What Materials Can Eddy Current Separators Sort?

Shredding is merely the initial stage of scrap recycling; the resulting material is often still a mixture. To boost recovery rates, sorting equipment is essential.

Eddy current separators utilize the electrical conductivity of non-ferrous metals to perform separation, proving highly effective for aluminum, copper, and brass. So, exactly which materials can they sort, and how are they utilized across different sectors of the recycling industry?

Scrap Home Appliance Shredded Material

After discarded home appliances—such as refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners—are dismantled and shredded, they result in a mixture of materials, including:

• plastics
• iron
• non-ferrous metals

On the production line, magnetic separation is typically used first to remove iron, followed by the use of an eddy current separator to extract non-ferrous metals like aluminum and copper.

✅The advantages of this approach are:

It reduces the need for manual labor and simplifies the subsequent recycling of the plastics and metals.

Scrap Car Shredded Material

After end-of-life vehicles undergo dismantling and shredding, a large volume of mixed material is produced; in addition to ferrous metals (iron and steel), this mixture contains aluminum, copper, and other non-ferrous metals.

💡The typical processing setup involves:

• Shredder + Magnetic separator + Eddy current separator + Screening equipment

This combination of equipment separates the different materials step-by-step, offering greater convenience for vehicle dismantling and shredding enterprises.

Waste Plastics and Mixed Solid Waste

Some waste plastics are not “pure” upon collection; they may contain metal impurities such as screws, aluminum fragments, or copper wires.

✅The benefits are:

• Incorporating shredding, screening, and metal separation at the initial stage allows for the early removal of metal impurities.
• Eddy current separators can extract conductive non-ferrous metals like aluminum and copper, resulting in cleaner plastic.
• Subsequent processes—such as washing, sorting, or pelletizing—run more smoothly, reducing equipment wear and processing issues.

E-Waste and PCB Shredded Material

Electronic waste has a complex composition, typically containing plastics, glass, and ferrous metals, as well as non-ferrous metals like copper and aluminum.

After dismantling and shredding, the material is reduced in size and the various constituents become more thoroughly mixed. Eddy current separators are used to further isolate non-ferrous metals and are particularly well-suited for integration with shredders, magnetic separators, and screening equipment.

However, the composition of electronic waste varies significantly; in practice, equipment configurations must be tailored to the specific characteristics of the raw material and the desired recovery objectives.

Waste Processing and Other Mixed Materials

In addition to household appliances, automobiles, and electronic waste, eddy current separators can also be used for municipal solid waste, construction debris, incinerator bottom ash, and shredded metal scrap.

Generally speaking:

• After shredding and screening, magnetic separation is first used to remove ferrous metals; non-ferrous metals—such as aluminum and copper—are then processed using eddy current separation.

Gomine offers integrated solutions—combining shredding, screening, magnetic separation, and eddy current separation—tailored to the client’s specific raw materials, processing capacity, and recovery requirements. Please feel free to contact us at any time.