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Screening of battery powder 06.07.2022

Batteries, especially as accumulators, are nowadays a key supplier of electrical energy.

For the production of batteries, the individual metallic raw materials such as, amongst others lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel and manganese must be dedusted, fractionated and/or control screened and therefore qualified for further production. For screening these raw materials, the GKM vibrating tumbler screening machine KTS-VS is the ideal solution. This machine can be manufactured according to the customer’s requirements with various surface-contacting stainless steels and surface qualities. The machine is certified according to the latest standards, such as ATEX. Various features as quick-clamps facilitate and accelerate the handling and maintenance of the machine enormously. Furthermore, the machine can be equipped with various screen cleaning systems to ensure a smooth continuous production. According to customer requirements, the machine can be equipped with several screen decks for different fractions, the cut-points usually being in a range between 0.032 and 1.0 mm. Here, the very efficient, emission-free and almost noiseless ultrasonic cleaning device is used. In order to protect the user and the environment, these machines are absolutely dust-tight and grant an easy, quick maintenance thanks to the facilitated access. Thus, pneumatic as well as manual cover lifting systems can be permanently installed on the machine. In the recycling process, batteries are first crushed and, with the help of the GKM tumbler screening machine KTS, highly efficiently fractionated into the individual components, such as foils, outer casings and black mass (consisting of foil, Al, Cu, small amounts of Fe). In most cases, the required cut-points are between 0.3 and 6.0 mm

The use of GKM screening machines within PET recycling 14.04.2022

The recycling of materials is becoming increasingly important due to the scarcity of raw materials

The recycling of materials is becoming increasingly important due to the scarcity of raw materials and for the sake of environmental protection. This also includes recycling of PET. In recycling, waste products reintroduced a new production cycle, respectively, base materials become secondary raw materials. The materials produced in this way are referred to as recyclate or regenerate materials (source: Wikipedia). From 2025 on, non-refillable PET beverage bottles in the EU member states (regulation (EU) 2019/904) must contain at least 25% recycled plastic, so-called recyclate.

In the recycling process of used for PET bottles, depending on the procedure, the labels and caps are sometimes removed in advance after that the bottles are sorted by color and then shredded. The next step is usually the washing of the crushed mass, afterwards dried and freed from final impurities. For this recycling process of PET bottles, the use of GKM screening machines is of utmost importance at several points.

Firstly, the GKM vibration screening machine is used remove the PET flakes from the washing water. In order to reuse the process water, it has to be screened to remove all impurities and residual particles. A liquid distributor in the lid ensures an even distribution of the water on the screen surface and thus continuous fault-free operation. By means of an adapted screen cleaning system, clogging of the meshes is prevented and an optimum, continuous screening process is achieved. The tightness of the machine, as well as the protection of the electrical components, are a further met requirement and thus a prerequisite for this screening task.

On the other hand, the GKM tumbler screening machine is used for fractionating and dedusting the finished PET flakes. A uniform size plays a major role for further processing. To counteract electrical charging, the machine must be grounded when screening PET flakes. The cut-points of the screening are exactly specified and a suitable sieve cleaning guarantees a continuous process without clogging of the meshes. Of course, the GKM tumbler screening machines can be adapted to further customer-specific requirements at any time. Contact us for further information!