FIELD OF INVENTION

[001] The present invention relates to a sorter. More specifically, the present invention relates to a size-based sorting unit.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[002] A material recovery facility (MRF) is a specialized plant that receives, separates and prepares recyclable materials from a solid waste stream.

[003] Generally, the equipment used for downstream processing of the solid waste stream in the MRF plant are size restricted, i.e., they are able to process materials that lie within a predefined size range only. Therefore, screening of the solid waste stream by creating different size-based fractions of solid waste is an important step in any MRF plant. The said screening step helps to prepare appropriate size-based fractions for various downstream equipment based on a processing specification of the respective downstream equipment. Thereafter, each of the sizebased fraction is being fed to the respective downstream equipment for further segregation and/or recycling.

[004] A few examples of conventionally available screeners that screen the solid waste based on their respective sizes include roller screener (or splitter), rotating trommels, ballistic separators, etc.

[005] Conventionally available splitters include a plurality of rotating rollers to sort the solid waste stream into three different size-based fractions. Efficient operation of the splitter depends upon balanced centrifugal forces of the individual rollers of the splitter.

[006] However, the conventional splitters tend to be unreliable due to their frequent breakdown during operation. Since the rollers of the splitters are only supported at one end, the breakdowns are dominantly caused because of non-uniformly distributed cantilever load (weight of the materials in the solid waste stream) on the rollers of the splitters. Over long period of operation, such cantilever loads bring about an undesirable structural change in the rollers of the splitter leading to rotatory imbalance in the rollers of the splitter. The said rotatory imbalance leads to undesirable vibration in the splitter leading to formation of biased size-based fractions which may be incompatible with the downstream equipment. [007] Further, the conventional splitters do not address discrepancies caused due to solid waste having other than predefined grain sizes, thus requiring usage of additional screeners.

[008] Therefore, there arises a requirement of a sorting unit which accurately creates different size-based fractions of the solid waste without compromising on the reliability and accuracy of the operation.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[009] Particular embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are mere examples of the disclosure, which may be embodied in various forms. Well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the present disclosure in unnecessary detail. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.

[0010] The present invention relates to a splitter including at least one housing, a plurality of rollers, a first support member, and a second support member. The housing having a first wall and a second wall. A supporting member is disposed between and coupled to the first wall and the second wall. The first wall includes a plurality of openings. The rollers are operationally coupled to the housing. Each of the roller includes an inner member and an outer member partially enclosing the inner member. The inner member is coupled to the outer member via a plurality of bushes. The inner member is at least partially disposed within the housing via the openings. The outer member is disposed outside the housing. A plurality of flights is disposed over an outer surface of the outer member in a pre-defined pattern. The first support member couples an inner second end of the inner member to the second wall. The second support member couples the inner member to the first wall. At least one of a second ball bearing is disposed between the second support member and the inner member and a first ball bearing is disposed between the first support member and the inner member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011] The summary above, as well as the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the apportioned drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the present disclosure, exemplary constructions of the disclosure are shown in the drawings. However, the disclosure is not limited to specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed herein. Moreover, those in the art will understand that the drawings are not to scale.

[0012] Fig. 1 depicts a three-dimensional perspective view of a splitter 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] Fig. la depicts a cross-sectional side view of the splitter 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Fig. 2 depicts an inner member 111 coupled to a first wall 131 of the splitter 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Fig. 3 depicts a top-view of a plurality of rollers 110 of the splitter 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

[0016] Prior to describing the invention in detail, definitions of certain words or phrases used throughout this patent document will be defined: the terms "include" and "comprise", as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation; the term "or" is inclusive, meaning and/or; the phrases "coupled with" and "associated therewith", as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have a property of, or the like; Definitions of certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document, and those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that such definitions apply in many, if not most, instances to prior as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases.

