oxide can presumably trigger premature curing of the water glass, which significantly shortens the processing time of the molding compound.

However, if the used sand is thermally treated as in the process according to the invention, the particulate metal oxide present in the binder adhering to the sand grains presumably causes glazing of the adhering water glass. It forms from the water glass on the grain of sand a glassy layer, which has only a low reactivity. This is also evident, for example, in the fact that the amount of extractable sodium ions decreases during the regeneration of the sand and is very low in the regenerated sand.

Due to the thermal treatment, the strength of the used casting mold decreases significantly, so that it decays even at low mechanical impact. The mechanism of decay is unclear. However, it is believed by the inventors that the water glass adhering to the foundry sand at least partially reacts with the grain of sand and under the influence of the particulate metal oxide, in particular silicon dioxide, can form a thin glass envelope on its surface. The surface of the grain of sand is thereby smoothed, so that it can be easily re-incorporated into a molding material mixture in Core shooting machines can be processed to form bodies. The remaining on the grain of sand water glass leads only to an insignificant increase in grain size, so that the foundry sand can also go through several cycles before the reclaimed sand grains are separated, for example, in a thermal regeneration downstream classification, such as a screening step, because of excessive increase in size.

The progress of the regeneration of the used foundry sand can be followed, for example, by the determination of the acid consumption, which is a measure of the extractable sodium ions still present in the used sand. If the foundry sand still includes larger aggregates, these are first crushed, for example by means of a hammer. The foundry sand can then be sieved through a sieve which, for example, has a mesh width of 1 mm. Then a certain amount of the foundry sand is slurried in water and reacted with a defined amount of hydrochloric acid. The amount of acid which has not reacted with the foundry sand or with the glass of water adhering to the foundry sand can then be determined by back-titration with NaOH. The acid consumption of the foundry sand can then be determined from the difference between the amount of acid used and the amount backtitrated.

In addition to acid consumption, however, other parameters can be used to track the progress of the thermal treatment. For example, the pH or conductivity of a slurry of the foundry sand can be used. The suspension can be prepared by, for example, slurrying 50 g of the foundry sand in one liter of distilled water. During the thermal treatment, the sand bodies get a smooth surface. Therefore, for example, the flowability of the sand can also be used as a parameter. Furthermore, for evaluating the thermal treatment of the used foundry sand, it is also possible to use properties of a molding material mixture which has been produced from the regenerated foundry sand, for example its processing time or also properties of a shaped body which is produced from this molding material mixture, for example its density or flexural strength.

When implementing the method according to the invention for an industrial application, it is possible, for example, to proceed in such a way that the parameters are determined by systematic series experiments.

So samples of used foundry sand can be thermally treated, the treatment temperature and the treatment time is systematically varied. The acid consumption can then be determined in each case for the thermally recycled samples. From each sample then a molding material mixture is prepared and determines their processing time. Furthermore, sample bodies are produced from the molding material mixture and their density or flexural strength is determined. From the specimens are then selected those whose properties meet the requirements and then, for example, the acid consumption of the re-processed foundry sand sample used as a criterion for the thermal treatment on a larger scale.

The inventive method for reprocessing used foundry sands is easy to perform and does not require any intricate devices. The reclaimed foundry sand obtained with the process according to the invention has approximately the same properties as virgin sand, ie the shaped articles produced from the recycled foundry sand have comparable strength and a comparable density. Furthermore, one of the regenerated foundry sand The molding material mixture produced by adding water glass has approximately the same processing time as a molding material mixture based on virgin sand. The method according to the invention thus provides a simple and economical method with which used foundry sand, which is contaminated with a water-glass-containing binder, can be worked up again, the molding material mixture or the used foundry sand containing a particulate metal oxide.

In detail, the process according to the invention for the recycling of used foundry sands, which are covered with waterglass, is carried out by:

providing a used foundry sand having a water glass based binder to which a particulate metal oxide has been added; and

the used foundry sand is subjected to a thermal treatment, wherein the used foundry sand is heated to a temperature of at least 200 ⁰ C, wherein a regenerated foundry sand is obtained.

A used foundry sand is to be understood as meaning any foundry sand which is subject to water glass and which is to be subjected to reprocessing, wherein a particulate metal oxide has been added to the water glass in the previous production cycle to improve the initial strength of the casting mold. The binder shell adhering to the used foundry sand therefore still contains the particulate metal oxide. The used foundry sand can come from a used casting mold. The used foundry mold can be completely present or broken into several parts or chunks. The used foundry mold can also have been crushed so far, that it is again in the form of a foundry sand covered with water glass. A used mold may be a mold that has already been used for metal casting. However, a used mold may also be a mold that has not been used for metal casting, for example, because it is surplus or defective. Likewise, partial forms of casting molds are included. For example, permanent molds, so-called molds, which are used in combination with a casting mold consisting of a water glass solidified foundry sand can also be used for the casting of metal. The latter can be reprocessed with the method according to the invention. A used foundry sand is also understood to mean raid sand that has remained, for example, in the storage bunker or in supply lines of a core shooting device and has not yet hardened.

The water glass, which is contained as a binder in the used foundry sand, according to the invention contains a particulate metal oxide. This metal oxide has been added to the binder water glass in the previous application of the foundry sand in the preparation of the molding material mixture to improve the initial strength of a mold prepared from the molding material mixture. The used foundry sand may consist entirely of foundry sand contaminated with such a binder. But it is also possible to regenerate other used foundry sands together with the used foundry sand described above. Such other used foundry sands may, for example, be foundry sands contaminated with organic binder or foundry sands contaminated with a water glass based binder to which no particulate metal oxide has been added. In order to be able to utilize the advantages of the method according to the invention, in particular the elimination of the necessity of mechanically separating the remaining binder from the sand grain after thermal regeneration. the proportion of used foundry sand contaminated with a water glass based binder to which a particulate metal oxide is added is preferably greater than 20% by weight, preferably greater than 40% by weight, more preferably greater than 60% by weight. -%, particularly preferably greater than 80 wt .-% selected, based on the amount of the foundry sand to be regenerated.

A particulate metal oxide is understood to mean a very finely divided metal oxide whose primary particles preferably have an average diameter of less than 1.5 μm, more preferably between 0.10 μm and 1 μm. By agglomeration of the primary particles but also larger particles can arise.

In the practical implementation of the method according to the invention, the majority of the used foundry sand is obtained in the recycling of used casting molds. According to a preferred embodiment, the used foundry sand is therefore in the form of a used casting mold, with which a metal casting has already been carried out.

If the used foundry sand is provided in the form of a casting mold which has already been used for metal casting, the used foundry mold according to a first embodiment of the process according to the invention may still contain the casting. For the thermal treatment, the used casting mold can thus be used directly in the form obtained after the metal casting. The casting mold with the casting contained therein is subjected to a thermal treatment as a whole. For this purpose, the casting mold with the casting can be transferred into a suitably dimensioned furnace. The thermal treatment weakens the cohesion between the grains of the used foundry sand. The casting mold disintegrates and the foundry sand can be removed by means of suitable devices. For example, be collected in the oven. The decay of the mold in the oven can be assisted by mechanically machining the mold. For this purpose, the mold can be shaken, for example.

For carrying out the method according to the invention, it is therefore not necessary to separate the casting mold from the casting. Possibly. can be achieved by the thermal treatment of the used mold at the same time a metallurgical improvement of the casting. According to a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, however, the used casting mold is first separated from the casting and then the used casting mold is reconditioned separately from the casting.

