Patent ID: 8618432

Claim:
A material separation apparatus, comprising: a conveyor including a conveyor belt configured to move both fiber paper materials and plastic materials up the conveyor, wherein the fiber paper materials and the plastic materials comprise substantially whole non-shredded pieces of material that are intermingled together on the conveyer belt; a first electrostatic emitter configured to apply a first charge to both the fiber paper materials and the plastic materials while the fiber paper materials and plastic materials are moving on the conveyor belt, wherein an amount of the first charge applied to the plastic materials is greater than an electrostatic charge applied to the fiber paper materials and having a same polarity as the first charge; a second electrostatic emitter configured to apply a second charge to the conveyor belt, wherein the second charge is opposite to the first charge and causes the fiber paper materials and the plastic materials to cling to the conveyor belt; and a control device configured to control a speed of the conveyor, wherein the amount of the first charge causes at least some of the plastic materials transported on the conveyor to remain at least partially clinging to the conveyor belt while being carried over an end of the conveyor so that the plastic materials drop down relatively close to the conveyor in a first material stream, and wherein the fiber paper materials, having a smaller electrostatic charge than that of the plastic materials, cling less to the conveyor belt than the plastic materials and are launched substantially further out from the conveyor than the plastic materials, due to a combination of the speed of the conveyor and the smaller electrostatic charge, in a second material stream.