Water flow type sorting apparatus

Abstract

To provide a water flow type sorting apparatus for sorting objects to be sorted into multiple kinds according to differences in specific gravity.SOLUTION: A water flow type sorting apparatus comprises a first sorting tank 11, a second sorting tank 12, and water supply means 13. The first sorting tank 11 and the second sorting tank comprise: a bottom surface 21 being an inclined plane; an upper surface 22; a first input port 24 for inputting objects to be sorted; a water supply port 26; a precipitate discharge port 28 for discharging precipitate having precipitated in the water flow of an internal part; a floating matter discharge port 27 for discharging floating matters floating together with the water flow of the internal part; and a conveyor 30 which is disposed along the bottom surface, to convey precipitate to the precipitate discharge port. In addition, a partition plate 25 is provided to partition the internal part of the sorting tank. According to the partition plate 25, the water supplied from the water supply means forms a water flow separating and rising from the bottom surface, after descending along th bottom surface. The second sorting tank 12 is arranged in series with the first sorting tank 11, and operates according to a water flow with a different flow rate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a water flow type sorting device that uses water flow to sort articles with different specific gravities.

Background Art

[0002] When disposing of waste, river bottom sediment, etc., if the articles contained therein are discarded without sorting, problems such as an increase in environmental load and high disposal costs will occur. On the other hand, sorting the articles in waste or sediment by specific gravity often makes disposal easier. In addition, some of the sorted articles can be reused as resources, and in some cases, they can be effectively utilized as resources by sorting them by specific gravity.

[0003] Therefore, there is a need for a technology that can efficiently sort mixed waste composed of various articles by specific gravity. One of the sorting technologies known so far is a method of putting a mixture into a sorting tank filled with a liquid and separating the objects that float and the objects that sink in the sorting tank by utilizing the difference in relative specific gravity from the liquid. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for separating mixed plastics, in which water is supplied to a cylindrical tank, mixed with crushed waste plastics to form a water slurry, a swirling flow is generated, and low- and medium-specific gravity plastics are discharged together with water, while high-specific gravity plastics are made to sink to the lower part of the cylindrical tank.

[0004] In addition, for the sorting and resource recovery of mixed waste, air sorting using a blower and manual sorting have also been carried out, but a lot of costs, time, and labor are required.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In a method of putting an article into the liquid filled in the sorting tank and performing sorting based on the difference in whether it sinks or floats in the liquid, the sorting criterion is determined by the specific gravity of the liquid filled in the sorting tank. Therefore, only sorting based on a certain specific gravity can be performed.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and an object to be solved is to provide a sorting device capable of changing the specific gravity serving as a sorting criterion when sorting articles based on the difference in specific gravity.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The present invention relates to a water flow type sorting device for sorting objects to be sorted based on the difference in specific gravity. The water flow type sorting device of the present invention includes a first sorting tank, a second sorting tank, and a water supply means. The first sorting tank has a bottom surface that is an inclined surface, a water supply port, a first input port for inputting objects to be sorted, a sediment discharge port for discharging sediment that has settled in the internal water flow, a floating matter discharge port for discharging floating matter that has floated together with the internal water flow, and a conveyor that is arranged along the bottom surface and conveys the sediment to the sediment discharge port. The water flow type sorting device of the present invention is provided with a partition plate that partitions the inside of the first sorting tank, and this partition plate forms a water flow that descends along the bottom surface and then rises away from the bottom surface after the water supplied from the water supply means.

[0009] The water flow type sorting device of the present invention further includes a second sorting tank. The second sorting tank has an inclined bottom surface, a water supply port, a second input port for inputting the sediment or floating matter in the first sorting tank, a sediment discharge port for discharging the sediment that has settled in the internal water flow, a floating matter discharge port for discharging the floating matter that has floated together with the internal water flow, a conveyor arranged along the bottom surface for transporting the sediment to the sediment discharge port, and a partition plate provided inside the second sorting tank. The partition plate is arranged such that the water supplied from the water supply means forms a water flow that descends along the bottom surface and then rises away from the bottom surface. The water flow type sorting device is characterized in that the flow velocity of the water flow in the first sorting tank is different from the flow velocity of the water flow in the second sorting tank.

