Separation system, separation method, and control program

Abstract

A separation system according to the present disclosure separates ASR (Automobile Shredder Residue) recovered from shredded materials generated by shredding a vehicle. The separation system is provided with: a first sieve that separates the ASR into a first ASR, which is ASR with a particle size less than a first particle size, and a second ASR, which is ASR with a particle size equal to or greater than the first particle size; a first dry specific gravity sorting device that performs dry specific gravity sorting on the first ASR to recover glass; a shredding device that shreds the second ASR; and a separation device that separates at least metals and organic components from the first ASR from which the glass has been recovered, and the second ASR shredded by the shredding device.

Description

Sorting system, sorting method, and control program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a sorting system, a sorting method, and a control program for sorting ASR (Automobile Shredder Residue) recovered from shredded material generated by shredding a vehicle.

[0002] In recent years, the recycling of ASR has been promoted. Therefore, it is required not only to separate the crushed material generated by crushing vehicles into useful metals and ASR containing organic components such as hardened plastics, but also to further separate and recover the ASR.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for treating a mixture of fragmented materials, which is generated by shredding durable consumer goods at the end of their useful life and which consists of small amounts of used polymeric material that can be recycled in the field of plastics technology, and contaminants.

[0004] Special Publication No. 2013-535359

[0005] There is a continuing need not only to separate the crushed material produced by shredding vehicles into useful metals and ASR, which contains organic components such as hardened plastics, but also to further separate and recover the ASR.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above background, and aims to provide a sorting system, sorting method, and control program that are capable of finely separating and recovering ASR recovered from the crushed material generated by crushing a vehicle.

[0007] The sorting system according to the present disclosure is a sorting system for sorting Automobile Shredder Residue (ASR) recovered from crushed material generated by crushing a vehicle, the sorting system including: a first sieve that separates the ASR into first ASR, which is the ASR having a particle size less than a first particle size, and second ASR, which is the ASR having a particle size equal to or greater than the first particle size; a first dry specific gravity separator that performs dry specific gravity separation on the first ASR to recover glass; a crusher that crushes the second ASR; and a separator that separates at least metals and organic components from the first ASR from which the glass has been recovered and the second ASR crushed by the crusher. This allows the sorting system to finely separate and recover the ASR recovered from the crushed material generated by crushing the vehicle. This system also uses a sieve to remove glass from the ASR collected from the crushed material before sorting it, preventing breakdowns in the sorting equipment due to glass. Furthermore, this system crushes the larger-sized ASR from the two particle sizes separated into ASR, allowing the two types of ASR to be sorted using a common sorting device.

[0008] The crushing device may be configured to crush the second ASR to a particle size corresponding to the particle size of the first ASR, thereby enabling the sorting system to perform the sorting process for each of the two types of ASR using a common sorting device.

[0009] The first sieve may have a plurality of slits formed therein. The width of the slits in the first sieve may be 10 mm or less. This allows the sorting system to recover glass with higher accuracy.

[0010] The sorting system may further include a second sieve that separates the first ASR into two particle sizes, and the first dry density separation device may be configured to perform dry density separation on the first ASR with the smaller particle size of the two particle sizes of the first ASR separated by the second sieve. This allows the ASR to be recovered by separating it more finely.

[0011] The present disclosure also provides a sorting method using a sorting system for sorting ASR (Automobile Shredder Residue) recovered from crushed material generated by crushing a vehicle, the method including using a first sieve to separate the ASR into a first ASR, which is the ASR having a particle size less than a first particle size, and a second ASR, which is the ASR having a particle size equal to or greater than the first particle size, performing dry specific gravity separation on the first ASR to recover glass, crushing the second ASR, and separating at least metals and organic components from the first ASR from which the glass has been recovered and the crushed second ASR. This sorting method thereby enables the ASR recovered from the crushed material generated by crushing a vehicle to be finely separated and recovered. In addition, this sorting method uses a sieve to remove glass from the ASR recovered from the crushed material before sorting, thereby preventing breakdown of the sorting equipment due to glass. Furthermore, this sorting method crushes the larger particle size ASR from the ASR separated into two particle sizes, allowing the two types of ASR to be sorted using a common sorting equipment.

[0012] Furthermore, a control program according to the present disclosure is a control program that causes a computer to execute a sorting process in a sorting system that separates Automobile Shredder Residue (ASR) recovered from crushed material generated by crushing a vehicle, the control program causing the computer to execute the following processes: using a first sieve to separate the ASR into a first ASR, which is the ASR having a particle size less than a first particle size, and a second ASR, which is the ASR having a particle size equal to or greater than the first particle size; performing dry specific gravity separation on the first ASR to recover glass; crushing the second ASR; and separating at least metals and organic components from the first ASR from which the glass has been recovered and the crushed second ASR. This control program enables the ASR recovered from the crushed material generated by crushing a vehicle to be finely separated and recovered. This control program also uses a sieve to remove glass from the ASR recovered from the crushed material before sorting it, thereby preventing breakdowns in the sorting equipment due to glass.Furthermore, this control program crushes the larger particle size ASR from the ASR separated into two particle sizes, allowing the two types of ASR to be sorted using a common sorting device.

