Method and system for separating dusty material mixtures from an electrical or electronic device recycling process - Patents.com

Abstract

It allows for the concentration of recyclable components, in particular metals and precious metals, and makes it possible to recycle dusty material mixtures or dusts within economic limits as a whole. The present invention relates to a method and system for separating dusty material mixtures containing fibers, preferably glass fibers, and containing heavy metals and / or precious metals from an electrical or electronic equipment recycling process, the method comprising mechanically and dryly separating particles from a fiber-containing mixed material agglomerate. The method comprises at least one step (S1) of detaching the fiber-containing mixed material agglomerates and at least one step (S2) of mechanically breaking up the fiber-containing mixed material agglomerates in a dry state.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for separating a dusty material mixture comprising fibers, preferably glass fibers, and comprising heavy metals and / or precious metals from the recycling of electrical or electronic devices.Furthermore, the present invention relates to a system for separating a dusty material mixture comprising fibers, preferably glass fibers, and comprising heavy metals and / or precious metals from the recycling of electrical or electronic devices. [Background technology]

[0002] Recycling of electrical and electronic equipment is carried out through known dismantling processes aimed at safely disposing of substances hazardous to health and the environment, recovering valuable materials such as metals and precious metals, and returning them to the product and material cycle.

[0003] Recycling, especially the mechanical dismantling or dismantling of electrical or electronic equipment, generates significant amounts of dusty material mixtures. These mixtures have not been reprocessed or used further in any way, but instead have been largely landfilled or fed to smelting processes for the recovery of metals and precious metals without substantial reprocessing steps. In the case of smelted dust, the current, i.e. variable, composition determines the profitability. As smelting costs are around 1000 euros per tonne of dust, different economic results and even economic losses can occur depending on the dust composition. The value of the composition of unsmelted dust is unknown, which means on the one hand that no smelting costs are incurred, but on the other hand that potentially valuable dusty material (hereinafter also called dust) is not recycled. For this very reason, in the method described in US Pat. No. 5,399,633, the finest fraction or dust portion is not further reprocessed but instead disposed of in a method for reprocessing scrap of printed circuit board assemblies from electrical or electronic equipment.

[0004] The dust is typically a material mixture containing 1 wt% to 5 wt% particles with a size greater than 10 mm, resulting in 95 wt% to 99 wt% particles with a size less than 10 mm. The dust is typically generated when electrical or electronic equipment is destroyed using shredders, impact mills, cutting mills, hammer mills or rotary shears. Other processes for processing electrical or electronic equipment, in particular mechanical destruction processes, also lead to the generation or generation of dusty material mixtures or dusts with the basic composition described above.

[0005] As explained above, the prior art does not know of any method or device that allows dust to be economically processed or further reused. Thus, huge amounts of resources, especially metals and precious metals, are lost every year in the form of thermal or landfilled dust for reprocessing or further use. Said resources must be obtained with great effort through primary mining or production processes, which would otherwise result in a large CO2 load compared to recycling. US Pat. No. 5,399,433, which deals with a method for utilizing equipment scrap, recognizes that the dust contains large amounts of valuable metals that can be recycled. Nevertheless, this prior art specifically intends for the dust to be returned in a closed system, which is precisely what prevents its effective treatment. Rather than being discarded, as in the case of US Pat. No. 5,399,433, the dust portion is treated together with other fractions in a closed system, which significantly reduces the throughput and the yield or recovery rate, and instead increases the workload.

[0006] The above mentioned raw materials are significantly different from other raw materials, such as materials from the recycling of discarded cables. The latter materials also contain fibers, but macroscopically they form more of a mixture of grains or particles containing fibers. Also, in cable recycling, the potentially valuable components of the raw materials are not contained among the fibers attached to each other, enmeshed or entangled, but among the loose fibers. However, fiber-containing mixed materials from the recycling of electrical or electronic equipment, based essentially on fiber-reinforced circuit boards, also contain types of fibers that are worthless and, moreover, have a strong tendency for the fibers to attach to each other mechanically and chemically or electrostatically and to form agglomerates that further surround or bind other particles. These structures, more or less connected but still connected, are hereafter referred to as mixed material agglomerates. The term agglomerates is understood as more or less consolidated accumulations of previously loose components in a composite material resulting from technological processes, i.e. recycling, in particular the mechanical dismantling and / or disassembly of electrical or electronic devices.