The used water glass foundry sand accumulates in the usual process of production of castings in foundries. The casting mold for metal casting solidified with a water glass based binder may be prepared per se in a known manner. The water glass-containing binder to which a particulate metal oxide is added may have been cured by conventional methods. For example, the curing can be carried out by treating the mold produced from a corresponding molding material mixture with gaseous carbon dioxide. Further, the mold may have been made by the water glass / ester method. In this case, an ester, such as ethylene glycol diacetate, diacetin, triacetin, propylene carbonate, γ-butyrolactone, etc., is first mixed with the foundry sand, and then the water glass is added. Curing takes place by saponification of the ester and the associated shift in the pH. But it is also possible that the mold is solidified by the water glass-containing binder water is removed. The last-mentioned thermal curing is preferred. The casting mold can be constructed from a single molded body. But it is also possible that the Mold is constructed of several moldings, which may be prepared in separate steps and then assembled into a mold. The mold may also include portions that have not been solidified with water glass as a binder but, for example, with an organic binder such as a CoId box binder. It is also possible that the mold is partly formed from permanent molds. Those parts of the casting mold which consist of foundry sand solidified with waterglass can then be reprocessed with the process according to the invention. It is also possible, for example, for the casting mold to comprise only one core, which consists of foundry sand solidified with water glass as binder, while the casting is made of so-called green sand. In the used casting mold, the parts are then separated, which contain the foundry sand, which is afflicted with water glass, and recycled with the process according to the invention.

The casting mold for casting metal is used in a conventional manner, wherein after cooling of the metal a used casting mold is obtained, which can be reprocessed by the method according to the invention.

For reprocessing, the mold is heated to a temperature of at least 200 ⁰ C. The entire volume of the mold should reach this temperature, so that a uniform disintegration of the mold is achieved. The duration for which the mold is subjected to a thermal treatment, for example, depends on the size of the mold or the amount of water glass-containing binder and can be determined by sampling. The sample removed should disintegrate to loose sand with slight mechanical impact, as occurs, for example, when shaking the mold. The cohesion between the grains of the foundry sand should be weakened so far be that the thermally treated foundry sand can sieve easily to separate larger aggregates or impurities.

The duration of the thermal treatment may be relatively short for small molds, especially if the temperature is chosen to be higher. For larger molds, especially if they still contain the casting, the treatment time can be chosen significantly longer, up to several hours. Preferably, the period of time during which the thermal treatment is carried out is selected between 5 minutes and 8 hours. The progress of the thermal regeneration can be followed, for example, by determining the acid consumption on samples of the thermally treated foundry sand. Foundry sands, such as chromite sand, can even have basic properties, so that foundry sand influences acid consumption. However, the relative acid consumption can be used as a parameter for the progress of the regeneration. For this purpose, the acid consumption of the used foundry sand intended for reprocessing is first determined. To observe the regeneration, the acid consumption of the regenerated foundry sand is determined and related to the acid consumption of the used foundry sand. As a result of the thermal treatment carried out in the method according to the invention, the acid consumption for the regenerated foundry sand preferably decreases by at least 10%. The thermal treatment is preferably continued until the acid consumption has decreased by at least 20%, in particular at least 40%, particularly preferably at least 60% and in particular preferably at least 80%, compared to the acid consumption of the used foundry sand. The acid consumption is given in ml of acid consumed per 50 g of the foundry sand, the determination being carried out with 0.1N hydrochloric acid in analogy to the method given in the VDG leaflet P 28 (May 1979). method is determined. The method for determining the acid consumption is detailed in the examples.

The heating of the mold can be done per se by any method. For example, it is possible to expose the mold to microwave radiation. However, other methods can be used to heat the mold. It is also conceivable that the used foundry sand an exothermic material is added, which provides the temperature required for the treatment alone or in combination with other heat sources available. The duration of the thermal treatment may be influenced by the temperature to which the mold is heated. A decay can already be observed at temperatures of about 200 ⁰ C. Preferably, the temperature is selected higher than 250 ⁰ C, in particular higher than 300 ⁰ C. The upper limit of the temperature used in the thermal treatment corresponds in itself to the sintering temperature of the sand. Usually, however, the temperature is limited by the design of the device in which the thermal treatment is carried out. Preferably, the temperature for the thermal treatment is less than 1300 ⁰ C, more preferably less than 1100 ⁰ C and particularly preferably less than 1000 ⁰ C. Contains the mold in addition to the water glass-containing binder still organic impurities, the temperature is preferably chosen so high that the organic pollutants burn.

The temperature can be kept constant during the thermal treatment. But it is also possible that during the thermal treatment, a temperature program is passed, in which the temperature is changed in a predetermined manner. For example, the thermal treatment may initially be carried out at a relatively high temperature, for example at a temperature of more than 500 ^° C., to remove organic contaminants to burn and accelerate the disintegration of the used mold. Subsequently, the temperature can then be gradually lowered, for example, to adjust the acid consumption to the desired value.

As already explained above, according to a first embodiment, the mold can be subjected to the thermal treatment in a state in which it has not yet been separated from the casting. In this case, both the casting mold and the casting undergo a thermal treatment.

According to a second embodiment, the casting mold is separated from the casting prior to the thermal treatment. For this purpose, usual methods can be used. For example, the mold can be smashed by mechanical action or the mold can be shaken so that it breaks up into several fragments.

In order to ensure a uniform heating of the casting mold or of the larger aggregates formed therefrom during the thermal treatment, the casting mold is preferably broken at least into coarse fragments which, for example, have a diameter of about 20 cm or less. Preferably, the fragments have a maximum extent of less than 10 cm, more preferably less than 5 cm, particularly preferably less than 3 cm. To break the mold conventional devices may be used, such as tuber breaker. Chunks of appropriate size can be obtained, for example, when the mold is separated by means of a jackhammer or a chisel or by shaking the casting.

According to a further embodiment, a mechanical treatment of the foundry sand for grain separation is carried out before or after the thermal treatment. This can be done by the casting mold for example ground, crushed by rubbing or beating and the resulting sand are sieved. For this purpose, conventional devices can be used, as they are already used for example in the mechanical processing of foundry sand. For example, the foundry sand can be passed through a fluidized bed in which the sand grains are held in suspension by means of a compressed air stream. Due to the collision of the sand grains, the outer shell formed from water glass binder is abraded. However, the grains of sand can also be directed by means of an air flow against a baffle plate, wherein upon impact with the baffle plate or other grains of sand, the outer shell of the sand grain formed from waterglass binder is removed.

Preferably, however, a mechanical treatment of the thermally regenerated used sand is dispensed with and only oversize removed by an appropriate classification. As a result, mechanical damage to the sand, for example by splintering, avoided and it will get smooth, free-flowing sand grains. When using a so-regenerated foundry sand substantially no shortening of the processing time is observed compared to virgin sand when it is again processed with water glass as a binder to a molding material mixture.

The temperature required for the thermal treatment can initially be set in any desired manner. In addition to methods such as treatment with microwaves, the thermal treatment is preferably carried out in such a way that the casting mold, optionally in comminuted form, is transferred into an oven for the thermal treatment.

The furnace can be configured as desired, provided that a uniform heating of the material of the mold is guaranteed. The furnace may be designed such that the thermal mixing treatment is carried out batchwise, so the furnace is loaded, for example, batchwise with the, possibly comminuted, casting mold and the thermally treated material is removed from the oven before the furnace is then filled with the next batch. But it is also possible to provide an oven that allows continuous process control. For this purpose, the furnace may be formed, for example in the form of a road or a tunnel through which the used casting mold, for example by means of a conveyor belt, is transported. As such, use can be made of furnaces for the treatment of the used foundry sand which is afflicted with water glass, as are known from the thermal regeneration of spent foundry sands afflicted with organic binders.