[0013] The present disclosure provides a sorting system, a sorting method, and a control program that are capable of finely separating and recovering ASR recovered from the crushed material generated by crushing a vehicle.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an ASR recovery system in the sorting system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control device provided in the ASR recovery system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an early stage process of the ASR sorting system in the sorting system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a sieve provided in the ASR sorting system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of the sieve shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a sieve provided in the ASR sorting system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an intermediate stage process of the ASR sorting system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a sorter using a sieve provided in the ASR sorting system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a sieve provided in the ASR sorting system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a later stage process of the ASR sorting system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical sorter provided in the ASR sorting system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical sorter provided in the ASR sorting system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a wet sink-float separator provided in the ASR sorting system according to the present disclosure. Fig. 14 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of the wet sink-float separator shown in Fig. 13. Fig. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a first modified example of a wet sink-float separator provided in an ASR sorting system according to the present disclosure. Fig. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a second modified example of a wet sink-float separator provided in an ASR sorting system according to the present disclosure.

[0015] Hereinafter, specific embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In addition, the following description and drawings have been simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation.

[0016] <Sorting System According to the Present Disclosure> Until now, ASR has mainly been used to form cement, and therefore detailed sorting of ASR has not been performed. However, in recent years, there has been an increasing demand for the reuse of ASR in various fields, and accordingly, there has been an increasing need for efficient recovery of ASR and highly accurate sorting of ASR. Therefore, the sorting system according to the present disclosure uses an ASR recovery system 10 to efficiently recover ASR and an ASR sorting system 20 to highly accurately separate ASR.

[0017] <Explanation of ASR Recovery System 10> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an ASR recovery system 10 among the separation systems according to the present disclosure. The ASR recovery system 10 is a system that separates and recovers crushed material generated by crushing scrapped vehicles into useful metals and ASR containing organic components such as hardened plastics. The ASR recovery system 10 can increase the organic component content in the ASR (e.g., to 70% or more) by adjusting the suction force of a suction device that sucks in the crushed material and the wind power of a blower that blows up the crushed material. In other words, the ASR recovery system 10 can accurately separate and recover crushed material generated by crushing vehicles. Specific details are provided below.

[0018] In the sorting system according to the present disclosure, major parts such as the engine, transmission, catalyst, tires, battery, oil, fuel, chlorofluorocarbons, and airbags are first removed from a vehicle to be scrapped. The vehicle from which the major parts have been removed is pressed and then crushed to a predetermined size S1 or less by a pre-shredder (not shown). Crushed material 50 of the predetermined size S1 or less is transported by a belt conveyor 101 and fed into an inlet 102 of the ASR recovery system 10. The crushed material 50 fed into the inlet 102 is fed into a crushing chamber 105 via an upper feed roller 103 and a lower feed roller 104. In the crushing chamber 105, the crushed material 50 is further crushed into smaller pieces by hammers 106 attached to the outer periphery of a rotating rotor.

[0019] A sieve 108 that allows crushed materials of a predetermined size S2 or less, which is smaller than the predetermined size S1, to pass through is attached to the upper part of the crushing chamber 105. A sieve 107 that allows crushed materials of a predetermined size S3 or less, which is smaller than the predetermined size S1, to pass through is attached to the lower part of the crushing chamber 105. The predetermined sizes S2 and S3 are determined according to the specifications and may be the same or different.

[0020] Of the sieves 107 and 108, only the sieve 108 may be provided, and the sieve 107 may not be provided. In other words, the discharge path of the crushed material from the crushing chamber 105 may be only the path via the sieve 108. However, by providing the sieve 107, the number of discharge paths of the crushed material from the crushing chamber 105 increases and the discharge efficiency increases, so the crushing processing capacity of the crushed material 50 in the crushing chamber 105 increases.

[0021] The first suction device 109 sucks the crushed material 50, which has been finely crushed by the hammers 106 in the crushing chamber 105, through the sieve 108 from a suction port 110 provided above the sieve 108. The first suction device 109 then collects the crushed material 50 in the crushing chamber 105 that has passed through the sieve 108 as crushed residue (first crushed residue) 50a.

[0022] The tray 111 is installed below the sieve 107. Of the crushed materials 50 in the crushing chamber 105 that were not collected by the first suction device 109, the tray 111 receives, as crushed materials 50b, those that passed through the sieve 107. The tray 111 also receives, as crushed materials 50b, crushed materials that were sucked by the first suction device 109 and passed through the sieve 108 but were too heavy and fell before reaching the suction port 110. The crushed materials 50b received by the tray 111 are transported by the belt conveyor 112 and fed into an inlet 114 provided above the sorting chamber 113.

