초록 ▼

A separation system includes an air separator that in one embodiment primarily receives Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) containing relatively light MSW recyclable materials such as paper, cardboard, plastic containers, and/or metal containers. The air separator blows the relatively light MSW recyclable

A separation system includes an air separator that in one embodiment primarily receives Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) containing relatively light MSW recyclable materials such as paper, cardboard, plastic containers, and/or metal containers. The air separator blows the relatively light MSW recyclable materials up though a chamber and onto a first conveyer while the other relatively heavy MSW material drops down a chute onto a second conveyer. A separation screen receives the relatively light MSW recyclable materials from the air separator and separates the relatively flat paper and cardboard from the plastic and metal containers.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A separation system for separating recyclable materials from Municipal Solid Waste, comprising: a first separation screen configured to receive Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) including recyclable MSW items and other heavier MSW materials, the recyclable MSW items used for

The invention claimed is: 1. A separation system for separating recyclable materials from Municipal Solid Waste, comprising: a first separation screen configured to receive Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) including recyclable MSW items and other heavier MSW materials, the recyclable MSW items used for making new products that use the same materials as the recyclable items and including non-shredded paper, non-shredded cardboard, non-shredded plastic containers, and non-shredded metal containers, the first separation screen further configured to remove a first group of smaller items from the MSW and carry remaining MSW over a top end; an air separator including an air chamber elongated in an upward diagonal direction and including a first opening at a first end and a second opening at a second opposite end, the remaining MSW dropped into the air chamber through the first opening after the first group of smaller items are removed by the first separation screen, a first conveyor located at least partially within the air chamber and having a conveying direction oriented substantially parallel with the upward diagonal direction of the air chamber, a fan configured to blow the non-shredded paper, non-shredded cardboard, non-shredded plastic containers, and non-shredded metal containers dropped into the first opening in the air chamber in an upward diagonal direction through the air chamber so that the non-shredded paper, non-shredded cardboard, non-shredded plastic containers, and non-shredded metal containers land onto different locations on the first conveyor as the first conveyor conveys the non-shredded paper, non-shredded cardboard, non-shredded plastic containers, and non-shredded metal containers out through the second opening at the opposite end of the air chamber while most of the other heavier MSW drops down from the first end of the air chamber, through a third opening in the air chamber, and onto a second conveyor; and a second separation screen configured to receive the non-shredded paper, non-shredded cardboard, non-shredded plastic containers, and non-shredded metal containers separated from most of the other MSW and conveyed out of the second opening in the air chamber by the first conveyor, the second separation screen including a frame; multiple shafts mounted on the frame; and discs mounted on the shafts that form openings between the discs on adjacent shafts, the discs and openings between the discs sized to cause the non-shredded plastic containers and non-shredded metal containers to drop off of a back end of the second separation screen and cause other non-shredded plastic containers and non-shredded metal containers to fall between the discs in the second separation screen while carrying the non-shredded paper and non-shredded cardboard over a top end of the second separation screen so that the non-shredded paper and non-shredded cardboard are substantially separated from the non-shredded plastic containers and non-shredded metal containers. 2. The separation system according to claim 1 wherein the fan blows most of the recyclable MSW items up over a rotating drum and through the air chamber while the other heavier MSW materials drop vertically downward through the third opening and onto the second conveyor. 3. The separation system according to claim 1 wherein the second separation screen is inclined so that at least some of the plastic and metal containers roll back off a bottom end when the relatively light recyclable MSW materials are dropped by the first conveyer onto the separation screen. 4. The separation system according to claim 1 wherein the second separation screen includes: a first set of compound discs mounted on a first set of shafts having primary discs and smaller secondary discs located on sides of the primary discs; a second set of shafts located in between the first set of shafts; and a second set of compound discs mounted on the second set of shafts also having primary discs and smaller secondary discs located on the sides of the primary discs, the first set of compound discs on the first set of shafts aligned with the second set of compound discs on the second set of shafts such that the first set of compound discs at least partially overlap with the second set of compound discs. 5. The separation system according to claim 4 where the first and second set of compound discs are arranged to form the openings that allow the plastic and metal containers to drop off of the back end of the second separation screen or through the second separation screen while the paper and cardboard are carried up and over a top end of the second separation screen. 6. The separation system according to claim 1 including a bag opener that automatically opens up bags containing the MSW and deposits the MSW onto a conveyor that either directly or indirectly drops the MSW into the first separation screen. 