Recycling station

Abstract

The present invention relates to a recycling station adapted for recycling a glass panel including a coating, said recycling station being characterized in that it comprises: A crushing module adapted for breaking the glass panel into pieces; A surface separation module adapted for separating the surface of the coated pieces from the body of said glass pieces. Fig 2

Description

Title of the invention: recycling station Scope of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for recycling glass. State of the art

[0002] Glass recycling is known to allow for its reuse. Recycling consists of taking glass panels and crushing them to transform them into cullet, which is then injected into the furnace.

[0003] This recycling process includes a sorting step to separate the different types of glass, such as borosilicate or soda-lime glass, and the different colors of glass. This sorting prevents the colors from mixing, thus facilitating the production of glass with the desired characteristics. Indeed, if the different types of glass are mixed without sorting, it is difficult to obtain the desired glass unless the amount of cullet is limited, thereby limiting the supply of recycled materials.

[0004] However, recycling is not limited to simple glass. Indeed, for recycling to be as efficient as possible, it must extend to complex glass such as laminated glass or glass with special coatings like enamel. However, the pigments contained in these enamels are pollutants that can color or form unfused residues in the glass produced in the fusing furnace. The amount of enamel that can be incorporated into the composition without altering the properties of the glass is therefore limited. This enamel must therefore be separated from the glazing to obtain good quality glass and compensate for the use of new raw materials with cullet of optimal quality.

[0005] Known solutions involve pretreating the glazing by removing the enamel layer. This removal is carried out using an ablation machine such as a sandblaster. The drawback of this solution is that it requires a pretreatment that is cumbersome because it necessitates a specific machine. However, it is difficult to separate the enamel layer from the glass substrate, as the enamel is fired to create a continuous glass phase from the core of the substrate to the enameled surface of the glass. Description of the invention

[0006] One object of the invention is to provide a process for recycling glass with an enamel coating in a simpler way.

[0007] This objective is achieved, at least partially, within the framework of the present invention by means of a recycling station adapted for recycling a glass panel including a coating, said recycling station being characterized in that it comprises:

[0008] - A crushing / fragmentation module adapted for breaking the glass panel in pieces - A surface separation module capable of separating the surface of the pieces, equipped with a coating on the body of said glass pieces

[0009] - A particle size sorting module, allowing the separation of a coarse fraction depleted in enamel, of a finer fraction, enriched in enamel.

[0010] According to one example, the crushing module comprises at least one stage, said stage being equipped with a tool of the hammer or jaw crusher type.

[0011] According to one example, the crushing module includes a first stage arranged to break the glass panel into pieces and a second stage to break the pieces from the first stage into smaller pieces.

[0012] According to one example, the surface separation module comprises at least one stage including grinding means (31) such as a soft hammer mill, ball mill or attrition mill, said surface separation module allowing to obtain a first product called fine fraction and enriched in enamel and a second product called coarse fraction and depleted in surface enamel.

[0013] According to one example, it further includes a sorting module at the output of the surface separation module to separate the first product from the second product.

[0014] According to one example, the surface separation module comprises at least two stages, said surface separation module further comprising a sorting tool, allowing the two particle size fractions to be separated.

[0015] The invention further relates to a method for recycling a glass panel comprising a coating, said method comprising the steps of:

[0016] -to equip oneself with the glass panel fitted with a coating;

[0017] - break the glass panel into pieces using a crushing module or fragmentation;

[0018] - treat the pieces of glass using a surface separation module to separate the coating from the bare glass substrate on a granulometric basis so as to dissociate the enamel from the substrate or at least to generate a granulometric fraction enriched in enamel and a second granulometric fraction depleted in enamel. Description of the figures

[0019] Other features, objectives and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, which is purely illustrative and not limiting, and which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings on which:

[0020] [Fig-1] - [Fig.1] schematically illustrates a coated glass panel;

[0021] [Fig.2] - [Fig.2] schematically illustrates a recycling station according to the invention;

[0022] [Fig.3] - the [Fig.3] schematically illustrates a variant of a grinding module of a recycling station according to the invention;

[0023] [Fig.4] - [Fig.4] schematically illustrates the two products obtained at the outlet of the recycling station according to the invention;

[0024] [Fig.5] - [Fig.5] schematically illustrates a recycling station equipped with a sorting module, according to the invention;

[0025] [Fig.6] - the [Fig.6] schematically illustrates a variant of a surface separation module of a recycling station according to the invention;

[0026] Throughout the figures, similar elements bear identical references. Detailed description of the invention

[0027] With reference to [Fig. 1], a recycling station according to the invention is shown. This recycling station is used for recycling glass panels 100, i.e., a substrate 101 provided with a coating 102 such as a total or partial opaque layer.

[0028] This recycling station 1, visible in [Fig. 2], comprises, firstly, a conveyor 10. This conveyor 10 comprises, for example, a plurality of rollers or a conveyor belt. The rollers or the conveyor belt are driven in rotation by drive means. This conveyor 10 is connected to another station installed upstream. This other station is a storage station in which the glass is stored or a sorting station in which the glass panels are sorted, that is to say, they are at least categorized.

[0029] This conveyor 10 is directly connected to the previous station or is connected to said previous station by an intermediate conveyor between said previous station and conveyor 10.

[0030] The conveyor 10 is also arranged between each module of the recycling station 1.

