Process and apparatus for the recovery of cellulose fibers from paper-plastic mixtures

Claim 2

The process of claim 1 further comprising: selectively removing the low density fraction from the centrifugal field by creating controlled axial air streams within the centrifugal field.

Claim 3

The process of claim 2 wherein said axial controlled air streams are created in said centrifugal field by inducing a low pressure region at the bottom of said centrifugal field thereby creating said axially directed air streams through the center portion of said field to extract lightweight nonrefined discarded materials.

Claim 4

The process of claim 3 wherein said lightweight and nonrefined discarded materials are introduced in a cyclone classifier to be cleaned of lightweight plastic materials by feeding said mixture to a moisture control section for selectively and controllably increasing the moisture content of said mixture to a predetermined value for increasing the weight and moisture content of said nonrefined materials for forming a moisture weighted mixture; feeding said moisture weighted material mixture into a centrifugal field for fiberizing and segregating said weighted and moisturized materials of said moisturized weighted mixture; subjecting at least part of said centrifugally segregated and fiberized weighted and moisturized materials to an abrasion means for additionally fiberizing said materials; propelling said abraded centrifugally segregated fiberized, weighted and moisturized materials against a classifier means for discharging therethrough undersized centrifugally segregated and fiberized weighted and moisturized materials.

Claim 5

The process of claim 3 wherein said lightweight and nonrefined discarded materials are introduced in a cyclone classifier to be cleaned of lightweight plastic materials by selectively and controllably applying moisturizers to said materials for increasing the moisture content of said materials to a predetermined value to increase the weight and moisture of said nonrefined materials to form a moisture weighted material mixture; subjecting said moisture weighted material mixture to reduction forces to fiberize and refine said moisturized materials to a predetermined size; separating refined and fiberized moisturized materials from said mixture as a recovered product.

Claim 6

The process of claim 1 wherein said segregating of said moisture weighted material mixture is accomplished by centrifugally suspending said low density moisture absorbent material in a central portion of said field and displacing said high density inabsorbent and high density moisturized materials in a peripheral portion of said field.

Claim 7

The process of claim 1 further comprising separating said unreclaimed oversized fraction into a high density fraction and into a low density fraction; controlling the water content of the high density fraction; to a predetermined level and mixing the water controlled high density fraction with said moisture weighted material mixture in said centrifugal field.

Claim 8

The process of claim 7 wherein the moisture content of said material mixture is controlled to between 20 and 35 percent.

Claim 9

The process of claim 7 wherein the moisture content of said moisture weighted material mixture is controlled at 25 percent.

Claim 10

A process for the recovery of cellulose fibers from LW-MSW comprising: (a) cutting the LW-MSW to a size between 2" and 6" ; (b) segregating the LW-MSW in a centrifugal field into a high density fraction and a low density fraction; (c) removing the heavy undersized contaminants including grit, glass and vegetable matter from the cut, segregated LW-MSW; (d) controlling the moisture content of the decontaminated LW-MSW to a predetermined level; (e) partially fiberizing the paper fraction of the moisture controlled LW-MSW to selectively reduce the size of the paper; (f) segregating the LW-MSW in a centrifugal field into a high density fraction and a low density fraction; (g) separating said centrifugally segregated high density fraction into an oversized and undersized fraction; and collecting the undersized fraction as recovered product; (h) selectively removing the low density fraction from said centrifugal field by inducing a controlled air stream within said centrifugal field.

Claim 11

A process for the recovery of cellulose fibers from LW-MSW comprising: (a) cutting the LW-MSW to a size between 2" and 6" ; (b) segregating the LW-MSW in a centrifugal field into a high density fraction and a low density fraction; (c) removing the heavy undersized contaminants including grit, glass and vegetable matter from the cut, segregated LW-MSW; (d) controlling the moisture content of the decontaminated LW-MSW to a predetermined level; (e) partially fiberizing the paper fraction of the moisture controlled LW-MSW to selectively reduce the size of the paper; (f) segregating the LW-MSW in a centrifugal field into a high density fraction and a low density fraction; (g) separating said centrifugally segregated high density fraction into an oversized and undersized fraction; and collecting the undersized fraction as recovered product; (h) selectively removing the low density fraction from said centrifugal field by inducing a controlled air stream within said centrifugal field.

Claim 12

The process of claim 10 wherein the controlled air streams are formed by inducing a low pressure region at the bottom of the centrifugal field thereby creating a downward air flow through a central portion of said centrifugal field.

Claim 13

The process of claim 11 wherein the moisture content is controlled to a level between 20 and 35 percent.

Claim 14

The process of claim 12 wherein the moisture content is controlled to a level of approximately 25 percent.

Claim 15

The process of claim 10 wherein in step g the undersized fraction is separated from the oversized fraction by screening.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising: (f) means to create directed air streams in the centrifical field to selectively remove the low density fraction.

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the classifier screen has between 3/4 and 1/4 inch diameter holes.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising means to direct air from the interior of the rotor chamber in the direction of the classifier screen.

