METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REUSING METAL FILTER

Abstract

To provide a reutilization method and a reutilization device of a metal filter that can contribute to resource saving and environmental conservation by effectively reusing the metal filter as a raw material of a metal fiber product without discarding the metal filter.SOLUTION: A reutilization method of a metal filter 6 reuses the metal filter 6 as a raw material of a metal fiber product after a fibrillation step to fibrillate the metal filter 6. The metal filter 6 is mounted in, for example, a dust collector 1. The metal filter 6 removed from the dust collector 1 is separated into metal fibers and valuables a attached to the metal filter 6 at the fibrillation step, and the separated valuables a are collected and reused. A reutilization device of the metal filter 6 has a fibrillation part 30 to fibrillate the metal filter 6 into the metal fibers, a storage part 50 to store the metal fibers fibrillated at the fibrillation part 30, and an implanting part 80 to implant the metal fibers stored in the storage part 50 to a new substrate 6A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for recycling metal fibers or a metal filter containing the metal fibers. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, various gases discharged from blast furnaces, electric furnaces, waste treatment furnaces, etc. contain foreign matter such as dust, and these foreign matter are removed by dust collectors.

[0003] As the dust collector, one that uses an external filtering type bag filter is generally used (see, for example, Patent Document 1), and in this type of dust collector, foreign matter contained in the gas is removed (dust collected) by the gas flowing from the outside to the inside of a bottomed cylindrical (bag-shaped) bag filter. Therefore, as dust collection progresses, foreign matter adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the bag filter, which increases the airflow resistance (pressure loss) of the gas passing through the bag filter, causing a problem of a decrease in the processing capacity of the dust collector.

[0004] Therefore, backwashing is carried out periodically by instantly injecting high-pressure compressed air into each bag filter to knock off and remove the foreign matter adhering to the bag filter.

[0005] However, since bag filters are generally made of cloth (nonwoven fabric) such as polyester (see, for example, Patent Document 2), even if the bag filter is backwashed periodically, its performance does not recover after long-term use, and a bag filter with degraded performance must ultimately be discarded and replaced with a new one, resulting in a large economic loss.

[0006] On the other hand, it has been considered to use a metal filter made of metal fibers, which are more durable than nonwoven fabric, and Patent Document 3 proposes a method for manufacturing a metal fiber nonwoven fabric. This manufacturing method is characterized in that metal fiber threads are opened by a gas flow, and more specifically, it is a method for manufacturing a metal fiber nonwoven fabric through a process of guiding metal fibers into a cylinder, a process of actively supplying a gas flow into the cylinder, a process of opening the metal fiber threads by sucking the gas flow from the cylinder in a direction symmetrical to the metal fiber threads and discharging it to the outside of the cylinder, and a process of collecting the metal fiber threads. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-296128 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2008-068152 A [Patent Document 3] Special Publication No. 3-021663 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] As mentioned above, even when using a metal filter made of metal fibers, which are more durable than nonwoven fabric, if deposits (valuable materials) adhere to the metal filter after long-term use, the metal filter must be disposed of as industrial waste, resulting in the waste of resources and environmental pollution.

[0009] One possible solution is to use an organic solvent to clean the metal filter and remove the organic matter. However, this method requires water treatment equipment, which increases the size and cost of the equipment.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and its object is to provide a method and device for recycling metal filters, which can contribute to resource conservation and environmental conservation by effectively reusing metal filters as materials for metal fiber products without discarding them. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the method for recycling a metal filter according to the present invention is characterized in that a metal filter provided in a dust collector is defibrated through a defibration process, and the metal filter is reused as a material for a metal fiber product.

[0012] Here, the metal filter may be separated in the defibration process from the metal filter removed from the dust collector into metal fibers and valuables attached to the metal filter, and the separated valuables may be recovered and reused. Also, a heating process for heating the metal filter may be provided prior to the defibration process.

