Systems and methods for separating various types of materials from waste streams and a system for purifying a film plastic material fragment stream

Abstract

An improved system for recovering or sorting various types of materials from waste streams. 【Solution means】 The present disclosure relates to a system for sorting various types of materials from waste streams such as from a municipal solid waste MSW stream (MS). The system includes a preliminary sorting device (100), a first classification and sorting device (200), and a second classification and sorting device (300). A system (2) for purifying a film plastic material fragment stream (SFF) sorted by a system (1) for sorting various types of materials from a municipal solid waste waste stream is also disclosed. The system (2) includes a first purification classification and sorting 10 device (500). A method (800) for sorting various types of materials from waste streams such as the municipal solid waste MSW stream (MS) is further disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for separating various types of materials from waste streams such as municipal solid waste (MSW) streams, and a system for purifying a sorted stream of film plastic material fragments. The present invention also relates to a method for separating various types of materials from waste streams.

Background Art

[0002] Plastic materials are important resources for the industry, both in the products being manufactured and for protecting the products during transportation. Plastic materials have many advantageous properties. For example, being lightweight materials, they are suitable for packaging and more environmentally friendly transportation. Also, plastic materials are resistant to water and many chemicals, leading to low wear and, as a result, long life for many types of plastic materials, which is advantageous. The property of plastic materials that gives them long life is not only an advantage but also causes problems in material processing, especially from the perspective of recycling. When plastic materials end up in nature, the long decay time causes an environmentally unfriendly process for the plastic materials to decompose, leading to problems for plants and nature.

[0003] Due to the combination of the advantages and disadvantages of plastic materials, plastic materials become the products required in the industry. However, after use, they need to be collected and treated as waste. Incineration, landfilling, as well as chemical recycling and mechanical recycling are the current major technologies used to manage plastic waste. However, there are many problems associated with the management of plastic waste. One problem is that incinerating plastic waste requires a large amount of energy, and the incineration process generates many products harmful to humans and the environment, such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, chlorine, and other hydrocarbons. These gases also contribute to the problem of global warming. The problems related to disposing of plastic waste in landfills are consuming landfill space and being labor-intensive. Furthermore, when disposing of plastic waste, the conversion from waste to energy is not efficient.

[0004] Therefore, recycling is a good approach to handling plastic waste. It is known that most types of plastic waste can be recycled through mechanical processes or chemical processes. When plastic waste is recycled through a mechanical process, the quality of the plastic material decreases each time it is recycled. Chemical recycling enables the conversion of plastic materials back into molecules and generally improves the quality level of the recycled plastic materials.

[0005] One important aspect when recycling plastic materials is the purity of the fragments of the recovered plastic materials. If the purity level of the plastic waste stream is low, the quality of the recycled plastic material decreases, and as a result, the value of the recovered plastic material also decreases. Therefore, one determining factor in the recycling of plastic materials is the purity level of the recovered and recycled plastic materials.

[0006] Therefore, to ensure that various types of plastic materials are recovered at the highest possible purity, the accuracy of the associated sorting process is crucial.

[0007] Municipal solid waste (MSW) is a source of plastic waste. MSW is typically collected through a garbage collection system, where people living in the area discard waste into garbage bins. Thereafter, MSW is often transported to recycling plants. In order to enable the recycling of plastic waste, it needs to be separated from the remaining MSW.

[0008] Many processes for treating MSW streams are known. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20030019795 discloses a process from waste to resources that eliminates the need to dispose of useful materials in large landfills or bioreactors or incinerators. U.S. Patent No. 7802685 discloses a multi-step recycling process for preparing recycled plastic materials.

[0009] However, existing treatment processes for MSW streams are not sufficient with respect to the level of recovered plastic materials, and it can be said that the purity level of sorted and recovered plastic material fragments is too low. Also, existing processes are overly labor-intensive, and factories are not flexible enough to meet the various sorting requirements depending on the region where the factory is located. There is a need for a waste recycling plant that can recycle a larger volume of plastic waste streams with higher accuracy and higher purity levels to ensure an overall recycling process with improved profitability that is effective and efficient with respect to the recovery of plastic material fragments. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0010] From the above perspective, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved system for recovering or separating various types of materials from waste streams, such waste streams typically being municipal solid waste (MSW) streams.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a system for purifying waste streams for recovering or separating film plastic material fragments as at least one fragment recovered or sorted by the system from waste streams such as municipal solid waste (MSW) streams.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for recovering or separating various types of materials from waste streams such as municipal solid waste (MSW) streams.

[0013] It is also an object to provide solutions for addressing at least some of the above conditions, and to provide waste streams such as MSW stream processing systems with improved recycling levels.

[0014] Another object is to provide a solution that can recover or sort various waste fragments with higher accuracy, resulting in a higher purity level of the desired plastic material fragments. The system is preferably adaptable and scalable to the various requirements of each recycling plant.

[0015] A further object is to provide a system capable of separating several different plastic materials into separate fragments.

[0016] It is also an object to provide a cost-effective system for recovering and separating various types of materials from waste streams such as municipal solid waste (MSW) streams.

[0017] It is also an object to provide a cost-effective method for recovering and separating various types of materials from waste streams such as municipal solid waste (MSW) streams.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0018] To achieve at least one of the above objectives and other objectives that will be apparent from the following description, the present invention provides a system having the features defined in claim 1. Preferred variants of the system will become apparent from the dependent claims.

[0019] More specifically, according to a first aspect, a system for separating various types of materials from waste streams is provided. The system includes a preliminary sorting device, a first classification and sorting device, and a second classification and sorting device. The preliminary sorting device includes a separator unit configured to separate plastic materials from a waste stream into a particle stream of plastic materials and a film stream of plastic materials such that most of the particulate plastic materials are separated into a particle stream of plastic materials and most of the plastic film materials are separated into a film stream of plastic materials based on a combination of size, shape, and density. The first classification and sorting device includes a first particle classification and sorting station configured to receive the particle stream of plastic materials from the preliminary sorting device. The first particle classification and sorting station includes a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system configured to identify a first type of particulate plastic from other types of particulate plastics within the particle stream of plastic materials, and a discharge unit configured to divert the first type of particulate plastic from the particle stream of plastic materials into first particulate plastic material fragments, thereby separating the material of the first type of particulate plastic from the particle stream of plastic materials. The first classification and sorting device further includes a second particle classification and sorting station configured to receive the particle stream of plastic materials from the first particle classification and sorting station. The second particle classification and sorting station includes a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system configured to identify a second type of particulate plastic from other types of particulate plastics within the particle stream of plastic materials received by the second particle classification and sorting station, and a discharge unit configured to divert the second type of particulate plastic from the particle stream of plastic materials into second particulate plastic material fragments, thereby separating the material of the second type of particulate plastic from the particle stream of plastic materials received by the second particle classification and sorting station. The second classification and sorting device includes a first film classification and sorting station configured to receive the film stream of plastic materials from the preliminary sorting device. The first film classification and sorting station isA near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy system configured to identify a first type of film plastic from other types of film plastics within a film stream of a plastic material, and a discharge unit configured to divert the first type of film plastic from the film stream of the plastic material into first film plastic material fragments, thereby separating the material of the first type of film plastic from the film stream of the plastic material. The second sorting and separating device further includes a second film sorting and separating station configured to receive the film stream of the plastic material from the first film sorting and separating station. The second film sorting and separating station includes a near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy system configured to identify a second type of film plastic from other types of film plastics within the film stream of the plastic material received from the first film sorting and separating station by the second film sorting and separating station, and a discharge unit configured to divert the second type of film plastic from the film stream of the plastic material into second film plastic material fragments, thereby separating the material of the second type of film plastic from the film stream of the plastic material received by the second film sorting and separating station.

[0020] The preliminary sorting device of the system performs a first sorting of the plastic material into a particle stream of the plastic material and a film stream of the plastic material. The sorting is based on the size, shape, and density of the plastic material.

[0021] Film plastics are generally thin plastics. Such film plastic materials can be used, for example, for the protection of goods and food. One example of film plastic can be plastic wrap.

[0022] Particle plastics are generally harder. Particle plastics are generally thicker than film plastics. Particle plastics can be used, for example, for containers. One example of particle plastic can be a bottle.

[0023] By separating the film plastic and the particulate plastic into two different streams, the sorting process at the latter stage of the system is improved.

[0024] The system comprises a first classification and sorting device and a second classification and sorting device.

[0025] Therefore, by the separation performed by the preliminary sorting device, the two classification and sorting devices, namely the first classification and sorting device and the second classification and sorting device, only need to process one plastic stream, reducing the risk of missing parts or types of plastic fragments assigned to be identified by the classification and sorting station. The classification and sorting station can be set up to provide settings to the NIR spectroscopy system that identifies the plastics to be sorted. By providing settings to the NIR spectroscopy system, the system can identify the selected plastic material and sort it into selective fragments. The actual sorting is performed by a discharge unit configured to divert the plastics based on the identification performed by the NIR spectroscopy system. The discharge unit is notified by the NIR spectroscopy system which plastic pieces should be diverted. Thereafter, the discharge unit typically blows the selected plastic pieces onto one conveyor belt by means of an air jet, diverting the plastic pieces, while the other plastic pieces will end up on another conveyor belt. Alternatively or additionally, advantageously, some kind of mechanical sorting or air jet sorting may be used. The discharge unit can divert the selected plastic pieces and the other plastic pieces to different conveyor belts. By adjusting the settings for the plastics identified as fragments, the system can be customized to meet the various demands of the location and country. Therefore, the system can be more easily adapted to the various demands of each recycling plant.

[0026] When the waste stream is separated by the preliminary sorting device into two different streams, namely a particle stream of plastic material and a film stream of plastic material, the classification and sorting device may be able to sort the plastic into fragments of higher purity than if all the plastic were sorted directly from the waste stream. As the purity of such fragments increases, the plastic is then recycled into higher quality products. Thus, the system provides a final product of higher value that can result in a higher price in the aftermarket. By having a higher value, typically more plastic will be recycled and the amount of waste ending up in landfills or incineration facilities will be reduced. The system improves the overall sorting by combining various stations so that the plastic is sorted well when it arrives at the various classification and sorting devices. Each station individually would not be able to reach as good a result as when they are combined. Using this specific combination, the overall purity of the recycled fragments is greatly increased due to the synergistic effect between the stations.

