University of Maine researchers are testing a way to separate fine aluminum and copper powders, a laboratory step toward recovering metal from manufacturing waste.
The method uses spinning liquid and a polymer coating to capture particles. Changing the spinning speed changed the proportions of the two metals captured, according to the study's published abstract in Powder Technology.
Aluminum accounted for about 87% of the captured particles at 200 revolutions per minute. Copper accounted for about 90% at speeds of 800 revolutions per minute or higher. These are measures of the captured mixture's purity, not the percentage of all waste metal recovered.
The paper's authors are Bashir Khoda, Md. Akibul Islam and Fatin Ishraq. UMaine described the work Oct. 22 and said the quantity collected remained small. Increasing the volume and testing whether recovered particles can be reused are next steps.