[0017] Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in an embodiment," and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment, but mean "one or more but not all embodiments" unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms "including," "comprising," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to" unless expressly specified otherwise. An enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive and/or mutually inclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms "a," "an," and "the" also refer to "one or more" unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0018] Although the operations of exemplary embodiments of the disclosed method may be described in a particular, sequential order for convenient presentation, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments can encompass an order of operations other than the particular, sequential order disclosed. For example, operations described sequentially may in some cases be rearranged or performed concurrently. Further, descriptions and disclosures provided in association with one particular embodiment are not limited to that embodiment, and may be applied to any embodiment disclosed herein. Moreover, for the sake of simplicity, the attached figures may not show the various ways in which the disclosed system, method, and apparatus can be used in combination with other systems, methods, and apparatuses.

[0019] Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the embodiments may be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments. These features and advantages of the embodiments will become more fully apparent from the following description and apportioned claims, or may be learned by the practice of embodiments as set forth hereinafter.

[0020] The term 'solid waste stream' in the below description corresponds to a heterogeneous or homogeneous mixture of solid waste having household, economic and/or commercial value. The solid waste stream includes a mixture of different types of solid waste (or materials) as received from a pre-defined waste generation source. The different types of solid waste may include without limitation plastic, paper, films, glass, rubber, metal, electronic waste, tetra pack, multi-layer packaging (MLP), cardboard, etc.

[0021] In accordance with the present disclosure, a sorting unit (or splitter) is disclosed. The splitter of the present invention is capable of accurately sorting a solid waste stream including one or more materials into two or more size-based fractions. The said materials include without limitation recyclable materials, waste materials, etc.

[0022] Though the present disclosure discloses the use of the splitter in the context of sorting a solid waste stream in a material recovery industry, it should be noted that the use of splitter in functionally equivalent applications such as in mining industry, agriculture industry, etc. are within the scope of the teachings of the present invention.

[0023] The splitter of the present invention allows an end user to sort a solid waste stream into two or more size-based fractions. Each size-based fraction may be defined by a pre-defined size range. The pre-defined size range of a size-based fraction corresponds to a minimum and a maximum size of individual materials in that size-based fraction. The splitter can be adjusted to regulate the pre-defined size ranges of each size-based fraction. Each size-based fraction may have a predefined size range that is mutually exclusive from the other size-based fractions.

[0024] The splitter includes a plurality of rollers that rotate around a concentric axis without any vibrational loses, thereby enabling sustainable operation of the splitter. The splitter includes a plurality of ball bearings which facilitate exceptional dynamic load bearing during cantilevered operation of the rollers without any imbalances. The aforementioned features of the splitter provide unbiased and accurate sorting of the solid waste stream into respective size-based fractions, thereby improving efficiency of the downstream processes.

[0025] Now referring to the figures, Fig. 1 depicts a perspective view of a splitter 100 and Fig. la depicts a cross-sectional side view of the splitter 100 of the present disclosure. The splitter 100 includes a plurality of rollers 110 and at least one housing 130. Each housing 130 may have a predefined number of rollers 110. Therefore, one or more housings 130 may be placed serially as required to get desired number of rollers 110 as per requirement of an MRF plant. In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the splitter 100 includes four housings 130 having four rollers 110 each. Each roller 110 is operatively coupled to the housing 130 thereby yielding a splitter 100 with sixteen rollers 110.

[0026] Additionally or optionally, the number of rollers 110 per housing 130 may be modified as per requirement. In other words, for example, even if the housing 130 supports four rollers 110, the splitter 100 may be operated with only three rollers 110 per housing 130. This ability to change the number of rollers 110 per housing 130 provides modularity to the splitter 100 and thus becomes a convenience to the end user for modifying the splitter 100 as per their requirements.

[0027] The housing 130 may be an open structure or a closed structure. In an embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the housing 130 is a closed structure. The housing 130 may include at least a first wall 131 and a second wall 133. In an exemplary embodiment, the first wall 131 and the second wall 133 of the housing 130 are made up of mild steel. However, other non-reactive/inert and durable materials can also be used for constructing the first and the second walls 131, 133.