[0023] The sorting chamber 113 is a cylindrical transport path for transporting the crushed material 50b from an inlet 114 provided at the top to an outlet 115 provided at the bottom. An outlet 116 is provided at the top of the sorting chamber 113, separate from the outlet 115 provided at the bottom of the sorting chamber 113. The outlet 116 also serves as a suction port for a second suction device 118. Therefore, hereinafter, the outlet 116 will also be referred to as the suction port 116.

[0024] A blower 117 is installed below and outside the sorting chamber 113. The blower 117 blows air from outside the sorting chamber 113 onto the crushed materials 50b inside the sorting chamber 113 via the exhaust port 115. A separate vent for passing the air from the blower 117 may be provided at the bottom of the sorting chamber 113. In this case, the blower 117 blows air from outside the sorting chamber 113 onto the crushed materials 50b inside the sorting chamber 113 via the vent.

[0025] The second suction device 118 sucks, through the suction port 116, crushed materials 50b in the sorting chamber 113 that have been blown up by the airflow from the blower 117, and collects them as crushed residue (second crushed residue) 50c. Crushed materials 50b in the sorting chamber 113 that have not been collected by the second suction device 118 are discharged from the discharge port 115 as recovered material 80. The recovered material 80 is mainly composed of metals (useful metals) and ceramic materials. The recovered material 80 may be further separated into smaller pieces in a process not shown.

[0026] The shredded residue 50a collected by the first suction device 109 and the shredded residue 50c collected by the second suction device 118 are collectively discharged as ASR 60. The ASR 60 is composed of organic components, non-ferrous metals, harnesses, glass, iron, paper, wood, etc. The organic components include hardened plastics (resins), urethane foam, fibers, and rubber. The higher the organic component content in the ASR 60 (i.e., the higher the recovery rate of organic components from the shredded material 50), the higher the efficiency of ASR recycling.

[0027] The ASR recovery system 10 is provided with a control device 15. The control device 15 drives the ASR recovery system 10 and controls the suction force of the first suction device 109, the suction force of the second suction device 118, and the wind power of the blower 117 based on the respective components of the ASR 60 and the recovered material 80. In this way, the control device 15 can increase the content of organic components in the ASR 60.

[0028] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control device 15. As shown in Fig. 2, the control device 15 includes a drive unit 151, an analysis unit 152, a suction force adjustment unit 153, and a wind force adjustment unit 154.

[0029] The drive unit 151 drives the ASR recovery system 10. As a result, the ASR recovery system 10 separates the crushed material 50 into ASR 60 containing organic components such as hardened plastics and recovered material 80 made of metal and ceramic materials.

[0030] The analysis unit 152 analyzes the components of the ASR 60 recovered by the ASR recovery system 10 and the recovered material 80 other than the ASR 60 recovered by the ASR recovery system 10.

[0031] The suction force adjusting unit 153 adjusts the suction force of each of the first suction device 109 and the second suction device 118 based on the analysis result by the analyzing unit 152. The air force adjusting unit 154 adjusts the air force of the blower 117 based on the analysis result by the analyzing unit 152.

[0032] For example, when the content of a predetermined metal (a metal that should be contained in the recovered material 80) in the ASR 60 is equal to or greater than a predetermined percentage, the suction force adjustment unit 153 weakens at least one of the first suction device 109 and the second suction device 118. Alternatively, the wind force adjustment unit 154 weakens the wind force of the blower 117. This suppresses the recovery of the predetermined metal by the first suction device 109 and the second suction device 118.

[0033] Furthermore, for example, when the content of a predetermined organic component (a component that should be contained in ASR 60) in the recovered material 80 is equal to or greater than a predetermined percentage, the suction force adjustment unit 153 increases the force of at least one of the first suction device 109 and the second suction device 118. Alternatively, the air force adjustment unit 154 increases the air force of the blower 117. This promotes the recovery of the predetermined organic component by the first suction device 109 and the second suction device 118.

[0034] There are various ways for the suction force adjustment unit 153 to adjust the suction forces of the first suction device 109 and the second suction device 118, and various ways for the air force adjustment unit 154 to adjust the air force of the blower 117. The control device 15 can improve the content of organic components in the ASR 60 by finely adjusting the suction forces of the first suction device 109 and the second suction device 118 and the air force of the blower 117.

[0035] In this way, the ASR recovery system according to the present disclosure can increase the organic component content in the recovered ASR (for example, to 70% or more) by adjusting the suction force of the suction device that sucks in the crushed material and the wind force of the blower that blows up the crushed material. In other words, the ASR recovery system according to the present disclosure can accurately separate and recover the crushed material generated by crushing vehicles.

