JP4663665B2 - Waste toner processing method and solid fuel production method using waste toner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention includes, for example, a process how the waste toner used in the laser printer or electrophotographic copying machine or the like, relate to the production how solidification fuel with waste toner.

  Toners used in laser printers and electrophotographic copying machines are generally fine particles with a synthetic resin as the main component and a particle size of several microns, and are distributed in a state of being filled in a cartridge. When the used toner cartridge is discarded, landfill processing or incineration processing is performed as industrial waste, but various problems are caused by the waste toner remaining in the cartridge.

  That is, when the landfill process is performed, there is a problem that the internal toner leaks with the destruction or deterioration of the cartridge, and the surrounding environment is contaminated by the leaked toner. Further, when incineration is performed, there is a possibility that the incinerator is filled with fine toner particles and dust explosion is caused. In addition, since the fine particles are scattered in the incinerator and adhere to the furnace wall over a wide range and melt, there is a problem that maintenance work of the incinerator is increased and the life of the incinerator is shortened.

  On the other hand, there is a processing method in which used toner cartridges are manually disassembled and separated into cartridges and toners, respectively. In this case, workers are harmed by the toner particles scattered during disassembly. There is a risk of receiving. In addition, there is a problem that it takes time and labor for manual disassembly work.

Therefore, conventionally, as a waste toner processing method, a method has been proposed in which the toner is heated and melted together with the cartridge, and cooled by a cooling device to bring the toner into a combined state, and then the combined toner and the cartridge are crushed. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). In this processing method, the heating temperature of the cartridge is set higher than the melting temperature of the toner and lower than the melting temperature of the cartridge material, so that only the toner is melted without melting the cartridge. Thereby, the cartridge is held in shape, and the cartridge unit can be transported in the heating process and the cooling process. The crushed material obtained by crushing the combined toner and cartridge is manually separated into cartridge-derived resin, metal and rubber, waste toner-derived resin, and the like.
JP 2005-131610 A

  However, in the above conventional waste toner processing method, since the toner is heated while being accommodated in the cartridge, the toner tends to remain in the form of fine particles. Therefore, the toner fine particles remaining in the crushing process are scattered, which may cause contamination of the surrounding environment and the health of workers.

  Further, since the heating is performed at a temperature higher than the melting temperature of the toner and lower than the melting temperature of the cartridge material, there is a problem that temperature management is difficult. In many cases, such a heating temperature is slightly higher than the melting temperature of the toner, which is likely to be lower than the melting temperature of the toner. Therefore, there is a problem that the toner is likely to remain as fine particles.

  Further, since the toner is heated while being accommodated in the cartridge, the combined toner obtained by cooling has a low density. Further, since the cartridge is held in the heating process, it is necessary to handle the cartridge individually until the crushing process. Therefore, the toner and the cartridge are bulky in each process up to the crushing process, and there is a problem that the processing efficiency is poor.

  Further, in the process of separating crushed material, since it is manually sorted into resin, metal, rubber, etc., there is a problem that it takes time and processing costs increase. Therefore, if the solid fuel is manufactured using the material after the separation, the cost of the solid fuel is increased.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a waste toner processing method that can reliably prevent the scattering of fine particles by reliably binding the toner, and that can efficiently process the toner and the cartridge, and the processing method. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a solid fuel that can produce a solid fuel at low cost by using the material.

In order to solve the above problems, the waste toner processing method of the present invention includes a step of storing a container containing toner in a bag formed of a nonwoven fabric,
And heating and pressurizing the toner and container contained in the bag to form a lump.

  According to the above configuration, the toner and the container are heated and pressurized in a state of being accommodated in a bag formed of a non-woven fabric, so that the toner is combined without leaking out of the bag to form a lump. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the surrounding environment due to scattering of toner fine particles. Further, since the toner and the container are heated and pressurized, a high-density mass can be obtained. Accordingly, the handling of the toner and the container is simplified in the subsequent process, so that the processing efficiency can be improved.

  Here, the temperature for heating the toner and the container contained in the bag may be at least a temperature at which the toner melts. Thereby, management of heating temperature can be made easy.

  The waste toner processing method according to one embodiment is characterized in that the nonwoven fabric allows air to pass through while substantially preventing the toner from passing therethrough.