[0010] Preferably, each of the first sorting tank and the second sorting tank is provided with a vibration generating device. Also, preferably, each of the first sorting tank and the second sorting tank is provided with a shower for supplying water from above.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] The inventors have found that by generating a water flow that descends along the bottom surface of the sorting tank and then rises away from the bottom surface and introducing the object to be sorted into it, a resistance along the water flow can be generated on the object to be sorted, and even an object with a specific gravity heavier than the water supplied to the sorting tank can be made to float in the sorting tank, thus arriving at the present invention. Compared with the conventional sorting device that only utilizes the difference in specific gravity, the water flow type sorting device of the present invention can perform sorting even for objects to be sorted with a heavier specific gravity.

[0012] By providing a second sorting tank with a different flow velocity from that of the first sorting tank, the water flow type sorting device of the present invention can further finely sort the objects to be sorted that were not sorted in the first sorting tank. In particular, by supplying a water flow with a higher flow velocity than that in the first sorting tank, the objects to be sorted that all settled in the first sorting tank can be sorted into relatively lightweight articles and relatively heavy articles. In particular, by reducing the flow velocity of the water flow in the first sorting tank, it becomes possible to float and process only combustible materials.

[0013] Since the water flow type sorting device of the present invention uses water flow for sorting, it is possible to perform sorting even when the object to be sorted is wet. In addition, since dirt such as mud is washed away by the water flow, it becomes easier to reuse the sorted articles. Further, since sorting by water flow does not generate dust, the working environment is improved compared to other sorting methods.

[0014] Since the water flow type sorting device of the present invention can perform sorting and discharging almost automatically from input, when applied to the sorting of mixed waste, the cost required for labor can be significantly reduced. At the same time, it becomes possible to automatically sort and recycle mixed waste. Furthermore, since a blower for dust collection such as conventional air sorting is not required, and since sorting is performed using buoyancy in water, a large-scale article conveying device is not required, and the power consumption is significantly reduced compared to conventional sorting equipment.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment for implementing the water flow type sorting device 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the first sorting tank 11 applied to the water flow type sorting device 1. FIG. 2 schematically shows the connection form of the first sorting tank 11, the water supply means 13, and the draining sieve machine 14. FIG. 3 shows a side view of the water flow type sorting device 1 including the first sorting tank and the second sorting machine.

[0018] The configurations of the first sorting tank 11 and the second sorting tank 12 are substantially the same. In this embodiment, first, the configuration of the first sorting tank 11 will be described in detail. For the parts in the second sorting tank 12 that are the same as or only different in size from the first sorting tank 11, the same reference numerals will be given and duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

[0019] The first sorting tank 11 is a container having a bottom surface 21, an upper surface 22, and side surfaces 23a and 23b. The bottom surface 21 of the first sorting tank 11 is an inclined surface, and the longitudinal section is substantially triangular. The side surface of the first sorting tank 11 is composed of a pair of substantially triangular side surfaces 23a and a side surface 23b that connects the lower end of the bottom surface 21 and the upper surface 22.

[0020] On the upper surface 22 of the first sorting tank 11, a first inlet 24 for introducing an article as the object X to be sorted is opened. Further, on the upper surface 22, a partition plate 25 protruding from the upper surface 22 into the first sorting tank 11 is fixed. The partition plate 25 forms a partition having an opening 25a that opens toward the upper end side of the bottom surface 21 inside the first sorting tank 11.

[0021] One water supply port 26 is opened at the upper part of the side surface 23a of the first sorting tank 11. The water supply port 26 is connected to the water supply means 13 and supplies water into the partition defined by the partition plate 25. During the operation of the water flow type sorting device 1, the inside of the first sorting tank 11 is substantially filled with water. Water is constantly supplied from the water supply means 13 to the partition inside the partition plate 25, flows into the first sorting tank 11 from the opening 25a of the partition plate 25, descends along the bottom surface 21, and then forms a water flow W that rises away from the bottom surface 21.

