Triboelectrostatic Separation of Fly Ash with Different Charging Materials

A combination of mechanical sieving and triboelectrostatic separation were used to separate fly ash. The results indicate that a simple separation of unburned carbon from fly ash is achievable at particle sizes of 74 and 44 microns. Subsequently, triboelectrostatic separations were conducted via a louvered plate separator. The results show that the final carbon content in the products, which can be as low as 1.5 % or as high as 60 % with different mineral components, can be further adjusted with the combination of sieving, louvered plate separator with a tribocharger made of different materials (copper and Teflon), and the location on the louvered plate where the fly ash particles were collected.