  According to the above-described embodiment, when pressurizing the toner and the container, it is possible to heat and pressurize while effectively discharging the air in the bag. Therefore, it is possible to form a high-density mass with few voids.

  The waste toner processing method according to one embodiment is characterized in that the non-woven fabric is formed of a thermoplastic resin containing no chlorine.

  According to the said embodiment, generation | occurrence | production of a dioxin can be prevented when the lump containing the said nonwoven fabric is incinerated or used as a material of solid fuel.

  The waste toner processing method of one embodiment is characterized in that the toner and the container contained in the bag are heated at a temperature higher than the melting point of the toner.

  According to the embodiment described above, the toner can be surely brought into a combined state by melting.

  The waste toner processing method according to an embodiment is characterized in that a foamed polystyrene piece is accommodated in the bag together with a container containing the toner.

  According to the above-described embodiment, for example, when the air in the container is relatively large, the toner may be ejected together with the air due to rupture due to pressurization, and the nonwoven fabric bag may be torn. Here, by containing the polystyrene foam pieces, it is possible to reduce the momentum of the blown air accompanying the rupture of the container. Therefore, the inconvenience that the nonwoven fabric bag is torn can be prevented. Further, by using a polystyrene foam having a melting point lower than the melting point of the toner, it is possible to effectively capture the fine particles ejected with the pressurization with the polystyrene foam that has been melted by heating. Therefore, scattering of toner fine particles can be prevented. Here, it is preferable that the said polystyrene foam piece has a dimension of 5 mm-10 mm.

The waste toner processing plant of the reference example is a processing plant including a heating and pressurizing device in which a container containing toner is put in a state of being accommodated in a bag formed of a nonwoven fabric,
The heating and pressing apparatus includes a press unit that heats and pressurizes the toner and the container contained in the bag at least to a temperature at which the toner melts.

  According to the above configuration, the heat and pressure device heats and pressurizes the toner and the container accommodated in the bag formed of the nonwoven fabric to form a lump, so that the combined state without leakage of the toner is achieved. A dense mass is obtained. Therefore, it is possible to prevent environmental deterioration due to scattering of toner fine particles, and to simplify the handling of the toner and the container and improve the processing efficiency.

  Here, the temperature for heating the toner and the container contained in the bag may be at least a temperature at which the toner melts.

A method for producing a solidified fuel using the waste toner of the present invention,
Storing a container containing toner in a bag formed of non-woven fabric;
Heating and pressurizing the container contained in the bag to form a mass;
Crushing the mass to form a crushed material;
Removing the metal from the crushed material,
Crushing the crushed material from which the metal has been removed to form a crushed material;
And a step of forming a material containing the pulverized material.

  According to the above configuration, the toner and the container contained in the bag formed of the nonwoven fabric are heated and pressed to form a lump, so that the toner particles are not scattered and high density is prevented while preventing deterioration of the environment. Lump is obtained. By crushing the lump, a crushed material having good shape retention and a relatively uniform particle size can be obtained, so that the metal removal efficiency can be improved. Further, in the pulverization step of pulverizing the crushed material from which the metal has been removed, the pulverized product having a smaller particle size can be efficiently formed into a relatively uniform particle size. Therefore, the solid fuel formed by molding the material containing the pulverized product can be made to have a high quality with high density and high calorific value, uniform particle size of the constituent materials, and less uneven combustion.

  Here, the temperature for heating the toner and the container contained in the bag may be at least a temperature at which the toner melts. Thereby, management of heating temperature can be made easy.

  Further, the bag may contain a polystyrene foam piece together with the container containing the toner. In this case, the momentum of the air ejected by the rupture of the container accompanying pressurization can be reduced. Therefore, the inconvenience that the nonwoven fabric bag is torn can be prevented. In addition, the expanded polystyrene that is in a molten state with heating can effectively capture the fine particles ejected with the pressurization. Therefore, scattering of toner fine particles can be prevented. Here, it is preferable that the said polystyrene foam piece has a dimension of 5 mm-10 mm.

