Recovery of fine non-ferrous metals from waste streams is a notoriously difficult problem in eddy current separation technology. Existing processes either have a low capacity or an incomplete recovery for particle sizes below 5mm. In a new process, the particles are fed slightly wet to make them stick to the surface of the conveyor belt. The action of the magnet rotor makes the non-ferrous particles tumble, so that they break loose from the belt and end up in front of the rotor. The new process combines a relatively high capacity with an almost complete recovery, even for heavy and poorly conducting non-ferrous metals.
