Evaluation on Recovery of Glass and Plastics from Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) by Air Separation Unit

Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) are composed of glass, plastic, non-ferrous metal, ferrous metal, paper, plastic, rubber, and so on. In order to separate glass and plastic among CFLs components, air separation unit is applied using the difference in specific gravity. Since specific gravities of glass, plastic, non-ferrous metals, rubber, etc. were widely spread, it can be separated by the different specific gravity between 0.40 and 4.36. In air separation unit, particle size and air speed are controlled to recover glass and plastics among the components of CFLs. In other words, it can be removed paper and vinyl to recover glass and plastics. The specific gravities of paper and vinyl in CFLs are 0.45 and 0.88, respectively. And the specific gravities of glass and plastics are almost similar to be 2.2-2.6. In air separation unit, the used particle size of the components from CFLs is less than 6 mm. Since phosphor powder and ferrous metals are recovered prior to the air separation unit, the components are not involved those materials. By utilizing a vertical and zigzag type of air separation unit, thereafter, recovery of glass and plastics is estimated with changing air speed. As the air speed increased from 3.08 m/s to 6.75 m/s, separation efficiency of glass and plastics increased from 42.0% to 99.3%. Due to the experimental results of air separation unit, it can find that paper and vinyl from the components of CFLs be efficiently removed by the air separation unit.