Vibro-electrostatic separation of binary ABS/PS granular mixtures

This paper presents the results of experimental studies of the performance of avibro-electrostatic plastic separator, which essentially consists of two plate electrodes undergoing translational harmonic vibrations along the horizontal plane. The principle behind the separation technique for such a separator is based on the difference between Coulomb forces acting on plastic particles after triboelectric charging. The separator has the advantages of a low-voltage field and a small structure over free-fall triboelectric separators. Separation tests were performed on binary mixtures. The effects of the feed composition of the mixtures and operating parameters, such as electric field strength, applied voltage polarity and triboelectric charging time, on separation efficiency were examined. This study was conducted to understand the effects of various parameters on separation efficiency, in order to obtain the optimum operating conditions for separators.