Development of a new electric belt separator for fine particles.

The increasingly restrictive regulations foreseen for landfills and the consequent need to reduce the amount of fly ash to be disposed of in this way, makes beneficiation essential for increasing both the use and value of this by-product. Electrostatic separation offers a potentially promising solution to this problem as with this technique it is possible to treat the hot, dusty fly ash in the dry state. In particular the present paper describes a new separator designed with a view to overcoming the drawbacks of conventional machines. The new separator consists essentially of a grounded metal conveyor belt onto which the particle stream is spread in a thick layer by means of a vibrating feeder. Some significant results of experimental tests carried out on samples collected from Italian power stations are described and discussed.