GB2234347A - Waste recovery using phosphorescence - Google Patents
Waste recovery using phosphorescence Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2234347A GB2234347A GB9013306A GB9013306A GB2234347A GB 2234347 A GB2234347 A GB 2234347A GB 9013306 A GB9013306 A GB 9013306A GB 9013306 A GB9013306 A GB 9013306A GB 2234347 A GB2234347 A GB 2234347A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- waste
- plastics
- components
- waste material
- mixture
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 239000002699 waste material Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 33
- 238000011084 recovery Methods 0.000 title abstract description 5
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 25
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 25
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 16
- OAICVXFJPJFONN-UHFFFAOYSA-N Phosphorus Chemical compound [P] OAICVXFJPJFONN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 9
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 9
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 claims description 7
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000004064 recycling Methods 0.000 abstract description 2
- 230000011664 signaling Effects 0.000 abstract 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 4
- 229920000642 polymer Polymers 0.000 description 3
- ALYNCZNDIQEVRV-UHFFFAOYSA-N 4-aminobenzoic acid Chemical compound NC1=CC=C(C(O)=O)C=C1 ALYNCZNDIQEVRV-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 125000003636 chemical group Chemical group 0.000 description 2
- 239000010432 diamond Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 2
- WPBNNNQJVZRUHP-UHFFFAOYSA-L manganese(2+);methyl n-[[2-(methoxycarbonylcarbamothioylamino)phenyl]carbamothioyl]carbamate;n-[2-(sulfidocarbothioylamino)ethyl]carbamodithioate Chemical compound [Mn+2].[S-]C(=S)NCCNC([S-])=S.COC(=O)NC(=S)NC1=CC=CC=C1NC(=S)NC(=O)OC WPBNNNQJVZRUHP-UHFFFAOYSA-L 0.000 description 2
- 239000005022 packaging material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 description 2
- JHJLBTNAGRQEKS-UHFFFAOYSA-M sodium bromide Chemical compound [Na+].[Br-] JHJLBTNAGRQEKS-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 description 2
- RZEMXCXZMMENMI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 1,2-diphenyl-9h-carbazole Chemical compound C1=CC=CC=C1C1=CC=C(C=2C(=CC=CC=2)N2)C2=C1C1=CC=CC=C1 RZEMXCXZMMENMI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N Copper Chemical compound [Cu] RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- PWHULOQIROXLJO-UHFFFAOYSA-N Manganese Chemical compound [Mn] PWHULOQIROXLJO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229920000877 Melamine resin Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920001807 Urea-formaldehyde Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000012190 activator Substances 0.000 description 1
- 150000001448 anilines Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 229920002678 cellulose Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000001913 cellulose Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005119 centrifugation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 150000001875 compounds Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 229910052802 copper Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010949 copper Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910003460 diamond Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010791 domestic waste Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000005670 electromagnetic radiation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004134 energy conservation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052634 enstatite Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000005188 flotation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000009969 flowable effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 150000002391 heterocyclic compounds Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 238000010348 incorporation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002440 industrial waste Substances 0.000 description 1
- 150000002484 inorganic compounds Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 229910010272 inorganic material Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 230000002452 interceptive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000002372 labelling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229920000092 linear low density polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052748 manganese Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000011572 manganese Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011159 matrix material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005065 mining Methods 0.000 description 1
- 150000002894 organic compounds Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000003208 petroleum Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000013502 plastic waste Substances 0.000 description 1
- -1 polyethylene terephthalate Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000005020 polyethylene terephthalate Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920000139 polyethylene terephthalate Polymers 0.000 description 1
- ODGAOXROABLFNM-UHFFFAOYSA-N polynoxylin Chemical compound O=C.NC(N)=O ODGAOXROABLFNM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229920000915 polyvinyl chloride Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004800 polyvinyl chloride Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000000750 progressive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000002994 raw material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004627 regenerated cellulose Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000035945 sensitivity Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001228 spectrum Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000725 suspension Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000012815 thermoplastic material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052882 wollastonite Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 229910000368 zinc sulfate Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29B—PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE SHAPED; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIAL CONTAINING PLASTICS
