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Enhancing Material Yield and Sustainability with an Integrated Dust Recovery System
Summary
A leading manufacturer of engineered pet litter faced a significant operational challenge at its California facility: the loss of valuable Bentonite dust during production. This fugitive material was being routed to a scrap belt, resulting in direct financial loss and process inefficiency. An integrated solution was designed and implemented to capture this dust and return it to the production cycle. By combining mechanical conveyance with a Vortex Maintenance Gate, a Vortex Titan Slide Gate, a rotary airlock, and a dilute phase pneumatic conveying system, the facility successfully reduced material waste. Vortex Global provided key slide gate and maintenance gate components for the project. This project has led to a substantial reduction in raw material purchasing costs and advanced the company's sustainability objectives.
Challenge
The client’s production of "Engineered Cat Litter" relies on Bentonite clay for its essential clumping and absorption properties. During various handling and conveying stages, a significant volume of fine Bentonite dust was generated. The existing infrastructure collected this dust but designated it as scrap, diverting it from the primary process stream.
This presented several operational problems:
- Material Waste: A key ingredient was being systematically discarded, diminishing the total yield from purchased raw materials.
- Elevated Operating Costs: The loss had to be offset by purchasing additional Bentonite, directly increasing production expenses.
- Process Inefficiency: The material handling circuit lacked a method for reclaiming and reintegrating this valuable byproduct, representing a clear opportunity for optimization.
Solution Overview
A recovery system was developed to capture and reuse Bentonite dust from the production process. The captured dust is mechanically conveyed after collection and processed through a series of components:
- Vortex Maintenance Gate & Titan Slide Gate
The dust is dropped through a Vortex Maintenance Gate and Titan Slide Gate after being mechanically conveyed. The Maintenance Gate isolates downstream equipment during service, while the Titan Slide Gate handles daily operations. Designed for abrasive materials, the Titan gate ensures durability with hard polymer seals and wear-compensating features.
- Rotary Airlock
The material enters a rotary airlock, which regulates flow into the pneumatic conveying system while maintaining system pressure.
- Dilute Phase Pneumatic Conveying
A blower suspends the dust particles in an enclosed pipeline, transporting them efficiently to a collection silo for reuse in the manufacturing process.
Results
- Cost Savings: A significant amount of Bentonite dust was recovered, reducing the need for new material and lowering procurement costs.
- Efficiency Gains: The system turned waste into a valuable resource, improving material yield and supporting a circular process.
- Reliability: Durable components like the Vortex gates ensured low-maintenance, long-term performance.
Conclusion
This recovery system, featuring components like Vortex Titan and Maintenance gates, provides a sustainable solution to reclaim Bentonite dust. It not only reduces operational costs but also improves process efficiency and supports sustainability goals.
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