[0022] At the upper end of the side surface 23b, a floating matter discharge port 27 for discharging the floating matter that has floated up together with the internal water flow W is provided. Further, in the vicinity of the position where the bottom surface 21 and the upper surface 22 are connected, a sediment discharge port 28 for discharging the sediment that has settled in the water flow W is provided. A conveyor 29 is arranged along the bottom surface 21, and the conveyor 29 conveys the sediment to the sediment discharge port 28.

[0023] Adjacent to the first inlet 24 of the first sorting tank 11, a vibration generating device 30 is arranged. By applying vibration, the sorting object X that has adhered and formed into a lump can be loosened and separated, and the introduction can be carried out smoothly.

[0024] At an arbitrary position on the upper surface 22 of the first sorting tank 11, a shower (not shown) can be arranged to pour water on the sorting object X. By making the sorting object X uniformly wet before being put in, the sorting object X can be smoothly put into the water, and the time required for sorting is shortened. Also, the uniformly wet sorting object X can perform more accurate sorting under the same conditions than the partially dried sorting object X. In particular, for lightweight articles with a specific gravity almost the same as that of water, if they are put into the sorting tank in a partially dried state, the articles that should originally settle may not settle sufficiently and may be introduced to the floating matter side. However, when they are uniformly wet by the shower, more accurate sorting is possible under the same conditions.

[0025] Among the sorting objects X, the floating matter that has moved and floated up together with the internal water flow W is discharged from the floating matter discharge port 27 together with the water. A water draining sieve machine 14 is arranged outside the floating matter discharge port 27 to separate the floating matter from the water and recover the floating matter. On the other hand, heavier articles sink in the water regardless of the water flow W, reach the conveyor 29, are conveyed to the sediment discharge port 28, and are discharged. A water draining sieve machine 14' is arranged outside the sediment discharge port 28 to separate the sediment from the water and recover the sediment. The water separated by the water draining sieve machines 14, 14' is circulated by the water supply means 13 and supplied to the first sorting tank 11 again. A preferred configuration of the water supply means 13 will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0026] In particular, when sorting waste and shredded materials by water flow, it is preferable that the water supply means 13 includes a circulating water tank 131, a sedimentation tank 132, a supplementary water supply tank 133, and a mud and water collection pit 134. The water separated from the floating materials by the water sieving machines 14 and 14' is first collected in the mud and water collection pit 134 and then introduced into the sedimentation tank 132. The sedimentation tank 132 allows the introduced water to stand for a certain period of time to precipitate fine mud and foreign substances. Depending on the layout of the entire device and the number of pumps that can be installed, it is also possible to directly introduce the water separated from the sediment by the water sieving machine 14 or the water sieving machine 14' into the sedimentation tank 132. Fig. 2 shows, as an example, a form in which the water separated from the water sieving machine 14' is directly introduced into the sedimentation tank 132.

[0027] The supernatant water in the sedimentation tank 132 is introduced into the circulating water tank 131 and supplied from the circulating water tank 131 to the water supply port 26 of the first sorting tank 11. A supplementary water supply tank 133 is connected to the circulating water tank 131, and when the water in the circulating water tank 131 is insufficient for some reason, the service water is replenished.

[0028] In this way, after the first sorting tank 11 descends along the bottom surface 21 and then rises away from the bottom surface 21, the water flow W generates a resistance along the water flow on the object X to be sorted, enabling even an object heavier than water to float along with the water flow.

[0029] The specific gravity criterion for sorting the floating materials and the sediment can be changed by controlling the flow velocity of the water flow W. Since the resistance received by the object X to be sorted also varies depending on the projected area and shape with respect to the flow, by pre-sorting the object X to be introduced into the first inlet 24 by size using a sieve or the like, more accurate sorting becomes possible. Also, as will be described below, by arranging the first sorting tank 11 and the second sorting tank 12 in series for two-stage sorting, more refined sorting becomes possible.

[0030] An embodiment of a water flow type sorting device 1 that arranges a second sorting tank 12 in series with a first sorting tank 11 and performs sorting continuously will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, the first sorting tank 11 and the second sorting tank 12 are shown to be approximately the same size, but depending on the amount of the object to be sorted, it is also possible to make the second sorting tank 12 smaller than the first sorting tank 11.

