Separate waste it is one of the most important tasks to generate an efficient recycling process. Almost all human activities generate waste. The correct separation and classification of these wastes will result in a cleaner space and a healthier relationship between the environment and human beings..
Countries like Germany, the United States, Finland and the United Kingdom have recycling programs in which communities participate actively; This has led them to be nations whose inhabitants have very good recycling habits..
But, in addition to this, they have advanced technology that allows industrial waste to be separated optimally.
The methods are variable: some use magnetic principles, others work through large strainers, and others still prioritize labor. In any case, the ultimate goal is to promote the reuse of waste and promote a better use of resources.
From the oldest to the newest, the waste separation industry offers different options to classify materials and promote better use of resources.
Current times have made separating waste increasingly sophisticated and requires less human effort, also increasing the quality of the result..
The following are some of the ways to separate waste that are currently used in the industry:
Manual waste separation is the most labor-intensive method. The structure that is used is usually a sliding belt that the waste circulates on, and there are workers located on each side of the belt who manually separate the desired elements from the unwanted ones..
Belt movement speed should allow workers to sort waste smoothly.
Although this is a method that has worked for a long time, new technologies have given way to more modern systems in which machines have a greater role in the waste separation process..
This way of separating waste is based on the idea of a sieve or strainer. It basically consists of using tools that allow the separation of large waste from small ones.
Different types of machinery have been built that allow this process: there are cylindrical, table-shaped or with rotating rows; in all cases, the machines have small openings or holes through which the smallest residues exit.
This method of waste separation is used when the materials to be classified are obviously of different sizes..
When metal objects are present, the debris is usually magnetically separated. Machines have magnetized surfaces, fixed or mobile, which attract ferrous materials and separate them from the rest of the waste..
There are several methods of magnetic separation of waste: for example, there are magnetic bands that are placed on the belts that transport the waste; metal objects stick there and separate from the rest of the material.
There are also drums that have a magnetized section and another not, which allows metal objects to adhere to the magnetic area of the drum and, when they reach the non-magnetic area, they are released and fall into deposits..
The eddy current, or “eddy current” method of separation of waste, is used to separate non-ferrous metals (metals that do not have iron, such as aluminum, magnesium, copper, silver, tin or lead) from other materials that do not conduct electricity.
The process consists of the following: the speed of the rotor of the machine generates a current that charges the non-ferrous metals; this current generates a magnetic field that repels the metals from the band through which they circulated and throws them into a predetermined deposit.
Non-metallic materials just keep sliding down the belt and fall into another container.
Another way to separate waste is through sensors. This method allows a more specific classification because it allows to identify colors, textures, shapes and composition material of the elements..
The waste is analyzed by a scanner, which identifies the desired parts and separates them from the rest.
Waste separation technology through sensors can be very specific, it has even been considered a valid option to separate recyclable waste from organic waste.
New technologies have favored the development of prototypes that allow an intelligent separation of waste through the use of robots. These machines have such a level of specificity and efficiency, that they facilitate the classification of waste and generate very good results..
The Finnish company ZenRobotics is one of the pioneers in robotic waste sorting. Its system works like this: the machinery has sensors through which it promotes the flow of waste continuously and, thanks to its software, it can analyze the information released from these sensors..
Once the desired elements have been identified, the robot takes them and places them in separate deposits from the rest.
According to the company, these robots are different from those used in the automotive industry, which are programmed to perform the same tasks and movements continuously..
In the case of the robots used in the separation of waste, they have the ability to learn and, in addition, are equipped with sensors associated with pain, which allow them to have reflections that make them move away from objects that may harm them.
Despite the fact that new technologies allow an increasingly optimal industrial waste separation, it is still a necessary starting point to sort waste from home, work sites or school.
The recommendation is that each person, from their daily tasks, separate the waste correctly and place it in the places destined for its storage and subsequent recycling process..
It is advisable to separate waste into four groups: paper and cardboard, plastic, glass and metal; clean and dry them very well, and compress them as much as possible. This action will greatly facilitate the industrial waste separation process.
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