Tribo-Electrostatic Separation Analysis of a Beneficial Solution in the Recycling of Mixed Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) and High-Density Polyethylene

The aim of this study was to investigate and analyze the impact of selected parameters during the tribocharging process of shredded poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and high-density polyethylene (PE-HD) plastics on accumulated electric charge and electrostatic separation effectiveness. The accumulation of electric charge on surfaces of polymer particles as a result of their circular motion forced by the airflow cyclone container was investigated. The impact of the container material, time of tribocharging and the airflow intensity were experimentally examined. A container in which the particles of the considered polymers are electrified with opposite charges was selected. A high ability to accumulate surface charge on small particles of both polymers was demonstrated. The electrified mixed PET/PE-HD was subjected to a separation process. An electrostatic separator designed and constructed by the authors was used for to the separation. In turn, to assess the effectiveness of this separation, a dedicated vision system was used. Based on the result of the carried out tests, it has been assumed that the proposed approach’s effectiveness has been demonstrated by means of empirical validation.