Tribocharging and electrostatic separation of mixed granular solids in fluidized bed devices

Granular materials, when fluidized by air or other gaseous medium, acquire electrostatic charge by inter-particle and particle-wall collisions. The effectiveness of particle tribocharging achieved with such fluidization process is crucial for establishing the feasibility of electrostatic separation of mixed granular solid wastes in the recycling industry. The present paper aims at a crude evaluation of the effects of the main factors that influence the efficiency of such a tribocharger, in the presence of an electric field orthogonally oriented to the direction of the fluidization air. The experiments were carried out on binary mixtures taking combinations of two of the three polymeric materials in different tests: (a) virgin polyamide, (b) polycarbonate and (c) polyacetal granules. The variables investigated were the duration of the tribocharging process, the level of the high-voltage applied to the electrode and the composition of the mixture. The analysis of the experimental data revealed the effects of each variable on the mass and the charge of the granules collected at the electrodes.