Ad Rem offers mixed metals separation device

Menen, Belgium-based Ad Rem says its new Vulture heavy media plant offers a “compact and efficient installation” system for the separation of metals in zorba and incinerator bottom ash (IBA).

Ad Rem says, according to one recent study, the global market for aluminum scrap will vastly expand over the next five years, with an expected annual growth rate of more than 7 percent. Zorba, which is a nonferrous shredded metal mix containing predominantly aluminum, is one of the major sources from which more aluminum scrap can be extracted. Ad Rem says its Vulture can help with the task.

In the Vulture process, zorba or IBA is separated by means of a flotation drum operating at a density of 3,000 kilograms per cubic meter, or 5,050 pounds per cubic yard, using ferro-silicon (FeSi) as a medium. The aluminum floats and is ejected at the front of the drum. The sinking fraction, consisting of red and heavy metals, is transported through the drum and evacuated at the back. The medium is drained from the material in baskets connected to the medium drum, and the material is rinsed on vibratory screens. An internal water treatment system maintains what Ad Rem calls a clean closed loop rinsing circuit. The system has a capacity of from 10 to 40 metric tons per hour.

Ad Rem says its design team focused on reducing the medium consumption, saving 5 kilograms of FeSi for every metric ton of zorba material, when compared to many other flotation systems. This effectively enables recyclers to save more than $300,000 worth of FeSi annually for a 10-metric-tons-per-hour system, says the company.

“By separating zorba or IBA into aluminum and heavy metals, we can create an added value of at least $75 per metric ton,” says Brian Noppe, general manager at Ad Rem. “It also avoids sending zorba to China, helping the environment and the local economy,” he adds.

Ad Rem says many of its predecessor heavy media plants are currently in operation throughout Europe. “With their high efficiency, they have proven to be capable of producing a very high-grade aluminum concentrate requiring only a marginal operating cost,” says Noppe, adding, “With the Vulture, Ad Rem is ready to tackle the ever-increasing demand for clean aluminum scrap.”

Ad Rem NV was founded as a joint venture between Menen-based equipment maker Valvan Baling Systems and Menen-based recycler Group Galloo. Active since 2008, the company designs and supplies machines for feeding, treating and separating scrap and waste materials.