[0036] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the early stage of the ASR separation system 20 among the separation systems according to the present disclosure. The ASR separation system 20 is a system that separates the ASR 60 recovered from the crushed material 50 by the ASR recovery system 10 into finer parts.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, the ASR sorting system 20 includes a sieve 201, an air sorter 202, a crusher 203, and an air sorter 204 for the early stage process.

[0038] The sieve 201 separates the ASR 60 recovered from the crushed material 50 in the ASR recovery system 10 into ASR (first ASR) 60a having a particle size less than the first particle size and ASR (second ASR) 60b having a particle size equal to or greater than the first particle size.

[0039] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the sieve 201. FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of the sieve 201. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the sieve 201 is configured by arranging a plurality of comb-like members 2011, each having a plurality of slits 2011a, in a stepped pattern. The sieve 201 vibrates to separate the ASR 60 into ASR 60a that has passed through the slits and ASR 60b that has not. As an example, the slit width is 10 mm and the slit length is 40 mm. Because each slit is 40 mm long, linear objects such as wire harnesses and copper wires are less likely to clog the sieve 201.

[0040] Glass generally breaks down into small pieces through crushing. The slits of the sieve 201 are adjusted to a width (size) small enough to allow glass to pass through. Therefore, the sieve 201 can be said to separate the ASR 60a, which has a high glass content, from the remaining ASR 60b. While the sieve 201 has a sieve 201 ...

[0041] Alternatively, the sieve 201 may be configured to have a variable slit width. In this case, for example, a control device (not shown) may analyze the glass content in the ASR 60a and the glass content in the ASR 60b and adjust the slit width of the sieve 201 based on the analysis results.

[0042] The structure of the sieve 201 is not limited to the structure shown in FIG. 4 and can be modified as appropriate to another structure capable of separating the ASR 60 into ASR 60a having a particle size less than the first particle size and ASR 60b having a particle size equal to or greater than the first particle size. For example, the structure of the sieve 201 may be as shown in FIG. 6 . FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the sieve 201 as sieve 201a. As shown in FIG. 6 , the sieve 201a has a plurality of mesh-like holes and is cylindrical. The cylindrical sieve 201a rotates to separate the ASR 60 introduced into the upper inlet 2012 into ASR 60a that has passed through the slits and ASR 60b that has not passed through the slits and is discharged from the lower outlet 2013.

[0043] The wind separator 202 blows air onto the ASR 60a having a particle size smaller than the first particle size, separating the ASR 60a into ASR 60c, which is a light material blown up by the wind, and the remaining ASR 60d. The light ASR 60c blown up by the wind is, for example, fiber dust. The fiber dust is solidified and used as fuel in electric furnaces or as a reducing agent in blast furnaces.

[0044] The crusher 203 crushes the ASR 60b having a particle size equal to or larger than the first particle size, for example, to a particle size smaller than the first particle size, using hammers or the like attached to the outer periphery of a rotating rotor. In addition to crushing, magnetic separation (separation by magnetic force), aluminum separation, and the like may also be performed here.

[0045] The wind sorter 204 blows air onto the ASR 60b crushed by the crusher 203, separating the ASR 60b into ASR 60e, a light material blown up by the wind, and the remaining ASR 60f. The light ASR 60e blown up by the wind is, for example, urethane or fiber dust. The urethane or fiber dust is solidified and used as fuel for an electric furnace or as a reducing agent for a blast furnace. Note that after the crushing by the crusher 203 and the separation of the crushed material by the wind sorter 204, further crushing by a crusher (not shown) and separation of the crushed material by a sorter (not shown) may be performed. In other words, the crushing and separation of the ASR 60b may be performed in two stages. This reduces the burden on the crusher 203.

[0046] ASR 60d and ASR 60f are further separated in the next step in ASR separation system 20.

[0047] Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the intermediate process of the ASR separation system 20. As shown in Fig. 7, the ASR separation system 20 includes a sieve 205, a dry specific gravity separator 206, a magnetic separator 207, an aluminum separator 208, a sieve 209, and a dry specific gravity separator 210 for the intermediate process.

[0048] The sieve 205 separates the ASR 60a, which has a particle size less than the first particle size and has a high glass content, into ASR 60g, which has a particle size less than the second particle size, and ASR 60h, which has a particle size equal to or greater than the second particle size. Note that the second particle size and the first particle size are approximately equal, but this is not limiting, and the second particle size and the first particle size may be different to the extent that the second particle size is not too large and causes clogging of the crushed material in subsequent processes or makes the separation by the sieve 205 meaningless.