[0027] The first classification and sorting device may further comprise an additional particle classification and sorting station configured to receive the particle stream of plastic material from the second particle classification and sorting station. The additional particle classification and sorting station may comprise a near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy system configured to identify additional types of particle plastics from other types of particle plastics within the particle stream of plastic material from the second particle classification and sorting station received by the additional particle classification and sorting station, and a discharge unit configured to divert the additional types of particle plastics from the particle stream of plastic material into additional particle plastic material fragments, thereby separating the material of the additional types of particle plastics from the particle stream of plastic material received by the additional particle classification and sorting station.

[0028] The system can include one or more additional particle classification and separation stations. The number of additional particle classification and separation stations is typically determined by the number of particle plastic fragments to be recycled within the plastic material particle stream. Such additional particle classification and separation stations typically identify additional types of particle plastics from other types of particle plastics within the plastic material particle stream received from a second particle classification and separation station received by the additional particle classification and separation station. Some additional particle classification and separation stations improve the possibility of adapting the system to the conditions of the country where the factory is installed. It is possible to recycle additional types of plastic materials using the additional particle classification and separation stations. By recycling additional types of plastic materials, the amount of waste that would otherwise end up unrecycled will be further reduced.

[0029] The first classification and separation device can further include a cleaning particle classification and separation station for one or more particle plastic material fragments, each cleaning particle classification and separation station can be configured to receive respective particle plastic material fragments from the particle classification and separation station, and each cleaning particle classification and separation station is configured to identify the type of particle plastic in the particle plastic material fragment from other types of particle plastics in the received particle plastic material fragment, and a NIR spectroscopy system, and a discharge unit configured to divert other types of particle plastics from the particle material fragment into a confluent residue particle stream so that the particle plastic material fragment is further cleaned from other types of particle plastics.

[0030] The cleaning particle classification and separation station may be the same type of station as the classification and separation station. The cleaning particle classification and separation station can identify a material having a spectrum different from that of the particle plastic material fragment so that the material that might have ended up in the wrong fragment is diverted into the confluent residue particle stream. Thus, the confluent residue particle stream is typically a collection stream of materials that ended up in the wrong fragment.

[0031] The sorting device may include one or more cleaning particle sorting stations. Each cleaning particle sorting station can be placed downstream of one of the particle sorting stations. Therefore, the cleaning particle sorting station can process particle plastic material fragments from the upstream particle sorting station. One cleaning particle sorting station may exist after each particle sorting station such that the first particle sorting station has the first cleaning particle sorting station and the second particle sorting station has the second cleaning particle sorting station. An additional particle sorting station can have an additional cleaning particle sorting station.

[0032] One cleaning particle sorting station may process fragments from two or more particle sorting stations. The cleaning particle sorting station may use various settings of the spectroscopy system at different sides or positions in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt of the particle sorting station. In this case, both sides or both positions in the longitudinal direction are located on the upper side of the conveyor belt, i.e., the side opposite to gravity. Therefore, objects on opposite sides in the longitudinal direction will move parallel on the conveyor belt. This means that the spectroscopy system can use one setting to identify one type of plastic material on one side in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt and a different setting to identify a second type of plastic material on the opposite side in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt. The cleaning particle sorting station can further improve the purity of the recycled plastic fragments. As the purity of the recycled plastic becomes higher, the quality of the recycled plastic improves. Therefore, the plastic can be used in more life cycles.

[0033] Each particulate plastic material fragment can be one of PET resulting from bottles, PET resulting from trays, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polymethyl acrylate, and polyamide.

[0034] The NIR spectroscopy system can sort each type of plastic material into fragments according to a given set. However, additional plastic materials that are worth sorting may exist.

[0035] The first classification and sorting device can further include a recovery particle classification and sorting station configured to receive a particle stream of plastic material from a second particle classification and sorting station or, if present, an additional particle classification and sorting station, and the recovery particle classification and sorting station includes an NIR spectroscopy system configured to identify particulate plastics from other types of materials within the particle stream of plastic material, and a discharge unit configured to divert particulate plastics from the particle stream of plastic material into a recovery particle stream of plastic material, and the recovery particle stream of plastic material is recombined with the particle stream of plastic material from the preliminary sorting device.

[0036] When plastic materials are sorted into various fragments at the particle classification and sorting station, there may be piles of plastic materials on the conveyor belt used to carry the sorted plastic materials. If the particle classification and sorting station cannot determine all the plastic materials, some plastic materials may not be correctly diverted to their respective fragments, or may not be diverted at all. The particle classification and sorting station for recycling gives the plastic materials a second chance to be sorted. Therefore, the particle classification and sorting station for recycling can identify the plastic materials to be sorted into their respective fragments and divert them into the recycled particle stream of the plastic materials. Subsequently, the recycled particle stream of the plastic materials merges again with the particle stream of the plastic materials so that the plastic materials are recycled into the particle stream of the plastic materials. Such recycling of plastic materials can, as a result, lead to a higher level of plastic recycling.

[0037] The particle classification and sorting station for recycling can be further configured to receive the merged residue particle stream and identify the particle plastics from other types of materials within the merged residue particle stream, and the discharge unit can be further configured to divert the particle plastics from the merged residue particle stream of the plastic materials into the recycled particle stream of the plastic materials.

[0038] Using a particle classification and sorting station for recycling configured to receive the merged residue particle stream, the recycling level can be further improved.

[0039] The second sorting device can further include an additional film sorting station configured to receive a film stream of plastic material from the second film sorting station. The additional film sorting station can include a near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy system configured to identify additional types of film plastics from other types of film plastics within the film stream of plastic material received from the second film sorting station by the additional film sorting station, and a discharge unit configured to divert the additional types of film plastics from the film stream of plastic material into additional film plastic material fragments, thereby sorting the material of the additional types of film plastics from the film stream of plastic material received by the additional film sorting station.

[0040] The system can include one or more additional film sorting stations. The number of additional film sorting stations is typically determined by the number of film plastic fragments to be recycled within the film stream of plastic material. Such additional film sorting stations typically identify additional types of film plastics from other types of film plastics within the film stream of plastic material received from the second film sorting station by the additional film sorting station. Some additional film sorting stations can further improve the possibility of adapting the system to the conditions of the country where the factory is installed. It is possible to recycle additional types of plastic materials using the additional film sorting stations. By recycling additional types of plastic materials, the amount of waste that would otherwise end up unrecycled will be further reduced.

[0041] The second sorting device can further include a film sorting station for cleaning one or more film plastic material fragments, and each film sorting station for cleaning can be configured to receive respective film plastic material fragments from each film sorting station. Each film sorting station for cleaning can include a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system configured to identify the type of film plastic in the received film plastic material fragments from other types of film plastics in the received film plastic material fragments, and a discharge unit configured to divert other types of film plastics from the film material fragments into a confluent residue film stream so that the film plastic material fragments can be further cleaned from other types of film plastics.

[0042] The film sorting station for cleaning may be the same type of station as the sorting station. The film sorting station for cleaning can identify a material having a spectrum different from that of the film plastic material fragments so that the material that might have ended up in the wrong fragments can be diverted into the confluent residue film stream. Thus, the confluent residue film stream is typically a collection stream of materials that ended up in the wrong fragments.

[0043] The sorting device may have one or more cleaning film sorting stations. Each cleaning film sorting station is typically placed downstream of one of the film sorting stations. Thus, the cleaning film sorting station will typically process film plastic material fragments from the upstream film sorting station. One cleaning film sorting station may exist after each film sorting station such that the first film sorting station has the first cleaning film sorting station and the second film sorting station has the second cleaning film sorting station. An additional film sorting station may have an additional cleaning film sorting station.

[0044] One cleaning film sorting station may process fragments from two or more film sorting stations. The cleaning film sorting station may use various settings of the spectroscopic system on different sides of the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt. This means that the spectroscopic system uses one setting to identify one type of plastic material on one side of the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt and another setting to identify a second type of plastic material on the opposite side of the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt. Both sides of the longitudinal direction are also positioned side by side as discussed above. The cleaning particle sorting station can further improve the purity of the recycled plastic fragments. By increasing the purity of the recycled film plastic, the quality of the recycled plastic can be improved. Thus, the film plastic can be used in more life cycles.

[0045] Each film plastic material fragment can be one of a polyolefin film, low density polyethylene, and a polypropylene film.

[0046] The second sorting device can further include a film sorting and recovery station configured to receive a film stream of plastic material from the second film sorting station or, if present, from an additional film sorting station. The film sorting and recovery station includes a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system configured to identify film plastics from other types of materials within the film stream of plastic material, and a discharge unit configured to divert film plastics from the film stream of plastic material into a recovered film stream of plastic material. The recovered film stream of plastic material can be recombined with the film stream of plastic material from the preliminary sorting device.

[0047] When the plastic material is sorted into various fragments at the film sorting station, there may be a pile of plastic material on the conveyor belt used to carry the sorted plastic material. If the film sorting station cannot determine all of the plastic material, some of the plastic material may not be diverted or may not be diverted into the correct fragments. Therefore, the film sorting and recovery station provides a second chance for the plastic material to be sorted. The film sorting and recovery station can identify the plastic material to be sorted into each fragment and divert it into the recovered film stream of plastic material. The recovered film stream of plastic material is typically recombined with the film stream of plastic material so that the plastic material can be recycled into the film stream of plastic material. Recycling of the plastic material can result in a higher level of plastic recycling.

[0048] The film sorting and recovery station can be further configured to receive a combined residue film stream and identify film plastics from other types of materials within the combined residue film stream. The discharge unit can be further configured to divert film plastics from the combined residue film stream of plastic material into the recovered film stream of plastic material.

[0049] Using a recovery film classification and sorting station configured to receive the confluent residue film flow, the recycling level can be further improved.

[0050] The second classification and sorting device can further include a valuable particle classification and sorting station configured to receive the film flow of plastic materials from the recovery film classification and sorting station. The valuable particle classification and sorting station can include a NIR spectroscopy system configured to identify particulate plastics from other types of materials within the film flow of plastic materials, and a discharge unit configured to divert particulate plastics from the film flow of plastic materials into a confluent residue particle flow of plastic materials.

