• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.18 no.5
• /
• pp.63-71
• /
• 2009

Recyclable wastes coming into material recovery facilities(MRFs) is mostly packed by plastic bag or sack bag. Bag rupturing device is essential to improve capacity and efficiency of MRFs. Bag opening works of MRFs is mostly done by numerous workers and shredder-type bag rupturing device. It often makes a problems; decreased capacity, shredded recyclables, worker safety by explosion and broken glasses, etc. In the present work, bag rupturing device with octagonal rotating blade drums has been developed to solve the existing problems and environment assessment is also performed during operation of the device. Capacity of the device was about 5.6 ton/hr at 8.2 rpm of drum revolution speed and 1.25 m/min of belt conveyor speed. It satisfied initial designed capacity(5.0 ton/hr) and max. capacity 8.8 ton/hr was achieved at 12.5 rpm of drum revolution speed and 1.50m/min of belt conveyor speed. Bag rupturing efficiencies on outer and inner bag were obtained at 100% and about 95.6% as average, respectively and original form of glass bottles in the bag was maintained without broken by about 96.5%. This result shows that the safety in hand sorting by the workers could be improved. As result of environmental assessment on the noise, vibration and particulates, the measured levels on noise, vibration and particulates show the below standard regulatory limits. It could be concluded that the problems of existing devices in MRFs could be solved by adopting the bag rupturing device with octagonal rotating blade drums in on-site operation.