Crushed fluorescent tube particulate separation and recovery method and apparatus

• Main Author: PERRY; TIMOTHY J
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 14.02.1995
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: ADHESIVES; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMISTRY; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATERTREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT; CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; DYES; ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLIDMATERIALS OR FLUIDS; MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FORELSEWHERE; METALLURGY; MILLING GRAIN; MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS; MISCELLANEOUS COMPOSITIONS; NATURAL RESINS; OTHER SEPARATING BY DRY METHODS APPLICABLE TO BULK MATERIAL,e.g. LOOSE ARTICLES FIT TO BE HANDLED LIKE BULK MATERIAL; PAINTS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POLISHES; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING; SEPARATING SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATICTABLES OR JIGS; SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS; SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATICTABLES OR JIGS; SEPERATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS BY SIEVING, SCREENING, ORSIFTING OR BY USING GAS CURRENTS; SORTING; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; TRANSPORTING

The separation of potentially toxic phosphor compounds from fractured glass particulates derived from crushing used fluorescent light tubes is improved by continuously mixing the fractured glass particulates together in surface contact with each other to abrade the toxic phosphors from the surfaces of the glass particulates followed by separation by air stripping of the small phosphor particles from the fractured glass particulates. The stripping usually is done in a separate stripping chamber. The mixing and abrading may be accomplished in a variety of mixing devices including auger-type apparatus, rotary chambers, fluosolids reactors and others.