TITECH at Entsorga 2009: hidden treasures – copper cables and PET flakes

Published: 27/10/2009
Category: Events

Metallic waste mixtures and high-quality secondary raw materials still contain fractions which are difficult to sort. At the Entsorga 2009 (Halle 06.1, Stand B056/C059), TITECH is presenting revolutionary system solutions for two of these materials. Previously unachievable quality of copper cables and synthetic flakes can now be generated using a combination of various sensor signals. The recycling of refined secondary raw materials offers new marketing possibilities.

Many metallic waste streams, e.g. electronic waste and car recycling, contain copper cables and small free copper fractions, as valuable components. However, it is not possible to detect these materials using conventional sorting technology and until now, the loss of valuable copper (cable) fractions was accepted. Now TITECH has developed a sensor-supported sorting system which guarantees high purity monofractions of copper concentrates and cables – in the quality expected by cable recyclers and secondary copper smelters.

At the Entsorga, TITECH is presenting a sorting solution which unites two technologies:
The new generation of the TITECH finder recognizes fine metal components with a high-sensitivity electromagnetic sensor (EM) and identifies the isolating polymer layer of PVC, PP, PE or rubber with an additional high-resolution near-infrared sensor (NIR). Through simultaneous assessment of both sensor signals, insulated copper cables can be clearly determined and localized. The developed sensor technology and SUPPIXX® calculation method detects even the smallest copper parts.

Secondary synthetic materials of inferior quality are generally used in carpet, textile and foil production, because the production of new plastic bottles, for example from PET flakes, requires a fraction of extremely high purity. Only the very best quality can be used for the so-called bottle-to-bottle process, and this is therefore marketed at many times the price of mixed plastics. The challenge is to achieve refined output which is almost free of discoloration and impurities; this includes e.g. other plastics from caps. It is necessary to simultaneously test the PET bottles crushed into flakes grain size 3 to 12 mm for color and material type. Standard technology cannot do this reliably and effectively for objects smaller than 15 mm.

At the Entsorga, TITECH is presenting an innovative system solution for this task. The new TITECH autosort is equipped with two especially high-resolution sensors. Information which is supplied by the visible and the near-infrared areas (NIR) simultaneously determines the color and type of material of fine materials. A shorter distance between measurement and discharge as well as a narrow valve grid ensure reliable separation of foreign materials. The generated pure fractions thus fulfill the high quality requirements for PET bottle production.

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