[0013] Furthermore, the method for reusing a metal filter according to the present invention may include a storage step for storing the metal fibers defibrated in the defibration step, and an implantation step for implanting the metal fibers stored in the storage step into a new substrate. Here, a cleaning step for cleaning the metal fibers may be provided between the defibration step and the storage step. Also, a compression / packaging step for compressing and packaging the metal fibers stored in the storage step, and a transport step for loosening the metal fibers compressed and packaged in the compression / packaging step and transporting them to the implantation step may be provided between the storage step and the implantation step. The metal fiber product may be a regenerated metal filter.

[0014] The metal filter regeneration device of the present invention is characterized by comprising a defibration section that defibrates a metal filter, a storage section that stores the metal fibers defibrated in the defibration section, and an implantation section that implants the metal fibers stored in the storage section into a new substrate.

[0015] Here, the recycling device may include a compression / packing unit that compresses and packs the metal fibers stored in the storage unit, and a transport unit that defibrates the metal fibers compressed and packed in the compression / packing unit and transports them to the implantation unit. The recycling device may also include a heating unit that heats the metal filter. Furthermore, the recycling device may also include a cleaning unit that cleans the metal fibers defibrated in the defibration unit. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, metal filters whose performance has been reduced due to the adhesion of deposits are not discarded but are effectively reused as materials for metal fiber products, thereby enabling the construction of a sustainable resource circulation system for natural resources, which has the effects of contributing to resource conservation, environmental conservation, efficient use of natural resources, prevention and reduction of waste generation, and sustainable production and consumption. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state during normal operation (dust collection) of the dust collector. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part A in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state during backwashing of the dust collector. [Figure 4] 1 is a system configuration diagram showing a part of a metal filter recycling device according to the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a system configuration diagram showing another part of the metal filter recycling device according to the present invention. [Figure 6] 6(a) and (b) are enlarged detailed views of part B in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 1 is a block diagram showing a method for recycling a metal filter according to the present invention in the order of steps. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] [Dust collector] First, the configuration of a dust collector equipped with a metal filter to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to Figs. 1 to 3.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the dust collector in normal operation (dust collection), FIG. 2 is an enlarged detailed cross-sectional view of part A in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the dust collector in a backwash state.

[0021] The dust collector 1 shown in the figure has a sealed container-like main body (housing) 2, and the inside of this main body 2 is divided into a lower dust collection chamber S1 and an upper purified gas chamber S2 by a horizontal partition wall 3. Here, the lower part of the main body 2 is funnel-shaped, narrowing downward, and a foreign matter discharge port 2a opening at the lower end is provided with a rotary valve 4. A gas inlet pipe 5 is connected to the middle height position of the side of the main body 2, and one end of this gas inlet pipe 5 is connected to a blast furnace, electric furnace, waste treatment furnace, or the like (not shown) that discharges gas, and the other end is connected to the main body 2 of the dust collector 1 as described above and opens into the dust collection chamber S1 in the main body 2.

[0022] The dust collection chamber S1 in the main body 2 contains a plurality of metal filters 6, each of which is cylindrical (bag-shaped) with a closed bottom. Each metal filter 6 is hung vertically with its upper end supported by the partition wall 3, and a cylindrical frame-shaped (cage-shaped) retainer 7 for maintaining the shape of the metal filter 6 is assembled from above and contained inside the metal filter 6, as shown in FIG. 2. The metal filter 6 is manufactured by embedding metal fibers (short fibers) such as stainless steel (SUS), titanium, and aluminum in a base material such as nylon felt or polyester felt by needle punching. The material of the retainer 7 is a conductive metal such as stainless steel (SUS), iron, or aluminum, which has a relatively high electrical resistance.

[0023] On the other hand, a gas outflow pipe 8 is connected to the side of the purified gas chamber S2 formed at the upper part of the main body 2, and one end of this gas outflow pipe 8 opens into the purified gas chamber S2 and the other end is connected to the suction side of the suction fan 9.

[0024] Meanwhile, the dust collector 1 is provided with a backwashing device 10 for periodically brushing off and removing foreign matter such as dust adhering to the outer peripheral surface of each metal filter 6 using high-pressure compressed air. This backwashing device 10 is configured to include a compressed air supply source 11 such as a compressor installed outside the main body 2, and an injector pipe 12 extending from the compressed air supply source 11.