[0049] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a sieve 205. As shown in FIG. 8, the sieve 205 has a plurality of slits and is formed in a plate shape. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a sorter 25 equipped with the sieve 205. The sorter 25 vibrates the plate-shaped sieve 205 to separate the ASR 60d introduced into an inlet 252 into ASR 60g that has passed through the slits and ASR 60h that has not passed through the slits, and discharges the ASR 60g and ASR 60h from outlets 253 and 254, respectively. The slits of the sieve 205 may be adjusted to a width that allows glass to pass easily and prevents components other than glass from passing through.

[0050] Alternatively, the sieve 205 may be configured to have a variable slit width. In this case, for example, a control device (not shown) may analyze the glass content in the ASR 60g and the glass content in the ASR 60h and adjust the slit width of the sieve 205 based on the analysis results.

[0051] By the separation process using sieves 201 and 205, most of the glass contained in ASR 60 (ideally, all of the glass contained in ASR 60) collected in ASR recovery system 10 is separated as ASR 60g. This prevents the glass from damaging or breaking down the separating equipment in the subsequent process.

[0052] The dry gravity separator 206 separates 60 g of ASR having a particle size less than the second particle size that is placed on the tray into ASR 60i having a light specific gravity and ASR 60j having a heavy specific gravity, for example by vibrating the tray. The light ASR 60i is glass scrap. Glass scrap is used, for example, as a raw material for cement or as fuel for cement production. The heavy ASR 60j is, for example, gold and silver slag.

[0053] The magnetic separator 207 removes metals such as iron that are attracted to a magnet from the ASR 60h having a particle size equal to or larger than the second particle size but smaller than the first particle size. The aluminum separator 208 uses an AC magnetic field generated by rotating a permanent magnet at high speed to separate the magnetically separated ASR 60h into aluminum 60k and the other ASR 60m.

[0054] Sieve 209 separates ASR60f, which has a particle size less than the first particle size and has a low glass content, into ASR60n, which has a particle size less than the third particle size, and ASR60p, which has a particle size equal to or greater than the third particle size. Note that the third particle size is smaller than the first particle size, but is not limited to this. The third particle size may be the same as or larger than the first particle size, as long as the third particle size is not so large that it clogs the crushed material in subsequent processes or makes the separation by sieve 209 meaningless. The structure of sieve 209 is similar to that of sieve 205, except for the width of the slits.

[0055] The dry gravity separator 210 separates the ASR 60n, which has a particle size less than the third particle size, placed on the tray into ASR 60q, which has a low specific gravity, and ASR 60r, which has a high specific gravity, for example, by vibrating the tray. The ASR 60q, which has a low specific gravity, is, for example, resin dust (hardened plastic). The resin dust is primarily composed of PP (polypropylene) and PE (polyethylene) and is used for pallets, building materials, etc. The ASR 60r, which has a high specific gravity, is, for example, gold and silver slag.

[0056] The ASR 60m and ASR 60p are further separated into smaller pieces in the next process in the ASR separation system 20. Here, the ASR 60m and ASR 60p are grouped together because they are of similar sizes due to the use of the crusher 203. In other words, in the later process of the ASR separation system 20, the separation process for the two types of ASR 60m and ASR 60p is performed using a common separation device, which enables cost reduction.

[0057] Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the later process of the ASR separation system 20. As shown in Fig. 10, the ASR separation system 20 includes an optical sorter 211, an optical sorter 212, a crusher 213, a dry specific gravity separator 214, a circular sieve 215, and a wet float-sink separator (float-sink separator) 216 for the later process.

[0058] The optical sorter 211 separates the ASR 70, which is a collection of the ASR 60m and the ASR 60p, into metal 70a and non-metal 70b.

[0059] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical sorter 211. As shown in FIG. 11 , the optical sorter 211 uses the metal sensor 2112 to determine whether the ASR 70 transported by a belt conveyor 2111 to the vicinity of the metal sensor 2112 is metallic or non-metallic. The optical sorter 211 then blows air from the air nozzle 2113 onto the ASR 70 at a force corresponding to the determination result by the metal sensor 2112. For example, if the ASR 70 is metallic, the optical sorter 211 blows air from the air nozzle 2113 onto the metallic ASR 70, thereby flying the ASR 70 away. If the ASR 70 is non-metallic, the optical sorter 211 does not blow air from the air nozzle 2113 onto the non-metallic ASR 70, thereby dropping the ASR 70 nearby. As a result, the ASR 70 is separated into either metal 70a or non-metal 70b.

[0060] The optical sorter 212 separates the metals 70a separated by the optical sorter 211 into uncrushable dust 70c and non-ferrous metals 70d. The uncrushable dust 70c is solidified and used as fuel for electric furnaces or as a reducing agent for blast furnaces. The non-ferrous metals 70d are specifically copper.