The solidified fuel production plant using the waste toner of the reference example is
A container containing toner is put in a state of being accommodated in a bag made of non-woven fabric, and the toner and the container accommodated in the bag are heated to at least a temperature at which the toner melts and pressurized to form a lump. A heating and pressing apparatus having a pressing section to
A crushing device for crushing the mass to form a crushed material;
A metal removal device for removing metal from the crushed material,
A crusher for crushing the crushed material from which the metal has been removed to form a crushed material;
And a molding device for molding the material containing the pulverized material.

  According to the above configuration, the heat and pressure device heats and pressurizes the toner and the container accommodated in the bag formed of the nonwoven fabric to form a lump, so that the environment deteriorates without scattering the toner fine particles. A high-density mass can be obtained while preventing the above. By crushing this lump with a crushing device, a crushed material having good shape retention and a relatively uniform particle size can be obtained, so that the metal removal efficiency by the metal removing device can be improved. Furthermore, a pulverized product having a smaller particle size can be efficiently formed from a pulverized product having a relatively uniform particle size by a pulverizer. By molding the material containing the pulverized product with a molding apparatus, a high-quality solid fuel having a high density and a high calorific value, a uniform particle size of the constituent material, and less uneven combustion can be produced.

  Here, the temperature for heating the toner and the container contained in the bag may be at least a temperature at which the toner melts. Thereby, management of heating temperature can be made easy.

  Further, the bag may contain a foamed polystyrene piece together with the container containing the toner. In this case, the momentum of the air ejected by the rupture of the container accompanying pressurization can be reduced. Therefore, the inconvenience that the nonwoven fabric bag is torn can be prevented. In addition, the expanded polystyrene that is in a molten state with heating can effectively capture the fine particles ejected with the pressurization. Therefore, scattering of toner fine particles can be prevented. Here, it is preferable that the said polystyrene foam piece has a dimension of 5 mm-10 mm.

  In each of the above inventions, the toner refers to a powdery substance mainly composed of a pigment and a synthetic resin used for image formation in a laser printer, an electrophotographic copying machine, a facsimile machine or the like. The container is a toner cartridge that can be attached to and detached from a printer or copier, a waste toner bottle that is provided in the printer or copier and collects waste toner, or a container that contains waste toner generated in the toner manufacturing process. Etc., and a container containing toner is widely applicable.

  According to the waste toner processing method of the present invention, a container containing toner is accommodated in a bag formed of a non-woven fabric, and heated and pressurized to form a lump, thereby binding the toner without leaking. In this state, a high-density mass can be obtained, so that deterioration of the surrounding environment due to the toner fine particles can be prevented, and the processing efficiency can be improved.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a waste toner processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The processing method of the present embodiment processes a discarded toner cartridge while preventing scattering of toner particles.

  The toner is used for development of an electrophotographic apparatus, and is fine particles mainly formed of a pigment and a synthetic resin, and the particle size is in the range of several μm to several tens of μm. In an example of a general toner, carbon black is 5% to 20%, styrene acrylic resin is 70% to 90%, and the particle size is 1 μm to 20 μm. However, the synthetic resin, pigment, and particle size are limited to this. Absent. For example, there are polyesters and polyethylene as synthetic resins, and magnetic powder and colorants other than black as pigments. Further, the toner contains a release agent and a charge control agent. The resin component of the toner melts at approximately 90 ° C. to 200 ° C.

  A cartridge as a container for storing toner is used by being mounted on a laser printer, a copier, or the like, and includes, for example, a resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polystyrene, polycarbonate, or polyethylene terephthalate. The resin portion of the cartridge melts at approximately 90 ° C to 300 ° C. Further, the cartridge includes a metal such as steel, aluminum, and copper constituting a drive shaft or the like.

  In the processing method of this embodiment, first, a toner cartridge as a container containing toner is accommodated in a bag formed of a nonwoven fabric (step S1). The nonwoven fabric forming the bag is preferably made of a material having a melting temperature higher than the melting temperature of the toner and the same temperature as the melting temperature of the cartridge. For the roughness of the eyes, a material that allows air to permeate but does not allow toner particles to permeate is used. For example, those formed of polyurethane, polyester, nylon, acrylic, etc. and having a melting temperature of 90 ° C. to 300 ° C. can be used. As such a nonwoven fabric, there is a nonwoven fabric for bag filters. After housing the toner cartridge, the bag opening is closed and sealed (step S2).