- B29B17/00—Recovery of plastics or other constituents of waste material containing plastics
- B29B17/02—Separating plastics from other materials
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
- B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
- B07C5/00—Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches
- B07C5/34—Sorting according to other particular properties
- B07C5/342—Sorting according to other particular properties according to optical properties, e.g. colour
- B07C5/3425—Sorting according to other particular properties according to optical properties, e.g. colour of granular material, e.g. ore particles, grain
- B07C5/3427—Sorting according to other particular properties according to optical properties, e.g. colour of granular material, e.g. ore particles, grain by changing or intensifying the optical properties prior to scanning, e.g. by inducing fluorescence under UV or x-radiation, subjecting the material to a chemical reaction
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29B—PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE SHAPED; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIAL CONTAINING PLASTICS
- B29B17/00—Recovery of plastics or other constituents of waste material containing plastics
- B29B17/02—Separating plastics from other materials
- B29B2017/0213—Specific separating techniques
- B29B2017/0279—Optical identification, e.g. cameras or spectroscopy
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29K—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR MOULDS, REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29K2995/00—Properties of moulding materials, reinforcements, fillers, preformed parts or moulds
- B29K2995/0018—Properties of moulding materials, reinforcements, fillers, preformed parts or moulds having particular optical properties, e.g. fluorescent or phosphorescent
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
- Y02W30/00—Technologies for solid waste management
- Y02W30/50—Reuse, recycling or recovery technologies
- Y02W30/62—Plastics recycling; Rubber recycling
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Separation, Recovery Or Treatment Of Waste Materials Containing Plastics (AREA)
- Sorting Of Articles (AREA)
Abstract
Waste recovery, and particularly a method of sorting plastics waste material by incorporating therein a phosphor capable of phosphorescing when exposed to an appropriate light source of a specific wavelength. The resulting phosphorescence is used to trigger a signalling device to activate means capable of separating the waste into like materials for recycling.
Description
WASTE RECOVERY
This invention relates to waste recovery and particularly to a method of sorting waste materials into selected types.
For some time there has been concern that packaging materials and particularly plastics packaging materials are being destroyed or disposed of in landfill sites along with other waste materials when recycling would be more appropriate if they could be readily and satisfactorily sorted.
Plastic materials are very largely derived from raw materials obtained from natural resources such as petroleum or cellulose by the application of energy intensive processes. It is the concern over dwindling natural resources and over the need for energy conservation that has inspired efforts towards commercial waste recovery.
While attempts have been made to sort waste plastic materials from other waste materials, there has been a continuing need for means to efficiently sort the plastic materials into their various types.
In order to recycle plastic materials and particularly thermoplastic materials effectively it is generally important to ensure that polymer types which are incompatible with one another are separated from one another before re-use. It is clearly necessary to do this effectively and efficiently to satisfy the demands of any commercial operation utilizing the sorted waste.
Certain plastic materials fluoresce inherently when subjected to light of appropriate wavelength and, although this property may be used as a tool to identify such materials, any system of sorting would be limited in its efficacy since reliability would have to be placed on the materials sorted fluorescing.
While it may be possible to add fluorescing compounds to plastic materials during manufacture or fabrication to broaden the spectrum of materials that could be sorted, interference from fluorescent print used in labelling could easily'render a sorting system so based unreliable.
The use of fluorescence to assist sorting is known in diamond mining where diamonds are caused to fluoresce to enable them to be identified amongst the dross but where interfering outside influences are minimal.
There is thus a need for a reliable and effective method of sorting plastic waste materials where the effects of outside influences may be minimal.
According to the present invention there is provided a method for sorting one or more components of a mixture of waste materials comprising at least one plastics waste material having incorporated therein a phosphor capable of phosphorescing when exposed to light of a specific wavelength and/or band, applying such light to the mixture so as to cause the phosphor in said plastics waste material to phosphoresce, detecting such phosphorescence and thereby producing a signal, using said signal to activate means to cause the components of said plastics waste material to assemble together and simultaneously or subsequently separating said assembled components from the waste materials.
Apparatus for carrying out the foregoing method is also within the scope of this invention.
