Recycling Industry Needs Standard for Eddy Current Separators

Rob Jones, managing director of Eddy Current Separator manufacturer, Magnapower, explains why the industry needs a standard to measure performance… Making the most of the opportunity provided by mixed materials coming into a recycling centre is essential for processors. Recovering valuable commodities such as non-ferrous metals has made the Eddy Current Separator an essential tool. Recovering these materials in sufficient quantities to make it economic is imperative. Conversely, if the sorting is being done to remove the non-ferrous material because it is a contaminant, the more effective that is, the less damage to the plant and the higher the grade of recyclate being delivered. Not all machines are equal – but communicating that to our customers is something which, up to now, is not easy. At present, many manufacturers will describe the attributes of their machines using figures such as the number of poles. However, this can be misleading. To me, it is like a car manufacturer only publishing the rpm of a new vehicle – on its own, it does not indicate performance. The issue is that such characteristics in the design process can be at the expense of another, making one figure alone pointless. We have to look at what a machine separates – which must not be confused with how far something can be thrown! Throwing is also a function of belt speed which, although it may send something a long way, it does not show the separation abilities. Let me say that this does not mean that machines which do not meet a certain standard are of no benefit – but an industry standard would indicate relative performance and hence which would recover more/cleaner non-ferrous metal. We all know that there are many other factors which drive the decision making and these include cost, availability and reliability – but the most significant has to be performance in this case. I believe that, as an industry, we need to be able to illustrate to our customers what materials machines can separate – against a standard – giving them something definitive on which to base purchasing decisions. To do this, there needs to be a distinct separation test. This must involve standard and repeatable testing procedures which are able to define the size of metals and non-metals to be separated and show the difference between one separator and another. It has to be in the interests of all manufacturers, and the industry as a whole, to be able to show clients the return on their investment and this standard could be a significant tool in that process. I truly believe that the implementation of a standard can only be a good thing, allowing comparison of machines across a specific function, leading to higher ROI across the ECS recycling process. For example If an ECS is processing 1 tonne per hour of aluminium in a 40 hour week, even a 1% variation in performance is equal to 400 kg per week or 20 tonnes per year which could equate to £14,000 in cash terms. Throughput can be 10 times higher than this and variations in performance can be significantly higher so the consequence of poor separation capability can be massive and have a huge impact on the bottom line of a business. Rob Jones, is managing director of Magnapower, a manufacturer is calling for the industry to consider the introduction of a standard to measure the performance of Eddy Current Separators. Read More Landfill Tax Hike for Trommel Fines... A Wake Up Call Dr Richard Coulton explains how waste and recycling companies can minimise the impact of the change to landfill tax that will see charges for trommel fines rise to £80 per tonne. Sensor Based Sorting Key to UK C&I Waste Processing Shortfall Tomra's Steve Almond explains why sensor based sorting technology could hold the key to the UK's shortfall of commercial and industrial waste processing capacity. What Next for WEEE? Following a recast of the WEEE Directive for household and non-household WEEE collection, January 1, 2014 will see the UK adopt a ‘collection target and compliance fee’ system.