MOBILE DEVICE FOR COLLECTING AND PROCESSING PLASTIC CONTAINERS AND/OR A HETEROGENEOUS PLASTIC MATERIAL

Abstract: A suction device (1) is used by the mobile set to automatically hook to the putting-out mouth of the station on the ground, which device lets the containers flow together into a hopper (3) by means of a ventilator (2). The loaded material is broken by a turning breaker (8) and falls into a centrifuge (10) where the liquids are separated from the plastic materials. Subsequently a magnetic end instrument (12) keeps back the metal parts whereas the plastic one is at first grinded by a mill (13) and subsequently arrives in a tank (15) wherein washing and degreasant solutions are contained. At the end of the flotation, the product is then discharges, by means of a valve (17), into a lower tank (16) where, in presence of an agitator, a salt solution is used which lets the light materials float whereas the heavy ones sediment on the bottom. Through a valve (18) the product is at last discharg­ ed into a centrifuge (19). The drainage product gets out from a higher outlet of this centrifuge and is sent by a fan (2) into a pipe (20) and by a deflector (21) to the stockage containers (22 and 23).

Description: The invention refers to a mobile device to be used on a differeniated collecting net of used containers in heterogenous plastic materials and which takes them up and instantaneously empties the ground station, without the presence of a staff and subsequently carries out the treatment with an unbroken processing during the removals in order to recover the materials. The device is used to recover plastic material to be recycled in order to obtain a re-qualified material and allows the integral and rational solution of the problems existing at present. The above named collecting stations can be set in different way in town centres or not, in particular positions such as fuel distributors. At present a device is foreseen which carries out a grinding of the containers on the ground in order to reduce their clearance, the material can then be taken up mechanically and sent to recycling plants. This system is based but on the exigency of reducing the volume of solid urban waste, but its use turns out to be expensive and strongly limiting since it requires a transforming unit on the collecting point, the presence of a staff on the ground for the loading operations and at last the necessity of carrying out the treatment on arrival. All these problems cause a collecting station net on the ground antieconomical and, therefore, not be proposed, are obviated by the present invented mobile device which with only one mobile device removes the waste and subsequently completely automatically recycles the materials. It is also known the unit disclosed in the EP-A-0220936 which consists of a container on a vehicle, a breaker unit and compacting means but this unit is not able to separate liquid and to process plastic material during motion phase. The invented mobile device foresees a suction line 1 which by means of a centrifugal fan 2 catches the containers which arrive into a hopper wherein they accumulate up to the line level 4 which,as soon as reached, cuts the loading flow into the hopper 3 by means of a probe. In addition the mobile arm 5 is foreseen which holds said suction line 1 on a telescopic bridge 6 and which, by means of the same suction line, gives also a dynamic vibrating action which facilitates the container emptying. This system can also allow the mechanically emptying of the station in an automatized way. The mobile arm 5 is driven by the driver of the vehicle 7 from its cabin inside. The containers stored up into the hopper 3 are broken by the breaker 8 with blades fitted on the shaft 9 the motion of which is given by the vehicle drive shaft or by a single diesel engine. The material thus obtained falls into centrifuge 10 which separates the liquids existing inside the containers from the other material. Said liquids are sent to a collecting tank 11 while the solid material falls on the magnetic device 12 which keeps the metal parts which will then be taken away during the cleaning operations actuated at the end of the working day. The remaining plastic material falls into the below blade rolls 13 where it is broken into small pieces and subsequently falls into the underlaying grade 14 and finally into the washing compartment with subsequent tanks 15 and 16. The working time in the station is programmed by means of a timer on the control board. For said washing phases a liquid is foreseen in the first tank 15 to be used also for degreasing besidewashing. This permits to separate the polythene from other polluting materials such as plastic plugs if any. At flotation end the plastic material is discharged, through valve 17, into the lower tank 16 wherein an agitator has been foreseen, and a highly salt solution can be used which lets the light plastic parts to float, whereas the heavy ones sink down on the bottom. By means of valve 18 the material is discharged into a centrifuge 19 which at the outlet, on its higher end, supplies a material dripped from washing and flotation liquids. This material is pneumatically loaded by means of fan 2 through line 20 and deflector 21 into the two containers 22 and 23 equipped with maximum level indicators 24 and 25 which, as soon as the maximum level has been reached, interrupt the loading flow. A special switch board 26 automatically checks the operation sequences of the device and sends drive signals to an oildynamic exchange 27 which distributes oil under pressure to the different points of use (rolls 13, agitator in the tank 16, centrifuge 19, fan 2). In particular the automatic continuous cycle check of the liquid into the tank 16 is performed by a feeder 28 which pump 29 which inlets a particular solution. Furthermore, the separate stocking of the plastic material which are contained into the containers 22 and 23 is foreseen from the reflued liquids which are contained into tank 30. The containers 22 and 23 can be emptied by upsetting them on their hinges 31 by means of pneumatic cylinders 32, while the reflued liquid from the tank 30 are discharged into the treatment and depuration installations foreseen by the City Administrations or by third empowered ones just for this aim. In this way the mobile device carries out the separated discharge of the material concerning the clean plastic material, which is then recycled towards new manufactured products or to combustion, and of the reflued liquids. The mobile device is illustrated in figures of sheets 1, 2 and 3. With reference to these in sheet 1 fig. 1 is lateral view of all the mobile device. In sheet 2 fig. 2 is lateral view of the blade breaker 8. Fig. 3 is transversal view of the same breaker 8. Fig. 4 is view of all the crushing compartment with shaft 9, with below centrifuge 10 separating the liquids contained into the plastic containers and with the magnetic device 12. In sheet 3 fig. 5 is view of the mobile device on vehicle during moving phase. Fig. 6 is scheme of emptying phase of containers (22 and 23).

