Patent ID: 8552326

Claim:
A method for controlling processing of particulate materials using an electrostatic separation system, the method comprising: processing particulate material in a triboelectric counter-current belt-type electrostatic separation system to recover a first stream that is diluted in at least one component of an incoming feed, and a second stream that is concentrated in at least one component of the incoming feed; determining at least one input variable of the electrostatic separation process and at least one output variable indicative of at least one property of the first stream to be controlled in the electrostatic separation system; on-line measuring at time spaced intervals the at least one output variable from the electrostatic separation system using an on-line analyzer; selecting a target range for the at least one output variable; comparing the measured output variable with the target range to generate an output signal; and automatically adjusting by a control system the at least one input variable in response to a process based at least in part on the output signal.