How is Paper Recycled? Learn About the Recycling Process at Pratt Industries

Pratt Industries

12 Nov 202103:56

Summary

TLDRThe video offers a detailed tour of a material recovery facility, showcasing the process of waste sorting and recycling. Trucks unload waste, which is then sorted by workers and machinery, including a disc screen and a trommel. Materials are separated into various streams and undergo quality checks. Cardboard is baled for transport to a paper mill, where it's recycled into new paper products. The facility plays a crucial role in Pratt Industries' commitment to providing 100% recycled packaging solutions.

Takeaways

🚚 Trucks arrive at the facility and are first weighed before unloading materials.
🔄 Materials are unloaded in a designated area and then loaded onto a conveyor system.
🚜 A front loader is used to move materials into an in-feed bunker for processing.
🌫️ A mister is utilized to manage dust during the material handling process.
♻️ Workers manually remove contaminants from the material on the pre-sort line.
📏 A disc screen is used to separate cardboard from other materials based on size.
🔭 Materials are further sorted into different streams: fines, medium, and large items.
🧲 Ferrous and aluminum materials are separated using magnets and eddy current separators.
🌬️ A blower sorter is employed to separate light materials from heavy ones.
🔎 Optical sorters are used to separate different types of plastics and cartons.
📦 Bales are compressed and stacked for transportation to be sold as commodities.
🌿 Mixed paper is sent to a paper mill to be recycled into 100% recycled paper products.

Q & A

What is the first step in the material recovery process at the Conyers facility?
-The first step is for trucks to arrive at the facility, where they stop on a scale to be weighed before proceeding to unload the materials onto the floor.
How is dust managed during the initial stages of material handling?
-A mister is used to help manage any dust as the materials are moved onto the first conveyor.
What is the function of the pre-sort line in the facility?
-The pre-sort line is where workers manually remove contaminants from the material, dropping them into bunkers below.
How is cardboard separated from other materials?
-Cardboard is separated from other materials using a disc screen, where it climbs the screen while the remaining material falls through.
What happens to the fines, medium-sized, and large items after the trommel separates them?
-Fines are conveyed past a cross-belt magnet to capture ferrous materials and an eddy current to capture aluminum. Medium-sized materials go to a ballistic sorter, while large items are conveyed to a blower sorter, which separates light and heavy materials.
What is the role of the blower sorter in the facility?
-The blower sorter separates light materials from heavy materials, which are then sent to separate sort lines where contaminants are removed.
How is mixed paper sorted and handled?
-Mixed paper is sorted using optical sorters in the light stream. After passing a final quality control check, it is loaded into a mixed paper truck.
What materials are separated by the optical sorters on the optical sort line?
-The optical sorters on the optical sort line separate number two HDPE (high-density polyethylene), number one PET (polyethylene terephthalate), and cartons.
What happens to the bales of sorted commodities after they are compressed?
-The bales of sorted commodities are stacked and loaded onto trailers to be sold as commodities.
What is unique about the handling of the mixed paper stream?
-The mixed paper stream is hauled directly to the Pratt paper mill, where it is re-pulped and made into 100% recycled paper. The recycled paper is then either converted into new cardboard or shipped to other Pratt facilities.

Outlines

00:00

🚚 Material Recovery Facility Operations

The script provides a detailed tour of a material recovery facility, starting with trucks weighing in and unloading materials. A front loader moves materials to an in-feed bunker, where a drum feeder controls the flow onto a conveyor. Dust is managed by a mister. Workers manually remove contaminants from the material on the pre-sort line, and it then proceeds to a disc screen where cardboard is separated. The remaining material is further sorted through a trommel into three streams: fines, medium-sized, and large items. Fines are processed through a cross-belt magnet and eddy current to extract ferrous and aluminum materials. The large items are sorted by a blower sorter into light and heavy materials. The medium-sized materials are sorted by a ballistic sorter into two-dimensional and three-dimensional materials, with optical sorters further separating different types of plastics and cartons. A final cross-belt magnet and eddy current capture any remaining metals. The sorted materials are then baled and sent for further processing or sale.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Material Recovery Facility

A Material Recovery Facility (MRF) is a specialized plant designed for the sorting and processing of recyclable materials. In the context of the video, it is the central location where waste materials are brought, sorted, and prepared for recycling. The script describes the process of trucks arriving at the facility, being weighed, and unloading materials onto the floor, which are then sorted and processed.