[0031] The recycling station includes a crushing module 20. The crushing module 20 comprises at least one stage 21, said stage comprising a tool such as a hammer or jaw crusher. This crushing module is used to perform primary fragmentation. This primary crushing consists of breaking the glass panel into a multitude of pieces. In the case of tempered glass that has been treated, this crushing allows the stresses from said tempering to be released.

[0032] In a variant shown in [Fig. 3], the crushing module may comprise two stages 21, such as, for example, both a hammer and a crusher. The objective of having two stages is to have a first stage for breaking the panel of Glass or substrate is crushed into coarse pieces, and then the second stage is used to transform these coarse pieces into smaller pieces, as seen in [Fig. 4], I. The choice of tools, such as jaw or hammer crushers, depends on the configuration of said tools and the desired result. All fragments from the crushing module have the same composition and, preferably, the same glass / enamel ratio.

[0033] According to the invention, the recycling station further comprises a surface separation module 30. The purpose of this surface separation module is to separate the enamel layer from the pieces of glass, this opaque layer being a source of pollution when the pieces of glass are used in a glass furnace.

[0034] The surface separation module 30 includes grinding means 31 for performing gentle grinding. This gentle grinding operation is carried out by a soft hammer mill, a ball mill, or an attrition mill. This type of mill allows for particle size separation, generating fine particles containing most of the ground top layer of enamel, and coarser grains, mainly consisting of the bare glass substrate. Thus, the surface separation module separates the surface of the glass pieces containing the coating from the body of said glass pieces. The surface separation module 30 therefore comprises at least one stage, said stage comprising a tool such as a soft hammer mill, a ball mill, or an attrition mill.

[0035] In one example, gentle grinding is carried out by ball mill grinding, i.e., jar grinding. This jar grinding is operated at a low rotational speed (<50 rpm) and for a short duration (a few minutes) to minimize the energy transferred to the material being ground. This minimization of grinding energy allows the grinding to be concentrated on the surface of the glass pieces.

[0036] The gentle grinding performed by the surface separation module 30 allows for particle size separation and enables the isolation of two distinct products of different qualities, as shown in [Fig. 4]. A first product is called the fine fraction (a) and is enriched in enameled glass. A second product is called the coarse fraction (b) and is depleted in surface enamel. It is therefore understood that the first product is a cullet of poor quality because it contains a significant amount of enamel, while the second product is a cullet of good quality, i.e., poor in enamel.

[0037] After the surface separation module, the recycling station includes a sorting module 40 as shown in [Fig. 5]. This sorting module 40 is used to separate the first product and the second product. This separation, which can be called particle size separation, is carried out by sieving, a vibrating table, or a cyclone separator.

[0038] Indeed, the surface separation module generates products with different dimensions: the first product is intrinsically thinner than the second product.

[0039] The sorting module 40 is then configured to separate the two products. The sorting module is then capable of stacking sorting elements such as sieves or a vibrating table to perform the sorting between the first product and the second product.

[0040] The sorting module 40 is then arranged to have two outputs: a first output for the first product and a second output for the second product. These outputs lead to a collection bin or to secondary conveyors. These secondary conveyors send the first and second products to a desired destination such as collection bins, processing modules, or an oven.

[0041] In a variant shown in [Fig. 6], the surface separation module 30 comprises at least two stages 32, each equipped with grinding means 31, the two stages 32 being separated by a sorting tool. This variant is based on the principle of processing the glass fragments in a first stage and then sorting them to remove the first product. The second product is then reprocessed in a second stage to potentially achieve better treatment. Accordingly, the characteristics of the second stage are adjusted, notably by using even gentler grinding. This gentler grinding can be achieved with jar grinding at a lower rotational speed (for example, less than 25 rpm). This gentle grinding can be carried out at a lower speed and / or for a shorter time.

[0042] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example but is susceptible to various variants and modifications which will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0043] Thus, it is possible to use the recycling station according to the invention for the treatment of enameled glasses, said station allowing the core of the pieces of glass to be separated from their residues of coatings or enamel.

Claims

Demands

1. Recycling station (1) adapted for recycling a glass panel (100) comprising a coating, said recycling station being characterized in that it comprises: -A crushing module (20) adapted to break the glass panel into pieces; -A surface separation module (30) suitable for separating the surface of the pieces having the coating from the body of said pieces of glass.

2. Recycling station according to claim 1, wherein the crushing module (20) comprises at least one stage (21), said stage being equipped with a tool of the hammer or jaw crusher type.

3. Recycling station according to claim 2, wherein the crushing module (20) comprises a first stage (21) arranged to break the glass panel into pieces and a second stage (21) to break the pieces from the first stage into smaller pieces.

4. Recycling station according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the surface separation module (30) comprises at least one stage (32) comprising grinding means (31) such as a soft hammer mill, ball mill or attrition mill so as to, said surface separation module making it possible to obtain a first product called the fine fraction enriched in coated glass and a second product called the coarse fraction depleted in surface enamel.

5. Recycling station according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a sorting module (40) at the outlet of the surface separation module for separating the first product from the second product.

6. Recycling station according to claim 4, wherein the surface separation module (30) comprises at least two stages (32), said surface separation module further comprising a sorting tool, enabling the first product to be removed and the second product to be sent to said second stage.

7. A method for recycling a glass panel comprising a coating, said method comprising the steps of: -taking possession of the glass panel comprising a coating; - Break the glass panel into pieces using a crushing module; - treat the glass pieces using a surface separation module to generate a particle size fraction concentrating the core of the bare glass substrate in order to dissociate the enamel of the substrate or at least to generate a particle size fraction enriched in enamel and a second particle size fraction depleted in enamel.

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