[0051] In the preliminary sorting device, the materials are typically separated into a particle flow of plastic materials and a film flow of plastic materials. During preliminary sorting, there may be particulate materials that end up in the film flow of plastic materials. To avoid the film flow of plastic materials ending up as residue and the particulate plastic materials ending up as residue, the valuable particle cleaning and sorting station can divert particulate plastic materials from the film flow of plastic materials into a recovered particle flow of plastic materials. Using the valuable particle cleaning and sorting station, the portion recycled from the waste stream can be further increased.

[0052] At least one of the classification and sorting stations can further include a camera configured to acquire an image of the plastic materials resulting from the waste stream, and an artificial neural network configured to detect various characteristics of the plastic materials. The discharge unit of the at least one classification and sorting station can be further configured to divert the plastic materials resulting from the waste stream based on the detected characteristics of the plastic materials.

[0053] Therefore, the characteristics of the plastic material can be determined from the images acquired by the camera by an artificial neural network. The characteristics can be the shape, color, surface features, or anything in the appearance of the plastic material that can be determined and classified by the artificial neural network. The camera can make it possible to further classify the material into various fragments. With the assistance of the artificial neural network, it may be possible to classify plastics of the same material composition into various fragments according to quality and origin. As a mere example, it may be an advantage to make it possible to classify plastics from various types of food packages into fragments. As a result, the purity of the plastic fragments can be further improved.

[0054] At least one of the classification and sorting stations can further comprise an optical spectroscopy system configured to acquire the spectrum of the plastic material resulting from the waste stream, and the discharge unit of the at least one classification and sorting station can be further configured to divert the plastic material resulting from the waste stream based on the acquired spectrum, thereby sorting the plastic material fragments based on color.

[0055] The optical spectroscopy system can determine the various colors of the plastic material through the acquired spectrum. The advantage of determining the color of the plastic material is that the plastic material can be sorted into various fragments. Such particulate plastic material fragments can be one of PET from bottles, PET from trays, white polypropylene, red polypropylene, mixed-color polypropylene, uncolored polyethylene, white polyethylene, mixed-color polyethylene, white polystyrene, mixed-color polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polymethyl acrylate, and polyamide. Each film plastic material fragment can be one of a colored polyolefin film, a transparent low-density polyethylene, and a mixed polypropylene film. This is advantageous as it can lead to a further improvement in the possibility of sorting the waste stream into various fragments and can lead to a higher purity of the fragments.

[0056] At least one of the sorting stations can further comprise a laser triangulation system configured to determine the height information of the plastic material resulting from the waste stream, and the discharge unit of the at least one sorting station can be further configured to divert the plastic material resulting from the waste stream based on the determined height information.

[0057] Using the laser triangulation system, the sorting station may be able to detect plastic materials that are difficult to detect with the NIR system. One example of such a plastic material is a black plastic material. By detecting the height difference on the conveyor belt used to carry the material to be sorted, the sorting station can combine such height information including the information obtained from the NIR system to determine whether there is black plastic on the conveyor belt. Therefore, additional plastic materials can be recycled.

[0058] The separator unit can include an air classifier and / or a ballistic separator configured to separate the waste stream into a particle stream of plastic material and a film stream of plastic material.

[0059] The air classifier and the ballistic separator may be combined within the separator unit or used separately.

[0060] The preliminary sorting device can further include a bag opener configured to open the bags in the waste stream to separate the plastic material from the bags.

[0061] The bag opener typically opens a bag in which a part of the waste stream may be present. The bag opener typically opens the bag by cutting it open. By opening such a bag, the plastic material inside the bag can be taken out and sorted into a particle stream of plastic material and a film stream of plastic material.

[0062] The preliminary sorting device may further include a first magnet device configured to attract iron-based metal materials in the waste stream, thereby separating iron-based metals from the waste stream.

[0063] Iron-based metals are valuable in the recycling process, and by separating the metals, the profit of the system can be further improved. Separating iron-based metals from the waste stream can result in a reduction in the materials downstream of the waste stream, thereby further reducing the amount of plastic materials that may end up in incorrect fragments.

[0064] The preliminary sorting device may further include an eddy current separator configured to separate non-ferrous metal materials in the waste stream, thereby separating non-ferrous metal-containing materials from the waste stream.

[0065] Non-ferrous metal materials are valuable in the recycling process, and by separating the metals, the profit of the system can be further improved. Separating non-ferrous metals from the waste stream can result in a reduction in the materials downstream of the waste stream, thereby further reducing the amount of plastic materials that may end up in incorrect fragments.

[0066] The preliminary sorting device may further include a drum screen configured to receive the waste stream and separate from the waste stream materials having a maximum cross-sectional extension length greater than 300 mm, preferably greater than 320 mm, into the shredder stream.

[0067] Therefore, the drum screen can separate oversized materials. Otherwise, the oversized materials may clog the conveyor belt used to transport the materials to be sorted in subsequent processes. By separating the oversized materials, the flow of the waste stream can be stabilized, resulting in a reduction in the need for personnel to remove conveyor belt clogs.

[0068] The preliminary sorting device can further include a shredder configured to receive the shredded material flow from the drum screen and shred the material in the shredded material flow to reduce the maximum cross-sectional extension length of the material such that the maximum cross-sectional extension length of the material is less than 320 mm, preferably less than 300 mm, and to discharge the shredded material into the waste material flow from the bag opener.

[0069] Accordingly, the shredder can reduce the size of the material so that the size of the material can be made not too large, thereby further increasing the recycled material.

[0070] The preliminary sorting device can further include a waste screen configured to receive the waste material flow from the drum screen and separate the material having a maximum cross-sectional extension length of less than 40 mm into the screen residue flow.

[0071] Most of the materials having a cross-sectional extension length of less than 40 mm in the waste material flow are worthless materials and cannot be recycled. By separating this material from the waste material flow, sand and other smaller particles can be diverted.

[0072] The preliminary sorting device can further include a second magnet device configured to attract the iron-based material in the screen residue flow, thereby separating the iron-based metal-containing material from the screen residue flow.

[0073] The second magnet device can provide means for separating the iron-based metal from the screen residue flow.

[0074] According to a second aspect, there is provided a system for purifying a film plastic material fragment stream separated by the system according to the first aspect. The system includes a first purification classification and sorting device. The first purification classification and sorting device includes a first purification classification and sorting station configured to receive the film plastic material fragment stream. The first purification classification and sorting station includes a NIR spectroscopy system configured to identify the type of film plastic in the film plastic material fragments from other types of film plastics in the film plastic material stream, and a discharge unit configured to divert other types of film plastics from the film plastic material fragment stream into a purification residue stream, thereby purifying the film plastic material fragment stream. The first purification classification and sorting device further includes a second purification classification and sorting station configured to receive the film plastic material fragment stream from the first purification classification and sorting station. The second purification classification and sorting station includes a NIR spectroscopy system configured to identify the type of film plastic in the film plastic material fragments from other types of film plastics in the film plastic material fragment stream, and a discharge unit configured to divert other types of film plastics from the film plastic material fragment stream into a purification residue stream, thereby further purifying the film plastic material fragment stream.

[0075] Generally, the features of this aspect provide advantages similar to those discussed above with respect to the previous aspects of the present invention. Therefore, to avoid undue repetition, the above advantages will not be repeated.

[0076] By diverting other types of materials, a higher degree of purification of the film plastic material fragments can be achieved. At a higher purification level, the film plastic material can be reused. The purification classification and sorting device may be of the same type as the classification and sorting device.

[0077] The first purification classification and separation device can further include a cleaning and purification classification and separation station configured to receive a purified residue stream. The first cleaning and purification classification and separation station includes an NIR spectroscopy system configured to identify the type of film plastic in the purified residue stream from other types of film plastic materials in the purified residue stream, and a discharge unit configured to divert the type of film plastic from the purified residue stream into a purified recovery stream. The first purification classification and separation device further includes a second cleaning and purification classification and separation station configured to receive the purified residue stream from the first cleaning and purification classification and separation station. The second cleaning and purification classification and separation station includes an NIR spectroscopy system configured to identify the type of film plastic in the purified residue stream from other types of film plastic materials in the purified residue stream, and a discharge unit configured to divert the type of film plastic from the purified residue stream into a purified recovery stream. The purified recovery stream is recombined with the film plastic material fragment stream.

[0078] The system can further include a preliminary purification and separation device configured to separate materials from the plastic material fragment stream before the plastic material fragment stream reaches the first purification classification and separation device. The preliminary purification and separation device is configured to receive the plastic material fragment stream and includes a purification shredder configured to shred the materials in the plastic material fragment stream to reduce the maximum cross-sectional extension length of the materials such that the maximum cross-sectional extension length of the materials is less than 250 mm, more preferably less than 200 mm.

[0079] The preliminary purification and separation device can further include a first purification magnet device configured to attract iron-based metal materials in the film plastic material fragment stream, thereby separating iron-based metal-containing materials from the film plastic material fragment stream.

[0080] The preliminary purification and separation device can further include a purification eddy current separator configured to separate non-ferrous metal materials in the film plastic material fragment stream, thereby separating non-ferrous metal-containing materials from the film plastic material fragment stream.

[0081] The preliminary sorting device for purification can further include a purification drum screen configured to receive the plastic material fragment flow from the shredder for purification and separate, from the plastic material fragment flow, materials having a maximum cross-sectional extension length greater than 250 mm, preferably greater than 200 mm, into a film plastic material fragment flow flowing into the preliminary shredder for purification.

[0082] The preliminary sorting device for purification can further include a waste screen for purification configured to receive the film plastic material fragment flow and separate materials having a maximum cross-sectional extension length smaller than 25 mm into a purification screen residue flow.

[0083] The system can further include an agglomeration device configured to receive the film plastic material fragment flow from the first classification and sorting device for purification and increase the bulk density of the film plastic material fragments.

[0084] By increasing the bulk density, the stored materials can become more compact. This advantage is a reduction in the need for storage volume in the factory and an increase in the amount that can be transported in one shipment.

[0085] The agglomeration device can include a shredder station configured to shred the film plastic material fragments into smaller fragments and a friction station configured to bond the film plastic material fragments together by heating the film plastic material fragments through friction.

[0086] Each NIR spectroscopy system of the classification and sorting station can be configured to obtain the spectrum of the plastic material generated from the waste stream, and each NIR spectroscopy system is configured to identify the plastic material from other plastic materials based on the obtained spectrum.

