Issue
Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering,
Vol.19, No.2, 267-272, 2002
Triboelectrostatic Separation of PVC Materials from Mixed Plastics for Waste Plastic Recycling
This study covers the triboelectrostatic separation of polyvinylchloride (PVC) materials from mixed plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS). The PVC material generates hazardous hydrogen chloride gas resulting from the combustion in the incinerators. The laboratory scale triboelectrostatic separation system consists of a fluidized-bed tribocharger, a separation chamber, a collection chamber and a controller. Negative and positive surface charges can be imparted to the PVC and PET particles, respectively, due to the difference of triboelectric charging series between the particles in the fluidized-bed tribocharger. They can be separated by passing through an external electric field. A highly concentrated PVC (91.9%) can be recovered with a yield of about 96.1% from the mixture of PVC and PET materials in a single stage of processing. For the removal of PVC from the two-component mixed plastics such as PVC/PET, PVC/PP, PVC/PE or PVC/PS, separation results show the recovery of 96-99% with the pure extract content in excess of 90%. The triboelectrostatic separation system using the fluidized-bed tribocharger shows the potential to be an effective method for removing PVC from mixed plastics for waste plastic recycling.
[References]
  1. Brandrup J, Bittner M, Menges G, "Recycling and Recovery of Plastics," Hanser Publishers, 1996
  2. Briick R, Kunststoffe, 71(4), 234, 1981
  3. Davies DK, Inst. Phys. Conf. Series, 4, 29, 1967
  4. Greason WD, Inculet II, IEEE-IAS Annual Conf. Proceedings, 1, 428, 1975
  5. Gupta R, Cidaspow D, Wasan DT, Powder Technol., 75, 79, 1993
  6. Harper WR, "Contact and Frictional Electrification," Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1967
  7. Inculet II, Castle GSP, Brown JD, IEEE-IAS Annual Conf. Proceedings, 1, 1397, 1994
  8. Kang Y, Woo KJ, Ko MH, Cho YJ, Kim SD, Korean J. Chem. Eng., 16(6), 784, 1999
  9. Kim JM, Han GY, Yi CK, Korean J. Chem. Eng., 17(3), 273, 2000
  10. Lee SH, Lee DH, Kim SD, Korean J. Chem. Eng., 18(3), 387, 2001
  11. Lu WM, Ju SP, Tung KL, Lu YC, Korean J. Chem. Eng., 16(6), 810, 1999
  12. Matsushita Y, Mori N, Sometani T, Electrical Eng. Jpn., 127(3), 33, 1999
  13. Pearse MJ, Hickey TJ, Resource Recovery Conservation, 3, 179, 1978
  14. Takeshita T, Atsumi K, Iwasaki Y, Harada T, J. Soc. Powder Technol. Jpn., 35, 106, 1998
  15. Yanar DK, Kwetkus BA, J. Electrost., 35, 257, 1995