Separating Glass and Plastic Layers via Electromagnetic Evaporation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for separating glass and plastic layers in composite elements, such as laminated glass or photovoltaic modules, result in contamination due to residual plastic impurities, making high-quality glass recycling impossible.
Innovation Solution
A method using a high-frequency electromagnetic field to thermally evaporate the plastic layers without mechanical or chemical comminution, utilizing the dielectric loss factor to convert electromagnetic energy into heat and vaporize the plastic, allowing for residue-free separation of glass components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If purely mechanical separation is used to separate glass and plastic layers, then the separation process is simple and fast, but plastic residues remain on the glass particles contaminating the recycled glass
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical separation system (toothed rollers, brushes, comminution devices) with an electromagnetic field-based system. High-frequency electromagnetic fields are applied to the disc-shaped composite elements to heat and evaporate the plastic layer, causing it to detach from the glass layers without mechanical contact. This substitution eliminates mechanical contamination while achieving complete separation, resolving the contradiction between separation speed and glass purity.
2Productivity
If mechanical comminution is applied to separate glass and plastic, then the separation process is efficient, but the large surface area of broken glass fragments leads to significant accumulation of residual impurities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the plastic layer from the composite element by applying high-frequency electromagnetic fields that selectively heat and evaporate the plastic material. The plastic is removed in its original layer form before any glass breaking occurs, preventing contamination of glass surfaces. This extraction approach eliminates the harmful effect of impurity accumulation on large glass surface areas while maintaining separation efficiency.
3Manufacturing precision
If chemical treatment is combined with mechanical comminution for separation, then some plastic is removed, but chemical residues contaminate the glass material making high-quality recycling impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical treatment methods with an electromagnetic field-based thermal evaporation process. High-frequency electromagnetic fields directly heat the plastic layer through dielectric heating, causing it to evaporate and detach from the glass layers. This physical process eliminates the need for chemical agents, preventing chemical residue contamination while achieving complete plastic removal, thus enabling high-quality glass recycling.
4Ease of operation
If the glass layers are broken before separation, then the plastic can be mechanically detached, but the resulting glass shards and splinters are difficult to clean and contaminate the recycled material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional sequence by separating the plastic layer from the intact glass layers before any mechanical breaking occurs. High-frequency electromagnetic fields are applied to the intact disc-shaped elements to evaporate and remove the plastic layer while the glass layers remain whole and uncontaminated. Only after clean separation does the glass get broken into recyclable granules, ensuring minimal contamination and easy cleaning.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables clean separation of glass layers with minimal impurities, facilitating high-quality glass recycling by preventing plastic residues from adhering to the glass surfaces and allowing easy removal of any remaining contaminants.
Implementation Method 1
The high-frequency electromagnetic field is selected with regard to its frequency and energy density in such a way that energy carried by this high-frequency electromagnetic field is absorbed in a plastic layer of the disc-shaped element and converted into heat
Implementation Method 2
heating and evaporating the plastic in this layer
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
A method for separating layers of glass (1) and plastic (2) connected in disc-shaped elements is characterized in that a high-frequency electromagnetic field (HF) is radiated in the direction of the disc-shaped element by means of a strip-, rod-, or bar-shaped electrode (5) arranged opposite a glass surface of a disc-shaped element with connected layers of glass (1) and plastic (2) to be separated, and in that the electrode (5) and the disc-shaped element are moved relative to one another in a direction of travel (V) in such a way that the surface of a flat side of the disc-shaped element is swept over by the high-frequency electromagnetic field in the direction of travel (V) during the relative movement between the electrode (5) and the disc-shaped element, wherein the high-frequency electromagnetic field is selected with regard to frequency and energy density such thatthat energy carried by the high-frequency electromagnetic field is converted into heat in a plastic layer (2) of the disc-shaped element and heats and evaporates the plastic in this layer.