  Subsequently, the bag containing the toner cartridge is placed in the press section of the heating and pressurizing apparatus (step S3), and the press section is operated to pressurize while heating at a predetermined heating temperature. As a result, the air in the bag is discharged and reduced while preventing leakage of toner fine particles with the nonwoven fabric, and the toner, the cartridge and the nonwoven fabric are melted to form a thin plate-like lump (step S4). As a result, it is possible to obtain a high-density mass with few voids by effectively combining the toner without causing environmental pollution due to leakage of toner particles. In the heating and pressurizing step, only the toner may be melted, and the nonwoven fabric and the cartridge need only be softened. Since it is only necessary to heat to a temperature at which the toner melts, the heating temperature can be easily managed.

  A known hot press machine can be used as the heating and pressing apparatus. The heating operation of the press section of the heating and pressing apparatus may be performed with a heat medium such as superheated steam or oil, or may be performed with an electric resistor that generates Joule heat. The heating temperature by the pressing unit is preferably 90 ° C. to 300 ° C., and is set to be equal to or higher than the melting temperature of the toner. The press part of the hot press machine is preferably a pair of plate-like ones that are driven to come into contact with or separated from each other, but a press part constituted by a mold and a punch can be used. By using a mold and a punch-shaped press part, a high-density mass having a predetermined shape can be obtained.

  Thereafter, the lump solidified with natural cooling is carried out from the press section (step S5), and other processing steps are performed on the lump (step S6). The solidification of the mass may be performed by, for example, incorporating a water-cooled cooling device in the press section of the heating and pressing device and forcibly cooling with the cooling device. Other processing steps performed on the agglomerate include, for example, a fuel production process, a plastic material production process, a pigment material process, an incineration and landfill process, and can be widely used for final disposal and reuse. When final disposal is performed by landfill, it is possible to prevent scattering of toner particles and prevent environmental pollution. Further, when final disposal is performed by incineration, inconveniences such as dust explosion in the furnace and adhesion to the furnace wall can be prevented. Further, when various materials are reused, handling in a later process can be facilitated to increase processing efficiency.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a solid fuel production plant as an embodiment of the present invention. The plant of this embodiment manufactures RPF (waste paper / waste plastic fuel) by separating resin components from used toner cartridges.

  This plant includes a hot press machine 1 as a heating and pressurizing apparatus, a crushing apparatus 2, a first magnetic separator 3 and a non-ferrous metal sorter 4 as metal removal apparatuses, a pulverizing apparatus 5, and a forming apparatus 6. It is roughly structured.

  The hot press machine 1 includes a pair of plate-like press portions 11, 11, a hydraulic drive device that drives one of the press portions 11, a jacket 12 that is built in each press portion 11 and that is supplied with superheated steam, and a superheater. A boiler 13 for generating steam is provided. With a bag containing toner and a cartridge disposed between the pair of press portions 11 and 11, the hydraulic drive device drives one press portion 11 in the direction indicated by the arrow P toward the other press portion. To do. At the same time, superheated steam S is supplied from the boiler 13 to each press unit 11. The steam V heated by the press unit 11 is returned to the boiler 13 and reheated to generate superheated steam S. Thereby, the toner, the cartridge, and the bag are heated and pressurized to form a lump. The heating temperature by the press unit 11 is at least a temperature at which the toner melts. The heating temperature is set to a temperature of 90 ° C. to 300 ° C. according to the material of the toner, the toner cartridge 16 and the nonwoven fabric constituting the bag 15. In order to easily carry in and carry out the workpiece, the press part 11 is preferably plate-shaped, but the pair of press parts may be constituted by a concave mold and a convex punch. Thereby, the toner, the cartridge, and the bag can be pressed into a predetermined shape with higher density.

  Further, as the heating and pressing apparatus, a multi-stage hot press 101 as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 3 can be used. The multistage hot press 101 includes a main body frame 102, a hydraulic cylinder 103 supported on the upper portion of the main body frame 102, guide rails 104 and 104 disposed in the main body frame 102 and extending in the vertical direction, and the guide rails. A plurality of moving press sections 105, 105,... Driven in the vertical direction along 104, 104 are provided. The rod 103 a of the hydraulic cylinder 103 is connected to the uppermost moving press unit 105. A fixed press unit 106 that receives the lowermost moving press unit 105 is installed below the moving press unit 105. The moving press unit 105 and the fixed press unit 106 each include an electric heating device that performs heating by Joule heat. Note that the moving press unit 105 and the fixed press unit 106 may each include a jacket to which a heat medium is supplied.