[0025] The injector pipe 12 is introduced into the purified gas chamber S2 formed in the upper part of the main body 2 and extends horizontally within the purified gas chamber S2, and an opening / closing valve 13 is provided between the main body 2 of the injector pipe 12 and the compressed air supply source 11. Air nozzles 14 opening toward the upper end openings 6a of the metal filters 6 are attached to a plurality of locations (positions facing the upper end openings 6a of the metal filters 6) of the portion of the injector pipe 12 inserted into the main body 2. In this embodiment, an SGP pipe (carbon steel pipe for piping) is used for the injector pipe 12.

[0026] Next, the operation of the dust collector 1 configured as above will be described below during normal operation (dust collection) and during backwashing. 1) Function during normal operation (dust collection): During normal operation (dust collection) of the dust collector 1, the rotary valve 4 provided at the lower end of the main body 2 is closed and the backwash device 10 is in a stopped (non-operating) state, as shown in Fig. 1. When the suction fan 9 is rotated in this state, the dust collection chamber S1 and the purified gas chamber S2 in the main body 2 are both placed under negative pressure, and gas discharged from a waste treatment furnace or the like (not shown) is drawn by this negative pressure and flows into the dust collection chamber S1 in the main body 2 from the gas inlet pipe 5 as shown by the arrow in Fig. 1.

[0027] As described above, the gas that has flowed into the dust collection chamber S1 passes through each of the metal filters 6, and foreign matter such as dust contained therein is captured by each of the metal filters 6 and adheres to the outer circumferential surface of each of the metal filters 6. Then, the gas that has been purified by removing the foreign matter by the metal filters 6 is discharged from the upper end openings 6a of each of the metal filters 6 into the purified gas chamber S2, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 1, flows out of the main body 2 through the gas outflow pipe 8, is sucked by the suction fan 9, and is sent to a processing device (not shown).

[0028] When the above dust collection action is repeated, foreign matter such as dust gradually adheres to and accumulates on the outer peripheral surface of each metal filter 6, increasing the airflow resistance of the gas passing through each metal filter 6. Then, when a pressure gauge (not shown) detects that the airflow resistance of the gas passing through each metal filter 6 has reached a predetermined value, or after a predetermined time has elapsed, the backwashing device 10 is driven to backwash each metal filter 6 with compressed air.

[0029] Next, the operation of the dust collector 1 during backwashing will be described below with reference to FIG. 2) Backwash action: 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the state of the dust collector 1 during backwashing, and backwashing of each metal filter 6 is performed by driving the backwashing device 10 as follows. That is, when a compressed air supply source 11 such as a compressor (not shown) is driven and an opening / closing valve 13 is opened, high-pressure compressed air discharged from the compressed air supply source 11 flows through the injector pipe 12 in the direction of the arrow in the figure and is instantly sprayed from each air nozzle 14 toward the upper end opening 6a of each metal filter 6. Then, foreign matter adhering to the outer peripheral surface of each metal filter 6 is brushed off and removed by the compressed air. Then, the foreign matter such as dust brushed off from the outer peripheral surface of each metal filter 6 falls by its own weight in the dust collection chamber S2 as shown by the arrow in FIG. 3, is collected at the bottom of the main body 2, and is discharged from the foreign matter discharge port 2a to the outside of the main body 2 by opening the rotary valve 4 and is collected.

[0030] The above backwashing restores the purification performance of the metal filter 6 to a certain extent, but if the fibers of the metal filter 6 become clogged even after backwashing and the purification performance of the metal filter 6 cannot be restored, the metal filter 6 is not discarded but reused as a material for metal fiber products. The metal filter 6 is reused when the differential pressure between the inside and outside of the metal filter 6 exceeds a specified value (e.g., 1.5 KPa) or periodically (e.g., every three years).