[0087] According to a third aspect, a method for separating various types of materials from a waste stream is provided. The method separates plastic materials in the waste stream into a particle stream of plastic materials and a film stream of plastic materials such that most of the particulate plastic materials are separated into a particle stream of plastic materials and most of the plastic film materials are separated into a film stream of plastic materials based on a combination of size, shape, and density, identifies a first type of particulate plastic from other types of particulate plastics in the particle stream of plastic materials using a near-infrared spectroscopy system, diverts the first type of particulate plastic from the particle stream of plastic materials into first particulate plastic material fragments, thereby separating the material of the first type of particulate plastic from the particle stream of plastic materials, identifies a second type of particulate plastic from other types of particulate plastics in the particle stream of plastic materials using a near-infrared spectroscopy system, diverts the second type of particulate plastic from the particle stream of plastic materials into second particulate plastic material fragments, thereby separating the material of the second type of particulate plastic from the particle stream of plastic materials, identifies a first type of film plastic from other types of film plastics in the film stream of plastic materials using a near-infrared spectroscopy system, diverts the first type of film plastic from the film stream of plastic materials into first film plastic material fragments, thereby separating the material of the first type of film plastic from the film stream of plastic materials, identifies a second type of film plastic from other types of film plastics in the film stream of plastic materials using a near-infrared spectroscopy system, and diverts the second type of film plastic from the film stream of plastic materials into second film plastic material fragments, thereby separating the material of the second type of film plastic from the film stream of plastic materials.

[0088] Generally, the features of this aspect provide advantages similar to those discussed above with respect to the previous aspects of the invention. Therefore, to avoid undue repetition, the advantages described above are not repeated.

[0089] The further scope of application of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. It should, however, be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

[0090] Accordingly, it will be understood that the concept of the present invention is not limited to the specific components of the device described in such a way that the device can vary. It will also be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. It should be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean that there is one or more elements unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a unit” can include, among other things, several devices. Further, the words “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” and similar terms do not exclude other elements.

[0091] Aspects of the concept of the present invention, including specific features and advantages, will be readily understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. The drawings are provided to illustrate the overall configuration of the concept of the present invention. Throughout, like reference numerals refer to like elements.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0092]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0093] Here, the concept of the present invention will be more fully described below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing the presently preferred variant forms of the concept of the present invention. However, the concept of the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the variant forms described herein. Rather, these variant forms are provided for the sake of thoroughness and completeness and to fully convey the scope of the concept of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0094] FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of a system 1 for separating various types of materials from the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream MS. The system includes a preliminary sorting device 100, a first classification and sorting device 200, and a second classification and sorting device 300. The preliminary sorting device 100 includes a separator unit 150. The preliminary sorting device 100 of the system 1 performs a first sorting of the plastic material into a particle flow PS of the plastic material and a film flow FS of the plastic material. The sorting is based on the size, shape, and density of the plastic material.

[0095] Film plastics are generally thin plastics. Particle plastics are generally harder. Particle plastics are generally thicker than film plastics. Most of the particle plastic material is separated into a particle stream PS of plastic material, and most of the plastic film material is separated into a film stream FM of plastic material. By separating film plastics and particle plastics into two different streams, typically, the sorting process in the latter stage of the system is greatly improved. Advantageously, the preliminary sorting device 100 can use various types of sorting techniques as long as the plastic is separated into two different streams. In FIG. 1, the first classification and sorting device 200 includes a first particle classification and sorting station 220a configured to receive the particle stream PS of plastic material from the preliminary sorting device 100, which is shown in more detail in FIG. 5.

[0096] As shown in FIG. 5, the first particle classification and sorting station 220a includes a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system 222 configured to identify the first type of particle plastic from other types of particle plastics in the particle stream PS of plastic material, and a discharge unit 224 configured to divert the first type of particle plastic from the particle stream PS of plastic material into the first particle plastic material fragments FP1, thereby separating the material of the first type of particle plastic from the particle stream of plastic material. The NIR spectroscopy system 222 will be further described with respect to FIG. 5.

[0097] The first classification and sorting device 200 further includes a second particle classification and sorting station 220b configured to receive the particle stream PS of plastic material from the first particle classification and sorting station 220a. The second particle classification and sorting station 220b includes a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system 222 configured to identify the second type of particle plastic from other types of particle plastics in the particle stream PS of plastic material received by the second particle classification and sorting station 220b from the first particle classification and sorting station 220a.

[0098] The second particle classification and sorting station 220b includes a discharge unit 224 configured to divert a second type of particle plastic from the particle stream PS of the plastic material into the second particle plastic material fragments FP2, thereby separating the material of the second type of particle plastic from the particle stream of the plastic material received by the second particle classification and sorting station 220b.

[0099] The second classification and sorting device 300 includes a first film classification and sorting station 320a configured to receive the film stream FS of the plastic material from the preliminary sorting device 100. The first film classification and sorting station 320a includes a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system 222 configured to identify a first type of film plastic from other types of film plastics in the film stream FS of the plastic material, and a discharge unit 224 configured to divert the first type of film plastic from the film stream FS of the plastic material into the first film plastic material fragments FF1. Thereby, the material of the first type of film plastic is separated from the film stream FS of the plastic material.

[0100] The second classification and sorting device 300 further includes a second film classification and sorting station 320b configured to receive the film stream FS of the plastic material from the first film classification and sorting station 320a. The second film classification and sorting station includes a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system 222 configured to identify a second type of film plastic from other types of film plastics in the film stream FS of the plastic material received from the first film classification and sorting station 320a by the second film classification and sorting station 320b, and a discharge unit 224 configured to divert the second type of film plastic from the film stream FS of the plastic material into the second film plastic material fragments FF2. Thereby, the material of the second type of film plastic is separated from the film stream FS of the plastic material received by the second film classification and sorting station 320b.

[0101] Thus, by the separation performed by the preliminary sorting device 100, the two classification sorting devices 200, 300, namely the first classification sorting device 200 and the second classification sorting device 300, only need to process only one plastic stream each, reducing the risk of missing parts or types of plastic fragments assigned to be identified by the classification sorting station. The particle classification sorting stations 220a, 220b and the film classification sorting stations 320a, 320b may be of the same type as the classification sorting station 700 described below with respect to FIG. 5. These can be given various settings and provided with any optional combination of hardware.

[0102] The overall concept of the system 1 is to separate the MSW stream MS into streams with more sorted materials. This enables the two classification sorting devices 200, 300 to focus on one type of material, improving the purity of the fragments to be sorted. The classification sorting stations 220a, 220b, 320a, 320b are enabled to give settings to the NIR spectroscopy system 222 that identifies the plastics to be sorted. By giving settings to the NIR spectroscopy system 222, the system can identify the selected plastic material and sort it into selective fragments. The actual sorting is performed by the discharge unit 224 configured to divert the plastics based on the identification performed by the NIR spectroscopy system 222. The discharge unit 224 is notified by the NIR spectroscopy system 222 which plastic pieces are to be diverted. Thereafter, the discharge unit 224 typically diverts the selected plastic pieces by blowing them onto one conveyor belt by an air jet, and the other plastic pieces will end up on another conveyor belt. Alternatively or additionally, advantageously, some types of mechanical sorting or sorting by water jets may be used. The discharge unit 224 can divert the selected plastic pieces and other plastic pieces to different conveyor belts carrying various waste material streams.

[0103] Referring to FIG. 2, an example of system 1 for separating various types of materials from an MSW stream MS with additional stations compared to system 1 of FIG. 1 is disclosed as a flowchart. The stations already described with respect to FIG. 1 also form part of system 1 of FIG. 2 and will not be further described here. It should be emphasized that the stations of system 1 of FIG. 1 are sufficient for achieving the synergistic effect when sorting municipal solid waste MSW stream MS. FIG. 2 shows examples of types of stations that can further form part of system 1. The stations may form part of system 1 of FIG. 1 alone or together with other stations. The stations are shown together for ease of understanding the description. The various stations described below may be used alone or in any combination depending on the requirements of the factory in which system 1 operates.

[0104] The preliminary sorting device 100 can comprise any combination of the following stations: bag opener 110, drum screen 120, shredder 130, waste screen 140, air classifier 152, first magnet device 160, eddy current device 170, ballistic separator 154, and / or second magnet device 190. Below, a system 1 with all stations will be described. Each station may be part of system 1 of FIG. 1 alone or in combination with other stations.

[0105] In FIG. 2, the bag opener 110 is configured to open the bags in the MSW stream MS to separate plastic materials from the bags as a first sorting step for the MSW stream MS. The bag opener 110 typically opens bags in which a part of the MSW stream MS may be present. The bag opener 110 typically opens the bag by cutting it open. By opening such a bag, the plastic materials inside the bag can be taken out and sorted into a particle stream of plastic materials and a film stream of plastic materials. Any suitable type of bag opener 110 can be advantageously used.

[0106] To avoid large materials from ending up in the two plastic streams FS and PS, a drum screen 120 is provided. The drum screen 120 is configured to receive the MSW stream MS and separate from the MSW stream MS materials having a maximum cross-sectional extension length greater than 300 mm, preferably greater than 320 mm, into the shredder stream SS. Thus, the drum screen 120 can separate oversized materials. Otherwise, the oversized materials may clog the conveyor belt used to carry the materials to be sorted in subsequent processes. Any suitable type of drum screen 120 can be advantageously used in the system 1.

[0107] To process oversized materials, a shredder 130 is provided. The shredder 130 is configured to receive the shredder stream SS from the drum screen 120, shred the materials in the shredder stream SS to reduce the maximum cross-sectional extension length of the materials such that the maximum cross-sectional extension length is less than 320 mm, preferably less than 300 mm, and discharge the shredded materials into the MSW stream MS from the bag opener 110. Note that the allowable size of the cross-sectional extension can vary in different systems. Thus, the shredder 130 can reduce the size of the materials so that the size of the materials can become not oversized. By reducing the size of the materials, the materials can be recycled to the drum screen 120 to enable them to move forward in the system 1. Any suitable type of shredder 130 can be advantageously used in the system 1.