Plastics materials which may be components of waste materials particularly household waste include for example, regenerated cellulose, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate and high,medium and low (including linear low) density polyethylene.
Phosphors which may be used include organic and inorganic compounds which may be added during manufacture of the plastics material or during its fabrication. Additionally or alternatively the phosphor may comprise chemical groups which are incorporated into or added to the polymer chain.
Examples of suitable inorganic phosphors are MgSi03, ZnSiO4 with a trace of manganese, CaSi03 similarly with a trace of manganese, KC1 with a trace of Thalium or NaBr with a trace of
Thalium and copper or Manganese activated ZnS04
Organic phosphors include certain heterocyclic compounds and substituted anilines also activated cross-linked urea formaldehyde and cross-linked melamine formaldehyde resins, the activators for which may be diphenyl carbazole and para amino benzoic acid respectively. Examples of phosphors comprising chemical groups for incorporation into or addition to polymer chains will correspondingly be apparent to the skilled addressee.
The phosphors used to identify different plastics types may be selected to respond differently to a single wavelength of incident light and/or chosen to respond individually to selected wavelengths of a wave band.
In this specification the term light should be interpreted as including any visible or invisible radiation such as electromagnetic radiation.
Detectors of the phosphorescence of a particular plastics type or types may be tuned to detect a specific emitted wavelength or waveband according to the nature of the phosphor and degree of sorting required. Such detectors may be in the form of photo-cells or similar radiation sensitive devices of suitable sensitivity and range to detect the emitted phosphorescence whether or not such wavelength or intensity is normally visible to the naked eye.
As will be appreciated such detectors may operate by emitting a signal which may be electronic and which can be readily utilized through appropriate circuitry for example, to activate means to cause the components of at least one plastics material to assemble together, such as valves controlling air blasts or other devices controlling the projection or movement of the selected elements in order to effect assembly. Such assembly may be within the matrix of other waste material for subsequent separation or may be with simultaneous separation from other waste material.
In operation of the method of this invention it is preferred that the waste material is initially comminuted or ground to a flowable medium in which the particle size may have a predetermined maximum. This maximum may be determined by a number of factors which include the handleability of the medium, the nature of the phosphorescence detectors and the nature and capability of the means to cause components to assemble for example.
Whilst it is preferable to maintain a dry medium where transport of the waste material may be in air or other gas, clearly suspension of the waste material in a liquid can be a practical alternative or addition.
It will be appreciated that the separation of one or more plastics from waste material according to the method of this invention may be effected utilizing a number of stages in which progressive separation can be effected. Further, where for example two or more plastics types are separated together from admixtures thereof with other waste material, it will be appreciated that such plastic types may be separated from one another subsequently by for example utilizing density differences or other such inherent differences and appropriate means such as flotation, centrifugation and electrostatic means for example.
Claims (2)
1. A method of sorting one or more components of a mixture of waste materials comprising at least one plastics waste material having incorporated therein a phosphor capable of phosphorescing when exposed to light of a specific wavelength and/or band, applying such light to the mixture so as to cause the phosphor in said plastics waste material to phosphoresce, detecting such phosphorescence and thereby producing a signal, using said signal to activate means to cause the components of said plastics waste material to assemble together and simultaneously or subsequently separating said assembled components from the waste materials.