[0007] As a result, for example, 3is not at all suitable for proposing a method for separating dusty material mixtures containing fibers, preferably glass fibers, and containing heavy and / or precious metals from the recycling of electrical or electronic devices, since the devices described there, in particular the bristle carpets or brush-like planar structures, are not at all suitable for the treatment of agglomerated material mixtures. If the agglomerates of mixed materials containing fibers are not mechanically and dry broken up, even if flat structures such as bristle carpets or brushes are vibrated and set, they will simply get clogged or covered when exposed to the agglomerates. After all, the intention and description is exactly that the bristles capture the fibers or strands between them and further solidify the existing agglomerates rather than breaking them up. With regard to the source material in question, only mixed material agglomerates, which are not detached from the metal conductors of the cable insulation or other cable parts, are an option in the first place. However, these agglomerates are Patent Document 3 Even with the teaching of the above, it is not possible to break up. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] DE19518277C1 [Patent Document 2] EP0403689A1 [Patent Document 3] DE4041385A1 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] Against this background, the object of the present invention is to propose a method and a system for separating dust-like material mixtures comprising fibres, preferably glass fibres, and containing heavy metals and / or precious metals from the recycling of electrical or electronic devices, which makes it possible to concentrate the recyclable components, in particular metals and precious metals, and thus to recycle the dust-like material mixtures or dust within economic limits overall. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] This object is achieved by a method having the features of claim 1. With regard to the system, the stated object is achieved by a system having the features of claim 11. Advantageous embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0011] The method according to the invention for separating dust-like material, preferably comprising fibres, from the recycling of electrical or electronic devices provides at least one step for mechanically and dryly detaching particles from fibre-containing mixed material agglomerates and at least one step for mechanically and dryly breaking up the fibre-containing mixed material agglomerates.

[0012] The idea behind the present invention is based on the discovery that a significant number of mixed material agglomerates, particularly comprising fibres, are present in dusty material mixtures or dust, some of which contain or bind particles or grains which in principle are suitable for further processing or reuse, but at least prevent such material particles from being sorted and separated.

[0013] Based on that, the idea behind the present invention is to release or remove as many of these bound, unsortable and / or non-flowable particles as possible from the mixed material agglomerates by the aforementioned steps, for which it is intended to detach the particles from existing agglomerates and break up said agglomerates themselves. This combination of steps according to the present invention surprisingly allows to remove such large amounts of flowable and potentially recyclable particles from the mixed material agglomerates, which can then be separated or fractionated, this fraction thus consisting of one or more separation fractions with an increased concentration of recyclable materials, in particular metals or precious metals, which not only allows economical reprocessing or recycling, but also makes it possible to reduce the portion of raw material that cannot be reprocessed or recycled.

[0014] Mixed material aggregates containing fibers form balls or dust bunnies, especially due to the large amount of fibers, such as glass fibers, used in modern electrical or electronic devices in the form of fiberglass reinforced plastics, preferably printed circuit boards or similar components. These loose fiber composite structures contained in dust can combine with, surround or become spherical with other particles or grains, such as house dust bunnies. This also means that the step of mechanically and dryly breaking up mixed material aggregates containing fibers mainly achieves separation of the fibers from each other. This means that this step results in the dispersion of the mixed material aggregates.

[0015] A special achievement of the method according to the invention is that the step according to the invention is carried out as a dry step, which does not require the addition of liquid solvents or liquid transport agents. After all, in addition to the additional energy input for the subsequent drying of the material fraction or the large chunks or separated fractions that have to be discarded, wet methods or steps also require sometimes elaborate treatments with liquid media or solvents or transport agents, which means that economical separation in wet processes can probably only be expected for material compositions with high metal concentrations. Moreover, wet methods result in high losses of valuable precious metals.

[0016] Before each separation step, the material is fractionated into different particle sizes. However, to achieve this, the material needs to be sieveable or flowable. However, this is not yet applicable or feasible for the untreated dust generated by the recycling of electrical or electronic devices.