[0028] Additionally or optionally, as shown in Fig. 1, the housing 130 may be covered with a cap 130a. The cap 130a may include an inclined shape towards the rollers 110. The inclined shape of the cap 130a facilitates the solid waste stream to be fed close to the housing 130, thus enabling utilization of the entire length of the rollers 110 to sort the solid waste stream. The utilization of the entire length of the rollers 110 helps to improve the efficiency of the splitter 100. The cap 130a also protects the inside of the housing 130 from dust and/or other external adulterant(s).

[0029] The first wall 131 may include a plurality of openings 131a corresponding to the number of rollers 110 present in the housing 130. The adjacent openings 131a may have a distance between them ranging from 110mm to 700mm. In an embodiment, the distance between adjacent openings 131a is 245mm. The said distance between adjacent openings 131a may influence the distance between flights disposed adjacently on the rollers 110 (described below).

[0030] The housing 130 may include one or more supporting member 135 to reinforce structural integrity of the housing 130. The supporting member 135 may be made of a material including but not limited to mild steel, structural steel, stainless steel, aluminum, etc. In an embodiment, each supporting member 135 includes a hollow pipe made of mild steel. The supporting member 135 may be coupled to the first wall 131 and the second wall 133 such that the supporting member 135 is firmly disposed between the first wall 131 and the second wall 133 of the housing 130. The supporting member 135 may be coupled to the first and second wall 131, 133 via welding, bolts/fasteners, etc. In an exemplary embodiment, the supporting member 135 are welded to the first and second wall 131, 133.

[0031] Each roller 110 includes one or more of, an inner member 111, an outer member 113, and a plurality of flights 115 (as shown in Fig. la). The inner member 111 may have any three- dimensional shape. In an embodiment, the inner member 111 is a hollow tube. The inner member 111 may be made of a material including but not limited to mild steel, structural steel, stainless steel, aluminum, etc. In an embodiment, the inner member 111 is made of mild steel. The inner member 111 may have an outer diameter ranging from 50mm to 300mm. The inner member 111 may have an inner diameter ranging from 30mm to 280mm. The inner member 111 may have a length ranging from 500mm to 4000mm. In an exemplary embodiment, the outer diameter, the inner diameter and the length of the inner member 111 are 100mm, 83.8mm and 2500mm respectively. The inner member 111 may have an inner first end Illa and an inner second end 111b.

[0032] The outer member 113 may completely or partially enclose the inner member 111. The outer member 113 may have an outer first end 113a and an outer second end 113b. In an exemplary embodiment, the inner member 111 and the outer member 113 form a concentric tubular structure. The inner first end Illa of the inner member 111 may align with the outer first end 113a of the outer member 113. The said arrangement between the inner member 111 and the outer member 113 provides static and dynamically balanced rollers 110 which reduces force imbalance and minimizes rotational vibration. Further, it enables the inner member 111 and the outer member 113 to rotate along a concentric axis. The concentric axis enables the roller 110 to rotate at high revolution per minute (RPM), thereby increasing speed of operation.

[0033] The outer member 113 may be made of a material including but not limited to mild steel, structural steel, stainless steel, aluminum, etc. In an embodiment, the outer member 113 is made of mild steel. The outer member 113 may have an outer diameter ranging from 80mm to 500mm. The outer member 113 may have an inner diameter ranging from 60mm to 480mm. The outer member 113 may have a length ranging from 500mm to 4000mm. In an exemplary embodiment, the outer diameter, the inner diameter and the length of the outer member 113 are 166.3 mm, 154mm and 2000mm respectively.

[0034] The inner member 111 may be coupled to the outer member 113 with the help of a plurality of bushes. The plurality of bushes may occupy a space between the inner member 111 and the outer member 113. The bushes may transfer a torque from the inner member 111 to the outer member 113. Instead of bushes, other functionally equivalent structures to transfer torque from the inner member 111 to the outer member 113 are within the scope of the teachings of the present invention.

[0035] In an exemplary embodiment depicted in Fig. 1, the inner member 111 is coupled to the outer member 113 by a first bush 117a and a second bush 117b. The first bush 117a may be disposed between the inner member 111 and the outer member 113 adjacent to the inner first end Illa and outer first end 113a.