[0108] The waste screen 140 is configured to receive the MSW stream MS from the drum screen 120 and separate materials having a maximum cross-sectional extent length smaller than 40 mm into the screen residue stream SRS. The materials in the MSW stream MS having a cross-sectional extent length smaller than 40 mm mostly consist of valueless materials and typically cannot be recycled. By separating this material from the MSW stream MS, sand and other smaller particles can be diverted. Any suitable type of waste screen 140 can be advantageously used in the system 1.

[0109] The screen residue stream SRS containing materials having a cross-sectional extent length smaller than 40 mm is directed to a second magnet device 190 configured to attract iron-based materials in the screen residue stream, thereby separating iron-based metal-containing materials from the screen residue stream. The second magnet device 190 provides means for separating iron-based metals from the screen residue stream. Thus, valuable metals can be separated from the screen residue stream SRS before being considered as remaining fragments and becoming waste. Any suitable type of magnet device 190 can be advantageously used in the system 1.

[0110] The separator unit 150 of the system 1 in FIG. 2 is provided with an air classifier 152. The air classifier 152 is configured to separate the MSW stream MS into a particle stream PS of plastic materials and a film stream FS of plastic materials. The air classifier 152 operates by removing film plastic materials from the MSW stream MS into the film stream FS of plastic materials. Any suitable type of air classifier 152 can be advantageously used in the system 1.

[0111] The first magnet device 160 is configured to attract iron-based metal materials within the MSW stream MS, thereby separating iron-based metals from the MSW stream MS. Iron-based metals are valuable in the recycling process, and by separating the metals, the benefits of the system can be further improved. Separating iron-based metals from the MSW stream MS can result in a reduction in the materials downstream of the MSW stream MS, thereby further reducing the amount of plastic materials that may end up in incorrect fragments. Any suitable type of magnet device 160 can be advantageously used in system 1.

[0112] The eddy current separator 170 is configured to separate non-ferrous metal materials within the MSW stream MS, thereby separating non-ferrous metal-containing materials from the MSW stream MS. Non-ferrous metal materials are valuable in the recycling process, and by separating the metals, the benefits of system 1 can be further improved. Separating non-ferrous metals from the MSW stream MS can result in a reduction in the materials downstream of the MSW stream MS, thereby further reducing the amount of plastic materials that may end up in incorrect fragments. Any suitable type of eddy current device 170 can be advantageously used in system 1.

[0113] The separator unit 150 of the preliminary sorting device 100 of system 1 further includes a ballistic separator 154 configured to separate the MSW stream MS into a particle stream PS of plastic materials and a film stream FS of plastic materials. Any suitable type of ballistic separator 154 can be advantageously used in system 1.

[0114] The only function required of the preliminary sorting device 100 in system 1 is the separation into a particle stream PS of plastic materials and a film stream FS of plastic materials. Other processes performed by other stations provide beneficial improvements to system 1 and further enhance the positive effect at the recycling level, but are not themselves required.

[0115] Next, refer to the first classification and sorting device 200. The first classification and sorting device 200 includes stations as described with respect to FIG. 1. The various stations described below may be used alone or in any combination according to the requirements of the factory where the system 1 operates. The first classification and sorting device 200 in FIG. 2 further includes an additional particle classification and sorting station 220c configured to receive the particle stream PS of plastic material from the second particle classification and sorting station 220b. The additional particle classification and sorting station 220c includes a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system 222 configured to identify additional types of particle plastics from other types of particle plastics in the particle stream PS of plastic material from the second particle classification and sorting station 220b received by the additional particle classification and sorting station 220c, and a discharge unit 224 configured to divert the additional types of particle plastics from the particle stream PS of plastic material into additional particle plastic material fragments FP3, thereby separating the material of the additional types of particle plastics from the particle stream PS of plastic material received by the additional particle classification and sorting station 220c.

[0116] The system can include one or more additional particle classification and sorting stations 220c. The number of additional particle classification and sorting stations 220c is typically determined by the number of particle plastic fragments to be recycled in the particle stream PS of plastic material.

[0117] Such additional particle classification and sorting stations 220c typically identify additional types of particulate plastics from other types of particulate plastics within the plastic material particle stream PS from the second particle classification and sorting station 220b received by the additional particle classification and sorting station 220c. By way of example, each particulate plastic material fragment can be one of PET resulting from a bottle, PET resulting from a tray, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polymethyl acrylate, and polyamide. If system 1 requires separating each of the above particulate plastic materials into particulate plastic material fragments, a total of twelve particle classification and sorting stations 220 may be required. However, more types of plastic materials that may need to be recycled may exist, and thus, thirteen or more particle classification and sorting stations 220 may exist in system 1. In some cases, one classification and sorting station may process one or more types of plastic materials.

[0118] The first classification and sorting device 200 further includes cleaning particle classification and sorting stations 230a-230c for one or more particulate plastic material fragments FP1-FP3. Each cleaning particle classification and sorting station 230a-230c is configured to receive the respective particulate plastic material fragments FP1-FP3 from the respective particle classification and sorting stations 220a-220c. Each cleaning particle classification and sorting station 230a-230c includes a NIR spectroscopy system 222 configured to identify the type of particulate plastic within the received particulate plastic material fragments from other types of particulate plastics within the particulate plastic material fragments, and a discharge unit 224 configured to divert other types of particulate plastics from the particulate material fragments into a combined residue particle stream JPS so that the particulate plastic material fragments are further cleaned from other types of particulate plastics.

[0119] Each cleaning particle sorting station 230a - 230c can identify a material having a spectrum different from that of the particle plastic material fragments FP1 - FP3 so that materials that might have ended up in incorrect fragments can be diverted into the confluent residue particle stream JPS. Thus, the confluent residue particle stream JPS is typically a collection stream of materials that ended up in incorrect fragments. In the system 1 of FIG. 2, one cleaning particle sorting station 230a - 230c is placed downstream of 220a - 220c from each particle sorting station. Thus, the cleaning particle sorting stations 230a - 230c can process the particle plastic material fragments FP1 - FP3 from the upstream particle sorting stations 220a - 220c. In other systems, the cleaning particle sorting stations 230a - 230c may be used to clean two or more fragments. In such a case, the cleaning particle sorting stations 230a - 230c use various settings of the spectroscopic system on different sides in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt of the particle sorting stations 220a - 220c as described above.

[0120] When the plastic material is sorted into various fragments at the particle sorting stations 220a - 220c, there may be piles of plastic material on the conveyor belt used to carry the sorted plastic material. If the particle sorting stations 220a - 220c cannot determine all of the plastic material, some of the plastic material may not be correctly diverted to the respective fragments or may not be diverted at all. In this case, the plastic material is diverted into the confluent residue particle stream JPS by the cleaning particle sorting stations 230a - 230c. To also enable the recycling of this material, the first sorting device 200 further includes a recovery particle sorting station 240 configured to receive a particle stream of plastic material from the second particle sorting station 220b or, if present, from an additional particle sorting station 220c.

[0121] The particle classification and separation station 240 for recovery includes a NIR spectroscopy system 222 configured to identify particulate plastics from other types of materials within a particle stream of plastic material, and a discharge unit 224 configured to divert particulate plastics from the particle stream of plastic material into a recovered particle stream RPS of plastic material. The recovered particle stream RPS of plastic material is recombined with the particle stream PS of plastic material from the preliminary sorting device. Thus, the particle classification and separation station 240 for recovery provides a second opportunity for the plastic material to be sorted. Such recycling of the plastic material can, as a result, lead to an even higher level of plastic recycling. The particle classification and separation station 240 for recovery is further configured to receive a combined residue particle stream JPS and to identify particulate plastics from other types of materials within the combined residue particle stream JPS. The discharge unit 224 of the particle classification and separation station 240 for recovery can be further configured to divert particulate plastics from the combined residue particle stream JPS of plastic material into a recovered particle stream RPS of plastic material.

[0122] Next, refer to the second classification and separation device 300 of the system 1 in FIG. 2. The second classification and separation device 300 includes stations as described with respect to FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of possible combinations of stations. The various stations described below may be used alone or in any combination depending on the requirements of the factory where the system 1 operates.

[0123] The second classification and sorting device 300 further includes an additional film classification and sorting station 320c configured to receive the film stream FS of the plastic material from the second film classification and sorting station 320b. The additional film classification and sorting station 320c includes a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system 222 configured to identify additional types of film plastics from other types of film plastics in the film stream FS of the plastic material from the second film classification and sorting station 320b received by the additional film classification and sorting station 320c, and a discharge unit 224 configured to divert the additional types of film plastics from the film stream FS of the plastic material into additional film plastic material fragments FF3, thereby separating the additional types of film plastic materials from the film stream FS of the plastic material received by the additional film classification and sorting station 320c. The system can include one or more additional film classification and sorting stations 320c. The number of additional film classification and sorting stations 320c is typically determined by the number of film plastic fragments to be recycled within the film stream FS of the plastic material. Such an additional film classification and sorting station 320c typically identifies additional types of film plastics from other types of film plastics in the film stream FS of the plastic material from the second film classification and sorting station 220b received by the additional film classification and sorting station 220c. By way of example, each film plastic material fragment can be one of a polyolefin film, low-density polyethylene, and a polypropylene film. If the factory needs to separate each of the above film plastic materials into film plastic material fragments, a total of three film classification and sorting stations 320 may be required. However, more types of plastic materials that may need to be recycled may exist, and thus, four or more film classification and sorting stations 320 may exist in system 1.

[0124] The second sorting device 300 further includes cleaning film sorting stations 330a to 330c for one or more film plastic material fragments FF1 to FF3. Each of the cleaning film sorting stations 330a to 330c is configured to receive the respective film plastic material fragments FF1 to FF3 from the respective film sorting stations 320a to 320c. Each of the cleaning film sorting stations 330a to 330c includes a NIR spectroscopy system 222 configured to identify the type of film plastic in the received film plastic material fragments from other types of film plastics in the film plastic material fragments, and a discharge unit 224 configured to divert other types of film plastics from the film material fragments into the confluent residue film stream JFS so that the film plastic material fragments are further cleaned from other types of film plastics. The cleaning film sorting stations 330a to 330c can identify materials having spectra different from those of the film plastic material fragments FF1 to FF3 so that materials that might have ended up in the wrong fragments are diverted into the confluent residue film stream JFS. Thus, the confluent residue film stream JFS is typically a collection stream of materials that ended up in the wrong fragments. In the system 1 of FIG. 2, one cleaning film sorting station 330a to 330c is placed downstream of each of the film sorting stations 320a to 320c. Thus, the cleaning film sorting stations 330a to 330c can process the film plastic material fragments FF1 to FF3 from the upstream film sorting stations 320a to 320c. In other systems, the cleaning film sorting stations 330a to 330c may be used to clean two or more fragments. In such a case, the cleaning film sorting stations 330a to 330c use various settings of the spectroscopy system at different sides in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt of the film sorting stations 320a to 320c as described above.