[0017] This is because the formation of agglomerates or balls essentially provides a kind of material matrix or material scaffold in which other particles or particles are embedded or can be embedded, so that they are no longer sievable or flowable. As a result, mixed material aggregates are formed. Therefore, to practice the invention, it is not strictly sufficient to separate or retain the individual fibers. Instead, the improvement of sieveability and / or flowability must involve the breaking, separation, fragmentation and / or loosening of the spheroidized parts of the mixed material aggregates, so that the particles can be released or detached therefrom.

[0018] The step of mechanically and dryly breaking up the mixed material agglomerates containing fibers is therefore precisely designed to achieve break-up, separation, fragmentation, dispersion and / or loosening of the ball-shaped portions of the mixed material agglomerates.

[0019] Simply vibrating or guiding a mass or aggregate of mixed materials is insufficient in this respect, since the mass itself is not a static or rigid structure, but reacts with elastic deformation and natural vibrations when subjected to external stimuli and is not significantly destructive.

[0020] Thus, within the scope of the method according to the invention, it is possible to make a large proportion of the particles bound in the mixed material aggregates, including the fibers, which were previously unavailable for separation, completely available for separation or to be "solubilized" for separation. In this way, the additional and / or parallel separation of the raw material, i.e. the dust or dusty material mixture, can be made even more effective in that a larger proportion of the material as a whole is transferred into a flowable shape or state and can thus be separated and recycled or reprocessed, as the case may be, in a suitable dry separation process.

[0021] According to a first advantageous embodiment of the method, a step of detaching particles from the mixed material agglomerates comprising fibers can be carried out, for example, as a first step, which allows particles that are not very tightly bound or embedded in the mixed material agglomerates comprising fibers to be detached and / or separated. This has the advantage that then, both in the step of mechanically breaking up the mixed material agglomerates according to the invention and in the subsequent separation or fractionation step, a lower material throughput should be achieved in the other steps.

[0022] Advantageously, fractionation according to particle size, preferably 3 to 8 fractions, can be carried out simultaneously in the step of detaching the particles from the mixed material agglomerates. This has the advantage that fractionation, in particular pre-fractionation or first fractionation of the input material, is carried out simultaneously with detaching the particles from the mixed material agglomerates. This has the advantage that further processing or further treatment can be selectively carried out on the fractions thus produced. Preferably, a common or integrated system device can be used for this purpose, which allows both fractionation and detachment of particles from the mixed material agglomerates.

[0023] The precious metals are preferably contained in the fraction with a particle size <300 μm. The heavy metals are preferably found in the fraction with a particle size between 300 μm and 1000 μm. Coarse precious particles are generally easy to crush, and excessive crushing leads to an increase in the portion of particles not containing precious metals and therefore ultimately to an increase in recycling costs. It is therefore advantageous to separate the fraction below 300 μm and the free particles first, which also leads to an even higher concentration of valuable particles. Particularly preferably, the fraction up to 100 μm, preferably up to 50 μm, can be directly separated for smelting, since in this fraction there is an above-average concentration of valuable particles. This can be done, for example, by a tumbler screen. Only small / fine particles surrounded by larger structures or agglomerates should be able to be gently peeled off by the separator and subsequently screened. In the following, the separator or crusher will also be called the flowability-box. This means that there are various approaches and mechanisms to achieve the separation.

[0024] For example, the step of detaching particles from the mixed material agglomerates, which is carried out first, can be carried out by processing the dust with a tumbler screen having, for example, six different screen fractions. In this process, the particles can be detached from the mixed material agglomerates, in particular by vibration. It can therefore also be advantageous that said processing or the execution of said step is carried out as long as possible, since the longer the exposure to vibration, the correspondingly larger part of the particles will be detached from the mixed material agglomerates. As mentioned above, such execution of a step for mechanically or dryly detaching particles by screening with a tumbler screen not only detaches the particles from the mixed material agglomerates, but advantageously can also effectively carry out a fractionation, such as a first fractionation into fractions having different particle sizes at the same time. These fractions can be selectively subjected to further processing. For example, the screen fractions having a particle size of, for example, less than 100 μm, preferably less than 50 μm, in at least one dimension or spatial direction, can be separated or fractionated directly into a final fraction or a reprocessing fraction, since the fine or fine-grained material has a relatively large recyclable portion, in particular a precious metal portion.

