Metal separation

The use and further development of state-of-the-art technologies for the recovery of secondary raw materials is one of Stork's core competencies. A special focus is currently being placed on the highly efficient and pure recovery of various metals from bottom ash and boiler ash from domestic waste incineration plants.

In practice, the metallic fraction is separated by various mechanical and magnetic processes, using crushers and screens to produce materials with different grain sizes. Magnetic belt rollers and eddy current separators are then used to separate the metals from the remaining mineral components.

In practice, this process is also known as classifying. The main task of a screening plant is to separate the bulk material into different grain sizes.

This technology enables us to separate conductive metals such as aluminum and copper from non-conductive products. Using strongly rotating permament magnets, an eddy current separator generates an alternating magnetic field. Within this field, eddy currents cause the conductive particles to briefly have the same magnetic polarity as the permanent magnets. Equal magnetic fields are known to repel each other and thus enable the separation of industrial and precious metals.

The operating principle of an air separator is based on separation by means of air flow. This carries less dense and suspended materials with it. This enables us to separate fractions of microplastics from the rest of our material flow.

This process works by means of density differences within the material flow. It utilizes the fact that substances with a lower density float on liquid substances with a higher density. Substances with a higher density, on the other hand, sink to the bottom.

By detecting the fluorescent energy of metals, STORK is able to provide all metals in absolute purity for the smelting industry, including copper and zinc smelters and stainless steel works.