[0125] When the plastic material is sorted into various fragments at the film classification and sorting stations 320a to 320c, there may be a pile of plastic material on the conveyor belt used to carry the sorted plastic material. If the film classification and sorting stations 320a to 320c cannot determine all the plastic materials, some plastic materials may not be correctly diverted to their respective fragments, or may not be diverted at all. In this case, the plastic material is diverted to the combined residue film stream JFS by the cleaning film classification and sorting stations 330a to 330c. To enable this material to be recycled as well, the second classification and sorting device 300 further includes a recovery film classification and sorting station 360 configured to receive the film stream FS of plastic material from the second film classification and sorting station 320b or, if present, an additional film classification and sorting station 320c. The recovery film classification and sorting station 340 includes a NIR spectroscopy system 222 configured to identify film plastics from other types of materials in the film stream FS of plastic material, and a discharge unit 224 configured to divert the film plastics from the film stream FS of plastic material to the recovery film stream RFS of plastic material. The recovery film stream RFS of plastic material rejoins the film stream FS of plastic material from the preliminary sorting device. Therefore, the recovery film classification and sorting station 340 gives the plastic material a second chance to be sorted. Such recycling of the plastic material can, as a result, lead to a higher level of plastic recycling. The recovery film classification and sorting station 340 is further configured to receive the combined residue film stream JFS and to identify film plastics from other types of materials in the combined residue film stream JFS. The discharge unit 224 of the recovery film classification and sorting station 340 can be further configured to divert the film plastics from the combined residue film stream JFS of plastic material to the recovery film stream RFS of plastic material.

[0126] In the preliminary sorting device 100, the material is typically separated into a particle stream PS of plastic material and a film stream FS of plastic material. During preliminary sorting, there may be particle material that ends up in the film stream FS of plastic material. To reclaim the particle material within the film stream FS of plastic material, the second classification and sorting device 300 further includes a valuable particle classification and sorting station 350 configured to receive the film stream FS of plastic material from the film classification and sorting station 340 for recovery. The valuable particle classification and sorting station 350 can include an NIR spectroscopy system 222 configured to identify particle plastics from other types of materials within the film stream FS of plastic material, and a discharge unit 224 configured to divert the particle plastics from the film stream FS of plastic material into a recovered particle stream PS of plastic material. The particle classification and sorting stations 220a to 220c, the film classification and sorting stations 320a to 320c, the cleaning particle classification and sorting stations 230a to 230c, the cleaning film classification and sorting stations 330a to 330c, the recovery particle classification and sorting station 240, the recovery film classification and sorting station 340, and the valuable particle classification and sorting station 350 may be of the same type as the classification and sorting station 700 described below with respect to FIG. 5. These can be provided with various settings and can be provided with any optional combination of hardware.

[0127] Next, referring to FIG. 3, an overview of system 2 for purifying the film plastic material fragment stream separated by system 1 as described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown. FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the purification system 2. System 2 includes a first purification classification and separation device 500. Some film plastic fragments may require further purification, for example, to be beneficial, and if required, purification system 2 can provide such purification. The first purification classification and separation device 500 includes a first purification classification and separation station 520a configured to receive the film plastic material fragment stream SFF. The first purification classification and separation station 520a includes a NIR spectroscopy system 222 configured to identify the type of film plastic intended to be present in the film plastic material fragment stream SFF from other types of film plastic materials in the film plastic material fragment stream SFF, and a discharge unit 224 configured to divert other types of film plastic from the film plastic material fragment stream SFF to the purification residue stream PRS. Thus, the film plastic material fragment stream SFF can be purified such that the type of film intended to be present in the film plastic material fragments SFF is not contaminated by other types of plastics.

[0128] The first purification classification and sorting device 500 further includes a second purification classification and sorting station 520b configured to receive the film plastic material fragment stream SFF from the first purification classification and sorting station 520a. The second purification classification and sorting station 520 includes a NIR spectroscopy system 222 configured to identify the type of film plastic intended to be present in the film plastic material fragment stream SFF from other types of film plastics in the film plastic material fragment stream SFF, and a discharge unit 224 configured to divert other types of film plastics from the film plastic material fragment stream SFF to the purification residue stream PRS. Thus, the film plastic material fragment SFF can be purified so that the type of film intended to be present in the film plastic material fragment SFF is not more contaminated by other types of plastics. Some film plastic material fragments may require further purification, for example, to be beneficial. By having system 2 for purifying the film plastic material at system 1, more plastics can be recycled.

[0129] Next, refer to an example of system 2 for purifying the film plastic material fragment stream SFF sorted by system 1 as described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2 in FIG. 4. System 2 in FIG. 4 includes additional stations compared to system 2 in FIG. 3. The stations already described with respect to FIG. 3 also form part of system 2 in FIG. 4 and will not be described further here. System 2 is disclosed as a flowchart. It should be emphasized that only the stations of system 2 in FIG. 3 are sufficient to achieve the synergistic effect when purifying the film plastic material fragment stream SFF. In FIG. 4, there are examples of the types of stations that can further form part of system 2. The stations are shown together for ease of understanding the description. The various stations described below may be used alone or in any combination depending on the requirements of the factory where system 2 operates.

[0130] In FIG. 4, the first purification classification and separation device 500 further includes a cleaning and purification classification and separation station 530a configured to receive the purification residue stream PRS. The first cleaning and purification classification and separation station 530a includes a NIR spectroscopy system 222 configured to identify the type of film plastic in the purification residue stream PRS from other types of film plastic materials in the purification residue stream PRS, and a discharge unit 224 configured to divert the type of film plastic from the purification residue stream PRS to the purification recovery stream PRS2.

[0131] The first purification classification and separation device 500 further includes a second cleaning and purification classification and separation station 530b configured to receive the purification residue stream PRS from the first cleaning and purification classification and separation station 530a. The second cleaning and purification classification and separation station 530b includes a NIR spectroscopy system 222 configured to identify the type of film plastic from other types of film plastic in the purification residue stream PRS, and a discharge unit 224 configured to divert the type of film plastic from the purification residue stream PRS to the purification recovery stream PRS2.

[0132] Thereafter, the purification recovery stream PRS2 is recombined with the film plastic material fragment stream SFF. Therefore, the materials diverted from the purification classification and separation stations 520a and 520b are controlled by the cleaning and purification classification and separation stations 530a and 530b at an additional time. If the cleaning and purification classification and separation stations 530a and 530b discover film plastic materials that can be recycled, the cleaning and purification classification and separation stations 530a and 530b send the film plastic materials back to the purification classification and separation stations 520a and 520b. This is an additional control function to improve the purity and recycling level of the materials. Materials that do not pass through the control by the cleaning and purification classification and separation stations 530a and 530b are regarded as waste.

[0133] In order to improve the sorting of film plastic material fragments, advantageously, as shown in FIG. 4, a preliminary sorting device 400 for purification can be used. In FIG. 4, the system 2 is provided with a preliminary sorting device 400 for purification configured to separate materials from the film plastic material fragment stream SFF before the film plastic material fragment stream SFF reaches the first purification classification sorting device 500.

[0134] The preliminary sorting device 400 for purification includes a comminutor 430 for purification, a drum screen 420 for purification, a waste screen 440 for purification, a first magnet device 460, an eddy current separator 470, and a second magnet device 490.

[0135] The comminutor 430 for purification is configured to receive the film plastic material fragment stream SFF and comminute the materials in the film plastic material fragment stream to reduce the maximum cross-sectional extension length of the materials such that the maximum cross-sectional extension length of the materials is less than 250 mm, more preferably less than 200 mm. Any suitable type of comminutor can be advantageously used in the system 2.

[0136] The drum screen 420 for purification is configured to receive the film plastic material fragment stream SFF from the comminutor 430 for purification. The drum screen 420 for purification is configured to separate materials having a maximum cross-sectional extension length greater than 250 mm, preferably greater than 200 mm, from the film plastic material fragment stream SFF and return them to the film plastic material fragment stream SFF flowing into the preliminary comminutor for purification. The drum screen 420 for purification is used to reduce the risk of oversized materials reaching the purification classification sorting device 500. Any suitable type of drum screen can be advantageously used in the system 2.

[0137] The waste screen 440 for purification is configured to receive the film plastic material fragment stream SFF and separate the material having a maximum cross-sectional extension length smaller than 25 mm into the purification screen residue stream. Most of the materials having a cross-sectional extension length smaller than 25 mm in the film plastic material fragment stream SFF are worthless materials that cannot be recycled. By separating this material from the film plastic material fragment stream SFF, sand and other smaller particles can be diverted. Any suitable type of waste screen can be advantageously used in the system 2.

[0138] The first purification magnet device 440 is configured to attract the iron-based metal material in the film plastic material fragment stream SFF, thereby separating the iron-based metal-containing material from the film plastic material fragment stream SFF. Any suitable type of magnet device can be advantageously used in the system 2.

[0139] The purification eddy current separator 470 is configured to separate the non-ferrous metal material in the film plastic material fragment stream SFF, thereby separating the non-ferrous metal-containing material from the film plastic material fragment stream SFF. Any suitable type of eddy current separator can be advantageously used in the system 2.

[0140] The second purification magnet device 490 is configured to attract the iron-based metal material in the purification screen residue stream PFF, thereby separating the iron-based metal-containing material from the purification screen residue stream PFF. Any suitable type of magnet device can be advantageously used in the system 2. The material not attracted by the second purification magnet device 490 is regarded as waste.

[0141] System 2 of FIG. 4 further includes an agglomeration device 600. The agglomeration device 600 is configured to receive the film plastic material fragment stream SFF from the first purification classification and separation device 500 and increase the bulk density of the film plastic material fragments. The agglomeration device 600 includes a shredder station 610 configured to shred the film plastic material fragments into smaller fragments. The agglomeration device 600 includes a friction station 620 configured to bond the film plastic material fragments together by heating the components or parts of the film plastic material fragments through friction. By increasing the bulk density, the stored material can be made more compact. This advantage is a reduction in the need for storage volume in the factory and an increase in the amount that can be transported in a single shipment.

