Waste treatment and fiber reclamation system

Abstract

Abstract A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING REUSABLE PAPERMAKING FIBER FROM MUNICIPAL REFUSE INCLUDES MIXING THE REFUSE WITH LIQUID IN A TREATMENT VESSEL AND REDUCING THE RELATIVELY FANGIBLE PORTIONS OF THE REFUSE BY SUBJECTING THE MIXTURE TO HYDRAULIC AND MECHANICAL SHEAR WHILE SEPARATELY REMOVING RELATIVELY INFRANGIBLE PORTIONS FROM THE VESSEL. THE RESULTING SLURRY OF FRANGIBLE REFUSE AND WATER IS CENTRIFUGALLY CLEANED TO REMOVE INORGANICS SUCH AS GLASS, AND THE CENTRIFUGALLY CLEANED SLURRY IS THEN SCREENED TO SEPARATE REUSABLE PAPERMAKING FIBERS FROM THE FINE FIBROUS MATERIAL AND OTHER ORGANICS, IN EXCESS OF 25% OF THE PAPER FIBERS BEING REJECTED WITH THE SCREENED MATERIALS. THE LATTER, WHICH WILL USUALLY BE RICH IN SYNTHETIC RESINS, MAY THEN BE TREATED UNDER HEAT AND PRESSURE TO PRODUCE HARDBOARD, OR MERELY DEWATERED AND BURNED. THE FIBERS SEPARATED FROM THE OTHER PORTIONS OF THE SLURRY MAY BE CLASSIFIED BY MEANS OF A FIBER SELECTOR, SUBJECTED TO FURTHER CENTRIFUGAL CLEANING AND DEWATERED, AND THE RESULTING DEWATERED FIBER SUBJECTED TO ADDITIONAL TREATMENT SUCH AS DIGESTION, DEINKING, BLEACHING, FLOATATION AND WASHING TO UPGRADE THE QUALITY OF THE FIBER FOR SUBSEQUENT REUSE. ADDITIONALLY, THE SLURRY MAY BE TREATED BY REFINING EQUIPMENT OPERATING AT LOW CONSISTENCY AND TACKLE CLEARANCES AND THEN SUBJECTED TO FROTH FLOTATION AND/OR FURTHER CENTRIFUGAL CLEANING. THE INORGANICS REMOVED BY CENTRIFUGAL CLEANING, AS WELL AS THE RELATIVELY INFRANGIBLE PORTIONS OF THE REFUSE, MAY BE FURTHER CLASSIFIED FOR REUSE, PARTICULARLY THE METAL AND GLASS FRACTIONS, OR THEY MAY BE DISPOSED OF BY LANDFILL METHODS.

Inventors

• 👤 P Marsh

Bibliographic Details