  When this multi-stage hot press 101 is used, first, as shown in FIG. 3A, a toner container is accommodated on a fixed press 106 and moving presses 105, 105. Each bag 15 is arranged. Subsequently, the hydraulic cylinder 103 is operated to drive the rod 103a to protrude. At the same time, electric power is supplied to the electric heating devices of the moving press unit 105 and the fixed press unit 106, and heating is started at a predetermined temperature. By driving the uppermost moving press part 105 downward by the hydraulic cylinder 103, the plurality of moving press parts 105, 105,... Are driven downward. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3B, the distance between the press sections 104 and 105 is reduced, and the plurality of toner container-filled bags between the adjacent press sections 104 and 105 are heated and pressurized. . In this way, the heating and pressurizing operations by the press units 104 and 105 can be performed simultaneously, and a plurality of masses can be formed with high efficiency.

  The crushing device 2 includes a casing 20 having an opening 21 in the upper part, a uniaxial rotating body 22 housed in the casing 20 and driven to rotate, and a screen 23 provided below the rotating body 22. The rotating body 22 includes a rotating shaft 22a, a plurality of disks 22b arranged concentrically with the rotating shaft 22a, and a plurality of hammers pivotably mounted in the vicinity of the outer edges of the plurality of disks 22b. 22c. As the rotary body 22 is driven to rotate, the mass is impacted and cut and pulverized by a swinging and rotating hammer 22c. The pulverized material smaller than the predetermined diameter passes through the screen 23 and is discharged from the lower portion of the casing 20. The discharged crushed material is placed on the belt conveyor 24 and sent to a metal separation process. The crushing device 2 crushes the lump to a size of about 30 mm to 75 mm. Note that the crushing device 2 may be a screw-type crushing device having a spiral body similar to the crushing device 5 described later.

  The first magnetic separator 3 uses a magnetic force to separate and remove ferromagnetic metals such as iron from the crushed material on the belt conveyor 25. The first magnetic separator 3 is a suspended magnetic separator that is suspended in close proximity to the conveyor surface of the belt conveyor 25, and includes a conveyor belt 31 that is wound around three pulleys in a generally triangular shape, And an electromagnet 32 provided in the vicinity of the bottom surface of the conveyor belt 31. The ferromagnetic metal on the belt conveyor 25 is attracted by the electromagnet 32 and is discharged out of the belt conveyor 25 by the conveyor belt 31. The discharged ferromagnetic metal such as iron is sent to an iron silo for use as a recycled resource. Note that the first magnetic separator 3 may include a permanent magnet instead of the electromagnet 32. Moreover, it is not limited to a hanging type, but may be another type such as a belt conveyor built-in type.

  The non-ferrous metal sorter 4 is provided at the end of the belt conveyor 25 that conveys crushed material, and includes a permanent magnet drum. When this drum rotates at high speed, an eddy current is generated in a non-ferrous metal piece such as aluminum close to the drum by an electromagnetic induction phenomenon. The repulsive force generated between the eddy current and the alternating magnetic field generated by the drum rotating at high speed causes the non-ferrous metal piece to fly off the drum.

  In the vicinity of the terminal end of the belt conveyor 25, an iron collecting hopper 27a located below the belt conveyor 25 and obliquely below the terminal pulley, a resin collecting hopper 27b positioned substantially below the terminal pulley, and a non-ferrous metal sorting A non-ferrous metal collecting hopper 27c located at a position away from the machine 4 by a predetermined distance is disposed. The end of the belt conveyor 25 is connected to a second magnetic separator 26 that extends obliquely downward toward the iron collecting hopper 27a. By the second magnetic separator 26, the small-diameter ferromagnetic metal that has not been collected by the suspended first magnetic separator 3 is sorted and collected by the iron collection hopper 27a. The ferromagnetic metal collected in the iron collecting hopper 27a is sent to the iron silo (arrow F). Resin components that are not subjected to any action of the second magnetic separator 26 and the non-ferrous metal sorter 4 fall downward from the end of the belt conveyor 25 and are collected in the resin collection hopper 27b. The non-ferrous metal blown off by the non-ferrous metal sorter 4 is collected by the non-ferrous metal collecting hopper 27c and sent to the non-ferrous metal silo (arrow A).