[0142] Next, referring to FIG. 5, a schematic perspective view of the classification and separation station 700 is shown. The particle classification and separation stations 220a - 220c, the film classification and separation stations 320a - 320c, the cleaning particle classification and separation stations 230a - 230c, the cleaning film classification and separation stations 330a - 330c, the recovery particle classification and separation station 240, the recovery film classification and separation station 340, and the valuable particle classification and separation station 350 may all be of the same type as the classification and separation station 700 described herein. Each of the said stations may have one or more of the features described below. However, for the sake of brevity, station 700 will be described as the classification and separation station 700.

[0143] The sorting station 700 is supplied with the material piece 710. The material piece 700 is conveyed through the detection area 720. However, the material piece 700 may be provided through the detection area 720 by any suitable means or manually without any technical means. A light source device 730 and an NIR spectroscopy system 222 are provided. The spectroscopy system 222 is adapted to receive and analyze the light 732 from the light source device 730 reflected and / or scattered by the material piece 710 within the detection area 720. Thus, typically, the NIR spectroscopy system 222 acquires the spectrum of the material piece 710 from the material stream conveyed through the detection area 720. The NIR spectroscopy system 222 of the sorting station 700 is configured to identify plastic materials from other plastic materials based on the acquired spectrum. In other words, the NIR system 222 is typically configured such that a particular type of plastic material is identified from other types of plastic materials by its spectrum.

[0144] The sorting station can further include an optical spectroscopy system 760 configured to acquire the spectrum of the plastic material resulting from the material stream conveyed through the detection area 720. The discharge unit 224 of the sorting station 700 can be further configured to divert the plastic material resulting from the MSW stream based on the acquired spectrum, thereby sorting the plastic material fragments based on color.

[0145] The optical spectroscopy system 760 can determine the various colors of the plastic material conveyed through the detection area 720 through the acquired spectrum. The advantage of determining the color of the plastic material is that the plastic material can be sorted into various fragments.

[0146] The sorting station 700 can further include a laser triangulation system 740 configured to determine the height information of the material 710 conveyed through the detection area 720. The discharge unit 224 of the at least one sorting station can be further configured to divert the plastic material based on the determined height information.

[0147] The laser triangulation system 740 is typically configured to emit a laser beam 742 towards the detection area 720. The illustrated laser triangulation system 740 includes a camera-based sensor device 744 configured to receive and analyze the light 746 reflected and / or scattered by the material piece 710 within the detection area 720. With the laser triangulation system 740, the sorting station 700 may be able to detect plastic materials that are difficult to detect with the NIR spectroscopy system 222. One example of such a plastic material is a black plastic material. By detecting the height difference on the conveyor belt used to carry the material to be sorted, the sorting station can combine such height information including the information obtained from the NIR spectroscopy system 222 to determine whether there is black plastic or plastic that is difficult to detect on the conveyor belt. Thus, additional plastic materials can be recycled.

[0148] The sorting station 700 can further include a camera 750 configured to obtain an image of plastic materials resulting from a material stream conveyed through the detection area 720. The sorting station 700 can include an artificial neural network in combination with the camera 750. Such an artificial neural network can be configured to detect various characteristics of plastic materials conveyed through the detection area 720 based on the images obtained by the camera 750. In this case, the discharge unit 224 of the sorting station 700 can be further configured to divert the plastic materials conveyed through the detection area 720 based on the detected characteristics of the plastic materials. Thus, in other words, the characteristics of the plastic materials can be determined from the images obtained by the camera by the artificial neural network. The characteristics can be the shape, color, surface features, or anything in the appearance of the plastic materials that can be determined and classified by the artificial neural network. The camera 750 can make it possible to further sort the materials into various pieces. With the assistance of the artificial neural network, it can be possible to sort plastics of the same material composition into various pieces according to quality and origin.

[0149] Referring now further to FIG. 6, a method 800 for sorting various types of materials from municipal solid waste (MSW) is described herein.

[0150] The method 800 starts at 810 and separates plastic materials in the MSW stream MS into a particle stream PS of plastic materials and a film stream FS of plastic materials such that most of the particulate plastic materials are separated into the particle stream PS of plastic materials and most of the plastic film materials are separated into the film stream FS of plastic materials based on a combination of size, shape, and density.

[0151] The method 800 proceeds to 820 and uses the NIR spectroscopy system 222 to identify a first type of particulate plastic from other types of particulate plastics in the particle stream PS of plastic materials.

[0152] Method 800 proceeds to 830, diverts a first type of particulate plastic from the particulate stream PS of the plastic material into first particulate plastic material fragments FP1, thereby separating the material of the first type of particulate plastic from the particulate stream PS of the plastic material.

[0153] Method 800 proceeds to 840 and uses the NIR spectroscopy system 222 to identify a second type of particulate plastic from other types of particulate plastics within the particulate stream PS of the plastic material.

[0154] Method 800 proceeds to 850, diverts a second type of particulate plastic from the particulate stream PS of the plastic material into second particulate plastic material fragments FP2, thereby separating the material of the second type of particulate plastic from the particulate stream PS of the plastic material.

[0155] Method 800 proceeds to 860 and uses the NIR spectroscopy system 222 to identify a first type of film plastic from other types of film plastics within the film stream FS of the plastic material.

[0156] Method 800 proceeds to 870, diverts a first type of film plastic from the film stream of the plastic material into first film plastic material fragments FF1, thereby separating the material of the first type of film plastic from the film stream FS of the plastic material.

[0157] Method 800 proceeds to 880 and uses the NIR spectroscopy system 222 to identify a second type of film plastic from other types of film plastics within the film stream FS of the plastic material.

[0158] Method 800 proceeds to 890, diverts a second type of film plastic from the film stream FS of the plastic material into second film plastic material fragments FF2, thereby separating the material of the second type of film plastic from the film stream FS of the plastic material.

[0159] It should be noted that the steps of the above-described method 800, or the acts, may be performed in any suitable order and thus do not necessarily have to be performed in exactly the order described above. Further, one or more steps or acts may be performed in parallel. It should also be noted that the steps or acts may be performed by various means, at various times, and / or at various locations. In other words, by way of example, the method may be performed in a distributed manner at multiple locations where the various steps or acts are performed at various points in time. However, the method may advantageously be performed at a single location in the order described above.

[0160] Furthermore, from a consideration of the drawings, the specification, and the appended claims, modifications to the disclosed variations can be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art when practicing the claimed invention. In the claims, the word "comprise" does not exclude other elements, and the indefinite articles "a" and "an" do not exclude a plurality. Just because certain techniques are described in mutually different dependent claims does not imply that combinations of those techniques cannot be used advantageously.

Claims

1. A system for separating various types of materials from a waste stream (MS), comprising: a preliminary sorting device (100); a first classification and sorting device (200); a second classification and sorting device (300); and wherein the preliminary sorting device (100) separates plastic materials from the waste stream (MS) such that most of the particulate plastic materials are separated into a particulate stream (PS) of plastic materials and most of the plastic film materials are separated into a film stream (FS) of plastic materials, based on a combination of size, shape, and density, and comprises a separator unit (150) configured to separate into the particulate stream (PS) of plastic materials and the film stream (FS) of plastic materials; the first classification and sorting device (200) comprises a first particulate classification and sorting station (220a) configured to receive the particulate stream (PS) of plastic materials from the preliminary sorting device, the first particulate classification and sorting station (220a) comprising a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system (222) configured to identify a first type of particulate plastic from other types of particulate plastics within the particulate stream (PS) of plastic materials, and a discharge unit (224) configured to divert the first type of particulate plastic from the particulate stream (PS) of plastic materials into first particulate plastic material fragments (FP1), thereby separating the material of the first type of particulate plastic from the particulate stream (PS) of plastic materials; The first classification and sorting device (200) further includes a second particle classification and sorting station (220b) configured to receive the particle stream (PS) of the plastic material from the first particle classification and sorting station (220a). The second particle classification and sorting station (220b) includes a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system (222) configured to identify a second type of particle plastic from other types of particle plastics in the particle stream (PS) of the plastic material from the first particle classification and sorting station (220a) received by the second particle classification and sorting station (220b), and a discharge unit (224) configured to divert the second type of particle plastic from the particle stream (PS) of the plastic material to second particle plastic material fragments (FP2). Thereby, the material of the second type of particle plastic is separated from the particle stream (PS) of the plastic material received by the second particle classification and sorting station (220b). The second classification and sorting device (300) includes a first film classification and sorting station (320a) configured to receive the film stream (FS) of the plastic material from the preliminary sorting device. The first film classification and sorting station includes a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system (222) configured to identify a first type of film plastic from other types of film plastics in the film stream (FS) of the plastic material, and a discharge unit (224) configured to divert the first type of film plastic from the film stream (FS) of the plastic material to first film plastic material fragments (FF1). Thereby, the material of the first type of film plastic is separated from the film stream (FS) of the plastic material. The second classification and sorting device (300) further includes a second film classification and sorting station (320b) configured to receive the film stream (FS) of the plastic material from the first film classification and sorting station (320a). The second film classification and sorting station (320b) includes a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system (222) configured to identify a second type of film plastic from other types of film plastics in the film stream of the plastic material from the first film classification and sorting station received by the second film classification and sorting station, and a discharge unit (224) configured to divert the second type of film plastic from the film stream (FS) of the plastic material into second film plastic material fragments (FF2), thereby separating the material of the second type of film plastic from the film stream (FS) of the plastic material received by the second film classification and sorting station (320b). Claim 2 The first classification and sorting device (200) further includes an additional particle classification and sorting station (220c) configured to receive the particle stream (PS) of the plastic material from the second particle classification and sorting station (220b). The additional particle classification and sorting station (220c) includes a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system (222) configured to identify an additional type of particle plastic from other types of particle plastics in the particle stream (PS) of the plastic material from the second particle classification and sorting station received by the additional particle classification and sorting station (2220c), and a discharge unit (224) configured to divert the additional type of particle plastic from the particle stream (PS) of the plastic material into additional particle plastic material fragments, thereby separating the material of the additional type of particle plastic from the particle stream (PS) of the plastic material received by the additional particle classification and sorting station (220c). The system according to claim 1. Claim 3 The first sorting device (200) further comprises one or more cleaning particle sorting stations (230a-230c) for one or more particle plastic material fragments, each cleaning particle sorting station (230a-230c) being configured to receive respective particle plastic material fragments (FP1-FP3) from respective particle sorting stations (220a-220c), each cleaning particle sorting station (230a-230c) comprising a NIR spectroscopy system (222) configured to identify the type of particle plastic in the received particle plastic material fragments (FP1-FP3) from other types of particle plastics in the received particle plastic material fragments (FP1-FP3), and a discharge unit (224) configured to divert the other types of particle plastics from the particle material fragments (FP1-FP3) into a combined residue particle stream (JPS) so that the particle plastic material fragments are further cleaned from the other types of particle plastics. The system (1) according to claim 1.