[0031] The water supply means 13 can supply water to both the first sorting tank 11 and the second sorting tank 12. However, depending on the arrangement of the second sorting tank 12, it is also possible to separately provide a water supply means having the same configuration as the water supply means 13.

[0032] In this embodiment, the sediment discharged from the first sorting tank 11 is directly introduced into the second inlet of the second sorting tank 12 and further sorted according to the difference in specific gravity. In order to directly introduce the sediment of the first sorting tank 11 into the second inlet 31 of the second sorting tank 12, it is most efficient and suitable to use the conveyor 15 as shown in FIG. 3, but it is also possible to use any other conveying means such as a vehicle.

[0033] The difference between the first sorting tank 11 and the second sorting tank 12 is the flow velocity of the internal water flow. Since the magnitude of the resistance acting on the object to be sorted is proportional to the square of the relative velocity between the object and the water, by increasing the flow velocity of the water flow in the second sorting tank 12, the resistance received by the object to be sorted can be increased, and among the sediments that have settled in the first sorting tank 11, those with a relatively low specific gravity can be floated and recovered.

[0034] In the sorting by the second sorting tank 12, the floating objects that have moved and floated together with the internal water flow W are discharged from the floating object discharge port 27 together with the water. The sediments that have settled in the sorting by the second sorting tank 12 are transported to the sediment discharge port 28 by the conveyor 29.

[0035] In this way, by installing two sorting tanks in series and performing sorting by changing the flow velocity of the internal water flow, it is possible to perform more detailed sorting according to the difference in specific gravity.

[0036] In the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 3, the second sorting tank 12 was intended to further sort the sediment discharged from the sediment discharge port 28 of the first sorting tank 11, but it can also be used for further sorting the floating matter in the first sorting tank 11. In that case, by making the flow velocity of the water flow in the second sorting tank 12 slower than that in the first sorting tank 11, it is possible to sediment and sort the heavier objects among the objects that floated in the sorting of the first sorting tank 11.

Example

[0037] An example of applying the water flow type sorting device of FIG. 3 to the sorting of mixed waste in which miscellaneous articles are mixed as the objects to be sorted will be described. The mixed waste sorted in this example contained plastics made of polyethylene and polypropylene, fiber-reinforced plastic molded products (FRP molded products), wood, wood wool cement boards, paper, fibers, rubble, metals, rubber scraps, vinyl chloride pipes, electric wires, and gypsum boards, and soil was attached to them.

[0038] For the first sorting tank 11, one with a total length of 8240 mm, a width of 2050 mm, a height of 2817 mm, and a bottom surface inclination angle of 30 degrees was used. The first sorting tank 11 can be loaded with articles having a maximum size of 300 mm × 300 mm through the first inlet 24. The second sorting tank 12 is smaller than the first sorting tank 11, and one with a total length of 7000 mm, a width of 1650 mm, a height of 2565 mm, and a bottom surface inclination angle of 30 degrees was used. The second sorting tank 12 can be loaded with articles having a maximum size of 250 mm × 250 mm through the second inlet 31.

[0039] Water flow W with a flow velocity of 0.3 m / s was supplied to the first sorting tank 11. When mixed waste was introduced, plastics made of polyethylene or polypropylene, wood, paper, and fibers could be recovered as floating materials. These could be treated as combustibles. As sediment, wood wool cement boards, fiber-reinforced plastic molded products (FRP molded products), rubble, metal, rubber scraps, vinyl chloride pipes, electric wires, and gypsum boards could be recovered. The average value of the specific gravity of the vinyl chloride pipes sorted this time was 1.3, and the average value of the specific gravity of the fiber-reinforced plastic molded products was 1.4. From these results, it was confirmed that for the articles introduced into the first sorting tank 11 of this example, articles lighter than the specific gravity of water became floating materials, and articles heavier than the specific gravity of water became sediment and could be sorted.

