Optimization of metals and plastics recovery from electric cable wastes using a plate-type electrostatic separator

Plate-type electrostatic separators are commonly employed for the selective sorting of conductive and non-conductive granular materials. The aim of this work is to identify the optimal operating conditions of such equipment, when employed for separating copper and plastics from either flexible or rigid electric wire wastes. The experiments are performed according to the response surface methodology, on samples composed of either “calibrated” particles, obtained by manually cutting of electric wires at a predefined length (4 mm), or actual machine-grinded scraps, characterized by a relatively-wide size distribution (1-4 mm). The results point out the effect of particle size and shape on the effectiveness of the electrostatic separation. Different optimal operating conditions are found for flexible and rigid wires. A separate processing of the two classes of wire wastes is recommended.