It is preferably provided that the used foundry sand is moved during the thermal treatment. The movement can be effected, for example, by moving the casting mold or the chunks obtained therefrom around the three spatial axes, so that the casting mold or chunks perform rolling movements, by means of which further comminution of the casting mold or of the smaller casting sand aggregates formed therefrom is achieved , Such a movement can be achieved, for example, by moving the smaller foundry sand aggregates resulting from the casting mold by means of a stirrer or in a rotating drum. If the used foundry sand has already been crushed to the extent that it is in the form of a sand, the movement can also be carried out by the sand is held by means of a heated compressed air flow in a fluidized bed in suspension.

According to a preferred embodiment, a rotary kiln is used for the thermal treatment of the used foundry sand. It has been shown that even with a rough Comminution of the mold during the passage through the rotary kiln, a large decay of the used mold can be achieved. If after leaving the rotary kiln even larger aggregates remain in the regenerated foundry sand, they can be separated by sieving, for example.

The thermal treatment can also be carried out under an inert gas atmosphere per se. Advantageously, however, the thermal treatment is carried out with access of air. This reduces on the one hand the expense of the thermal treatment, since no special measures must be taken to exclude an oxygen access. As a further advantage, in a thermal treatment with access of air organic contaminants that contaminate the used foundry sand, burned, so that further purification is achieved.

The method according to the invention for the recycling of foundry sand can also be combined with other treatment methods. Thus, the thermal treatment may for example be preceded by a mechanical treatment in which a portion of the water glass is rubbed off by the sand grains and removed by sieving and / or dedusting. It is likewise possible to carry out a wet treatment process before or after the thermal treatment according to the invention. For example, before the thermal treatment, the used foundry sand can be washed with water to remove a portion of the waterglass. However, because of the considerable expense required of such a wet treatment, the sand must be dried after washing and the contaminated wash water must be treated, the process according to the invention is preferably carried out dry, that is without a wet step. Another advantage of dry reprocessing is that possibly contaminants that remain in the foundry sand after the thermal treatment, in the Water glass resulting layer can be firmly bound to the grain of sand. Therefore, if the foundry sand is discharged after several cycles, for example, because the grain size has increased too much, a comparatively simple landfill of the sand is possible.

After the thermal treatment or before re-use as foundry sand for the production of a new casting mold, the recycled foundry sand is preferably sieved in order to separate larger aggregates and also dedusted. Known devices can be used for this purpose, as are known, for example, from the mechanical regeneration of used foundry sediments or the thermal regeneration of organically bound foundry sands.

The result of the reprocessing can already be positively influenced by the process with which the casting mold is produced for metal casting.

In the simplest Verfahrensfuhrung is used as a binder substantially water glass to which a proportion of a teilformformigen metal oxide is added. In this embodiment, therefore, the used mold is provided with the cast piece by

a molding material mixture is provided which comprises at least one foundry sand and at least one water glass-containing binder to which a particulate metal oxide has been added,

the molding material mixture is processed into a new mold and cured, and A metal casting is carried out with the new casting mold so that a used casting mold is obtained with a casting.

The production of the new mold and the subsequent metal casting is carried out by known methods. The molding material mixture is prepared by moving the foundry sand and then adding the particulate metal oxide or waterglass in any desired order. The mixture is continued until the grains of the foundry sand are evenly covered with the water glass.

As foundry sand common materials can be used for the production of molds. Suitable examples are quartz or zircon sand. Furthermore, fibrous refractory mold bases are suitable, such as chamotte fibers. Other suitable foundry sands are, for example, olivine, chrome ore sand, vermiculite.

Next artificial form of raw materials can be used as foundry sand, such as aluminum silicate hollow spheres (so-called. Mic rospheres) or under the name "Cerabeads ^®" or "carbonyl ^® accucast" known spherical ceramic mold raw materials. For economic reasons, these artificial mold raw materials are preferably added to the foundry sand only in one proportion. Based on the total weight of the foundry sand, the artificial molding base materials are preferably used in a proportion of less than 80 wt .-%, preferably less than 60 wt .-%. These spherical ceramic mold bases contain as minerals, for example mullite, corundum, ß-cristobalite in different proportions. They contain as essential proportions alumina and silica. Typical compositions contain, for example, Al ₂ O ₃ and SiO 2 in approximately equal proportions. In addition, other constituents may be present in proportions of <10%, such as TiO ₂ , Fe ₂ O ₃ . The diameter of the spherical Forming mold bases is preferably less than 1000 microns, especially less than 600 microns. Are also suitable refractory mold raw materials synthetically produced, such as mullite (x Al ₂ O ₃ ^• y SiO _2, where x = 2 to 3, y = 1 to 2; ideal formula: Al ₂ SIOs). These artificial molding base materials are not of natural origin and may have been subjected to a special shaping process, for example in the production of aluminum silicate microballoons or spherical ceramic molding base materials.

According to a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, glass materials are used as refractory artificial molding base materials. These are used in particular either as glass beads or as glass granules. Conventional glasses can be used as the glass, glasses having a high melting point being preferred. Suitable examples are glass beads and / or glass granules, which is made of glass breakage. Also suitable are borate glasses. The composition of such glasses is exemplified in the table below.

Table: Composition of glasses

M ΛI ^J I alkaline earth metal, eg Mg, Ca, Ba M ¹ alkali metal, eg Na, K

In addition to the glasses listed in the table, however, it is also possible to use other glasses whose content of the abovementioned compounds lies outside the ranges mentioned. Likewise, it is also possible to use special glasses which, in addition to the oxides mentioned, also contain other elements or their oxides.

The diameter of the glass beads is preferably 1 to 1000 μm, preferably 5 to 500 μm and particularly preferably 10 to 400 μm.

In casting experiments with aluminum, it has been found that when using artificial mold base materials, especially glass beads, glass granules or microspheres, less used foundry sand adheres to the metal surface after casting than when using pure quartz sand. The use of artificial mold bases therefore allows the production of smooth cast surfaces, wherein a complex post-treatment by blasting is not required or at least to a much lesser extent.

It is not necessary to form the entire foundry sand from the artificial molding base materials. The preferred proportion of artificial molding base materials is at least about 3 wt .-%, more preferably at least 5 wt .-%, particularly preferably at least 10 wt .-%, preferably at least about 15 wt .-%, particularly preferably at least about 20 wt .-% , based on the total amount of foundry sand. The foundry sand preferably has a free-flowing state, so that the molding material mixture can be processed in conventional core shooting machines. The foundry sand can be formed by new sand, which has not yet been used for metal casting. However, the foundry sand which is used for the production of the molding material mixture preferably comprises at least one fraction of recycled foundry sand, in particular a recycled foundry sand, as obtained with the process according to the invention. The proportion of recycled foundry sand can be chosen as desired between 0 and 100%. Particularly preferably, the method is performed in such a way that only the portion of the foundry sand, which is lost during the reprocessing according to the invention, for example during the screening, is supplemented by new sand or another suitable sand. Also suitable is, for example, a thermally regenerated sand originally bound with an organic binder. It is also possible to use mechanically regenerated foundry sands, provided that the organic binder still adhering to them does not accelerate the hardening of the waterglass binder. Unsuitable, for example, mechanically regenerated foundry sands, which are still afflicted with organic binders, which were cured sour. Thus, the method according to the invention does not necessarily require that a separate circuit be set up for foundry sand bonded with water glass.

As a further component, the molding material mixture comprises a water glass-based binder. As a water glass while standard water glasses can be used, as they have been be used as a binder in molding mixtures. These water glasses contain dissolved sodium or potassium silicates and can be prepared by dissolving glassy potassium and sodium silicates in water. The water glass preferably has a modulus SiO ₂ / M ₂ O in the range of 1.6 to 4.0, in particular 2.0 to 3.5, wherein M is sodium and / or potassium. The water glasses preferably have a solids content in the range of 30 to 60 wt .-%. The solids content refers to the amount of SiO ₂ and M ₂ O contained in the water glass.