[0025] Additional mechanical and dry separation methods can be applied to the mid-size fraction, e.g., fractions having particles sized between 100 μm and 300 μm, preferably between 50 μm and 300 μm, to produce or obtain fractions with potentially more recyclable or reprocessable component concentrations.

[0026] According to another particularly preferred embodiment of the method, in the step of breaking up the mixed particle agglomerates, a fractionation according to particle size, preferably 2-3 fractionations, can be carried out simultaneously. In this way, said step also particularly advantageously provides the prerequisites for further detachment of particles, in particular recyclable or reusable particles, from the mixed material agglomerates, but also allows for a simultaneous separation or fractionation, which at least partially effects the early separation of the particles that have been released, peeled off or otherwise detached from the mixed material agglomerates. The fact that the break-up of the mixed material agglomerates containing fibers transfers a plurality of otherwise inaccessible or bonded particles into a flowable (and therefore further processable), in particular separable, state is particularly advantageous.

[0027] Particularly preferably, an operation to reduce the adhesion of the fibers to each other, in particular a surface operation of the fibers and / or shortening and / or spatial separation of the fibers, preferably of the pre-fractionated parts of the material mixture or dust, is carried out in the step of breaking up the mixed material agglomerates. In this context, it has been found to be particularly effective to manipulate the surface of the fibers, in particular to smooth the surface of the fibers, to shorten the fibers themselves, and to spatially separate the fibers from each other in combination with the breaking up of the mixed material agglomerates. All these operations, individually and in combination with each other, make it possible to effectively break up the mixed material agglomerates as a whole, so that the particles enclosed or bound in the mixed material agglomerates are released or can be released.

[0028] In this context, it may be particularly advantageous if a crushing and / or grinding and / or comminuting process, preferably of the pre-fractionated portion of the material mixture, is carried out in a break-up step. Different crushing and / or grinding and / or grinding steps known per se can be employed. However, as explained at the beginning, a prerequisite for this is that said process can be carried out dry, i.e. without the addition of liquids in the form of solvents or transport agents. Different processes and set-ups have proven to be particularly advantageous. For example, the mixed material aggregates can be effectively broken up by treatment in a rod mill apparatus. The rod mill apparatus combines an effect on the surface properties of the fibers, in particular a smoothing effect, with an effect on the mixed material aggregates that spatially separates the fibers from one another. Likewise, particularly advantageous processes can be achieved by modified barrel finishing apparatus, in particular barrel finishing apparatus adapted for dry operation. Barrel finishing apparatuses of this kind are also known as circular vibrators or cylindrical grinders, which are however typically operated wet, i.e. with liquid, preferably aqueous, additives. In this case, abrasive products made of different materials, preferably mineral materials, and having different shapes or surfaces can be used.

[0029] According to another advantageous embodiment of the method, at least one other separation and / or fractionation step, preferably three other separation and / or fractionation steps, can be carried out, preferably the material mixture produced by the step of breaking up the mixed material agglomerates, in particular the material fraction produced in said step, is provided as material input in at least one separation and / or fractionation step. A method of separation based on specific gravity, for example a method for separation into heavy and light fractions, can be understood as a separation step. Also a method of separation by particle size can be understood as a classification process. This material or this material fraction as material input can be joined, combined or mixed with another material fraction, for example a material fraction from the step of mechanically and dry detaching of particles from the mixed material agglomerates comprising fibers according to the invention. The other separation and / or fractionation steps are also carried out in dry conditions, i.e. without liquid solvents or transport agents, so that the entire method is maintained or carried out in dry conditions. For example, the other separation and / or fractionation steps can be carried out by air separation tables and / or tumbler screening devices.

[0030] According to another particularly preferred embodiment of the method, the separation and / or fractionation steps and the fractions produced therein can lead to or produce a branched material flow, in which two or more fractions from different separation and / or fractionation steps, in particular from different separation and / or fractionation devices, meet at least at one point. This allows a particularly effective enrichment of the overall material flow and of recyclable materials, in particular precious metals. This also allows a particularly effective disposal or separation of material components or fractions whose composition does not warrant reprocessing or recycling and which are therefore landfilled or thermally utilized.