  The resin component of the crushed material collected by the resin collection hopper 27 b is sent to the crushing device 5.

  The pulverizing apparatus 5 includes a casing 50 having an opening 51 in the upper portion thereof, and a pair of spiral bodies 52 and 52 housed in the casing 50 and driven to rotate. The crushed material is reduced to 30 mm or less by the biting crushing action by the rotation of the pair of spiral bodies 52, 52, the shearing action of the rotary blade provided at the outer edge of the spiral body 52 and the fixed blade provided in the casing 50. It is crushed and discharged from the discharge port 53. The pulverized material discharged from the discharge port 53 is placed on the lower belt conveyor 54 and guided to the metering feeder 9. The spiral body 52 of the crushing device 5 may be uniaxial.

  The molding device 6 includes a pair of helical shafts 62 housed in a casing 60 having an insertion port 61 in the upper portion, and a motor 63 that drives the helical shafts 62. The pair of spiral shafts 62 are provided with spiral blades rotating in the opposite directions on the peripheral surface, and are driven to rotate in the opposite directions while the spiral blades are engaged with each other. As a result, the pulverized material and the like charged from the charging port 61 are kneaded and compressed and pushed out from the discharge hole provided in the end surface of the casing 60 to produce a rod-shaped solid fuel. The spiral shaft 62 of the molding device 6 may be uniaxial. Further, a so-called pellet mill may be used as the molding apparatus. In one example of the pellet mill, a rolling wheel that rolls along the inner surface of the body portion is arranged in a rotating cylinder body in which a die hole is provided in the body portion, and crushing supplied to the rotating cylinder body by the rolling wheel. Some of them are compressed from the die hole.

  In the solid fuel production plant configured as described above, the solid fuel is produced as follows.

  First, after the used toner cartridge 16 is accommodated in the bag 15 made of non-woven fabric, the opening of the bag 15 is closed. The bag 15 containing the toner cartridge 16 is disposed between the pair of press portions 11, 11 of the hot press machine 1, and one of the press portions 11 is driven toward the other side as indicated by an arrow P. At this time, the superheated steam S is supplied from the boiler 13 to the press unit 11 and heated to about 250 ° C. Due to the pressurization of the press part 11, the cartridge 16 in the bag 15 is destroyed and the volume is reduced. Here, since the nonwoven fabric of the bag 15 allows air to pass but does not allow toner to pass through, the volume is effectively reduced without leakage of toner particles. Further, the heating of the press unit 11 melts the toner, and the cartridge 16 and the nonwoven fabric are softened so that the toner is effectively combined. In this way, a high-density mass 17 with few internal voids is obtained.

  When the lump 17 is solidified by natural cooling, the lump 17 is unloaded from the press unit 11 and is put into the casing 20 through the opening 21 of the crushing device 2. The lump 17 is cut and crushed by the impact action of the swinging and revolving hammer 22c in the casing 20, and a crushed object having a size of about 70 mm is obtained. The crushed material is discharged from the discharge port 23 of the casing 20 and placed on the belt conveyor 24.

  Among the crushed materials transported by the belt conveyor 24, ferromagnetic metal parts such as iron are collected by the first magnetic separator 3 suspended above the belt conveyor 24. The first magnetic separator 3 collects a large-diameter ferromagnetic metal, stores the collected ferromagnetic metal in an iron silo, and uses it as a recycled resource.

  The crushed material from which the ferromagnetic metal parts have been removed is separated into non-ferrous metal and non-metal by the non-ferrous metal sorter 4 at the end of the belt conveyor 24. Further, the small-diameter ferromagnetic metal remaining in the crushed material is separated by the second magnetic separator 26. The non-ferrous metal is guided from the non-ferrous metal collecting hopper, stored in the non-ferrous metal silo, and used as a recycled metal. The nonmetal is a crushed resin derived from the toner, the resin component of the cartridge 16, and the nonwoven fabric, and is collected by the resin collection hopper 27 b and sent to the crushing device 5. The pulverized resin is pulverized by the pulverizer 5 to obtain a pulverized product having a size of 30 mm or less. The pulverized product is sent to the metering feeder 9.