[0031] [Method and device for recycling metal filters] Next, a method and device for reusing the metal filter 6 provided in the dust collector 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a system configuration diagram showing a part of a metal filter recycling apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 5 is a system configuration diagram showing another part of the same recycling apparatus, FIGS. 6(a) and (b) are enlarged detailed views of part B in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the steps of a metal filter recycling method according to the present invention.

[0033] The method of the present invention is basically characterized by subjecting a metal filter 6 to a defibration process in which the metal filter 6 is defibrated and then reused as a material for metal fiber products, and in this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a metal filter 6 provided in a dust collector 1 shown in Fig. 1. First, a recycling device for carrying out the method of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figs. 4 and 5. (Reuse equipment) The recycling device according to this embodiment includes a heating section 20, a defibrating section 30, a cleaning section 40, a storage section 50, and a compressing / packaging section 60, all of which are shown in FIG. 4 and are sequentially arranged in accordance with the recycling process of the metal filter 6, as well as a conveying section 70 and an implanting section 80, all of which are shown in FIG.

[0034] The heating section 20 includes a high-frequency heating device and an air blowing device (both not shown), and the defibrating section 30 includes a rotary defibrator 31. The rotary defibrator 31 includes a rotary blade roller 32 that is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure (counterclockwise direction), and a plate 33 that is horizontally arranged below the rotary blade roller 32. The rotary blade roller 32 is configured by providing a blade such as a garnet wire around the entire circumference. In addition, a pair of feed rollers 21 that are driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure (counterclockwise direction) are arranged in front of and behind the heating section 20 (left and right in FIG. 4). Furthermore, as the heating means provided in the heating section 20, an induction heating device, a microwave heating device, or the like can be used.

[0035] Meanwhile, below the defibrating unit 30, a vibrating sieve machine 34 installed obliquely on the floor surface FL, a belt conveyor 35 installed horizontally, and a press machine 36 are installed. Here, the vibrating sieve machine 34 is configured to house a mesh-like sieve 34a therein, and the press machine 36 is configured to house a rotating screw 36a therein. The outlet of the vibrating sieve machine 34 opens into the inside of this press machine 36.

[0036] The storage unit 50 is equipped with a blower 51 and a storage tank 52 , and a bell-mouth shaped end of a suction pipe 53 connected to the suction side of the blower 51 opens toward the defibrating unit 30 .

[0037] In addition, one end of a discharge pipe 54 is connected to the discharge side of the blower 51. This discharge pipe 54 extends upward from the discharge side of the blower 51, then is bent at a right angle and extends horizontally, and the other end is bent at a right angle again and extends vertically downward to be connected to the upper end of the storage tank 52 and communicates with the interior of the storage tank 52.

[0038] The storage tank 52 is a vertically long tank, and contains in its lower portion a pair of feed rollers 55 which are rotated in opposite directions (indicated by the arrows in the figure) and a delivery roller 56 which is rotated in the direction of the arrow in the figure (clockwise). A discharge port 52a is formed in the lower portion of the side wall of the storage tank 52, facing the delivery roller 56, and an air vent hole 52b is formed in the upper wall of the storage tank 52.

[0039] Meanwhile, the cleaning section 40 for spraying water or the like is provided in the middle of the discharge pipe 54 provided in the storage section 50. Note that the cleaning section 40 and the heating section 20 are not essential to the recycling device according to the present invention, and are provided as necessary.

[0040] The compression / packaging section 60 includes a compression mechanism 61 and a packaging mechanism and a sending mechanism 62 (not shown). The compression mechanism 61 is composed of a hydraulic cylinder, and includes a cylinder 61a vertically installed on a compression case 63 and a piston rod 61b that moves up and down by hydraulic pressure acting on the cylinder 61a. A pressure flange 61c that moves up and down together with the piston rod 61b in the compression case 63 is attached to the lower end of the piston rod 61b. The discharge port 52a formed on the lower side wall of the storage tank 52 opens into the compression case 63.

