Maximizing Recycle Production and Quality With Advanced Controls, 1993 Recycling Symposium Proceedings

Santosh J. Nayak

Significant benefits can be realized from the implementation of advanced process controls on a Recycle and Deinking operation. This is particularly true in light of changing post-consumer waste mix and quality, new processing techniques and environmental pressures.

A suitable control system for recycle and deinking is characterized as one that tightly integrates continuous and logic controls because of the highly sequence-oriented nature of the operation. The ability to start and stop unit equipment and to synchronize sequencing through the whole line is important for maximizing production. Similarly, the need to reconfigure flows and change operating conditions automatically when the waste feed changes or the target product changes is also an important requirement of a control system. An additional requirement is that the control system be flexibly configured using high level building blocks which correspond to the unit equipment and operations in the recycle process with each block consisting of an optimal control strategy.

The incorporation of on-line sensors for measuring consistency, brightness and dirt count, among other properties, is are also important in closing the loop and optimizing the process.