Examination of Real-Time Observation Method of Plastic Fall Distribution to Rase the Recovery Rate of Electrostatic Separation

Abstract

Electrostatic separation, which is a step used in plastic sorting, is a sorting method that utilizes the difference in charge polarity as generated when different types of plastic are rub together or touch each other. In the electrostatic separation, the charged state of plastic fluctuates according to various conditions such as the temperature and humidity, the magnitude of the applied voltage, and the input material composition ratio, which affects recovery rate. In this work, we investigated the method to observe the fall distribution of triboelectric plastics in real time. As a method, the state of the plastic falling was photographed with high-speed camera, and the fall distribution was quantified by image processing. As a result of the experiment, we clarified that the fall distribution created by image processing has a high accuracy of 1.5 pt compared to the actual measurement. By applying this method to electrostatic separation, we expect to rase recovery rate.