In the production of the molding material mixture, the procedure is generally such that initially the foundry sand is initially charged and then the binder and the particulate metal oxide are added with stirring. The binder can only consist of water glass. But it is also possible to add additives to the water glass or the foundry sand, which positively influence the properties of the casting mold or of the regenerated foundry sand. The additives can be added in solid or in liquid form, for example as a solution, in particular as an aqueous solution. Suitable additives are described below.

In the production of the molding material mixture of the foundry sand is placed in a mixer and then, if provided, preferably first the solid component (s) of the binder is added and mixed with the foundry sand. The mixing time is chosen so that an intimate mixing of foundry sand and solid binder component takes place. The mixing time depends on the amount of the molding material mixture to be produced and on the mixing unit used. Preferably, the mixing time is selected between 5 seconds and 5 minutes. Preferably, with further agitation of the mixture, the liquid component of the binder is then added, and then the mixture is further mixed until the grains of the foundry sand have an equal has formed moderate layer of the binder. Again, the mixing time of the amount of the molding mixture to be produced as well as the mixing unit used depends. Preferably, the duration for the mixing process is selected between 5 seconds and 5 minutes. A liquid component is understood to mean both a mixture of different liquid components and the totality of all liquid individual components, the latter also being able to be added individually. Likewise, a solid component is understood as meaning both the mixture of individual components or of all solid components and the entirety of all solid individual components, the latter being able to be added to the molding material mixture jointly or else successively.

It is also possible first to add the liquid component of the binder to the foundry sand and then, if provided, to supply the solid component to the mixture. According to one embodiment, 0.05 to 0.3% of water, based on the weight of the foundry sand, is first added to the foundry sand and only then the solid and liquid components of the binder are added. In this embodiment, a surprising positive effect on the processing time of the molding material mixture can be achieved. The inventors believe that the dehydrating effect of the solid components of the binder is thus reduced and the curing process is thereby delayed.

The molding material mixture is then brought into the desired shape. In this case, customary methods are used for the shaping. For example, the molding material mixture can be shot by means of a core shooting machine with the aid of compressed air into the mold. The molded molding material mixture is then cured. All conventional methods can be used for this purpose. Thus, the mold can be gassed with carbon dioxide to solidify the molding material mixture. This fumigation is preferably carried out at room temperature, ie in a cold mold. The gassing time depends inter alia on the size of the molded part to be produced and is usually selected in the range of 10 seconds to 2 minutes. For larger moldings and longer gassing times are possible, for example, up to 5 minutes. However, shorter or longer fumigation times are also possible.

The curing of the molding can also be effected via the waterglass / ester process, in which the curing is achieved by saponification of an ester and an associated shift in the pH.

The curing of the molding can preferably also be effected solely by supplying heat, whereby the water contained in the binder is evaporated. The heating can be done for example in the mold. For this purpose, the mold is heated, preferably to temperatures of up to 300 ⁰ C, more preferably to a temperature in the range of 100 to 250 ⁰ C. It is possible to completely cure the mold already in the mold. But it is also possible to cure the mold only in its edge region, so that it has sufficient strength to be removed from the mold can. If necessary, the casting mold can then be completely cured by removing further water. This can for example be done in an oven as described above. The dehydration can for example also be done by the water is evaporated at reduced pressure.

The curing of the molds can be accelerated by blowing heated air into the mold. In this embodiment of the method, a rapid removal of the water contained in the binder is achieved, whereby the mold is solidified in suitable periods for industrial use. The temperature of the injected air is preferably 100 ⁰ C to 180 ⁰ C, particularly preferably from 120 ⁰ C to 150 ⁰ C. The flow rate of the heated air is preferably set so that curing of the mold takes place in suitable for industrial application periods. The periods depend on the size of the molds produced. It is desirable to cure in less than 5 minutes, preferably less than 2 minutes. For very large molds, however, longer periods may be required.

The removal of the water from the molding material mixture can also be carried out in such a way that the heating of the molding material mixture is effected by irradiation of microwaves. However, the irradiation of the microwaves is preferably carried out after the casting mold has been removed from the molding tool. For this purpose, however, the casting mold must already have sufficient strength. As already explained, this can be achieved, for example, by curing at least one outer shell of the casting mold already in the molding tool.

If the mold consists of several sub-forms, they are suitably assembled to form the casting mold, wherein also supply lines and compensation reservoirs can be attached to the casting mold.

The mold is then used in a conventional manner for metal casting. The metal casting can be done by itself with any metals. For example, iron casting or aluminum casting is suitable. After the solidification or cooling of the metal, the casting mold is then reprocessed in the manner already described by thermal treatment.

The properties of the casting mold as well as the regenerated sand can be improved by adding additives to the molding material mixture. As already explained, the particulate metal oxide added to the waterglass used as the binder. The particulate metal oxide does not match the foundry sand. It also has a smaller average particle size than the foundry sand.

According to one embodiment, the molding material mixture contains a proportion of a particulate metal oxide, which is selected from the group of silica, alumina, titania and zinc oxide. By adding this particulate metal oxide, the strength of the casting mold can be influenced.

The average primary particle size of the particulate metal oxide may be between 0.10 μm and 1 μm. However, because of the agglomeration of the primary particles, the particle size of the metal oxides is preferably less than 300 μm, preferably less than 200 μm, particularly preferably less than 100 μm. It is preferably in the range of 5 to 90 .mu.m, more preferably 10 to 80 .mu.m, and most preferably in the range of 15 to 50 microns. The particle size can be determined, for example, by sieve analysis. Particularly preferably, the sieve residue on a sieve with a mesh width of 63 μm is less than 10% by weight, preferably less than 8% by weight.

Particularly preferred as the particulate metal oxide silica is used, in which case synthetically produced amorphous silica is particularly preferred.

As the particulate silica, precipitated silica and / or fumed silica is preferably used. Precipitated silica is obtained by reaction of an aqueous alkali metal silicate solution with mineral acids. The resulting precipitate is then separated, dried and ground. Fumed silicas are understood to mean silicic acids which are obtained by coagulation from the gas phase at high temperatures. be. The production of fumed silica can be carried out, for example, by flame hydrolysis of silicon tetrachloride or in an electric arc furnace by reduction of quartz sand with coke or anthracite to silicon monoxide gas with subsequent oxidation to silica. The pyrogenic silicas produced by the arc furnace process may still contain carbon. Precipitated silica and fumed silica are equally well suited for the molding material mixture according to the invention. These silicas are hereinafter referred to as "synthetic amorphous silica".

The inventors believe that the strong alkaline water glass can react with the silanol groups located on the surface of the synthetic amorphous silica and that upon evaporation of the water, an intense bond between the silica and the then solid water glass is produced.

According to a further embodiment, at least one organic additive is added to the molding material mixture.

Preferably, an organic additive is used which has a melting point in the range of 40 to 180 ⁰ C, preferably 50 to 175 ⁰ C, that is fixed at room temperature. Organic additives are understood to be compounds whose molecular skeleton is composed predominantly of carbon atoms, that is, for example, organic polymers. By adding the organic additives, the quality of the surface of the casting can be further improved. The mechanism of action of the organic additives has not been clarified. Without wishing to be bound by this theory, however, the inventors assume that at least some of the organic additives are burnt during the casting process, thereby creating a thin gas cushion between the liquid metal and the foundry sand forming the wall of the casting mold, and thus a reaction between liquid metal and water Foundry sand prevented is changed. Further, the inventors believe that some of the organic additives under the reducing atmosphere of the casting form a thin layer of so-called lustrous carbon, which also prevents reaction between metal and foundry sand. As a further advantageous effect, an increase in the strength of the casting mold after curing can be achieved by adding the organic additives.

The organic additives are preferably used in an amount of 0.01 to 1.5% by weight, more preferably 0.05 to 1.3% by weight, particularly preferably 0.1 to 1.0% by weight, respectively based on the foundry sand added.

