• Journal of ILASS-Korea
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.7-15
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• 2002

A particle flow visualization, electrostatic charging measurement and separation of triboelectrically charged particles in the external electric field by a fluidized bed tribocharger are conducted for the removal of PVC particles from mixed waste plastics. The laboratory-scale triboelectrostatic separation system consists of the fluidized bed tribocharger, a separation chamber, a collection chamber and a controller. PVC and PET particles can be imparted negative and positive surface charges respectively due to the difference of triboelectric charging series between particles and particles in the fluidized bed tribocharger, and can be separated by passing them through an external electric field. To visualize these charged particles, He-Ne laser is used with cylindrical lenses to generate a sheet beam. In the charging measurement, the particle motion analysis system (PMAS), capable of determining particle velocity and diameter. is used to non-intrusively measure particle behavior in high strength electric field. The average charge-to-mass ratios of PVC and PET particles are $1.4\;and\;1.2{\mu}C/kg$, respectively. The highly concentrated PVC (91.9%) can be recovered with a yield of about 96.1% from the mixture of PVC and PET materials for a single-stage processing. The triboelectrostatic separation system using the fluidized tribocharger shows the potential to be an effective method for removing PVC from mixed plastics for waste plastic recycling.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.1336-1345
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• 2002

A triboelectrostatic separation system using a fluidized bed tribocharger for the removal of PVC material in the mixture of PVC/PS plastics is designed and evaluated as a function of electric field strength, air flow rate, and the mixing ratio of two-component mixed plastics. It consists of a fluidized-bed tribocharger, a separation chamber, a collection chamber and a controller. PVC and PS particles can be imparted negative and positive surface charges, respectively, due to the difference in the work function values of plastics suspended in the fluidized-bed tribocharger, and can be separated by passing them through an external electric field. Experimental results show that separation efficiency is strongly dependent on the electric Deld strength and particle mixing ratio. In the optimum conditions of 150 Ipm air flow rate and 2.6 kV/cm electric field strength a highly concentrated PVC (99.1%) can be recovered with a yield of more than 99.2% from the mixture of PVC and PS materials for a single stage of processing.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2000.11b
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• pp.538-543
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• 2000

The purpose of this study is to develope electrostatic separation system for recycling of mixed waste plastics. The electrostatic separation system is designed and investigated the separation efficiency for separating of mixed waste plastics. Electrostatic separation system consisted of a tribocharger, separator (two electrode), collector (5 tray) and controller (positive/negative high voltage power supply). The tribocharger is a fluidized bed using tribo-electrification mechanism between particles and particles. In experimental results, the tribocharger of the fluidized bed was more effective separation efficiency. It showed the purity of $85{\sim}99\;%$ and the recovery of $80{\sim}98\;%$ from the powder of mixed plastics such as LDPE, HDPE, PP, PS, PET and PVC. Especially, In the separation experiment of Polyvinylchloride(PVC) which generates hazardous hydrogen chloride gas in case of the combustion. its purity was over 99 % and recovery was over 95 %.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.804-812
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• 2001

A triboelectrostatic separation system for removing unburned carbon from coal fly ash is designed and evaluated. Fly ash from a coal-fired power plant is used as an accepted additive in concrete where it adds strength, sulfate resistance and reduced cost, provided acceptable levels of unburned carbon are maintained. Unfortunately, unburned carbon in coal fly ash absorbs some of other additives and reduces the concrete strength. This paper describes to investigate dry triboelectrostatic process to separate unburned carbon from coal fly ash and utilize it into economically valuable products. The laboratory-scale triboelectrostatic separation system consists of a particle feeding system, a tribocharger, a separation chamber, and collection systems. Particles of unburned carbon and fly ash can be imparted positive and negative surface charges, respectively, with a copper tribocharger due to differences in the work function values of the particles and the tribocharger, and can be separated by passing them through an external electric field. Results showed that fly ash recovery was strongly dependent on the electric field strength and the particle size. 70wt% of fly ash containing 6.5wt% of carbon contents could be recovered at carbon contents below 3%. The triboelectrostatic separation system showed a potential to be an effective method for removing unburned carbon from coal fly ash.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.597-601
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• 2001

Waste plastics amount is more than 3.5 million tons and 30% of industrial waste in 1998, Korea but recycling rate of industrial waste plastics is quite low because the material separation technology from the mixed waste plastic powders is not commercially available so far. This study covers the triboelectrostatic separation of polyvinylchloride (PVC) materials collection chambers and controllers. PVC and PET powders can be imparted negative and positive surface charges, respectively, due to the difference of triboelectric charging series between particles and particles in the fluidized bed tribocharger, and can be separated by passing them through an external electric field. The extract content and yield of PVC separation from the mixed PVC and PET plastic powders are 90.0% and 98.2%, respectively. The electrostatic separation system using the fluidized bed tribocharger shows the potential to be an effective method for removing PVC materials from other mixed plastics.