[0040] Water flow W with a flow velocity of 0.8 - 1.0 m / s was supplied to the second sorting tank 12. When wood wool cement boards, fiber-reinforced plastic molded products, rubble, metal, rubber scraps, vinyl chloride pipes, electric wires, and gypsum boards, which were the sediment from the first sorting tank 11, were introduced, wood wool cement boards, fiber-reinforced plastic molded products, rubber scraps, vinyl chloride pipes, electric wires, and gypsum boards could be recovered as floating materials. Rubble and metal could be recovered as sediment. The wood wool cement boards, fiber-reinforced plastic molded products, rubber scraps, vinyl chloride pipes, electric wires, and gypsum boards sorted on the floating material side could be disposed of at a stable-type disposal site as they were.

[0041] The metal and rubble sorted on the sediment side in the second sorting tank 12 could be reused by sorting with a magnetic separator for the metal. Also, the rubble could be reused as crushed stone or sand by being introduced into a crusher or grinder and processed. The articles recovered as floating materials in the second sorting tank 12 had a significantly reduced quantity compared to the initial input, so manual sorting by workers was possible, and some were reused.

[0042] In the above preferred embodiments and examples, examples of embodying the present invention have been described in detail. However, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the examples illustrated above. For example, in the examples, an example of changing the sizes of the first sorting tank 11 and the second sorting tank 12 has been shown, but it is also possible to apply the same device to the first sorting tank 11 and the second sorting tank 12. In addition, the configuration of the water supply means 13 can be appropriately changed according to the arrangement of the entire device and the characteristics of the object to be sorted.

[0043] In addition, the water flow type sorting machine of the present invention can also be used only in the first sorting tank 11. Of course, the sorting will be a one-stage sorting of floating matter and sediment. For example, for the mixed waste in the examples, when sorting plastics made of polyethylene or polypropylene, wood, paper, and fibers as combustibles, other things such as wood wool cement boards, fiber-reinforced plastics, rubble, metals, rubber scraps, vinyl chloride pipes, electric wires, and gypsum boards will all be sorted to the non-combustible side, and the sorting will be completed. In this case, the floating matter can be used as fuel or the like, but miscellaneous things will be mixed into the heavy object side.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0044] 1 Water flow type sorting device 11 First sorting tank 12 Second sorting tank 13 Water supply means 14 Drainage sieve machine 21 Bottom surface 22 Top surface 23a, 23b Side surfaces 24 First inlet 25 Partition plate 26 Water supply port 27 Floating matter discharge port 28 Sediment discharge port 29 Conveyor 30 Vibration generating device 31 Second inlet W Water flow X Object to be sorted (mixed waste)

Claims

1. A water-flow type sorting device comprising a first sorting tank, a second sorting tank, and a water supply means for sorting an object to be sorted by the difference in specific gravity, wherein the first sorting tank has a bottom surface that is an inclined surface, a water supply port, a first inlet for introducing an object to be sorted, a sediment discharge port for discharging sediment that has settled in the internal water flow, a floating matter discharge port for discharging floating matter that has floated with the internal water flow, and a conveyor arranged along the bottom surface for transporting sediment to the sediment discharge port, and is provided with, wherein the second sorting tank has a bottom surface that is an inclined surface, a water supply port, a second inlet for introducing the sediment or floating matter from the first sorting tank, a sediment discharge port for discharging sediment that has settled in the internal water flow, a floating matter discharge port for discharging floating matter that has floated with the internal water flow, and a conveyor arranged along the bottom surface for transporting sediment to the sediment discharge port, and is provided with, in each of the first sorting tank and the second sorting tank, a partition plate for partitioning the interior is provided, and the partition plate forms a water flow in which the water supplied from the water supply means descends along the bottom surface and then rises away from the bottom surface, The water-flow type sorting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the flow rate of the water flow in the first sorting tank is different from the flow rate of the water flow in the second sorting tank.

2. The water-flow type sorting device according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the first sorting tank and the second sorting tank is provided with a vibration generating device.

3. The water-flow type sorting device according to claim 2, characterized in that each of the first sorting tank and the second sorting tank is provided with a shower for supplying water from above.

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