Patent ID: 7706726

Claim:
A process for separating toner from a toner/carrier mixture, comprising: (a) collecting waste toner containing a carrier; (b) separating the carrier from the waste toner with a separating apparatus, the separating apparatus further comprising a cyclone separator covering a receiving vessel, a pressurized ring attached to the cyclone separator, an annular plenum defined by a tunnel, the tunnel being formed along an inner circumference of the pressurized ring, and a slit formed along an outer circumference of the tunnel, wherein pressurized air from the pressurized ring blows into the annular plenum through the slit to further separate the waste toner from the carrier such that the waste toner continues on a flow path along an inner circumferential of the annular plenum and the carrier continues along an outer circumferential of the annular plenum to exit into the receiving vessel; (c) screening the waste toner in a screening device attached to the separating apparatus to remove extraneous debris to produce screened waste toner; and (d) extruding the screened waste toner by itself and optionally with further raw materials in an extruder apparatus to produce a melt mixed product.