[0061] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical sorter 212. As shown in FIG. 12, the optical sorter 212 uses a metal sensor 2122 to determine whether a metal 70a transported to the vicinity of a metal sensor 2112 by a belt conveyor 2121 is uncrushable dust 70c or a non-ferrous metal 70d. Furthermore, the optical sorter 212 determines the type of non-ferrous metal 70d based on the color of the metal 70a obtained from an image captured by a camera 2123. For example, if the color of the metal 70a is red, the optical sorter 212 determines that the metal 70a is copper. The optical sorter 212 then blows air from an air nozzle 2124 onto the metal 70a at a force appropriate to the determination result by the metal sensor 2122 and the analysis result of the image captured by the camera 2123. As a result, the metal 70a is separated into either uncrushable dust 70c or a non-ferrous metal 70d.

[0062] The crusher 213 further crushes the non-ferrous metals 70d into smaller pieces using cutters or the like attached to the outer periphery of the rotating rotor. As a result, for example, a wire harness contained in the non-ferrous metals 70d is separated into metal (copper) and coating material. The dry specific gravity separator 214 separates the non-ferrous metals 70d crushed by the crusher 213 into non-ferrous metals 70f, which are copper with a high specific gravity, and residue 70e, which has a low specific gravity. After solidifying, the residue 70e is used as fuel for electric furnaces or as a reducing agent for blast furnaces. The circular sieve 215 separates the non-ferrous metals 70f into copper whisker wires 70g and copper 70h.

[0063] The wet sink-float separator 216 separates non-metallic materials 70b that have been placed in a liquid such as water into non-metallic materials 70i that sink in the liquid and non-metallic materials 70j that float on the liquid. The non-metallic materials 70i that sink in the liquid are, for example, sink resin. Sink resin is used, for example, as fuel for sludge incineration. The non-metallic materials 70j that float on the liquid are, for example, froth resin. Froth resin is primarily composed of PP, PE, or the like, and is used for pallets, building materials, and the like.

[0064] Fig. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the wet float-sink separator 216. Fig. 14 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of the wet float-sink separator 216. As shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the wet float-sink separator 216 includes a water tank 2161 containing water, a water supply pipe 2162, and an inlet 2164 for the non-metal 70b.

[0065] The water tank 2161 has a body part in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, and a bottom part that tapers toward the tip.

[0066] The water supply pipe 2162 is provided so that its outlet 2163 is located inside (underwater) the water stored in the water tank 2161. In the example of Figures 13 and 14, the water supply pipe 2162 is provided so as to extend in the vertical direction (z-axis direction) along the side of the body of the water tank 2161. The water supply pipe 2162 sprays water from the outlet 2163.

[0067] Of the housing of water tub 2161, portion 2165 facing outlet 2163 of water supply pipe 2162 has an inclined surface that receives the water ejected from outlet 2163 and uses the force of the received water to create an upward current in the water within water tub 2161. In other words, portion 2165 of the housing of water tub 2161 serves as a guide that uses the water ejected from outlet 2163 to create an upward current in the water within water tub 2161. Therefore, hereinafter, portion 2165 of the housing of water tub 2161 will also be referred to as guide 2165. Guide 2165 not only creates an upward current, but also serves to prevent non-metallic material 70b from accumulating in the water.

[0068] A first outlet 2166 is provided on a side surface of the body of water tank 2161. More specifically, first outlet 2166 is provided on a side surface of the body of water tank 2161 that is located near the water surface in water tank 2161. More specifically, a portion of the opening of first outlet 2166 is located below the water surface. As a result, non-metallic elements 70b that have been introduced into water tank 2161 from inlet 2164 and that have risen to the water surface are discharged from first outlet 2166 together with the water. The water discharged from first outlet 2166 is reused as water to be sprayed from water supply pipe 2162.

[0069] A second discharge outlet 2167 is provided at the tip of the bottom of the water tank 2161. Non-metallic material 70b that has been introduced into the water tank 2161 from the introduction port 2164 and that has sunk to the bottom of the water is discharged from the second discharge outlet 2167.

[0070] The wet float-sink separator 216 discharges, from the first discharge outlet 2166, non-metals 70b that are fed into the water tank 2161 from the feed port 2164, those with a specific gravity lighter than water and those that float to the surface on the rising water current as non-metals 70j, and discharges, from the second discharge outlet 2167, non-metals that are heavy and do not ride the rising water current but sink to the bottom of the water as non-metals 70i.

[0071] The wet float-sink separator 216 shown in Figures 13 and 14 can adjust the floating and sinking of predetermined crushed materials using a water flow, eliminating the need for adjustment using salt water or the like, thereby preventing corrosion of the equipment. Furthermore, this wet float-sink separator 216 can perform wet float-sink separation of non-metallic materials 70b with almost no power consumption, thereby suppressing increases in costs. Furthermore, this wet float-sink separator 216 does not require a large-scale agitator, allowing for miniaturization.

