Recycling composite materials

Classification and special machines for the disintegration of composites

Fabric-reinforced composite film and hoses, multi-component insulation materials or laminated mouldings and carpets – what all these have in common is that they are made up of different materials, meaning that if the recycling is to be cost-effective, not only do they need to be comminuted but also the different materials need to be separated from one another as cleanly as possible. Dependent on their composition, however, the different materials can often only be separated from each other with great difficulty. For this reason, highly specialised machines and specific know-how are necessary for a system design capable of liberating and separating the individual components.

Dry mechanical comminution

Dependent on the liberation process for the materials and also the requisite purity of the end product, Hosokawa Alpine has a number of system configurations available. What all systems have in common is the dry mechanical comminution step to liberate the composite materials. Dependent on the type and size of the feed material, guillotines or shredders are often used for the preliminary size reduction step. Once the proven granulators from the Rotoplex product line have liberated the material, various classifying steps are employed to separate the materials.
If the purity demands are very high, special machines and more classifying steps can be installed to ensure that even the last scraps of fibres are separated from the carrier material.

This results in a carrier material that is practically free from contaminants.

Competencies in the recycling of composite materials:

Modular system design as a function of the required purity and feed material
Special machines to separate residual fibre scraps from the carrier material
Long-term consistent product quality at low personnel costs due to fully automated process control
Long machine service life due to robust design
Full-service provider for recycling systems for composites, from the intake unit and mill to the classifier and special screens

Some examples of possible plant sizes

Some examples of possible plant sizes, other capacities are also available.
Grinder types	Grinder power	Total installed power	Capacity (infeed)	PVC recovery rate
Intakte device EZV + 50/63 Ro + 500 AFS	55 kW + 55 kW	approx. 185 kW	approx. 250 kg/h	up to 85 % (depending on material)
Guillotine + 50/80 Ro + 50/63 Ro + 800 AFS	15 kW + 75 kW + 75 kW + 75 kW	approx. 340 kW	approx. 450 kg/h	up to 90 % (depending on material)