Claims: Mobile device for collecting and processing plastic containers and/or a heterogeneous plastic material comprising a vehicle, containers (22 and 23) emptied by damping them on hinges (31) by means of pneumatic cylinders (32), a suction line (1) which by a centrifugal fan (2) permits to the sucked plastic containers to arrive to a hopper (3) with line level (4), and with a blade breaker (8) which receives motion by the vehicle drive shaft; characterized in that the material initally broken by the blade breaker (8) fitted on shaft (9) falls into a centrifuge (10) which separates the liquids from the solid material; after this separation said liquids are send to a collecting tank (11) whereas the other material falls on a magnetic device (12) which keeps the metal residues and then only the plastic material falls into the blade rolls (13) fitted below where it is broken into small pieces and arrives in an underlying grate (14) and then into a washing compartment with two tanks (15 and 16): in the first tank (15) washing and degreasing liquids are used so as to remove the plastic material from other polluting products, after the flotation the plastic material is discharged through a valve (17) into the lower tank (16) where a liquid agitator is foreseen and a high salt concentration solution can be used, this enables the light plastic parts to float, whereas the heavy ones sediment on the ground; by means of an additional valve (18) the plastic material is then discharged into a centrifuge (19) equipped with an outlet at its highest end from which the dripped plastic material moves out and it is sent by means of fan (2) and piping (20) equipped with a deflector (21) into the two containers (22 and 23). Mobile device according to claim 1 in that when the sucked containers reach the line level (4) inside the hopper (3) the loading flow is interrupted by means of a control probe equipped with a photocell. Mobile device according to claim 1 in that in order to permit its autopositioning the suction line (1) is supported by a mobile arm (5) on telescopic bridge (6) drived from the vehicle cabin. Mobile device according to claim 1 in that in order to permit the complete outlet of the residual liquids from the plastic containers the mobile arm (5) supplies a dynamic vibration through the suction line (1). Mobile device according to claim 1 in that the metal prats intercepted by the magnetic device (12) are removed at the end of the working day so avoiding to interrupt the working cycle. Mobile device according to claim 1 in that the working times in the two washing tanks (15 and 16) are programmed by means of a timer on the control board of the vehicle. Mobile device according to claim 1 in that the two containers (22 and 23) are equipped with maximum level indicators (24 and 25) which interrupt the loading flow as soon as they have been reached. Mobile device according to claim 1 in that u switchboard (26) automatically checks the operational sequences and sends drive signals to an oildynamic exchange (27) which distributes oil under pressure to the different use points. Mobile device according to claim 1 in that the liquid in the second washing tank (16) is automatically checked by a feeder (28) with pump (29) which inlets a salt solution. Mobile device according to claim 1 in that the separate stocking of the collected plastic material is foreseen inside two containers (22 and 23) whereas the used liquids are stocked in other container (30).

Inventors: GULMINI, CARLO
Applicants: GOVONI SPA
Application year: 1989
Main classification: B03B9
IPC codes: B65F3, B03B9, B29B17