[0031] According to another preferred embodiment of the process, the fraction produced in the process, in particular the fraction having a particle size of less than 100 μm, preferably less than 50 μm, can be subjected to smelting or fed to a refinery, in particular for the recovery of metals and precious metals.

[0032] The above object is achieved in a system for separating a dust-like material mixture comprising fibres, in particular glass fibres, and containing heavy metals and / or precious metals from the recycling of electrical or electronic devices, in that a detaching device for mechanically and dryly detaching particles from mixed material agglomerates comprising fibres, preferably glass fibres, and at least one separating device for mechanically and dryly breaking up mixed material agglomerates comprising fibres, preferably glass fibres, are provided.

[0033] The devices can in principle be arranged or formed at a spatial distance from one another. Alternatively, the system can be constructed integrally, the devices being connected to one another or integrated with one another. A direct material flow or direct material transport can be established between the device according to the invention and other devices of the system, which may preferably be provided. Likewise, it is also possible that individual parts, in particular individual fractions, of the dusty material mixture or dust are stored and / or temporarily stored in suitable containers as input material for use in one of the devices, until they are further processed at a suitable point in the system according to the invention, i.e. by a suitable device or removed from the system. As mentioned above, in a system for separating dusty material mixtures or dust, in particular containing glass fibers, from the recycling of electrical or electronic equipment, a detaching device and a separating device for mixed material aggregates containing fibers, preferably glass fibers, can be provided. The combination of the device with the apparatus has the surprising effect that it transfers a significantly larger portion of the recyclable materials, in particular the precious metals, with the result that the large amounts of dust or dust-like mixtures occurring in the recycling, in particular in the mechanical recycling, of electrical or electronic equipment can be separated significantly better and therefore a significantly better concentration of the recyclable components or constituents of the dust can be achieved, with the result that said dust can be economically reprocessed or recycled.

[0034] According to the invention, both the separating device and the detaching device are constructed as devices which operate dry, i.e. without the need for the addition or injection of a carrier liquid or a separating liquid.

[0035] With regard to the features and advantages of the system according to the invention, in order to avoid redundancy, reference is made generally to the preceding description of the method according to the invention: features disclosed in relation to the method shall also be considered to be disclosed in relation to the system according to the invention and vice versa.

[0036] According to a first advantageous embodiment of the system, a detaching device for detaching particles can be provided and / or arranged as an inlet device of the system. This means that the dust or dusty matter mixture originating from the recycling of electrical or electronic equipment is fed to the detaching device as defined at the outset, where at least a portion of the particles bound to the mixed matter agglomerates, including fibers, are mechanically detached and thereby transferred to a flowable state allowing sorting.

[0037] Furthermore, the detaching device may advantageously also comprise means for fractionating the material mixture, preferably into 3 to 8 fractions depending on particle size. In addition to detaching or freeing particles from the mixed material agglomerates, possibly including fibers, this allows for early separation or fractionation of both particles present as such in a loosely bound or unbound state and particles that have been mechanically detached, freed or removed from the mixed material agglomerates, each of which can then be efficiently further processed or used.

[0038] Particularly preferably, the detaching device can be a tumbler screen. The screens used in the tumbler screen can have different mesh widths and can provide different cleaning mechanisms. The coarser screens can provide cleaning of the balls. The finer screens can be cleaned or operated with ultrasonic cleaning.

[0039] Furthermore, the separation device or flow box may also comprise means for fractionating the material mixture, preferably into 2-3 fractions, again ensuring that not only are the mixed material agglomerates, including the fibers, broken down, but also that the particles, thus detached or freed from the mixed material aggregates and in a flowable state, are separated into the already correspondingly provided fractions, facilitating or improving further processing.

[0040] Particularly advantageously, the separation device can comprise means for separating the fibers from one another, in particular for surface manipulation of the fibers and / or shortening of the fibers and / or for spatial separation of the fibers, preferably for separation of a pre-fractionated portion of the material mixture. By reducing the adhesion between the fibers, the break-up of the mixed material agglomerates comprising the fibers can be effected particularly effectively.

[0041] Particularly preferably, the separating device may comprise means for comminuting the material or dust, preferably the prefractionated part of the material mixture.