Claim 23

A process for treating and separating a mixture of municipal solid waste comprising: feeding said mixture to a first reduction means for chopping and screening substantially all the heavy materials and metals from the mixture to leave a residual mixture comprising high and low density inabsorbent materials and low density absorbent materials; feeding said residual mixture to a first rotor chamber and subjecting said mixture to ballistic attrition for removing residual gross contaminants; feeding said decontaminated residual mixture to a moisture control section for selectively and controllably increasing the moisture content of said decontaminated residual mixture to a predetermined value for increasing the weight and mositure content of said low density absorbent materials for forming a moisturized weighted mixture; feeding said moisturized weighted mixture into a second centrifugal field for fiberizing and segregating said weighted and moisturized absorbent materials of said moisturized weighted mixture; subjecting at least part of said centrifugally segregated and fiberized weighted and moisturized absorbent materials to an abrasion means for additionally fiberizing said materials; propelling said abraded centrifugally segregated and fiberized weighted and moisturized absorbent materials against a classifier means for discharging therethrough undersized centrifugally segregated and fiberized weighted and moisturized materials.

Claim 24

A process for treating and separating a mixture of municipal solid waste comprising: feeding said mixture to a first reduction means for chopping and screening substantially all the heavy materials and metals from the mixture to leave a residual mixture comprising high and low density inabsorbent materials and low density absorbent materials; feeding said residual mixture to a first rotor chamber and subjecting said mixture to ballistic attrition for removing residual gross contaminants; feeding said decontaminated residual mixture to a moisture control section for selectively and controllably increasing the moisture content of said decontaminated residual mixture to a predetermined value for increasing the weight and mositure content of said low density absorbent materials for forming a moisturized weighted mixture; feeding said moisturized weighted mixture into a second centrifugal field for fiberizing and segregating said weighted and moisturized absorbent materials of said moisturized weighted mixture; subjecting at least part of said centrifugally segregated and fiberized weighted and moisturized absorbent materials to an abrasion means for additionally fiberizing said materials; propelling said abraded centrifugally segregated and fiberized weighted and moisturized absorbent materials against a classifier means for discharging therethrough undersized centrifugally segregated and fiberized weighted and moisturized materials.

Claim 25

The process of claim 20 further comprising inducing a low pressure area below said centrifugal field to induce downward forces on the low density fraction for extracting lightweight and nonrefined material as a discarded material.

Claim 26

The process of claim 21 wherein said lightweight and nonrefined discarded materials are introduced in a cyclone classifier to be cleaned to lightweight plastic materials by feeding said mixture to a mositure control section for selectively and controllably increasing the moisture content of said mixture to a predetermined value for increasing the weight and moisture content of said nonrefined materials for forming a moisture weighted mixture; feeding said moisture weighted mixture into a centrifugal field for fiberizing and segregating said weighted and moisturized materials of said moisturized weighted mixture; subjecting at least part of said centrifugally segregated and fiberized weighted and moisturized materials to an abrasion means for additionally fiberizing said materials; propelling said abraded centrifugally segregated and fiberized weighted and moisturized materials against a classifier means for discharging therethrough undersized centrifugally segregated and fiberized weighted and moisturized materials.

Claim 27

The process of claim 21 wherein said lightweight and nonrefined discarded materials are introduced in a cyclone classifier to be cleaned of lightweight plastic materials by selectively and controllably applying moisturizers to said materials for increasing the moisture content of said materials to a predetermined value to increase the weight and moisture of said nonrefined materials to form a moisture weighted material mixture; subjecting said moisture weighted material mixture to reduction forces to fiberize and refine said moisturized materials to a predetermined size; separating refined and fiberized moisturized materials from said mixture as a recovered product.

Claim 29

The apparatus of claim 24 further comprising density separation means to separate the paper-plastic mixture from the bottom of the rotor chamber into a high density and a low density fraction; means to recycle said high density fraction to the moisture control means.

Claim 30

The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the density separation means is a cyclone classifier.

Claim 31

The apparatus of claim 26 comprising heavy contaminant removal means to remove small high density contaminents such as grit, glass and vegetable matter from the paper-plastic moisture before moisture control means.

Claim 32

The apparatus of claim 27 wherein heavy contaminant removal means comprises a rotor chamber; a heavy contaminant classifier screen adapted for the passage of small heavy contaminants.

Claim 33

The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the heavy contaminant claims has holes between 1/8 and 1/2 in diameter holes.

Claim 34

The apparatus of claim 24 further comprising a means for abrading said high density materials segregated in said centrifugal field.

Claim 35

The apparatus of claim 24 wherein said means for selectively passing at least a portion of said moisturized and fiberized weighted absorbent materials to output comprises a screen at least partially surrounding said rotor chamber.

Claim 36

The apparatus of claim 24 further comprising means for establishing a low pressure area for creating axial air streams within a central portion of said field and extracting low density materials suspended in said centrifugal field.

Claim 37

The apparatus of claim 32 wherein said low pressure flow is created by a venturi means in communication with said chamber.

Claim 38

The apparatus of claim 24 wherein said means for inducing a centrifugal field comprises a rotor chamber having spinning shaft and series of rotor blades radially disposed therefrom.