SBIR Phase I: Electronic Sortation for Recycling of Post Consumer Non-Ferrous Metals

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将研究快速电子分选铝、铜、黄铜和不锈钢的新技术，并从资源回收厂灰烬中生产富含有色金属的原料。快速的新型探测器和计算机电子设备可以在毫秒的时间框架内识别有色金属。这使得一种金属与另一种金属的快速识别和分离成为可能。这项新技术是从资源回收厂灰渣和汽车粉碎机中分选有色金属原料所需的。目前的方法使用手工分选、涡流和重介质植物。目前几乎没有废物转化为能源的设施来回收有色金属。涡流分离器取决于颗粒的大小和形状，对焚烧的有色金属不能很好地工作。重型媒体工厂是资本密集型工厂，会造成环境问题。这项新技术预计将增加有价值的金属部件的回收，目前这些部件正被送往垃圾填埋场。有色金属被丢弃在废物中，每年约为20亿磅。仅将这项技术应用于美国各地200多台汽车碎纸机的有色金属回收和循环利用，本身就具有巨大的商业潜力。

This Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I project will investigate new technology for the rapid electronic sortation of aluminum, copper, brass, and stainless steel and production of a nonferrous metal rich feedstock from resource recovery plant ash. Fast new detectors and computer electronics can identify nonferrous metals in millisecond time frames. This makes possible rapid identification and separation of one type of metal from another. This new technology is needed to sort the nonferrous metal feedstock from resource recovery plant ash residue and from automobile shredders. Current methods use hand sorting, eddy currents, and heavy media plants. Virtually no waste-to-energy facilities presentlt recover nonferrous metals. Eddy current separators depend on particle size and shape and do not work well on incinerated nonferrous metals. Heavy media plants are capital intensive and cause environmental problems. The new technology is expected to increase the recycling of valuable metallic components, which are presently going to landfills. Nonferrous metals, discarded in waste, amount to some two billion pounds/year. Applying the technology only to the recovery and recycling of nonferrous metals from more than 200 automobile shredders located throughout the USA would, by itself, have a large commercial potential.