At the 2021 E-Waste World Conference & Expo (November 30th through December 1st) in Germany, Bunting Magnetics is showcasing advanced metal separation technology specifically used in the recycling of electronics. According to Bunting, separation and recovery of fine and small metal is vital for the successful recycling of e-waste, and reclaiming metal from e-waste is inherently challenging with a wide size-range of metal particles and metal liberation difficulties.
A typical e-waste recycling process will include several stages of metal separation, starting with the primary removal of ferrous metals using overband magnets and pulley magnets. The ferrous metal-free fraction passes onto an Eddy Current Separator (ECS) to separate non-ferrous metals such as aluminium, with the particle size range of the feed dictating the specific model of Eddy Current Separator. Bunting's model HIC (high-intensity concentric) produces an ideal separation of particles above 12mm, with the HIE (high-intensity eccentric) achieving optimum recovery of particles below 12mm.
In this application, Bunting's Stainless Steel Separator (models SSSC and HISC) follows the Eddy Current Separator and uses ultra-high strength magnetic forces to separate weakly magnetic fragmented or shredded stainless steel. This separation technology also enables the separation of printed circuit boards (PCBs), with the strong magnetic field producing enough attraction on small ferrous screws and other attachments to enable recovery.
On the Bunting stand at E-Waste World, a tabletop model of the SSSC will demonstrate separation capabilities. Also on display at E-Waste World is Bunting's ElectroStatic Separator, which is placed at the final separation stage for the <12mm fraction. The earlier-positioned Eddy Current Separator recovers non-ferrous metals down to nominally 2mm, leaving fine copper wire and other fine metals, which are recovered using electrostatics. Screening at around 3mm provides the optimum particle size for electrostatic separation, which occurs by inducing an electrostatic charge into a conductive dry-liberated particle.
According to Bunting, this combination of advanced metal separation technology enables the recovery of the majority of ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