[0036] Similarly, the second bush 117b may be disposed between the inner member 111 and the outer member 113 adjacent to the outer second end 113b of the outer member 113. The bushes 117a, 117b maintain structural integrity of the outer member 113 over the inner member 111. Further, it enables the inner member 111 and the outer member 113 to rotate concentrically at a uniform RPM.

[0037] Each roller 110 may be operationally coupled to the housing 130 in a cantilevered manner. The inner member 111 may be at least partially disposed within the housing 130 via the openings 131a. The inner second end 111b of the inner member 111 of the roller 110 may be passed through the opening 131a of the first wall 131 and operatively coupled to the second wall 133 of the housing 130. The coupling between the inner member 111 and the second wall 133 may be functionally reinforced by a correspondingly shaped first support member 133a affixed to a surface of the second wall 133, thereby enabling the inner member 111 to rotate freely with respect to the housing 130.

[0038] The outer member 113 may not be housed inside the housing 130, i.e., the outer second end 113b may be disposed adjacent the opening 131a of the first wall 131 and outside the housing 130.

[0039] A first ball bearing 133b may be disposed between the first support member 133a and the inner member 111. The first ball bearing 133b may include, without limitation, deep groove ball bearing, roller bearings, taper roller bearings, etc. In an exemplary embodiment, the first ball bearing 133b is a deep groove ball bearing. In an embodiment, the first ball bearing 133b provides a dynamic load rating of up to 127kN.

[0040] Similar to the first support member 133a disposed on the second wall 133, a corresponding second support member 131b may be disposed on the first wall 131 (as shown in Fig. 2) adjacent to the opening 131a around the inner member 111, thus coupling the inner member 111 to the first wall 131.

[0041] A second ball bearing 131c may be disposed between the second support member 131b and the inner member 111 (as shown in Fig. 2). The second ball bearing 131c may include, without limitation, a duplex angular contact ball bearing, one or more spherical taper roller bearings, etc. In an exemplary embodiment, the second ball bearing 131c is a duplex angular contact ball bearing. In an embodiment, the second ball bearing 131c provides a dynamic load rating of up to 143kN.

[0042] The first support member 133a and second support member 131b may be disposed either outside or inside the housing 130. In an exemplary embodiment, the first support member 133a and second support member 131b are disposed inside the housing 130. The first ball bearing 133b along with the second ball bearing 131c allow the roller 110 having a length up to 4m long to be arranged in a cantilevered fashion. Further, they facilitate Universal Distributed Load (UDL) of up to 2500 N on single roller 110 along with roller's 110 self-mass, thereby helping maintain integrity of the rollers 110.

[0043] In an exemplary embodiment, the first and second support members 133a, 131b are made from casting. The casted first and second support members 133a, 131b ensure symmetrical load distribution of the rollers 110.

[0044] Additionally or optionally, as shown in Fig. 2, a plurality of ribs 131bl are provided circumferentially around the casted second support members 131b. Similarly, not shown, the first support members 133a may be provided with the plurality of ribs 131bl.The ribs 131bl help to strengthen the core of the first and second support members 133a, 131b and to neutralize axial loads of the rollers 110.

[0045] The above-described coupling between the roller 110 and the housing 130 provides easy disassembly and assembly for maintenance of the roller 110, the first ball bearing 133b and/or the second ball bearing 131c.

[0046] The plurality of rollers 110 rotate in a predefined direction. In an exemplary embodiment, the rollers 110 rotate in a clockwise direction. A portion of the inner member 111 housed within the housing 130 may be keyed in a predefined pattern 111c. A plurality of chain sprocket 150 may be functionally coupled to the keyed pattern 111c. In an exemplary embodiment, adjacent rollers 110 inside the housing 130 are daisy-chained to each other via one or more chain sprockets 150. The said daisy-chained arrangement of the chain sprocket 150 facilitates unanimous and uniform rotation of all the rollers 110 coupled to the housing 130.

[0047] One or more rollers 110 may further be operatively coupled to a driving means 170 (as shown in Fig. 1). The driving means 170 may be powered by a pre-defined source including without limitation an AC power outlet, a DC power source, etc.