  In the fixed amount feeder 9, the pulverized resin derived from the toner, the cartridge 16 and the nonwoven fabric is mixed with waste paper, wood chips, other waste plastics, and the like and sent to the molding device 6. The molding device 6 kneads and compresses the pulverized resin, waste paper, wood chips, and other waste plastics to produce a rod-shaped solid fuel 65.

  According to the solid fuel production plant of the present embodiment, the toner cartridge 16 accommodated in the non-woven bag 15 is heated and pressurized by the hot press machine 1 to form the mass 17, so that the toner particles are scattered. In addition, the high-density lump 17 can be formed while preventing environmental deterioration. Further, since the heating temperature by the press unit 11 may be set at least to a temperature at which the toner melts, temperature management can be facilitated. In addition, since the plurality of toner cartridges 16 are combined into a high-density lump 17, the conveying operation can be performed efficiently. Moreover, since the high-density lump 17 is crushed by the crushing device 2, a crushed product having good shape retention and a relatively uniform particle size can be obtained. Therefore, the first magnetic separator 3 and the non-ferrous metal separator 4 are used. Can efficiently remove the metal. Moreover, the pulverized product having a uniform particle size can be efficiently pulverized by the pulverizing apparatus 5 to obtain a pulverized product having a relatively uniform particle size. By using this pulverized material as a material, a high-quality solid fuel having a high density and a high calorific value, a uniform particle size of the constituent materials and no combustion unevenness can be obtained. In addition, since the resin material and the metal material are separated from each other without human intervention, an inexpensive solid fuel can be manufactured with high efficiency.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to said each embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible. For example, in each embodiment, processing can be performed not only on the toner cartridge but also on various containers such as a waste toner bottle provided in a printer or a copying machine to collect waste toner.

  In each of the above embodiments, the foamed polystyrene piece may be housed in a bag formed of nonwoven fabric together with the container containing the toner, and then the toner, the container, and the foamed polystyrene piece contained in the bag may be heated and pressurized. . Thereby, even when the container has a relatively large amount of air, even if the container bursts due to pressurization, the momentum of the blown air due to the bursting of the container can be reduced. Therefore, the inconvenience that the nonwoven fabric bag is torn can be prevented. Also, by using a foamed polystyrene having a melting point lower than that of the toner to be processed, the foamed polystyrene is first brought into a molten state upon heating, and the molten foamed polystyrene effectively captures fine particles ejected by the pressurization. can do. Therefore, scattering of toner fine particles can be prevented. Here, the foamed polystyrene piece is preferably formed by, for example, EPS (expanded polystyrene) having a size of 5 mm to 10 mm. A synthetic resin other than foamed polystyrene may be used as long as it has a melting point lower than the melting point of the toner and has a buffering action against the jet of air.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a waste toner processing method. It is a schematic diagram which shows the manufacturing plant of a solid fuel. FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic views showing how a bag containing a toner container is pressurized and heated by a multi-stage hot press.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hot press machine 2 Crushing device 3 1st magnetic sorter 4 Nonferrous metal sorter 5 Grinding device 6 Molding device

Claims (6)

Storing a container containing toner in a bag formed of non-woven fabric;
And a step of heating and pressurizing the toner and the container contained in the bag to form a lump. The waste toner processing method according to claim 1,
A method of treating waste toner, wherein the nonwoven fabric substantially blocks permeation of the toner and allows air to permeate. The waste toner processing method according to claim 1,
A method for treating waste toner, wherein the non-woven fabric is formed of a thermoplastic resin containing no chlorine. The waste toner processing method according to claim 1,
A method of treating waste toner, wherein the toner and the container contained in the bag are heated at a temperature higher than the melting point of the toner. The waste toner processing method according to claim 1,
A waste toner processing method, wherein the bag contains a polystyrene foam piece together with a container containing the toner. Storing a container containing toner in a bag formed of non-woven fabric;
Heating and pressurizing the toner and container contained in the bag to form a mass;
Crushing the mass to form a crushed material;
Removing the metal from the crushed material,
Crushing the crushed material from which the metal has been removed to form a crushed material;
And a step of forming a material containing the pulverized product. A method for producing a solidified fuel using waste toner.

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