An improvement of the surface of the casting can be achieved with very different organic additives. Suitable organic additives are, for example, phenol-formaldehyde resins, e.g. Novolacs, epoxy resins, such as, for example, bisphenol A epoxy resins, bisphenol F epoxy resins or epoxidized novolaks, polyols, for example polyethylene glycols or polypropylene glycols, polyolefins, for example polyethylene or polypropylene, copolymers of olefins, such as ethylene or Propylene, and other comonomers such as vinyl acetate, polyamides such as polyamide-6, polyamide-12 or polyamide-6, 6, natural resins such as gum rosin, fatty acids such as stearic acid, fatty acid esters such as cetyl palmitate, fatty acid amides such as Ethylenediaminebisstearamide, and metal soaps, such as stearates or oleates of mono- to trivalent metals. The organic additives can be contained both as a pure substance, as well as a mixture of different organic compounds.

According to a further embodiment, at least one carbohydrate is used as the organic additive. The addition of carbohydrates gives the mold a high strength both immediately after production and during prolonged storage. Further, after the casting of the metal, a casting having a very high surface quality is obtained, so that after the removal of the casting mold, only a slight finishing of the surface of the casting is required. This is a significant advantage because it can significantly reduce the cost of producing a casting in this way. When carbohydrates are used as an organic additive, significantly less smoke is observed during casting compared to other organic additives, such as acrylic resins, polystyrene, polyvinyl esters or polyalkyl compounds, so that the workload for the employees can be significantly reduced.

Both mono- or disaccharides and relatively high molecular weight oligosaccharides or polysaccharides can be used. The carbohydrates can be used both as a single compound and as a mixture of different carbohydrates. The purity of the carbohydrates used are not excessive requirements. It is sufficient if the carbohydrates, based on the dry weight, in a purity of more than 80 wt .-%, more preferably more than 90 wt .-%, more preferably more than 95 wt .-%, in each case based on the dry weight. The monosaccharide units of the carbohydrates can be linked as desired. The carbohydrates preferably have a linear structure, for example an α- or β-glycosidic 1,4-linkage. The carbohydrates may also be wholly or partially 1, 6-linked, such as. As the amylopectin, which has up to 6% α-1, 6 bonds.

The amount of carbohydrate can be chosen relatively small in order to already observe a significant effect on the strength of the molds before casting or a significant improvement in the quality of the surface. The proportion is preferred of the carbohydrate, based on the foundry sand, in the range of 0.01 to 10 wt .-%, more preferably 0.02 to 5 wt .-%, particularly preferably 0.05 to 2.5 wt .-% and most preferably in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 wt.%. Even small amounts of carbohydrates in the range of about 0.1 wt .-% lead to significant effects.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the carbohydrate is used in underivatized form. Such carbohydrates can be favorably obtained from natural sources, such as plants, for example, cereals or potatoes. The molecular weight of such carbohydrates obtained from natural sources can be lowered for example by chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis, for example to improve the solubility in water. In addition to underivatized carbohydrates, which are thus composed only of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, but also derivatized carbohydrates can be used, in which, for example, a part or all hydroxy groups with e.g. Alkyl groups are etherified. Suitable derivatized carbohydrates are, for example, ethylcellulose or carboxymethylcellulose.

In itself, even low molecular weight hydrocarbons, such as mono- or disaccharides can be used. Examples are glucose or sucrose. However, the advantageous effects are observed in particular when using oligosaccharides or polysaccharides. It is therefore particularly preferred to use an oligosaccharide or polysaccharide as the carbohydrate.

In this case, it is preferred that the oligosaccharide or polysaccharide have a molecular weight in the range from 1000 to 100,000 g / mol, preferably 2,000 and 30,000 g / mol. In particular, when the carbohydrate has a molecular weight in the range of 5,000 to 20,000 g / mol, a marked increase in the strength of the mold is observed, so that the mold is easy to manufacture can be removed from the mold and transported. Even with prolonged storage, the mold shows a very good strength, so that even for a series production of castings required storage of the molds, even over several days in the event of access of humidity, readily possible. Also, the resistance to exposure to water, such as is inevitable when applying a size to the casting mold, is very good.

The polysaccharide is preferably composed of glucose units, these being particularly preferably linked to α- or β-glycosidic 1,4. However, it is also possible to use carbohydrate compounds containing, besides glucose, other monosaccharides, such as galactose or fructose, as an organic additive. Examples of suitable carbohydrates are lactose (α- or β-1,4-linked disaccharide from galactose and glucose) and sucrose (disaccharide from α-glucose and β-fructose).

The carbohydrate is particularly preferably selected from the group of cellulose, starch and dextrins and derivatives of these carbohydrates. Suitable derivatives are, for example, derivatives completely or partially etherified with alkyl groups. However, it is also possible to carry out other derivatizations, for example esterifications with inorganic or organic acids.

A further optimization of the stability of the casting mold and the surface of the casting can be achieved if special carbohydrates and in this case particularly preferred starches, dextrins (hydrolyzate product of the starches) and their derivatives are used as additive for the molding material mixture. As starches, especially the naturally occurring starches, such as potato, corn, rice, peas, banana, horse chestnut or wheat starch can be used. But it is also possible to use modified starches, such as thin-boiling starch, oxidized starch, citrate starch, acetate starches, starch ethers, starch esters or even starch phosphates. A limitation in the choice of strength does not exist per se. The starch may be, for example, low-viscosity, medium-viscosity or high-viscosity, cationic or anionic, cold water-soluble or hot-water-soluble. The dextrin is particularly preferably selected from the group of potato dextrin, maize dextrin, yellow dextrin, white dextrin, borax dextrin, cyclodextrin and maltodextrin.

In particular, in the production of molds with very thin-walled sections, the molding material mixture preferably additionally comprises a phosphorus-containing compound. In this case, both organic and inorganic phosphorus compounds can be used per se. In order to trigger any unwanted side reactions in metal casting is also preferred that the phosphorus in the phosphorus-containing compounds is preferably present in the oxidation state V. The addition of phosphorus-containing compounds, the stability of the mold can be further increased. This is of great importance, in particular, when the liquid metal encounters an oblique surface during metal casting, where it exerts a high erosive effect owing to the high metallostatic pressure or can lead to deformations, in particular of thin-walled sections of the casting mold.

The phosphorus-containing compound is preferably present in the form of a phosphate or phosphorus oxide. The phosphate can be present as alkali metal or as alkaline earth metal phosphate, with the sodium salts being particularly preferred. As such, ammonium phosphates or phosphates of other metal ions can also be used. However, the alkali metal or alkaline earth metal phosphates mentioned as being preferred are readily available and can be obtained inexpensively in any desired quantities. If the phosphorus-containing compound is added to the molding material mixture in the form of a phosphorus oxide, the phosphorus oxide is preferably present in the form of phosphorus pentoxide. However, it can also find Phosphortri- and Phosphortetroxid use.

According to a further embodiment, the phosphorus-containing compound in the form of the salts of the fluorophosphoric acids may be added to the molding material mixture. Particularly preferred in this case are the salts of monofluorophosphoric acid. Especially preferred is the sodium salt.

According to a preferred embodiment, organic phosphates are added to the molding material mixture as the phosphorus-containing compound. Preference is given here to alkyl or aryl phosphates. The alkyl groups preferably comprise 1 to 10 carbon atoms and may be straight-chain or branched. The aryl groups preferably comprise 6 to 18 carbon atoms, wherein the aryl groups may also be substituted by alkyl groups. Particularly preferred are phosphate compounds derived from monomeric or polymeric carbohydrates such as glucose, cellulose or starch. The use of a phosphorus-containing organic component as an additive is advantageous in two respects. On the one hand can be achieved by the phosphorus content, the necessary thermal stability of the mold and on the other hand, the surface quality of the corresponding casting is positively influenced by the organic content.