[0048] In an embodiment, the keyed pattern 111c of one roller 110 is coupled to the driving means 170 by the chain sprocket 150. The driving means 170 may include, without limitation, a DC motor, a three-phase AC motor, a single-phase AC motor, etc. In an embodiment, the driving means 170 is a three-phase AC motor. The driving means 170 may be housed either inside or outside the housing 130. Further, the housings 130 may share a common driving means 170 or different driving means 170 each. [0049] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, a single driving means 170 is provided outside the housing 130 to rotate all the rollers 110 of the splitter 100. Disposing the driving means 170 outside the housing 130 provides ease of maintenance and safeguards the driving means 170 from dust particles during operation of the splitter 100.

[0050] Other functionally equivalent alternatives may be used instead of a chain sprocket 150 such as, without limitation, rubber belts, timing belts, gears, etc.

[0051] A solid waste stream is fed over the rollers 110 to sort the solid waste stream including the one or more materials into two or more size-based fractions. During operation of the splitter 100, the rollers 110 may rotate at a predefined RPM ranging from 50 RPM to 500 RPM depending upon the composition of the solid waste stream. In an exemplary embodiment, all the rollers 110 of the splitter 100 rotate at 220 RPM. In an alternate embodiment, each roller 110 of the splitter 100 rotates at different RPM. The predefined RPM of the splitter 100 may be regulated by a variable-frequency drive (VFD) to control a processing rate of the splitter 100. The processing rate of the splitter 100 may be defined as the amount of solid waste stream sorted into two or more size-based fractions per unit time. Similarly, the splitter 100 may have a feeding rate of 100 tones per hour or less depending upon the composition of the solid waste stream. The feeding rate may be defined as amount of solid waste stream deposited overthe rollers 110 of the splitter 100 per unit time. In an exemplary embodiment, the processing rate of the splitter 100 is the same as the feeding rate. In an exemplary embodiment, for a stream of municipal solid waste, the feeding rate of the splitter 100 is up to 50 tones per hour.

[0052] The size-based fraction may include materials of a predefined size range. Each size-based fraction may be further sorted into two or more size-based fractions by nesting the plurality of rollers 110 of the splitter 100 in a predefined configuration to get more than three size-based fractions as per requirement of a material recovery facility (MRF).

[0053] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, the rollers 110 of the splitter 100 are arranged in a single-layer configuration. Hence, the splitter 100 sorts the solid waste stream into three different size-based fractions namely, a first fraction, a second fraction and a third fraction. The first fraction has the least predefined size range compared to the second and the third fraction. The second fraction is defined by a predefined size range that lies in between the first fraction and the third fraction. [0054] In an alternate embodiment, the rollers 110 of the splitter 100 are arranged in a duallayer configuration (not shown) to yield five size-based fractions.

[0055] As shown in Fig. 1, underside of the rollers 110 is kept empty such that the splitter 100 of the present disclosure can be set-up and used in any setting. For example, one or more conveyor belts may be disposed under the rollers 110 of the splitter 100. In an exemplary embodiment, not shown, one conveyor belt is disposed under the rollers 110, one conveyor belt is disposed at the side 's' of the rollers 110, and one conveyor belt is disposed in front 'f' of the roller 110. Other equipments and/or structures may be disposed under and around the splitter 100 of the present disclosure as required.

[0056] The plurality of flights 115 may be disposed over an outer surface of the outer member 113 in a pre-defined pattern. In an exemplary embodiment, the flights 115 are spirally coupled around the outer member 113 via welding such that the flights 115 resemble threads of a screw. The number of flights 115 disposed over the outer member 113 depends upon the length of the outer member 113.

[0057] The flights 115 of each of the rollers 110 are disposed adjacent to flights 115 of an adjacent roller 110 at a predefined diagonal distance (or distance) 'd' (as shown in Fig. 3). The diagonal distance 'd' may range from 20mm to 600mm. In an embodiment, the diagonal distance 'd' between two adjacent flights 115 is 85mm. The said distance between adjacent flights 115 may define the pre-defined size range for the first fraction. Hence, the first fraction of materials is allowed to fall through the rollers 110 due to gravitational forces.