[0072] The ASR separation system 20 may further include a control device (not shown) that controls the wet float-sink separator 216. For example, the control device analyzes the components of the non-metals 70j discharged from the first outlet 2166 and the components of the non-metals 70i discharged from the second outlet 2167, and adjusts the amount of water sprayed per unit time from the outlet 2163 of the water supply pipe 2162 based on the analysis results. This enables the wet float-sink separator 216 to adjust the components of the non-metals 70j discharged from the first outlet 2166 and the components of the non-metals 70i discharged from the second outlet 2167.

[0073] 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a wet float-sink separator 216a as a first modified example of the wet float-sink separator 216. Compared to the wet float-sink separator 216, the wet float-sink separator 216a further includes an agitator water wheel 2168.

[0074] The agitating water wheel 2168 is provided near the water surface. In the example of FIG. 15 , the agitating water wheel 2168 is provided so that its rotation axis, which extends horizontally (in the x-axis direction), is located below the water surface and a portion of its outer periphery is in contact with the water surface. The agitating water wheel 2168 agitates the water surface of the water tank 2161 by rotating. For example, the agitating water wheel 2168 rotates in the opposite direction to the first outlet 2166 so as to agitate the water surface. In the example of FIG. 15 , the agitating water wheel 2168 rotates clockwise when viewed in the negative x-axis direction. This, for example, removes air bubbles adhering to the crushed material (non-metal 70b) or separates lighter crushed material adhering to heavier crushed material. As a result, crushed material that should not normally float to the surface sinks as intended, or crushed material that should not normally sink floats to the surface as intended. This allows the wet float-sink separator 216a to perform float-sink separation with higher accuracy.

[0075] The ASR separation system 20 may further include a control device (not shown) that controls the wet float-sink separator 216a. For example, the control device may analyze the components of the non-metals 70j discharged from the first outlet 2166 and the components of the non-metals 70i discharged from the second outlet 2167, and adjust the amount of water sprayed per unit time from the outlet 2163 of the water supply pipe 2162 based on the analysis results. Alternatively, the control device may adjust the rotation rate of the agitator water wheel 2168 based on the analysis results. This enables the wet float-sink separator 216a to adjust the components of the non-metals 70j discharged from the first outlet 2166 and the components of the non-metals 70i discharged from the second outlet 2167.

[0076] 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a wet float-sink separator 216b as a second modified example of the wet float-sink separator 216. Compared to the wet float-sink separator 216a, the wet float-sink separator 216b further includes a guide 2169. That is, instead of using part of the housing of the water tank 2161 as a guide, the wet float-sink separator 216b uses the guide 2169, which is an accessory.

[0077] Guide 2169 is provided below outlet 2163 of water supply pipe 2162 in water tank 2161. Guide 2169 receives the water sprayed out from outlet 2163 of water supply pipe 2162 and uses the force of the received water to create an upward current of water in the water tank. For example, guide 2169 is formed in a downwardly convex arc shape so that it receives water sprayed out from outlet 2163 of water supply pipe 2162 at one end and causes the water to rise at the other end.

[0078] The wet float-sink separator 216b can achieve the same effect as the wet float-sink separator 216a.

[0079] The ASR separation system 20 may further include a control device (not shown) that controls the wet float-sink separator 216b. For example, the control device may analyze the components of the non-metals 70j discharged from the first outlet 2166 and the components of the non-metals 70i discharged from the second outlet 2167, and adjust the amount of water sprayed per unit time from the outlet 2163 of the water supply pipe 2162 based on the analysis results. Alternatively, the control device may adjust the rotation rate of the agitator water wheel 2168 based on the analysis results. Alternatively, the control device may adjust the angle of the guide 2169 based on the analysis results. This enables the wet float-sink separator 216b to adjust the components of the non-metals 70j discharged from the first outlet 2166 and the components of the non-metals 70i discharged from the second outlet 2167.

[0080] In this manner, in the separation system according to the present disclosure, the ASR recovery system 10 can improve the recovery rate of organic components contained in ASR by using the blower and the second suction device to further recover organic components such as hardened plastics that could not be recovered by the first suction device alone. In other words, the ASR recovery system 10 can accurately separate and recover the crushed material generated by crushing vehicles.

[0081] Furthermore, in the sorting system according to the present disclosure, the ASR sorting system 20 can finely separate and recover ASR recovered from crushed material generated by crushing a vehicle. Here, the ASR sorting system 20 uses a sieve to remove glass from the ASR recovered from the crushed material before performing a sorting process, thereby preventing breakdown of the sorting device due to glass. Furthermore, the ASR sorting system 20 crushes the larger-sized ASR from the ASR separated into two particle sizes, thereby enabling the separation process for each of the two types of ASR to be performed using a common sorting device. This suppresses increases in costs. Furthermore, the ASR sorting system 20 performs dry specific gravity separation on the ASR from which glass has been recovered to recover hardened plastics. In other words, the ASR sorting system 20 can finely separate and recover ASR.