4. The system (1) according to claim 1, wherein each particle plastic material fragment is one of PET resulting from a bottle, PET resulting from a tray, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polymethyl acrylate, and polyamide.

5. The first sorting device (200) further comprises a recovery particle sorting station (240) configured to receive the particle stream (PS) of plastic material from the second particle sorting station (220b) or, if present, from the additional particle sorting station (220c), the recovery particle sorting station (240) comprising a NIR spectroscopy system (222) configured to identify particle plastics from other types of materials in the particle stream of plastic material, and a discharge unit (224) configured to divert the particle plastics from the particle stream (PS) of plastic material into a recovery particle stream (RPS) of plastic material. The system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the recovery particle stream of plastic material is recombined with the particle stream of plastic material from the preliminary sorting device.

6. The recovery particle classification and separation station (240) is further configured to receive the merged residue particle stream (JPS) and identify particle plastics from other types of materials within the merged residue particle stream (JPS), and the discharge unit (224) is further configured to divert the particle plastics from the merged residue particle stream (JPS) of plastic material to the recovered particle stream (RPS) of plastic material. The system (1) according to claim 5.

7. The second classification and separation device (300) further comprises an additional film classification and separation station (320c) configured to receive the film stream (FS) of plastic material from the second film classification and separation station (320b). The additional film classification and separation station (320c) includes a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system (222) configured to identify additional types of film plastics from other types of film plastics within the film stream (FS) of plastic material from the second film classification and separation station (320b) received by the additional film classification and separation station (320c), and a discharge unit (224) configured to divert the additional types of film plastics from the film stream of plastic material to additional film plastic material fragments (FP3). Thereby separating the material of the additional types of film plastics from the film stream of plastic material received by the additional film classification and separation station (320c). The system (1) according to claim 1.

8. The second sorting device (300) further includes one or more cleaning film sorting stations (330a-330b) for one or more film plastic material fragments, and each cleaning film sorting station (330a-330b) is configured to receive respective film plastic material fragments (FF1-FF3) from respective film sorting stations (320a-320c). Each cleaning film sorting station (330a-330c) is configured with a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system (222) to identify the type of film plastic in the film plastic material fragments from other types of film plastics in the received film plastic material fragments (FF1-FF3), and a discharge unit (224) configured to divert the other types of film plastics from the film plastic material fragments (FF1-FF3) into a confluent residue film stream (JFS) so that the film plastic material fragments (FF1-FF3) are further cleaned from the other types of film plastics. The system (1) according to claim 1.

9. The system (1) according to claim 1, wherein each film plastic material fragment is one of a polyolefin film, a low-density polyethylene, and a polypropylene film.

10. The second sorting device (300) further includes a recovery film sorting station (340) configured to receive the film stream (FS) of the plastic material from the second film sorting station (320b) or, if present, from the additional film sorting station (320c). The recovery film sorting station (340) is configured with a near-infrared NIR spectroscopy system (222) to identify film plastic from other types of materials in the film stream (FS) of the plastic material, and a discharge unit (224) configured to divert the film plastic from the film stream (FS) of the plastic material into a recovery film stream (RFS) of the plastic material. The system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the recovery film stream (RFS) of the plastic material is recombined with the film stream (FS) of the plastic material from the preliminary sorting device.

11. The film classification and sorting station (340) for recovery is further configured to receive the merged residue film stream (JFS) and to identify film plastics from other types of materials within the merged residue film stream (JFS), and the discharge unit (224) is further configured to divert the film plastics from the merged residue film stream (JFS) of plastic material to the recovered film stream (RFS) of plastic material. The system (1) according to claim 10.

12. The second classification and sorting device (300) further comprises a valuable particle classification and sorting station (350) configured to receive the film stream (FS) of plastic material from the film classification and sorting station (340) for recovery. The valuable particle classification and sorting station (350) comprises a NIR spectroscopy system (222) configured to identify particle plastics from other types of materials within the film stream of plastic material, and a discharge unit (224) configured to divert the particle plastics from the film stream (FS) of plastic material to the merged residue particle stream (JPS) of plastic material. The system according to claim 10.

13. At least one of the classification and sorting stations further comprises a camera (750) configured to acquire an image of the plastic material resulting from the waste stream (MS), and an artificial neural network configured to detect various properties of the plastic material. The discharge unit (224) of the at least one classification and sorting station is further configured to divert the plastic material resulting from the waste stream (MS) based on the detected properties of the plastic material. The system (1) according to claim 1.

14. At least one of the sorting stations further comprises an optical spectroscopy system (760) configured to obtain a spectrum of plastic materials resulting from the waste stream (MS), and the discharge unit (224) of the at least one sorting station is further configured to divert the plastic materials resulting from the waste stream (MS) based on the obtained spectrum, thereby sorting the plastic material fragments based on color. The system (1) according to claim 1.

15. At least one of the sorting stations further comprises a laser triangulation system (740) configured to determine height information of plastic materials resulting from the waste stream (MS), and the discharge unit (224) of the at least one sorting station is further configured to divert the plastic materials resulting from the waste stream (MS) based on the determined height information. The system (1) according to claim 1.

16. A system (2) for purifying a film plastic material fragment stream (SFF) separated by the system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 15, comprising a first purification sorting device (500), wherein the first purification sorting device (500) comprises a first purification sorting station (520a) configured to receive the film plastic material fragment stream (SFF), and the first purification sorting station (520a) is configured to identify the type of film plastic in the film plastic material fragments from other types of film plastic materials in the film plastic material fragment stream (SFF), and a discharge unit (224) configured to divert the other types of film plastic materials from the film plastic material fragment stream (SFF) to a purification residue stream (PRS), thereby purifying the film plastic material fragment stream (SFF). The system (2) further comprises a second film plastic purification and classification station (520b) configured to receive the film plastic material fragment stream (SFF) from the first film plastic purification and classification station (520a), the second film plastic purification and classification station (520b) comprising a NIR spectroscopy system (222) configured to identify the type of film plastic from other types of film plastic within the film plastic material fragment stream (SFF), and a discharge unit (224) configured to divert other types of film plastic from the film plastic material fragment stream (SFF) into a purification residue stream (PRS), thereby further purifying the film plastic material fragment stream (SFF).

17. The first film plastic purification and classification device (500) further comprises a cleaning and purification classification station (530a) configured to receive the purification residue stream (PRS), the first cleaning and purification classification station (530a) comprising a NIR spectroscopy system (222) configured to identify the type of film plastic within the purification residue stream (PRS) from other types of film plastic material within the purification residue stream (PRS), and a discharge unit (224) configured to divert the type of film plastic from the purification residue stream (PRS) into a purification recovery stream (PRS2). The first film plastic purification and classification device (500) further comprises a second cleaning and purification classification station (530b) configured to receive the purification residue stream (PRS) from the first cleaning and purification classification station (530a), the second cleaning and purification classification station (530b) comprising a NIR spectroscopy system (222) configured to identify the type of film plastic within the purification residue stream (PRS) from other types of film plastic within the purification residue stream (PRS), and a discharge unit (224) configured to divert the type of film plastic from the purification residue stream (PRS) into a purification recovery stream (PRS2). The system (2) according to claim 16, wherein the purification recovery stream (PRS2) is recombined with the film plastic material fragment stream (SFF).

18. The system (2) according to claim 16, further comprising an agglomeration device (600) configured to receive the film plastic material fragment stream (SFF) from the first purification classification and separation device (500) and increase the bulk density of the film plastic material fragments (SFF).

19. The agglomeration device (600) A shredder station (610) configured to shred the film plastic material fragments (SFF) into smaller fragments, A friction station (620) configured to heat the film plastic material fragments through friction to bond the film plastic material fragments together, The system (2) according to claim 18, comprising.

20. A method (800) for separating various types of materials from a municipal solid waste stream (MS), Separating the plastic material in the MSW stream (MS) into a particle stream (PS) of plastic material and a film stream (FS) of plastic material such that most of the particulate plastic material is separated into a particle stream (PS) of plastic material and most of the plastic film material is separated into a film stream (FS) of plastic material, based on a combination of size, shape, and density (810); Identifying a first type of particulate plastic from other types of particulate plastic in the particulate stream (PS) of plastic material using a near-infrared spectroscopy system (222) (820); Diverting the first type of particulate plastic from the particulate stream (PS) of plastic material into first particulate plastic material fragments (FP1), thereby separating the material of the first type of particulate plastic from the particulate stream (PS) of plastic material (830); Identifying a second type of particulate plastic from other types of particulate plastic in the particulate stream (PS) of plastic material using a NIR spectroscopy system (222) (840); Diverting the second type of particulate plastic from the particulate stream (PS) of plastic material into second particulate plastic material fragments (FP2), thereby separating the material of the second type of particulate plastic from the particulate stream (PS) of plastic material (850); Using the NIR spectroscopy system (222), identifying (860) a first type of film plastic from other types of film plastics within the film stream (FS) of the plastic material; Diverting the first type of film plastic from the film stream of the plastic material into first film plastic material fragments (FF1), thereby separating (870) the material of the first type of film plastic from the film stream (FS) of the plastic material; Using the NIR spectroscopy system (222), identifying (880) a second type of film plastic from other types of film plastics within the film stream (FS) of the plastic material; Diverting the second type of film plastic from the film stream (FS) of the plastic material into second film plastic material fragments (FF2), thereby separating (890) the material of the second type of film plastic from the film stream (FS) of the plastic material; A method (800) comprising the above.

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