OPTIMIZATION OF ELECTRODYNAMIC SEPARATION FOR METALS RECOVERY FROM ELECTRONIC SCRAP

The performance of an electrodynamic separator has been optimized in t he present study for metals recovery from electronic scrap. Eight vari ables involved in the system was investigated by a 2(IV)(8-4) fraction al factorial design in an attempt to determine the significant variabl es. The effects of those variables were detailed with glass, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as a representative of plastics, copper wires, copper and aluminum granulates. For various binary mixtures of copper wires a nd glass or PVC plastic, the electrodynamic separator is able to produ ce copper products with the grade ranging from 93 to 99%, and recovery from 95 to 99%, respectively, under the optimized conditions. Further , one sample which is a middling fraction resulting from air table sep aration was also tested. For a single pass, copper and aluminum was up graded approximately from 11 and 7% to 34 and 22%, while maintaining t he corresponding recovery of 87 and 99%, respectively. (C) 1998 Elsevi er Science B.V. All rights reserved.