[0042] Particularly preferably, the separation device can be a barrel finishing device and / or a rod mill device modified for dry operation. Said devices have proven to be particularly effective with regard to the break-up of mixed material agglomerates containing fibers, especially glass fibers. Apparently, both barrel finishing devices and rod mill devices are particularly capable of effectively smoothing the surface of fibers, especially glass fibers, shortening the fibers and / or separating the fibers from each other, and each step, especially the combination of said steps, results in an effective break-up of mixed material agglomerates containing fibers, especially glass fibers. Said barrel finishing devices, cylindrical grinders and circular vibrators can be operated with star-shaped abrasive products, for example in the size range of 5 mm to 15 m per spatial direction. Suction, especially a suction device, can be provided to remove and / or separate the smallest particles.

[0043] Furthermore, the system can advantageously comprise at least one further separation and / or fractionation device, preferably three further separation and / or fractionation devices, and the material mixture produced by the separation device, in particular the material fraction produced by the separation device, is preferably fed as material input in at least one separation and / or fractionation device. In a particularly advantageous manner, this allows the material mixture, in particular the fraction, produced in the separation device and comprising fibers, in particular glass fibers, to be suitably broken down or fragmented, and thus the corresponding particles or material mixtures released or liberated, to be subjected again or once more to separation and / or fractionation, as a result of which an effective concentration of recyclable or treatable materials or material fractions is ensured.

[0044] The other separation and / or sorting devices may advantageously be air separators, preferably air separation tables, and / or tumbler screens. It has been found that these devices can be integrated into the system according to the invention in a particularly positive and effective manner, leading to an effective enrichment of the entire potentially recyclable material mixture. A particular advantage of the air separation table is that it separates the introduced material into light and heavy fractions based on their different relative densities. This separation can be a particularly positive addition to the particle size-based fractionation in the other steps of the method according to the invention, since it allows the enrichment of particles with high relative densities, such as are present in the case of precious or heavy metals. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0045] Advantages and embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to schematic drawings. [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a system according to the invention, including a schematic diagram of the steps of a method according to the invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0046] Figure 1 shows a system 01 according to the invention for separating a dusty material mixture, preferably containing fibres, in particular glass fibres, from the recycling of electrical or electronic devices. The system 01 consists of a detaching device 03 as an inlet device 02, which already detaches particles from mixed material agglomerates containing fibres in a first step S1 by a dry mechanical treatment, achieving at the same time a fractionation into different size fractions 04.

[0047] The size fraction 04 thus produced can be selectively used further in steps S2 and S3. The detaching device 03 can be, for example, a tumbler screen, where mechanical vibration acting on the mixed material agglomerates, including the fibers, causes the particles to detach from the mixed material agglomerates. The finest or finest grain fraction produced in the detaching device 03 is either directly separated for subsequent smelting or fed to another fractionation device 07 for further fractionation. For example, the fractionation device 07 can be an air separation table 06, where the light and heavy fractions are produced in step S3 and where the fraction with the cyclone dust collected in the filter is additionally separated by suction.

[0048] The other fraction produced in the inlet device 02, the detacher 03, can be fed together or one after the other to the separator 05, which is configured in step S2 to affect in particular the surface of the fibers, particularly preferably to smooth the surface, shorten the fibers and / or reduce the adhesion of the fibers, in particular the glass fibers, to each other by spatially separating the fibers from each other. The separator 05 can preferably be a barrel finishing device or a rod mill device operated dry.

[0049] The separator 05 can additionally achieve a separation of fractions 04 of different sizes also in step S2. For example, the separator 05 can also be constituted by suction means for sucking the finest dust particles, and other screening or separating means. In the separator 05, the main part of the mixed material aggregates, including the fibers, is broken down or at least made smaller, so that a significant amount of particles otherwise bound or embedded in the mixed material aggregates is released and passes into a flowable state and thus into a state in which separation or fractionation is possible as a whole. The fractions generated in the separator 05, which consist of a particularly large number of flowable particles, can be fed, for example together with the fraction from the fractionator 07 in step S3, to another fractionator 07, which can be a tumbler screen 03, which acts for further fractionation in step S4. The fractions obtained in this fractionator 07 can also be selectively further processed. One part can be directly separated for smelting or processing in the smelter in step S6, while the other fractions can be fed directly to thermal waste or landfill in step S7. Another fraction may be split or fractionated again in step S5 by another fractionator 07, such as another air separation unit 06, and some of these fractions may be fed to a waste step S7 or to a smelting step S6.

