Decrease of Cl contents in waste plastics using a gas–solid fluidized bed separator

In order to decrease Cl content in waste plastics, dry density float-sink separation of Cl-contained and Cl-free plastics was explored using a semi-continuous rotating-type gas–solid fluidized bed separator with silica sand. The separator has two distinctive features: (1) the plastics can be fed at a middle height of the sand bed, and (2) when the plastics are recovered with the sand from a container after the float-sink, the recovery height of the sand bed can be changed to designate the plastics as floaters or sinkers. The waste plastics of Cl content = 5.4 wt% were used in this study. The separation was investigated by changing the experimental conditions. As a result, the float-sink of the plastics was affected by the air velocity for fluidization, the float-sink time and the feed amount of plastics. The possible causes of the effects were discussed by focusing on the apparent density of fluidized bed, the fluidization intensity, the size segregation of fluidized particle, the shape of the plastics, and the interactions between the plastics during the float-sink. When the recovery height was changed at the adjusted conditions, the Cl content in the floaters was successfully decreased to be 0.4–0.85 wt%, at which the recovery of the Cl-free plastics was 40–60%.