[0082] Furthermore, in the ASR separation system 20, the wet float-sink separator 216 can adjust the floating and sinking of certain crushed materials using a water flow, eliminating the need for adjustment using salt water or the like, thereby preventing corrosion of the equipment. Furthermore, the wet float-sink separator 216 can perform wet float-sink separation of ASR with almost no power consumption, thereby suppressing increases in costs. Furthermore, the wet float-sink separator 216 does not require a large-scale agitator, making it possible to achieve a compact size.

[0083] In addition, in the present disclosure, part or all of the processing of the sorting system can be realized by causing a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a computer program.

[0084] The above-described program includes a set of instructions (or software code) that, when loaded into a computer, causes the computer to perform one or more functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media or tangible storage media include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drives (SSDs) or other memory technologies, CD-ROMs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), Blu-ray discs or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tapes, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices. The program may also be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or a communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, transitory computer-readable media or communication media include electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals.

[0085] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate.

[0086] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-146504, filed September 8, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0087] 10 ASR recovery system 15 Control device 20 ASR sorting system 25 Sorter 50 Crushed material 60 ASR 70 ASR 101 Belt conveyor 102 Inlet 103 Upper feed roller 104 Lower feed roller 105 Crushing chamber 106 Hammer 107 Sieve 108 Sieve 109 First suction device 110 Suction port 111 Tray 112 Belt conveyor 113 Sorting chamber 114 Inlet 115 Discharge port 116 Discharge port (suction port of second suction device) 117 Blower 118 Second suction device 151 Drive unit 152 Analysis unit 153 Suction force adjustment unit 154 Wind force adjustment unit 201 Sieve 202 Wind power sorter 203 Crusher 204 Air sorter 205 Sieve 206 Dry specific gravity separator 207 Magnetic separator 208 Aluminum separator 209 Sieve 210 Dry specific gravity separator 211 Optical separator 212 Optical separator 213 Crusher 214 Dry specific gravity separator 215 Circular sieve 216 Wet float-sink separator 252 Inlet 253 Discharge outlet 254 Discharge outlet 2011 Member 2012 Inlet 2013 Discharge outlet 2111 Belt conveyor 2112 Metal sensor 2113 Air nozzle 2121 Belt conveyor 2122 Metal sensor 2123 Camera 2124 Air nozzle 2161 Water tank 2162 Water supply pipe 2163 Spout 2164 Inlet 2165 Guide 2166 First discharge port 2167 Second discharge port 2168 Stirring water wheel 2169 Guide

Claims

1. A sorting system for sorting ASR (Automobile Shredder Residue) recovered from crushed material generated by crushing a vehicle, comprising: a first sieve for sorting the ASR into a first ASR, which is the ASR having a particle size less than a first particle size, and a second ASR, which is the ASR having a particle size equal to or greater than the first particle size; a first dry specific gravity separation device for performing dry specific gravity separation on the first ASR to recover glass; a crushing device for crushing the second ASR; and a separation device for separating at least metals and organic components from the first ASR from which the glass has been recovered and the second ASR crushed by the crushing device.

2. The sorting system according to claim 1, wherein the crushing device crushes the second ASR to a particle size corresponding to the first ASR.

3. The sorting system according to claim 1, wherein the first sieve has a plurality of slits formed therein.

4. The sorting system according to claim 3, wherein the width of the slits in the first sieve is 10 mm or less.

5. The separation system described in claim 1, further comprising a second sieve that separates the first ASR into two different particle sizes, and the first dry specific gravity separation device performs dry specific gravity separation on the first ASR with the smaller particle size of the two different particle sizes of the first ASR separated by the second sieve.

6. A sorting method using a sorting system for sorting ASR (Automobile Shredder Residue) recovered from crushed material generated by crushing a vehicle, comprising: using a first sieve to separate the ASR into a first ASR, which is the ASR having a particle size less than a first particle size, and a second ASR, which is the ASR having a particle size equal to or greater than the first particle size; performing dry specific gravity separation on the first ASR to recover glass; crushing the second ASR; and separating at least metals and organic components from the first ASR from which the glass has been recovered and the crushed second ASR.

7. A control program that causes a computer to execute a separation process in a separation system that separates ASR (Automobile Shredder Residue) recovered from crushed material generated by crushing a vehicle, the control program causing a computer to execute the following processes: a process of using a first sieve to separate the ASR into a first ASR, which is the ASR having a particle size less than a first particle size, and a second ASR, which is the ASR having a particle size equal to or greater than the first particle size; a process of performing dry specific gravity separation on the first ASR to recover glass; a process of crushing the second ASR; and a process of separating at least metals and organic components from the first ASR from which the glass has been recovered and the crushed second ASR.

Images