Sorting Systems of Automobile Shredder Residue to Enhance Recovery of Recyclable Materials

Abstract

Systems and methods for increasing recyclable material recovery from automobile shredder residue ( 4 ). Embodiments include separation of automobile shredder residue with a sorting system ( 5 ) such as an air sorting system, a non-ferrous automobile shredder residue air sorter, an air-locked automobile shredder residue sorting system, a non-magnetic magnetic sorter, a substantially isotropic quantization sorting system, an air-locked Z-box air classifier, low susceptance microparticle separator, a magnetic fuzz separator, a wind tunnel system, or the like perhaps with substantially horizontal laminar air flow ( 7 ) and can be used with or without out other traditional automobile shredder residue sorting systems ( 16 ) or ( 15 ) perhaps creating additional recyclable quantities and even better separated results such as with zorba and zurik and the like.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 - 261 . (canceled) 
     
     
         262 . A method of separation of automobile shredder residue comprising the steps of:
 providing automobile shredder residue as a result from a ferrous sorting recovery system;   introducing said automobile shredder residue into an automobile shredder residue sorting, non-ferrous separator; and   non-magnetically sorting magnetic fuzz from said automobile shredder residue with said automobile shredder residue sorting, non-ferrous separator;   wherein said sorted magnetic fuzz is substantially free of recyclable materials.   
     
     
         263 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 262  wherein said step of non-magnetically sorting magnetic fuzz from said automobile shredder residue with said automobile shredder residue sorting, non-ferrous separator comprises the step of substantially sorting selected magnetic fuzz from automobile shredder residue. 
     
     
         264 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 262  and further comprising the steps of: separately collecting said magnetic fuzz from said automobile shredder residue as a result of said non-magnetically sorting with said automobile shredder residue sorting, non-ferrous separator; and separately collecting at least two collections of sorted materials, at least one of which consists of substantially magnetic fuzz free materials. 
     
     
         265 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 262  and further comprising the step of separately collecting sorted materials selected from a group consisting of:
 separately collecting at least two collections of sorted materials, 
 separately collecting at least three collections of sorted materials; and 
 separately collecting at least four collections of sorted materials. 
 
     
     
         266 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 262  wherein said step of non-magnetically sorting magnetic fuzz from said automobile shredder residue comprises the step of separating light magnetic fuzz from said automobile shredder residue. 
     
     
         267 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 262  wherein said automobile shredder residue sorting, non-ferrous separator comprises a wind tunnel. 
     
     
         268 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 262  wherein said step of non-magnetically sorting magnetic fuzz from said automobile shredder residue comprises the step of path directed air sorting said automobile shredder residue. 
     
     
         269 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 264  and further comprising the step of collecting said magnetic fuzz and each of said at least two collections of sorted materials in separate containers. 
     
     
         270 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 264  wherein said substantially magnetic fuzz free materials comprises sorted materials having an amount of magnetic fuzz selected from a group consisting of: less than about 10%, less than about 9%, less than about 8%, less than about 7%, less than about 6%, less than about 5%, less than about 4%, less than about 3%, less than about 2%, and less than about 1% volume of magnetic fuzz. 
     
     
         271 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 263  wherein said step of substantially sorting said selected magnetic fuzz from said automobile shredder residue comprises the step of single stage sorting said selected magnetic fuzz from said automobile shredder residue. 
     
     
         272 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 267  and further comprising the step of providing a substance dwell time in said wind tunnel sorting system selected from a group consisting of a dwell time that is greater than a dwell time of a Z-box air classifier system, about a 1 second dwell time, greater than about 1 second dwell time, about 1.5 second dwell time, and about 2 seconds dwell time. 
     
     
         273 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 267  and further comprising the step of flowing vertical air in said wind tunnel sorting system. 
     
     
         274 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 263  wherein said step of substantially sorting selected magnetic fuzz from automobile shredder residue comprising the step of sorting with an air-locked automobile shredder residue sorting, non-ferrous separator. 
     
