US 11,806,657 B2
Separation of particles of different surface energies through control of humidity
Bernado Moreno Baqueiro Sansao, Salvador (BR); Jon Kellar, Rapid City, SD (US); William Cross, Rapid City, SD (US); and Albert Romkes, Rapid City, SD (US)
Assigned to SOUTH DAKOTA BOARD OF REGENTS, Pierre, SD (US)
Filed by South Dakota Board of Regents, Pierre, SD (US)
Filed on Sep. 3, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/467,155.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/074,616, filed on Sep. 4, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0072466 A1, Mar. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. B01D 45/10 (2006.01); B01D 47/05 (2006.01); B01D 49/00 (2006.01)
CPC B01D 47/05 (2013.01) [B01D 45/10 (2013.01); B01D 49/003 (2013.01); B01D 2202/00 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for separating particles of different surface energies through control of humidity, comprising:
an enclosed separation chamber having a first end and an opposing second end with a controlled environment in an interior of the enclosed separation chamber for separating a plurality of particles, the enclosed separation chamber further comprising:
a plurality of sensors for controlling the environment;
a separation platform, wherein the separation platform has at least one surface comprising a mesh substrate, the mesh substrate having a surface roughness wherein at least one of the plurality of particles adhere to the mesh substrate, the separation platform configured to fit in an interior of an acceleration tube;
the acceleration tube within the enclosed separation chamber configured to move the separation platform and the plurality of particles from the first end through the interior of the acceleration tube towards a flat backstop; and
the flat backstop near the second end of the enclosed separation chamber;
a controller operably connected to the enclosed separation chamber and the plurality of sensors;
one or more compressed air regulators operatively connected to the enclosed separation chamber, a discharge of compressed air from the one or more compressed air regulators for controlling a velocity of the separation platform through the acceleration tube as the separation platform moves away from the first end towards the flat backstop near the second end;
one or more properties of the plurality of particles within the separation chamber accessible to the separation chamber, wherein the one or more properties includes hydrophobicity; and
one or more operating conditions for the controlled environment accessible to the controller, wherein the operating conditions comprise at least humidity of the controlled environment and an initial separation distance of the separation platform from the flat backstop;
wherein the separation platform identifies one or more particle types to separate from the plurality of particles at the substrate, controls the one or more operating conditions for the controlled environment based on one or more properties of the one or more particles for separating one or more particle types from the plurality of particles.