Both orthophosphates and polyphosphates, pyrophosphates or metaphosphates can be used as phosphates. The phosphates can be prepared, for example, by neutralization of the corresponding acids with a corresponding base, for example an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal base, such as NaOH, whereby not necessarily all negative charges of the phosphate ion must be saturated by metal ions. Both the metal phosphates and the metal tallhydrogenphosphate and the metal dihydrogen phosphates are used, such as Na ₃ PO ₄ , Na ₂ HPO ₄ and NaH ₂ PO ₄ . Likewise, the anhydrous phosphates as well as hydrates of the phosphates can be used. The phosphates can be introduced into the molding material mixture both in crystalline and in amorphous form.

Polyphosphates are understood in particular to be linear phosphates which comprise more than one phosphorus atom, the phosphorus atoms being connected in each case via oxygen bridges. Polyphosphates are obtained by condensation of orthophosphate ions with elimination of water, so that a linear chain of PO ₄ tetrahedra is attached, which are each connected via corners. Polyphosphates have the general formula (0 (PO3) _n ) ^{<n + 2>} , where n is the chain length A polyphosphate may comprise up to several hundred P0 ₄ tetrahedrons However, polyphosphates with shorter chain lengths are preferred n values from 2 to 100, especially preferably 5 to 50 at. It may also be used higher condensed polyphosphates, that is, polyphosphates, in which the PO ₄ tetrahedron are connected via more than two vertices to each other and therefore a polymerization in two or three Show dimensions.

Metaphosphates are understood to mean cyclic structures composed of PO ₄ tetrahedra connected by vertices. Metaphosphates have the general formula ((Pθ ₃ ) _n ) ^{n -} where n is at least 3. Preferably, n has values of 3 to 10.

Both individual phosphates and mixtures of different phosphates and / or phosphorus oxides can be used.

The preferred proportion of the phosphorus-containing compound, based on the foundry sand, is between 0.05 and 1.0 wt .-%. With a content of less than 0.05 wt .-% is no clearer Determine influence on the dimensional stability of the mold. If the proportion of the phosphate exceeds 1.0% by weight, the hot strength of the casting mold sharply decreases. Preferably, the proportion of phosphorus-containing compound is selected between 0.10 and 0.5 wt .-%. The phosphorus-containing compound preferably contains between 0.5 and 90% by weight of phosphorus, calculated as P ₂ Os. If inorganic phosphorus compounds are used, they preferably contain from 40 to 90% by weight, particularly preferably from 50 to 80% by weight, of phosphorus, calculated as P2O ₅ . If organic phosphorus compounds are used, these preferably contain from 0.5 to 30% by weight, particularly preferably from 1 to 20% by weight, of phosphorus, calculated as P ₂ O ₅ .

The phosphorus-containing compound may be added per se in solid or dissolved form of the molding material mixture. The phosphorus-containing compound is preferably added to the molding material mixture as a solid. If the phosphorus-containing compound is added in dissolved form, water is preferred as the solvent.

The molding material mixture is an intensive mixture of waterglass, foundry sand and possibly the abovementioned constituents. The particles of the foundry sand are preferably coated with a layer of the binder. By evaporation of the water present in the binder (about 40-70 wt .-%, based on the weight of the binder), a firm cohesion between the particles of the foundry sand can then be achieved.

The binder, ie the water glass and, if appropriate, the particulate metal oxide, in particular synthetic amorphous silicon dioxide, and / or the organic additive is preferably present in the molding material mixture in an amount of less than 20% by weight, particularly preferably in one range from 1 to 15 wt .-%. The proportion of the binder refers to the solids content of the binder. When pure foundry sand is used, such as quartz sand, the binder is preferably present in a proportion of less than 10% by weight contain less than 8 wt .-%, particularly preferably less than 5 wt .-%. If the foundry sand also contains other refractory mold bases which have a low density, such as hollow microspheres, the percentage of binder increases accordingly.

The particulate metal oxide, in particular the synthetic amorphous silica, based on the total weight of the binder, preferably in a proportion of 2 to 80 wt .-%, preferably between 3 and 60 wt .-%, particularly preferably between 4 and 50 wt .-%.

The ratio of water glass to particulate metal oxide, especially synthetic amorphous silica, can be varied within wide ranges. This offers the advantage of the initial strength of the mold, i. the strength immediately after removal from the hot tool, and to improve the moisture resistance, without the final strengths, i. the strengths after cooling the mold, to influence a water glass binder without amorphous silica significantly. This is of great interest especially in light metal casting. On the one hand, high initial strengths are desired in order to be able to easily transport these after the production of the casting mold or to assemble them with other casting molds. On the other hand, the final strength after curing should not be too high to avoid difficulties in binder decay after casting, i. the foundry sand should be able to be easily removed after casting from cavities of the mold.

The foundry sand contained in the molding material mixture may contain at least a proportion of hollow microspheres in one embodiment of the invention. The diameter of the hollow microspheres is normally in the range of 5 to 500 .mu.m, preferably in the range of 10 to 350 .mu.m, and the thickness of the shell is ge in the range of 5 to 15% of the diameter of the microcoils. These microspheres have a very low specific gravity, so that the molds produced using hollow microspheres have a low weight. Particularly advantageous is the insulating effect of the hollow microspheres. The hollow microspheres are therefore used in particular for the production of molds, if they are to have an increased insulating effect. Such casting molds are, for example, the feeders already described in the introduction, which act as a compensation reservoir and contain liquid metal, wherein the metal should be kept in a liquid state until the metal filled into the mold has solidified. Another application of casting molds containing hollow microspheres are, for example, sections of a casting mold which correspond to particularly thin-walled sections of the finished casting mold. The insulating effect of the hollow microspheres ensures that the metal in the thin-walled sections does not prematurely solidify and thus clog the paths within the casting mold.

If hollow microspheres are used, the binder, due to the low density of these hollow microspheres, is preferably used in a proportion in the range of preferably less than 20% by weight, particularly preferably in the range from 10 to 18% by weight. The values relate to the solids content of the binder.

The hollow microspheres are preferably made of an aluminum silicate. These aluminum silicate microbubbles preferably have an aluminum oxide content of more than 20% by weight, but may also have a content of more than 40% by weight. Such hollow microspheres are, for example, by Omega Minerals Germany GmbH, Norderstedt, under the names omega-Spheres ^® SG with an alumina content of about 28 - 33%, O mega-Spheres ^® WSG with an aluminum oxide content of approx. 35 - 39% and E-Spheres ^® with an aluminum oxide content of approx. 43%. Corresponding products are available from the PQ Corporation (USA) under the name "Extendospheres ^®".

According to a further embodiment, hollow microspheres are used as the refractory molding base, which are made of glass.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the hollow microspheres consist of a borosilicate glass. The borosilicate glass has a proportion of boron, calculated as B ₂ O ₃ , of more than 3% by weight. The proportion of hollow microspheres is preferably chosen to be less than 20% by weight, based on the molding material mixture. When using borosilicate glass microballoons, a small proportion is preferably selected. This is preferably less than 5 wt .-%, preferably less than 3 wt .-%, and is more preferably in the range of 0.01 to 2 wt .-%.

As already explained, in one embodiment the molding material mixture contains at least a proportion of glass granules and / or glass beads as a refractory molding base material.

It is also possible to form the molding material mixture as exothermic molding material mixture, which is suitable, for example, for the production of exothermic feeders. For this purpose, the molding material mixture contains an oxidizable metal and a suitable oxidizing agent. Based on the total mass of the molding material mixture, the oxidizable metals preferably form a proportion of 15 to 35 wt .-%. The oxidizing agent is preferably added in a proportion of 20 to 30 wt .-%, based on the molding material mixture. Suitable oxidizable metals are, for example, aluminum or magnesium. Suitable oxidizing agents are, for example, iron oxide or potassium nitrate. Contains the used one Foundry sand remnants of exothermic feeders, these are preferably removed before the thermal treatment. Otherwise not completely burned exothermic feeders there is a risk of ignition during the thermal treatment.