[0050] Testing of the method of the present invention has shown that 90% to 95% of the metal value can be concentrated to less than 30% of the input mix mass, and this portion, or concentrate, is utilized metallurgically, so that only about 70% of the input mix mass is used for landfilling.

[0051] In another step of the method according to the invention, the portion of the mass to be landfilled is further reduced, which is a fine-grained material with a high calorific value and therefore suitable for use as a refuse-derived fuel.

[0052] Residues of powder coatings are also known to have a high calorific value and must be treated as dust, which is costly. Powder coatings, which consist for example of polyester resins, begin to flow when compressed by a matrix, thereby liquefying into plastic masses. When a suitable mixture of dust from recycling electrical or electronic equipment, for example particles with a particle size of less than 3 mm, preferably 0.1 mm or more, and dust from recycling powder coatings is formed, waste-derived fuels such as pellets can then be produced simply by compression. The aspects of the present invention will be described below. [Aspect 1] A method for separating a dust-like material mixture containing fibers, preferably glass fibers, and containing heavy metals and / or precious metals, resulting from the recycling of electrical or electronic devices, the method comprising the steps of: At least one step (S1) of mechanically and dryly detaching particles from the mixed material agglomerates containing fibers; and The method includes at least one step (S2); of mechanically and dryly breaking up the mixed material agglomerates comprising fibers. [Aspect 2] The method according to aspect 1, A method, characterized in that the step (S1) of detaching the particles is carried out as a first step. [Aspect 3] The method according to aspect 1 or 2, A method characterized in that in the step (S1) of detaching particles, fractionation according to particle size, preferably fractionation into 3 to 8 particles, is carried out simultaneously. [Aspect 4] A method according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, comprising: A method, characterized in that fractionation according to particle size, preferably into 2 to 3 particles, is carried out simultaneously in the break-up step (S2). [Aspect 5] A method according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, comprising: 13. A process according to claim 12, characterized in that an operation reducing the adhesion between the fibers, in particular a surface operation of the fibers, shortening of the fibers and / or spatial separation of the fibers, preferably of the prefractionated part of the material mixture, is carried out in a break-up step (S2). [Aspect 6] A method according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, comprising: A method characterized in that in the break-up step (S2), preferably a comminution and / or grinding step of the pre-fractionated portion of the material mixture is carried out. [Aspect 7] A method according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, comprising: A method comprising at least one further separation and / or fractionation step (S3, S4, S5), preferably three further separation and / or fractionation steps, characterized in that the material mixture produced by the break-up step (S2), in particular the material fraction produced by the break-up step (S2), is preferably provided as material input to at least one fractionation step (S3). [Aspect 8] A method according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, comprising: A process characterised in that the separation and / or fractionation steps (S3, S4, S5) and the fractions produced therein result in a branched material flow, in which two or more fractions from different fractionation steps, in particular different fractionation devices (04), join at least one point. [Aspect 9] A method according to any one of aspects 1 to 8, comprising: The process according to claim 1, wherein the fraction produced by the process is subjected to smelting or fed to a refinery (S6), in order to recover, in particular, metals and precious metals. [Aspect 10] The method according to aspect 9, A method characterized in that in at least two fractionation steps, preferably in each fractionation step (S1, S3, S4, S5), a fraction of particles having a size less than 50 μm in one spatial direction is generated and each fraction is sorted or subjected to transfer to a purification device (S6). [Embodiment 11] A system for separating a dust-like material mixture containing fibers, preferably glass fibers, and containing heavy metals and / or precious metals from a recycling of electrical or electronic devices, the system comprising: at least one detaching device (03) for mechanically and dryly detaching particles from the fiber-containing mixed material agglomerates; and at least one separating device (05) for mechanically and dryly breaking up the fiber-containing mixed material agglomerates; A system comprising: [Aspect 12] The system according to aspect 11, A detaching device (03) for detaching said particles is provided and / or arranged as an inlet device (02) of said system (01). [Aspect 13] The system according to aspect 11 or 12, The system is characterized in that the detaching device (03) simultaneously comprises means for fractionating the material mixture, preferably into 3 to 8 fractions according to particle size. [Aspect 14] The system according to any one of aspects 11 to 13, The system, characterized in that the detaching device (03) is a tumbler screen. [Aspect 15] The system according to any one of aspects 11 to 14, The system is characterized in that the separation device (05) simultaneously comprises means for fractionating the material mixture, preferably into 2 to 3 fractions. [Aspect 16] The system according to any one of aspects 11 to 15, The system is characterized in that the separation device (05) comprises means for breaking the adhesive effects between the fibers, in particular for surface manipulation of the fibers, for fiber lengthening and / or for spatial separation of the fibers, preferably for separation of a pre-fractionated portion of the material mixture. [Aspect 17] The system according to any one of aspects 11 to 16, 10. A system, characterized in that the separating device (05) comprises means for crushing and / or grinding, preferably means for crushing and / or grinding the pre-fractionated portion of the material mixture. [Aspect 18] The system according to any one of aspects 11 to 17, The system, wherein the separation device (05) is a barrel finishing device and / or a rod mill device. [Aspect 19] The system according to any one of aspects 11 to 18, The system comprises at least one further separation and / or fractionation device (07), preferably three further separation and / or fractionation devices (07), characterized in that the material mixture produced by the separation device (05), in particular the material fraction (04) produced by the separation device (05), is preferably supplied as material input in the at least one separation and / or fractionation device (07). [Aspect 20] The system according to any one of aspects 11 to 19, The system, characterized in that the other separation and / or fractionation device (07) is an air separation device (06) and / or a tumbler screen. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 01 System 02 Inlet Device 03 Detachment device 04 Size Fraction 05 Separation device 06 Air Separation Unit 07 Sorting device

