The constant accumulation of Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) at an accelerating pace pose a threat to the environment and people. On the other hand, the WEEE and specifically their component Waste Printed Circuit Boards (WPCBs) are rich in Precious Metals (PMs) and Base Metals (BMs), more than ten times their content in natural ores. Such an opportunity has already attracted the minerals processing industry (e.g., metallurgical companies) to the WEEE recycling problem solving. However, analogically to virgin mining, the presently more or less worthless parts of WPCBs also pose a health threat since they contain toxic pollutants. The key to efficient metal recovery from WPCBs is selective processes for fragmentation and separation which are accurate for both metals and non-metals. Fragmentation is a prerequisite for accurate separation. The closed-circuit grinding (size reduction) method is preferred in the case of WPCB processing, and a prospective technology for carrying it out is High Intensity Impact Milling (HIIM). In this paper, the HIIM (disintegrator) technology is compared with commonly known technologies for selective WPCB size reduction. The HIIM demonstrated possibility to adjust the size reduction process to different materials and replication of the initial results obtained under laboratory conditions.  

Screening is a key unit operation for the large-scale separation of materials. There are certain different machine parameters and variables that affect the process of screening. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is a suitable method to analyze parameters and variables. The main benefit of using the DEM for simulating the screening process is that, as a contact model, it provides the possibility of tracking each particle in the material flow and all collisions between particles and between particles and boundaries.

There are different types of materials used for screening media, such as rubber and polyurethane, which are used in modular systems as a panel, and such as steel, which are used as a wire in the mesh. This paper presents how different materials used in screen decks affect the screening process. The materials’ strength and elasticity have been examined in order to study how the aperture will change in different materials and how different shapes of the aperture and material of screening media affect the screening performance by analyzing the effect on material flow.

Screening is a key unit operation for the large-scale separation of materials. There are a number of different machine parameters and variables which affect the process of screening. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is a suitable method to analyze all parameters and variables. The main benefit of using DEM for simulating the screening process is that as a particle contact model it gives the possibility to track each particle in the flow and all collisions between particles and between particles and boundaries.<br />There are a number of different materials commonly used for screen media such as rubber and polyurethane which are used in modular systems as a panel and steel is usually used as steel wire mesh but sheet metal can also be used. This paper presents how different materials used in screen decks affect the screening process. The strength and elasticity has been examined in order to study how the aperture will change with different materials and also how different shapes of the aperture and the material of screen media affect the screening performance by analyzing different material flow.

Screening is an important process in size classification of granular materials. It is a complex process due to the collision between particles and also a number of different operational parameters that effect the screening process. The aim of this paper is to evaluate screening performance in one of the LKAB crushing platforms.

In this work an industrial vibration screen has been simulated by using Discrete Element Method (DEM). The simulations were validated with data from experiments and the screening performance has been analyzed by changing the parameters such as feeding rate.

The result shows that DEM simulation is an effective tool for understanding the process of screening and because of the contact model between individual particles and particles and geometries the result is comparable with real process. It is shown that by increasing the feeding rate to 100 ton/h the screening efficiency can be improved by 20 percent.

Banana screens are popular and frequently used in minerals processing. The screens are characterized by a high separation capacity and low maintenance need. The operation of screening usually takes place after crushing operation. The banana screens have multiple panels with variable slope which enables the feed material to flow rapidly resulting in a high screening rate. The difference between banana screens and other screens is that in banana screens the screen cut size varies with the changing slope of the decks. There are a number of factors affecting the screening operation; the deck panel slope progression, screen deck material, aperture shape, vibrational motion, open area, thickness of deck, feed rate and material properties. The aim of this paper is to simulate the screening performance by using the Discrete Element Method (DEM) and to analyse different motions that affect screening operation efficiency. Three decks with different slopes have been used and two different motions, linear and elliptical, have been evaluated at one feed rate. Figure 1 shows the overview of DEM simulation of screening process. Design of Experiment (DoE) has been used to evaluate the factors that control the value of parameters. The results show that the classification efficiency can be evaluated by conventional comparison between the feed particle size distribution and each of the product streams. The resolution of the model also enables the calculation of a critical efficiency criteria position along the screen deck. This position can be used to define a screening robustness factor. The passage probability and stratification behaviour can also be evaluated.

Banana screening is an important size classification component. The screens are characterized by a high capacity for separation. The operation of screening usually takes place after crushing operation. The shape of the banana screens causes the feed material to flow rapidly and the result will be faster screening rate. The difference between banana screens and other screens is that in banana screens the screen cut size varies with the changing slope of the decks. There are number of factors that affect screening operation like inclination of discharge, open area, thickness of deck and feed rate. The aim of this paper is to simulate the screener deck with the help of DEM Simulation and to analyze different parameters that affect screener operation efficiency and optimizing the screener so that it has the best performance during the wear life of the screen media. The one deck banana screen are simulated, the result show when the value of deck thickness and deck slope increase the probability of particles passage through the apertures will be decrease.