Binders containing water have inferior flowability compared to organic solvent based binders. This means that molds with narrow passages and several deflections can be filled worse. As a result, the molds have portions with insufficient compaction, which in turn can lead to casting defects during casting. According to an advantageous embodiment, the molding material mixture contains a proportion of lubricants, preferably platelet-shaped lubricants, in particular graphite, M0S ₂ , talc and / or pyrophillite. In addition to the platelet-shaped lubricants, however, liquid lubricants may also be used, such as mineral oils or silicone oils. It has been found that with the addition of such lubricants, in particular graphite, even complex shapes can be produced with thin-walled sections, wherein the casting molds consistently have a uniformly high density and strength, so that substantially no casting defects are observed during casting. The amount of added platelet-shaped lubricant, in particular graphite, is preferably 0.05 wt .-% to 1 wt .-%, based on the foundry sand.

In addition to the constituents mentioned, the molding material mixture may also comprise further additives. For example, internal release agents can be added which facilitate the separation of the molds from the mold. Suitable internal release agents are, for example, calcium stearate, fatty acid esters, waxes, natural resins or special alkyd resins. Furthermore, silanes can also be added to the molding material mixture according to the invention. According to a further preferred embodiment, the molding material mixture contains a proportion of at least one silane. Suitable silanes are, for example, aminosilanes, epoxysilanes, mercaptosilanes, hydroxysilanes, methacrylsilanes, ureidosilanes and polysiloxanes. Examples of suitable silanes are γ-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, γ-hydroxypropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-ureidopropyltriethoxysilane, γ-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane, γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, β- (3,4-epoxycyclohexyl) trimethoxysilane, 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane and N-β (aminoethyl) - y-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane.

Based on the particulate metal oxide typically about 5 to 50% silane are used, preferably about 7 to 45%, more preferably about 10 to 40%.

The additives described above may be added per se in any form of the molding material mixture. They can be added individually or as a mixture. They can be added in the form of a solid, but also in the form of solutions, pastes or dispersions. If added as a solution, paste or dispersion, water is preferred as the solvent. It is also possible to use the water glass used as a binder as a solvent or dispersion medium for the additives.

According to a preferred embodiment, the binder is provided as a two-component system, wherein a first liquid component contains the water glass and a second solid component contains the particulate metal oxide. The solid component may further include, for example, the phosphate and optionally a lubricant, such as a flake lubricant. If the carbohydrate is added in solid form to the molding material mixture, this can also be added to the solid component. Water-soluble organic additives can be used in the form of an aqueous solution. If the organic additives are soluble in the binder and are stable in storage over several months in the binder, they can also be dissolved in the binder and thus added to the foundry sand together with it. Water-insoluble additives may be used in the form of a dispersion or a paste. The dispersions or pastes preferably contain water as the dispersing medium. As such, solutions or pastes of the organic additives can also be prepared in organic solvents. However, if a solvent is used for the addition of the organic additives, water is preferably used.

Preferably, the addition of the organic additives is carried out as a powder or as a short fiber, wherein the average particle size or the fiber length is preferably selected so that it does not exceed the size of the foundry sand particles. Particularly preferably, the organic additives can be sieved through a sieve with the mesh size of about 0.3 mm. In order to reduce the number of components added to the foundry sand, the particulate metal oxide and the organic additive (s) are preferably not added separately to the molding sand but are mixed in advance.

Contains the molding material silanes or siloxanes, they are usually added in the form that they are incorporated in advance in the binder. The silanes or siloxanes can also be added to the foundry sand as a separate component. However, it is particularly advantageous to silanize the particulate metal oxide, ie to mix the metal oxide with the silane or siloxane, so that its surface is provided with a thin silane or siloxane layer. If the particulate metal oxide pretreated in this way is used, increased strengths are found compared with the untreated metal oxide and improved resistance to high humidity. If, as described, an organic additive is added to the molding material mixture or the particulate metal oxide, it is expedient to do so before the silanization.

The reclaimed foundry sand obtained by the process of the invention achieves approximately the properties of virgin sand and can be used for the production of moldings having comparable density and strength as molded articles made from virgin sand. The invention therefore also relates to a recycled foundry sand obtained by the method described above. This sand consists of a grain of sand, which is surrounded by a thin shell of a layer of glass. The layer thickness is preferably between 0.1 and 2 microns.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to examples.

Measurement methods used:

AFS number: The ΔFS number was determined in accordance with VDG leaflet P 27 (Verein Deutscher Gießereifachleute, Düsseldorf, October 1999).

Average grain size: The mean grain size was determined in accordance with VDG leaflet P 27 (Verein Deutscher Gießereifachleute, Düsseldorf, October 1999).

Acid consumption: Acid consumption was determined analogously to the instructions in the VDG leaflet P 28 (Association of German Foundry Experts, Düsseldorf, May 1979). Reagents and devices:

Hydrochloric acid 0.1 n

Sodium hydroxide solution 0.1 n

Methyl orange 0.1%

250 ml plastic bottles (polyethylene) calibrated full pipettes

Implementation of the provision:

If the foundry sand contains even larger aggregates of bonded foundry sand, these aggregates are crushed, for example by means of a hammer and the foundry sand is sieved through a sieve with a mesh size of 1 mm.

50 ml of distilled water and 50 ml of 0.1 N hydrochloric acid are pipetted into the plastic bottle. Subsequently, using a funnel, 50.0 g of the foundry sand to be examined are added to the bottle and sealed. For the first 5 minutes, shake vigorously for 5 seconds per minute, then every 30 minutes for 5 seconds. After each shaking, the sand is allowed to settle for a few seconds and rinsed by briefly swiveling the sand adhering to the bottle wall. During the breaks, the bottle stops at room temperature. After 3 hours, filter through a medium filter (white tape, diameter 12.5 cm). The funnel and the beaker used for collection must be dry. The first ml of the filtrate are discarded. Pipette 50 ml of the filtrate into a 300 ml titration flask and add 3 drops of methyl orange as indicator. It is then titrated from red to yellow with a 0.1 N sodium hydroxide solution. Calculation:

(25.0 ml hydrochloric acid 0, I n - consumed ml sodium hydroxide 0.1 n) x 2 = ml acid consumption / 50 g foundry sand

Examples

1. Preparation and curing of water-glass bonded molding material mixtures

1.1 Molding material mixture 1

100 wt. Parts (GT) of quartz sand H 32 (Quarzwerke GmbH, Frechen) were 3973 (Ashland-Südchemie-Kernfest GmbH) intensively mixed with 2.0 pbw of the commercially available alkali water glass binder INOTEC® ^® EP and the molding material mixture is cured at a temperature of 200 ⁰ C. ,

1.2 Molding material mixture 2

100 pbw of quartz sand H 32 were first with 0.5 GT amorphous Silici- dioxide (Elkem Microsilica 971), and then intensively mixed with 2.0 pbw of the commercially available alkali water glass binder INOTEC® ^® EP 3973 cured, the molding mixture at a temperature of 200 ⁰ C.

2. Regeneration of the bonded with water glass cured molding mixtures.

2.1. Mechanical regeneration (comparison, not according to the invention)

The cured molding material mixtures prepared according to 1.1 and 1.2 were first coarsely crushed and then working in a collapsing principle, with dedusting Neuhof Gießerei- und Fördertechnik GmbH, Freudenberg, regenerated mechanically and removes the resulting dust particles.