2. Apparatus for sorting one or more components of a mixture of waste materials which comprises means to subject the mixture of waste materials containing distributed elements of at least one plastic material having incorporated therein a phosphor capable of phosphorescing when exposed to light of a specific wavelength and/or band, means for applying such light to the mixture so as to cause the phosphor in said plastics waste material to phosphoresce, a detector responsive to such phosphorescence to thereby produce a signal, means responsive to said signal causing the components of a least one plastics material to assemble together either separated as such or for subsequent separation from other waste material and means as appropriate for said subsequent separation.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8914363A GB8914363D0 (en) | 1989-06-22 | 1989-06-22 | Waste recovery |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB9013306D0 GB9013306D0 (en) | 1990-08-08 |
| GB2234347A true GB2234347A (en) | 1991-01-30 |
Family
ID=10658887
Family Applications (2)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8914363A Pending GB8914363D0 (en) | 1989-06-22 | 1989-06-22 | Waste recovery |
| GB9013306A Withdrawn GB2234347A (en) | 1989-06-22 | 1990-06-14 | Waste recovery using phosphorescence |
Family Applications Before (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8914363A Pending GB8914363D0 (en) | 1989-06-22 | 1989-06-22 | Waste recovery |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (2) | GB8914363D0 (en) |
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0497397A1 (en) * | 1991-01-31 | 1992-08-05 | TECHNOLAS Umwelt- und Industrieanalytik GmbH | Method of qualitative analysis of plastics particles |
| EP0549902A1 (en) * | 1991-12-17 | 1993-07-07 | STN ATLAS Elektronik GmbH | Method for classifying non-metallic substances |
| GB2264558A (en) * | 1992-02-26 | 1993-09-01 | British Petroleum Co Plc | Method of identifying polymer materials |
| US5419438A (en) * | 1993-11-24 | 1995-05-30 | Simco/Ramic Corporation | Apparatus and method for sorting post-consumer articles according to PVC content |
| DE102011116046B4 (en) * | 2011-10-17 | 2017-08-03 | Johnson Controls Autobatterie Gmbh & Co. Kgaa | Recycling of products as well as recycling plant |
| WO2022085609A1 (en) * | 2020-10-23 | 2022-04-28 | 株式会社フジシールインターナショナル | Shrink label and shrink label segregation method |
Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1078430A (en) * | 1964-12-07 | 1967-08-09 | Ted C Mathews | Ore concentration process |
| GB1220109A (en) * | 1967-10-27 | 1971-01-20 | Ted Corbet Mathews | Apparatus and method for separating solid articles |
| US3912928A (en) * | 1974-05-06 | 1975-10-14 | Dayco Corp | Permanently coded polymeric compound and method of coding and identifying same |
-
1989
- 1989-06-22 GB GB8914363A patent/GB8914363D0/en active Pending
-
1990
- 1990-06-14 GB GB9013306A patent/GB2234347A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1078430A (en) * | 1964-12-07 | 1967-08-09 | Ted C Mathews | Ore concentration process |
| GB1220109A (en) * | 1967-10-27 | 1971-01-20 | Ted Corbet Mathews | Apparatus and method for separating solid articles |
| US3912928A (en) * | 1974-05-06 | 1975-10-14 | Dayco Corp | Permanently coded polymeric compound and method of coding and identifying same |
Cited By (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0497397A1 (en) * | 1991-01-31 | 1992-08-05 | TECHNOLAS Umwelt- und Industrieanalytik GmbH | Method of qualitative analysis of plastics particles |
| US5256880A (en) * | 1991-01-31 | 1993-10-26 | Metallgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft | Process for the qualitative analysis of plastic particles |
| AU644715B2 (en) * | 1991-01-31 | 1993-12-16 | Metallgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft | Process for the qualitative analysis of plastic particles |
| EP0549902A1 (en) * | 1991-12-17 | 1993-07-07 | STN ATLAS Elektronik GmbH | Method for classifying non-metallic substances |
| GB2264558A (en) * | 1992-02-26 | 1993-09-01 | British Petroleum Co Plc | Method of identifying polymer materials |
| US5419438A (en) * | 1993-11-24 | 1995-05-30 | Simco/Ramic Corporation | Apparatus and method for sorting post-consumer articles according to PVC content |
| DE102011116046B4 (en) * | 2011-10-17 | 2017-08-03 | Johnson Controls Autobatterie Gmbh & Co. Kgaa | Recycling of products as well as recycling plant |
| US10147913B2 (en) | 2011-10-17 | 2018-12-04 | Johnson Controls Autobatterie Gmbh & Co. Kgaa | Recycling of products |
| WO2022085609A1 (en) * | 2020-10-23 | 2022-04-28 | 株式会社フジシールインターナショナル | Shrink label and shrink label segregation method |
| JPWO2022085609A1 (en) * | 2020-10-23 | 2022-04-28 |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB8914363D0 (en) | 1989-08-09 |
| GB9013306D0 (en) | 1990-08-08 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |