IP Library Granted Patent US 12,312,655
Granted Patent B2
US 12,312,655 · App. 16/981,593 · Granted May 27, 2025

Method for processing electronic and electrical device component scrap

Inventors: Katsushi Aoki (Hitachi, JP); Tsubasa Takeda (Hitachi, JP)
Assignee: JX ADVANCED METALS CORPORATION
C22B7/005B03C1/02B09B5/00C22B1/005B03C2201/20B07B4/08B07C5/3422B07C5/344B07C5/363
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,312,655
App. No.
16/981,593
Granted
May 27, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided is a method for processing electronic and electrical device component scrap, which can increase an amount of electronic and electrical device component scrap processed in a smelting step and efficiently recover valuable metals. The method for processing electronic and electrical device component scrap includes: a step 1 of removing powdery materials and film-shaped component scrap from the electronic and electrical device component scrap; a step 2 of concentrating synthetic resins and substrates from the electronic and electrical device component scrap from which the powdery materials and film-shaped component scrap have been removed; and a step 3 of concentrating the substrates containing valuable metals from a concentrate obtained in the step 2.

Claims (13)

1. A method for processing electronic and electrical device component scrap, the method comprising:

a step 1 of removing powdery materials and film-shaped component scrap from the electronic and electrical device component scrap by wind force sorting;

a step 2 of concentrating synthetic resins and substrates from the electronic and electrical device component scrap from which the powdery materials and film-shaped component scrap have been removed by wind force sorting which sorts the synthetic resins and the substrates as light-weight materials and the electronic and electrical device component scrap other than the synthetic resins and the substrates as heavy-weight materials; and

a step 3 of concentrating the substrates containing copper, gold, or silver from a concentrate obtained in the step 2 by processing the light-weight materials with a sorter comprising a metal sensor, a color camera, an air valve, and a conveyor, wherein

on the conveyor, the metal sensor detects metal objects among objects including non-metal objects and the color camera detects positions of the objects; and

the air valve uses the detection result of the metal sensor to determine which objects should be shot by air among the objects detected by the color camera.

2. The method for processing electronic and electrical device component scrap according to claim 1 , further comprising, prior to the step 1 , a pre-processing step A of removing wire scrap contained in the electronic and electrical device component scrap.

3. The method for processing electronic and electrical device component scrap according to claim 1 , further comprising a step B of removing wire scrap contained in the electronic and electrical device component scrap between the steps 1 and 2 .

4. The method for processing electronic and electrical device component scrap according to claim 3 , wherein the step B comprises removing the wire scrap using a sieving machine.

5. The method for processing electronic and electrical device component scrap according to claim 1 , further comprising, prior to the step 3 , a step C for decreasing a metal content in the concentrate obtained in the step 2 .

6. The method for processing electronic and electrical device component scrap according to claim 5 , wherein the step C comprises at least one process selected from sorting with a color sorter, sorting with sieving, and sorting with magnetic sorting.

7. The method for processing electronic and electrical device component scrap according to claim 1 , wherein the metal sensor detects metal objects in the light-weight materials, and the air valve shoots non-metal objects in the light-weight materials obtained in the step 2 .

8. The method for processing electronic and electrical device component scrap according to claim 1 , wherein the metal sensor detects the substrates containing copper, gold, or silver and the air valve shoots down non-metal objects which are on a falling trajectory.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Mar 11, 2025
From: JX METALS CORPORATION
To: JX ADVANCED METALS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 070471/0182 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 25, 2025
From: JX NIPPON MINING & METALS CORPORATION
To: JX METALS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 070328/0204 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 17, 2020
From: AOKI, KATSUSHI; TAKEDA, TSUBASA
To: JX NIPPON MINING & METALS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 053805/0789 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2018-050078 · Mar 16, 2018 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210017626A1 · Jan 21, 2021
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