Claims

1. 1. A method for separating a dust-containing material mixture containing fibres and containing heavy metals and / or precious metals resulting from the recycling of electrical or electronic devices, comprising the steps of: The material mixture includes balls of fiber having additional encapsulated particles; The method comprises: At least one step (S1) of mechanically and dryly detaching particles from the mixed material agglomerates containing fibers; and At least one step (S2) of mechanically and dryly breaking up the mixed material agglomerates comprising fibers; A method comprising: A particle size fractionation is carried out simultaneously in the step (S1) of detaching particles and / or a particle size fractionation is carried out simultaneously in the step (S2) of break-up, the fractions resulting in the process being subjected to smelting or fed to a refinery; A method comprising at least two fractionation steps (S1, S3, S4, S5) resulting in a fraction of particles smaller than 100 μm in one spatial direction, each fraction being either screened or subjected to smelting or transported to a refinery, said step of break-up (S2) comprising a drying operation barrel finishing.

2. 2. The method of claim 1 , A method, characterized in that the step (S1) of detaching the particles is performed as a first step.

3. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, A method comprising the steps of: detaching particles (S1); simultaneously dividing the particles into 3 to 8 particles according to their particle size;

4. 4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: A method, characterized in that fractionation into 2-3 particles according to particle size is carried out simultaneously in the break-up step (S2).

5. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 13. A method according to claim 12, characterized in that an operation to reduce the adhesion between the fibres is carried out in a break-up step (S2) by surface manipulation of the fibres, shortening of the fibres and / or spatial separation of the fibres.

6. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A method according to claim 1, characterized in that in the break-up step (S2) a crushing and / or grinding process is carried out.

7. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising: A method comprising at least one further separation and / or fractionation step (S3, S4, S5), characterized in that the material mixture produced by the break-up step (S2) is provided as material input to at least one fractionation step (S3).

8. 8. The method of claim 7, The process according to claim 1, wherein said separation and / or fractionation steps (S3, S4, S5) and the fractions produced therein result in a branched material flow, in which two or more fractions from different fractionation steps join at least one point.

9. 9. The method of claim 8, A method comprising the steps of: generating fractions of particles less than 50 μm in size in one spatial direction in at least two fractionation steps; and separating each fraction or subjecting it to transfer to a purification device (S6).

Images