7. The separation system according to claim 5 wherein the bag opener includes: a first cylinder having a first set of fins that protrude from an outside surface and hook a first location on the bags; a second cylinder having a second set of fins that protrude from an outside surface and hook a second location on the bags; and one or more motors that rotate the first and second set of fins in opposite directions and rotate the first cylinder at a slower speed than the second cylinder so that the second set of fins pull the second location of the bag apart from the first location thereby tearing the bag open and allowing the MSW inside the bag to fall out. 8. A method for separating recyclable materials from Municipal Solid Waste, comprising: receiving Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) including recyclable MSW items that are used for making new products that use the same materials as the recyclable items and other heavier MSW materials, the recyclable MSW items including non-shredded paper, non-shredded cardboard, non-shredded plastic containers, and non-shredded metal containers that have different shapes and weights compared with at least some of the other MSW materials; blowing all of the MSW in an upward diagonal direction as the MSW is being dropped into an air chamber so that the non-shredded paper, non-shredded cardboard, non-shredded plastic containers, and non-shredded metal containers are blown in an upward diagonal direction through the air chamber that is parallel with an upward diagonal conveying direction for a first conveyor so that the non-shredded paper, non-shredded cardboard, non-shredded plastic containers, and non-shredded metal containers land onto the first conveyor as the first conveyor conveys the non-shredded paper, non-shredded cardboard, non-shredded plastic containers, and non-shredded metal containers in an upward diagonal direction as the other MSW drops vertically downward onto a second conveyor located in front of the first conveyor; moving the non-shredded paper, non-shredded cardboard, non-shredded plastic containers, and non-shredded metal containers that have been separated from the other MSW from the first conveyor onto a separation screen; and moving the non-shredded paper, non-shredded cardboard, non-shredded plastic containers, and non-shredded metal containers up the separation screen so that the non-shredded plastic containers and non-shredded metal containers drop off of a back end of the separation screen while the non-shredded paper and non-shredded cardboard is carried over a top end of the separation screen substantially separating the non-shredded paper and non-shredded cardboard from the non-shredded plastic containers and non-shredded metal containers. 9. The method according to claim 8 further comprising carrying the MSW over a pre-screen that causes first group of smaller MSW to drop through discs in the pre-screen; dropping the MSW that does not drop through the discs in the pre-screen into the air chamber; and blowing air diagonally up into the MSW as the MSW is being dropped into the air chamber so that the non-shredded paper, non-shredded cardboard, non-shredded plastic containers, and non-shredded metal containers are blown onto the first conveyor while rocks, concrete, food waste, wood and other types of MSW drop vertically downward onto the second conveyor. 10. The method according to claim 9 further comprising blowing diagonally up into the dropped MSW so that food and other non-recyclable residential and/or business waste continues to drop vertically downward onto the second conveyor. 11. The method according to claim 8 including blowing the non-shredded paper, non-shredded cardboard, non-shredded plastic containers, and non-shredded metal containers up over a drum and into the air chamber while at the same time rotating the drum to promote the movement of the non-shredded paper, non-shredded cardboard, non-shredded plastic containers, and non-shredded metal containers up into the air chamber. 12. The method according to claim 8 including: receiving the waste MSW in bags; dropping the bags against a catch mechanism that hooks onto a first portion of the bags and presents the bags to pull fins attached to a cylinder; rotating the cylinder causing the pull fins to hook onto a second portion of the bags spaced from the first portion; further rotating the cylinder causing the pull fins to move away from the catch mechanism pulling apart the first and second portions of the bags a sufficient amount to tear the bags open and cause the waste inside the bags to empty out; dropping at least some of the waste MSW emptied from the bags into the air chamber; and blowing up on the dropped MSW to separate the recyclable MSW items from the other heavier non-recyclable MSW. 13. The method according to claim 8 including: orienting the separation screen at an angle and then rotating discs in the separation screen so that at least some of the non-shredded plastic containers, and non-shredded metal containers dropped onto the separation screen roll backwards off a bottom end of the separation screen; arranging the discs in the separation screen to form openings that cause other non-shredded plastic containers, and non-shredded metal containers drop through the openings while being carried up the separation screen; and arranging the discs so that the recyclable items having the relatively thin and flat shape are carried by the discs over the openings and up and over a top end of the separation screen. 14. The method according to claim 13 including: attaching multiple primary discs and multiple secondary discs on shafts in the separation screen, the secondary discs having a smaller profile than the primary discs; aligning the primary discs and the secondary discs on the shafts in an alternating order where at least some of the primary discs are aligned with secondary discs on adjacent shafts and secondary discs are aligned with primary discs on adjacent shafts such that non-linear gaps are formed between the aligned discs on adjacent shafts and the openings are formed between adjacent discs on the same shafts, the non-linear gaps preventing the relatively thin and flat recyclable items from slipping through the discs on adjacent shafts while being carried up the separation screen while at the same time the openings between adjacent discs on the same shafts cause the recyclable containers to fall down through the openings while being carried up the separation screen. 15. The method according to claim 14 including using the primary discs and the secondary discs to agitate the recyclable items in an up and down motion while carrying the recyclable items up the separation screen.