💡Scale

In the script, the 'scale' refers to a large weighing device used to measure the weight of the trucks as they arrive at the facility. This is an essential part of the logistics process to ensure accurate tracking of the materials being processed.

💡Front Loader

A front loader is a piece of heavy equipment used in the script to scoop and move materials. It is instrumental in the MRF for loading materials from the unloading area into the in-feed bunker, which is the starting point for the sorting process.

💡Drum Feeder

The drum feeder is a device that meters, or controls the flow of materials onto the first conveyor. It plays a crucial role in the MRF by ensuring a steady and controlled stream of materials for processing, as mentioned in the script where it feeds materials from the in-feed bunker onto the conveyor.

💡Pre-Sort Line

The pre-sort line is a part of the MRF where workers manually remove contaminants from the materials. This is a critical step in the recycling process to ensure the purity of the recyclable materials, as highlighted in the script where workers remove contaminants before the materials proceed to the next stage.

💡Disc Screen

A disc screen is a mechanical sorting device that separates materials based on their size. In the video, cardboard climbs the screen, and the remaining material falls through, indicating that the disc screen is used to separate larger items from smaller ones.

💡Trommel

A trommel is a rotating cylindrical screen used to separate materials by size. The script describes how the trommel separates materials into three streams: fines, medium, and large items. This is a key part of the MRF's automated sorting process.

💡Blower Sorter

A blower sorter uses air to separate light materials from heavy ones. In the script, it is mentioned as a device that separates light materials from the heavy side, which is part of the process to further refine the sorting of recyclable materials.

💡Optical Sorter

An optical sorter is a high-tech machine that uses cameras and sensors to identify and sort materials based on their color, shape, and other characteristics. The script explains that the optical sorter is used to separate different types of plastics and cartons, which is crucial for the quality of the recycled materials.

💡Baler

A baler is a machine that compresses materials into compact bales. In the context of the video, bales are created from the sorted materials, which are then stacked and loaded onto trailers for sale as commodities. This is the final step in the MRF before the materials are sent to be repurposed.

💡Recycled Paper

Recycled paper is paper that has been processed from recovered waste paper. The script highlights that the mixed paper stream from the MRF is sent directly to a paper mill to be re-pulped and made into 100% recycled paper, emphasizing the circular nature of the recycling process.

Highlights

Trucks arrive at the facility and are first weighed on the scale.

Materials are unloaded onto the floor and then scooped by a front loader into the in-feed bunker.

A drum feeder meters materials onto the first conveyor, which is equipped with a mister to manage dust.

The first conveyor leads to a pre-sort line where workers remove contaminants.

Cardboard is separated using a disc screen, which allows it to climb while other materials fall through.

Cardboard undergoes two quality control checks before being manually loaded onto the baler line.

Material passing through the disc screen is directed to a trommel for further separation.

The trommel separates materials into fines, medium, and large items.

Fines are conveyed past a cross-belt magnet and eddy current to capture ferrous and aluminum materials.

Large size materials are sorted by a blower sorter, which separates light from heavy materials.

Both light and heavy material streams undergo final quality control checks.

The heavy side is conveyed to an optical sort line for further separation.

Medium-sized materials are sent to a ballistic sorter to separate two-dimensional from three-dimensional materials.

Two-dimensional materials are processed through an optical sorter to yield mixed paper.

Three-dimensional materials are also sent to the optical sort line for further processing.

The optical sort line uses a crossbelt magnet and eddy current to capture aluminum.

Each commodity is conveyed or blown into a bunker and then loaded onto the baler conveyor.

Bales are stacked and loaded onto trailers for sale as commodities.

Mixed paper is sent directly to the Pratt paper mill for repulping and recycling into 100% recycled paper.

The facility plays a crucial role in Pratt Industries' commitment to providing 100% recycled packaging solutions.