The analytical data, AFS number, mean grain size and acid consumption of the two regenerates are listed in Table 1. For comparison, the granulometric data of the starting material H 32 and the acid consumption of the two cured molding mixtures prior to regeneration are given. The acid consumption is a measure of the alkalinity of a foundry sand.

Table 1

(a) starting from molding material mixture 1 (b) starting from molding material mixture 2

2.2 Thermal regeneration

Each about 6 kg of the mechanical Regenerate 1 and 2 were exposed in a muffle furnace from. Nabertherm GmbH, Lilienthal, temperatures of 350 ⁰ C and 900 ⁰ C.

In the same way, the cured molding material mixtures 1 and 2 after a coarse crushing without upstream mechanical regeneration at 900 ⁰ C were thermally treated. After cooling, the sands were used without sieving for the further tests. For this reason, the determination of the AFS number and the mean grain size was waived.

The acid consumption of the thermal regenerates was determined analytically (see Table 2)

Table 2

Sample was crushed but not mechanically regenerated 3. Core production with the regenerated foundry sands

3.1 Mechanically regenerated foundry sands (comparison)

To test the mechanically regenerated foundry sands, so-called Georg Fischer test bars were produced. Georg Fischer test bars are cuboidal test bars measuring 150 mm x 22.36 mm x 22, 36 mm.

The composition of the molding material mixtures is given in Tab. 3.

The Georg Fischer test bars were prepared as follows:

The components listed in Table 3 were mixed in a laboratory paddle mixer (Vogel & Schemann AG, Hagen). For this purpose, the replenishment was initially submitted. , While stirring the amorphous silica (Elkem Microsilica 971) was then if specified, was added, and added after a mixing time of about one minute, the last of the commercially available water glass binder INOTEC® ^® EP 3973 (Ashland-Südchemie-Kernfest GmbH). The mixture was then stirred for a further minute.

The molding material mixtures were freshly prepared 2.5 hot box core shooting machine from Röper- factory in the stock hopper of an H -. Foundry Maschinen GmbH, Viersen, transferred, the mold was heated to 200 ⁰ C.

The molding material mixtures were introduced into the mold by means of compressed air (5 bar) and remained in the mold for a further 35 seconds. To accelerate the curing of the mixtures was during the last 20 seconds hot air (2 bar, 120 ⁰ C when entering the tool) passed through the tool;

The mold was opened and the test bars removed.

To test the processing time of the molding material mixtures, the process was repeated three hours after the mixture preparation, wherein the molding material mixture was stored while waiting in a sealed vessel to prevent the drying of the mixture and the access of CO ₂ .

To determine the flexural strengths, the test bars were placed in a Georg Fischer Strength Tester equipped with a 3-point bending device (DISA Industrie AG, Schaffhausen, CH) and the force was measured which resulted in the breakage of the test bars.

The flexural strengths were measured according to the following scheme:

10 seconds after removal (hot strength)

approx. 1 hour after removal (cold strength)

The measured strengths are summarized in Tab. 4.

As another test criterion, the weight of the test bars was determined. This is also listed in Tab. 4. Table 3: Composition of the molding material mixtures (comparative examples)

^(a> Elkem Microsilica 971

^(b> INOTEC ^® EP 3973 (Ashland Suedchemie-Kernfest GmbH)

^<c> Quarzwerke GmbH, Frechen

Table 4: Strengths (N / cm ² ) and Core Weights (g)

(Comparative Examples)

(n): no longer lockable

In the mechanically regenerated foundry sand used in Example 3, which was made from a foundry sand solidified with a waterglass containing no particulate amorphous silica (Mechanical Regenerate 1), a 3 hour old mixture is still pourable. However, there are obtained Prϋfriegel, which have a poorer strength compared to Example 1 and 2. If the mechanically regenerated foundry sand contains a binder which contains amorphous silicon dioxide (Example 4), the 3 hour old mixture has hardened and can no longer be fired. This shows that used foundry sands containing a water glass as a binder, which is mixed with a particulate metal oxide, are not suitable for mechnical regeneration.

3.2. Thermally regenerated foundry sand

In the examination of the thermally regenerated foundry sands, the procedure was analogous, as with the mechanically regenerated foundry sands.

The composition of the molding material mixtures is shown in Table 5, the strengths and the core weights are summarized in Table 6.

Tab. 5 Composition of the molding material mixtures (according to the invention)

^(a) Elkem Microsilica 971

(b) INOTECT EP 3973 (Ashland-Südchemie-Kernfest GMBH)

Tab. 6 Strengths (N / cm ² ) and Core Weights (g)

In Examples 5 to 8 thermal regenerates were used, which go back to the molding material mixture 1. In this molding material mixture, a water glass was used as a binder which does not contain amorphous silica. The molding material mixtures prepared from the regenerate are still very good verschiessbar after 3 hours. The test bars show a very good strength.

The same result is achieved with the thermal regenerates 5 to 8, as examples 9 to 12 show. The regenerates used in these examples are based on the molding material mixture 2, which contains as binder water glass, which is mixed with amorphous silica. Even after a service life of 3 hours, the molding material mixture is very good verschießbar. The test bars obtained show a very good strength.

Result :

Comparison of Tables 1 and 2:

It can be seen that the acid consumption of the molding materials is reduced considerably more by the heat input than in the mechanical regeneration. The determination of the acid consumption is at the same time a simple method of monitoring the progress of the thermal regeneration.

Comparison of Tables 4 and 6:

It can be seen that the processability of the molding material mixtures when using thermally regenerated foundry sand is significantly longer than when using mechanically regenerated foundry sand, irrespective of whether mechanical regeneration was preceded by the thermal treatment or not. In addition, it can be seen that the weight of the test bars made with the thermally regenerated foundry sands is greater than that of such test bars made with mechanically regenerated foundry sands, ie the flowability of the molding mixtures has increased through thermal regeneration.

Claims

claims

1. A process for the recycling of used foundry sands, which are tainted with water glass, wherein:

providing a used foundry sand having a water glass based binder to which a particulate metal oxide is added; and

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal treatment is carried out until the acid consumption of the foundry sand, as measured by the consumption of 0.1 N HCl at an amount of foundry sand of 50 g, has decreased by at least 10%,

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the used foundry sand is in the form of a casting mold.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the used mold comprises a casting.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the mold is separated from the casting prior to the thermal treatment.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein before the thermal treatment, the casting mold is broken at least into coarse fragments.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein before or after the thermal treatment, a mechanical Treatment of the foundry sand for grain separation is performed.

8. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the mold for the thermal treatment is transferred to an oven.

A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the used foundry sand is moved during the thermal treatment.

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the thermal treatment is carried out with access of air.

11. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the reprocessing is carried out dry.

12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the casting mold is provided with the casting by

a molding material mixture is provided which comprises at least one foundry sand and at least one water glass-containing binder and a particulate metal oxide,

the molding material mixture is processed to a new mold and cured, and

A metal casting is carried out with the new casting mold so that a used casting mold is obtained with a casting.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the water glass has a modulus SiO ₂ / M ₂ O in the range of 1.6 to 4.0, in particular 2.0 to 3.5, wherein M means sodium ions and / or potassium ions.

14. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein the water glass has a solids content of SiO ₂ and M ₂ O in the range of 30 to 60 wt .-%.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the molding material mixture is added to a particulate metal oxide, which is selected from the group of silicon dioxide, alumina, titania and zinc oxide.

The process of claim 15, wherein the particulate metal oxide is selected from the group consisting of precipitated silica and fumed silica.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein the molding material mixture is added to an organic additive.

The method of claim 17, wherein the organic additive is a carbohydrate.

19. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 18, wherein the molding material mixture is added to a phosphorus-containing additive.

20. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 19, wherein at least a part of the foundry sand is formed from regenerated foundry sand.

21. Regenerated foundry sand, obtained by a process according to any one of claims 1 to 20.