28 September 2022

An electrostatic free-fall separator has been installed in the technical centre of the Thuringian Innovation Centre for Recyclable Materials ("ThIWert"), which will be used in future for research topics on the "Recycling and Renewable Energies" science and research campus at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences.

The free-fall separator was previously in operation at Sondershausen-based K-UTEC for over ten years, where it was used to separate salts. K-UTEC has now transferred the machine to ThIWert, where it is used to separate plastics.

"This means we have technology at our disposal that others don't have and can therefore get to the bottom of complex research questions," reports Andreas Glimm, who sees the technology's area of application specifically in sorting out contaminants, for example from old electrical appliances and photovoltaic modules.

The recovery of recyclable materials and the circular economy are key research topics at ThIWert. After the utilisation phase, products are collected and, if reprocessing is not possible, they are broken down and individual components of the recyclable materials are recycled in a targeted manner - a very important process because, as we all know, resources are finite: Resources are finite.

Using the example of the free-fall separator, separation works by means of the triboelectric effect. This effect can be compared to a balloon that you rub until your hair stands on end. Inside the free-fall separator, this effect attracts plastics and separates them at the same time.

University President Prof. Dr Jörg Wagner emphasises the importance of the cooperation with "K-UTEC" as many future topics will continue to bring the university and the Sondershausen-based company even closer together.