Patent ID: 7119298

Claim:
An electrostatic separation method of separating a powdered material containing a conductive component and an insulating component into the conductive component and the insulating component by an electrostatic force, comprising: applying a voltage across a bottom electrode of a substantially flat-plate shape that is formed by a gas dispersing plate having air permeability and a mesh electrode of a substantially flat-plate shape, the mesh electrode being provided above the bottom electrode and having a number of openings; generating a direct current electric field between one of the bottom electrode and the mesh electrode as a positive electrode and the other electrode as a negative electrode, to form a separation zone by an electrostatic force; introducing a dispersing gas that is pre-dehumidified into the separation zone from underside of the gas dispersing plate; feeding the material from one side of the separation zone to an upper end portion of the bottom electrode with the bottom electrode and the mesh electrode inclined, causing the conductive component in the material fed into the separation zone to move through the openings of the mesh electrode to be separated above the separation zone, and recovering remaining insulating particles from a lower end portion of the bottom electrode at the other side of the separation zone.