[0041] The sending-out mechanism 62 serves to send out a block (hereinafter referred to as a "bale") W of short metal fibers compressed and packed by the compression mechanism 61 and a packing mechanism (not shown), and is constituted by a horizontally installed hydraulic cylinder. Specifically, this sending-out mechanism is constituted by a horizontally installed cylinder 62a and a piston rod 62b that reciprocates horizontally by the hydraulic pressure acting within the cylinder 62a. Note that, although the compression mechanism 61 and the sending-out mechanism 62 are constituted by hydraulic cylinders in this embodiment, they may also be constituted by pneumatic cylinders.

[0042] Next, the configurations of the transport unit 70 and the implantation unit 80 will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0043] The conveying section 70 includes a blower 71, a suction pipe 72 connected to the suction side of the blower 71, and a discharge pipe 73 connected to the discharge side of the blower 71. A hood 74 that opens while widening downward is attached to the tip of the suction pipe 72, and the end of the discharge pipe 73 opens toward a hopper 75 installed on the planting line. Inside the hood 74, a winding roller 76 that is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow (clockwise) is provided.

[0044] The implanting section 80 is provided with a needle punch 81 which repeats high speed up and down movements, and this needle punch 81 has a large number of needles 81a implanted therein.

[0045] [How to reuse metal filters] Next, a method for reusing a metal filter 6 according to the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig. 4 to Fig. 7. Fig. 6(a) and (b) are enlarged detailed views of part B in Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the method for reusing a metal filter according to the present invention in the order of steps.

[0046] The method for regenerating a metal filter 6 according to the present invention is characterized in that the metal filter 6 is subjected to a defibration process for defibrating the metal filter 6, and then reused as a material for a metal fiber product. In this embodiment, a method for producing a metal filter 6 as a metal fiber product is described, in which the metal filter 6 provided in the dust collector 1 shown in Fig. 1 is removed, and the metal filter 6 is defibrated and reused as a material for a new metal filter 6. As shown in Fig. 7, this method is carried out in the following order: 1) a heating process, 2) a defibration process, 3) a cleaning process, 4) a storage process, 5) a compression / packaging process, 6) a transport process, and 7) an implantation process. Each process is described below.

[0047] 1)Heating process: When reusing the metal filter 6, the metal filter 6 is removed from the dust collector 1 shown in Fig. 1, and the removed metal filter 6 is placed on a stand 15 as shown in Fig. 4, and a pair of feed rollers 21 are rotated in the direction of the arrow (counterclockwise) shown in the figure. The metal filter 6 is then sent by the feed rollers 21 in the direction of the arrow shown towards the defibrating section 30, during which it is heated by a high-frequency heating device (not shown) provided in the heating section 20, and any deposits adhering to the metal filter 6 are separated, and the separated deposits are blown away and removed by air ejected from an air blowing device.

[0048] 2) Defibration process: The metal filter 6 transported to the defibrating section 30 is defibrated into cotton-like metal fibers between the plate 33 and the rotary blade roller 32 of the rotary type defibrator 31 provided in the defibrating section 30 by rotating in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure (counterclockwise).

[0049] Here, the heating unit 20 is not essential to the recycling device according to the present invention, and if the heating unit 20 is not provided, the deposits contained in the metal filter 6 will be defibrated together with the metal fibers in the defibrating unit 30, but since the deposits have a larger specific gravity than the cotton-like metal fibers, they will fall through the space between the plate 33 and the stand 15. The deposits include reusable valuables a such as iron, lead, and zinc, and other non-reusable residues b.

[0050] The valuables a and residue b contained in the deposits fall onto the vibrating sieve machine 34, where they are separated into the valuables a and residue b by the vibrating sieve 34a. That is, the valuables a that do not pass through the sieve 34a are fed into a press machine 36, where they are pressed by the rotation of a rotating screw 36a that rotates in the press machine 36, and granulated into pellets, which are collected and effectively reused. On the other hand, the fine residue b that passes through the sieve 34a falls onto the belt conveyor 35, and is transported by the belt conveyor 35 to a processing unit (not shown) for disposal.