     
         275 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 262  wherein said step of non-magnetically sorting magnetic fuzz from said automobile shredder residue with said automobile shredder residue sorting, non-ferrous separator comprises the step of non-magnetically sorting separating low susceptance microparticles from said automobile shredder residue with said automobile shredder residue sorting, non-ferrous separator. 
     
     
         276 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 262  wherein said automobile shredder residue sorting, non-ferrous separator comprises a closed system. 
     
     
         277 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 262  and further comprising the step of providing a cyclone in said automobile shredder residue sorting, non-ferrous separator. 
     
     
         278 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 267  and further comprising the step of flowing horizontal air in said wind tunnel sorting system. 
     
     
         279 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 274  wherein said air-locked automobile shredder residue sorting, non-ferrous separator comprises a closed loop air-locked automobile shredder residue sorting, non-ferrous separator. 
     
     
         280 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 262  wherein said step of introducing said automobile shredder residue into an automobile shredder residue sorting, non-ferrous separator comprises the step of introducing sized automobile shredder residue into said automobile shredder residue sorting, non-ferrous separator. 
     
     
         281 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 280  wherein said sized automobile shredder residue comprises a size selected from a group consisting of less than about 3 inches, less than about 2.5 inches, less than about 1 inch, and less than about ⅞ inch. 
     
     
         282 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 267  and further comprising the step of providing flowing air in said wind tunnel system at a speed between about 30 mph and about 40 mph. 
     
     
         283 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 267  and further comprising the step of providing flowing air in said wind tunnel system at a speed between about 15 mph and about 35 mph. 
     
     
         284 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 268  wherein said step of path directed air sorting said automobile shredder residue comprises the step of horizontal path directed air sorting said automobile shredder residue. 
     
     
         285 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 268  wherein said step of path directed air sorting said automobile shredder residue comprises the step of vertical path directed air sorting said automobile shredder residue. 
     
     
         286 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 268  wherein said step of path directed air sorting said automobile shredder residue comprises the step of providing different air velocities at a material introduction section and at a downstream section. 
     
     
         287 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 268  wherein said step of path directed air sorting said automobile shredder residue comprises the step of reducing air velocity in a downstream section of a wind tunnel. 
     
     
         288 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 268  wherein said step of path directed air sorting said automobile shredder residue comprises the step of providing a downstream air velocity that is less than an air stream velocity at a material introduction section. 
     
     
         289 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 268  wherein said step of path directed air sorting said automobile shredder residue comprises horizontal path directed air sorting said automobile shredder residue and vertical path directed air sorting said automobile shredder residue. 
     
     
         290 . The method of separation of automobile shredder residue according to  claim 268  wherein said step of path directed air sorting said automobile shredder residue comprises first providing horizontal path directed air sorting said automobile shredder residue and next providing vertical path directed air sorting said automobile shredder residue. 
     
     
         291 . A method of separation of automobile shredder residue comprising the steps of:
 providing materials that remain in a material stream as a result of equipment that initially removes some ferrous metal from a material stream exiting an automobile shredder;   introducing said materials that remain in said material stream through equipment that receives and separates said materials that remain in said material stream into one or more constituent parts; and   non-magnetically sorting magnetically active disassociated microparticles from said materials that remain in said material stream with said equipment that separates said materials that remains that remain in said material stream into one or more constituent parts;   wherein said sorted magnetically active disassociated microparticles have less than 10 percent by volume materials capable of being processed for salable reuse.   
     
     
         292 . A method of separation of automobile shredder residue comprising the steps of:
 providing materials that remain in a material stream as a result of equipment that initially removes some ferrous metal from a material stream exiting an automobile shredder;   introducing said materials that remain in said material stream through equipment that receives and separates said materials that remain in said material stream into one or more constituent parts; and   non-magnetically sorting magnetically active disassociated microparticles from said materials that remain in said material stream with said equipment that separates said materials that remains that remain in said material stream into one or more constituent parts;   wherein said sorted magnetically active disassociated microparticles have less materials capable of being processed for salable reuse than by magnetically sorting magnetically active disassociated microparticles from said materials that remain in said material stream with said equipment that separates said materials that remain in said material stream into one or more constituent parts.