[0058] The flights 115 may have a pre-defined shape including but not limited to circular, groovy, triangular, square, etc. The different shapes of the flights 115 may each provide a different bouncing effect to the material in the solid waste stream, thus, helping the materials in the solid waste stream to unstuck from each other. In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the flights 115 have a circular shape.

[0059] The flight 115 may include a pre-defined height. The height of the flight 115 is an important parameter that affects the efficient working of the splitter 100 of the present invention. For example, too small a height of the flight 115 may not enable the splitter 100 to accurately capture the materials, destined for the second fraction, in between two consecutively placed flights 115. And, too big a height of the flight 115 may not enable the rollers 110 disposed adjacent to each other to be placed in close proximity thereby, limiting the flexibility to control the pre-defined size range of the first fraction. In an exemplary embodiment, the height of the flight 115 is 75mm.

[0060] Since, the flights 115 are arranged in a spiral manner over each roller 110, the consecutive flights 115 of each roller 110 may define a pitch 'p' (as shown in Fig. 3). The pitch 'p' of the flights 115 regulates the pre-defined size range of the second fraction. The pitch 'p' of the flight 115 may range from 50 mm to 500 mm. In an exemplary embodiment, the pitch 'p' of the flight 115 is 200mm. The said pitch 'p' of the flights 115 enable a streamlined motion of the materials on the rollers 110. The materials of the second fractions are captured in between the flights 115 of the roller 110. The materials of the second fractions are forced to collect in a direction perpendicular to the direction of rotation of the rollers 110. In an embodiment, the second fraction is pushed towards the outer first end 113a of the outer member 113 by the rotating motion of the flights 115.

[0061] The materials remaining in the solid waste stream, which do not fall in between the rollers 110 and which do not get captured in between the flights 115, are destined to get collected as the third fraction. The materials of the third fraction are allowed to travel over the flights 115 of the rollers 110 which get collected towards the direction of rotation of the rollers 110.

[0062] Further, the diagonal distance 'd' between adjacent flights 115 may be adjusted by moving the roller 110 either towards or away from the housing 130, as required, to fine tune the pre-defined size ranges of each size-based fraction.

[0063] Example 1 (Prior art): A conventional splitter was used to separate a solid waste stream into three size-based fractions. During operation of the splitter, the rollers of the splitter had structural deformations due to unbalanced cantilevered loads. Due to said structural deformities, the size-based fractions obtained from the splitter was not mutually exclusive. Further, the splitter had frequent operational breakdowns because uneven rotational motion of the rollers, vibrations and imbalances.

[0064] Example 2 (Present invention): The splitter 100 (as shown in Fig. 1) was set up to separate a solid waste stream (sourced from municipal solid waste) into three size-based fractions. The rollers 110 of the splitter 100 were adjusted such that the flights 115 had a diagonal distance 'd' of 85mm and a pitch 'p' of 200mm. The rollers 110 were rotated at 220 RPM in the clockwise direction around a concentric axis without any vibrational loses. The splitter 100 was fed with a solid waste stream at a feeding rate of 25 tonnes per hour. The splitter 100 separated the solid waste material into three mutually exclusive size-based fractions at a processing rate of 25 tonnes per hour. The first fraction was collected at the underside of the rollers 110 and had materials having size less than 85mm. The second fraction was collected towards the outer first end 113a of the outer member 113 (i.e., the front 'f' as shown in Fig. 1) and had materials having size between 85mm and 200mm. Lastly, the third fraction was collected at the side 's' (as shown in Fig. 1) and had materials having size more than 200mm.

[0065] During operation of the splitter 100, it was observed that the spitter 100 provided exceptional dynamic load bearing during cantilevered operation of the rollers 110 without any imbalances. Further, because the splitter 100 was able to provide three unbiased mutually exclusive size-based fractions, the efficiency of the downstream processing of the MRF plant went up significantly.

[0066] The scope of the invention is only limited by the appended patent claims. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the teachings of the present invention is/are used.