[0051] 3) Washing process: When the blower 51 provided in the storage unit 50 is driven, the cotton-like metal fibers obtained by defibration in the defibration unit 30 are sucked in by the suction pipe 53 connected to the suction side of the blower 51, and the sucked in metal fibers are discharged by the blower 51 into the discharge pipe 54 and thrown into the storage tank 52 of the storage unit 50 through the discharge pipe 54, during which they are washed by the cleaning unit 40. In the cleaning unit 40, for example, water is sprayed into the discharge pipe 54, and the metal fibers transported inside the discharge pipe 54 are washed and cleaned. In this way, impurities contained in the metal fibers are removed by washing the metal fibers flowing inside the discharge pipe 54, and clean metal fibers with few impurities are thrown into the storage tank 52.

[0052] In the method for reusing the metal filter 6 according to the present invention, the cleaning step is not essential and is carried out appropriately as necessary.

[0053] 4) Storage process: In the storage process, as described above, the cotton-like metal fibers obtained by defibration in the defibration unit 30 are sucked by the suction pipe 53, and the sucked metal fibers are discharged to the discharge pipe 54, through which they are thrown into the storage tank 52 of the storage unit 50 and stored in the storage tank 52. Note that an increase in the internal pressure of the storage tank 52 caused by the metal fibers being thrown into the storage tank 52 is prevented by discharging the air inside the storage tank 52 to the outside through the air vent hole 52b that opens into the storage tank 52.

[0054] In the storage tank 52, a pair of feed rollers 55 are rotated in opposite directions to each other, so that the metal fibers stored in the storage tank 52 are sent to a feed roller 56. Then, the metal fibers sent to the feed roller 56 are thrown into a compression case 63 of the compression / packaging section 60 through a discharge port 52a that opens in the lower part of the side wall of the storage tank 52, as the feed roller 56 is rotated in the direction of the arrow (clockwise) shown in the figure.

[0055] 5) Compression and packaging process: In the compression and packaging process, the metal fibers fed from the storage tank 52 of the storage section 50 into the compression case 63 are compressed by the compression mechanism 61. That is, when the piston rod 61b of the hydraulic cylinder constituting the compression mechanism 61 moves downward inside the compression case 63, the metal fibers fed into the compression case 63 are compressed by the pressing flange 61c which moves downward together with the piston rod 61b, and are formed into a bale W in the shape of a rectangular block.

[0056] The metal fibers formed into a rectangular block as described above are tied and packed by a packing mechanism (not shown) to form a block-shaped bale W. Then, this bale W is sent out by the horizontal stroke of a piston rod 62b provided in the sending mechanism 62 and placed on a dolly 90 on a floor surface FL.

[0057] 6)Transportation process: As described above, the bale W placed on the cart 90 in the compressing / packaging section 60 is transported to the conveying section 70 in an unpackaged state as shown in Fig. 5, and the blower 71 of the conveying section 70 is driven, and the winding roller 76 is rotated in the direction of the arrow (counterclockwise) in the figure. Then, the metal fibers contained in the bale W are loosened by the winding roller 76, starting from the top, and are wound up into the hood 74. The wound up metal fibers flow from the suction pipe 72 through the blower 71 into the discharge pipe 73, and are thrown into the hopper 75 from the end of the discharge pipe 73.

[0058] 7) Implantation process: In the implantation process, the metal fibers 6a fed into the hopper 75 are layered on the substrate 6A being transported on the implantation line in the direction of the arrow (to the right in FIG. 5). Here, the substrate 6A is wound in a roll, and the substrate 6A is sent out linearly along the implantation line toward the implantation section 80 by rotating the transport roller 16 in the direction of the arrow (clockwise).

[0059] In the implantation section 80, a needle punch 81 repeatedly moves up and down at high speed, and as the substrate 6A with the metal fibers 6a layered on its upper surface passes through the needle punch 81, the metal fibers 6a are implanted into the substrate 6A by the numerous needles 81a, producing a material 6' as shown in Figure 6(a). Note that as shown in Figure 6(b), metal fibers 6a may also be implanted into both the front and back surfaces of the substrate 6A to produce a material 6".

[0060] In the present embodiment, a material 6' shown in FIG. 6(a) or a material 6" shown in FIG. 6(b) is obtained from the metal filter 6 through the series of steps described above, and a new metal filter 6 is manufactured using this material 6 or 6". In other words, a metal filter 6 whose purification performance has deteriorated due to the adhesion of deposits is reused to manufacture a new metal filter 6.

[0061] Therefore, according to the method for reusing a metal filter 6 of the present invention, the metal filter 6 whose performance has been degraded due to the adhesion of deposits is not discarded but is effectively reused as a material 6 or 6'' (see FIG. 6) for a metal fiber product (in this embodiment, a new metal filter 6), thereby making it possible to establish a sustainable resource circulation system for natural resources, and achieving the effects of contributing to resource saving, environmental conservation, efficient use of natural resources, prevention and reduction of waste generation, and sustainable production and consumption.

[0062] Although the above describes an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a metal filter provided in a dust collector, the present invention can be similarly applied to a metal filter provided in any other device other than a dust collector.

[0063] In addition, the above has been described as an example of a form in which metal fibers obtained by defibrating a metal filter installed in a dust collector are used as a material to regenerate the same metal fiber product, that is, a metal filter for a dust collector. However, the present invention is similarly applicable to a form in which metal fibers obtained by defibrating a metal filter are used as a material to regenerate any metal fiber product other than a metal filter.

[0064] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the application of the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims and the technical ideas described in the specification and drawings. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1 Dust collector 6 Metal Filter 6',6” Metal Filter Material 6A base material 6a Metal Fiber 20 Heating section 30 Defibration section 31 Rotary fiberizer 40 Cleaning section 50 Storage section 52 Storage Tank 60 Compression and Packaging Section 61 Compression Mechanism 62 Delivery mechanism 70 Conveyor 80 Implantation 81 Needle Punch a Valuable item b Residue

Claims

1. A method for reusing a metal filter, comprising the steps of: subjecting a metal filter provided in a dust collector to a fiber-defibrating process, and reusing the metal filter as a material for a metal fiber product.

2. 2. The method for reusing a metal filter according to claim 1, characterized in that the metal filter removed from the dust collector is separated in the defibration process into metal fibers and valuable materials attached to the metal filter, and the separated valuable materials are recovered and reused. Dust collector

3. 3. The method for reusing a metal filter according to claim 1, further comprising a heating step of heating the metal filter prior to the defibrating step.

4. a storage step of storing the metal fibers defibrated in the defibration step; an implantation step of implanting the metal fibers stored in the storage step into a new substrate; 4. The method for recycling a metal filter according to claim 1, further comprising:

5. 5. The method for reusing a metal filter according to claim 4, further comprising the step of: providing a cleaning step for cleaning the metal fibers between the defibrating step and the storing step.

6. 6. The method for reusing metal filters according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that between the storage step and the implantation step, there are provided a compression / packing step for compressing and packing the metal fibers stored in the storage step, and a transport step for loosening the metal fibers compressed and packed in the compression / packing step and transporting them to the implantation step.

7. 7. The method for reusing a metal filter according to claim 1, wherein the metal fiber product is a regenerated metal filter.

8. An apparatus for carrying out the method for recycling a metal filter according to any one of claims 1 to 7, A defibrating unit that defibrates the metal filter; a storage section that stores the metal fibers defibrated in the defibrator section; an implantation section that implants the metal fibers stored in the storage section into a new substrate; A metal filter recycling device comprising:

9. 9. The metal filter recycling device according to claim 8, further comprising: a compression / packaging unit that compresses and packs the metal fibers stored in the storage unit; and a transport unit that loosens the metal fibers compressed and packed in the compression / packaging unit and transports them to the implantation unit.

10. 10. The metal filter recycling device according to claim 8, further comprising a heating unit for heating the metal filter.

11. 11. The metal filter recycling device according to claim 8, further comprising a cleaning section for cleaning the metal fibers defibrated in the defibrating section.

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