Lesson 1Baling and densification: balers, compactors, and bale quality considerationsThis part details balers and compactors to pack sorted recyclables tight. It talks about making bales, tying them, what makes good bales, and how steady feed, water amount, and settings affect tightness, safety, and selling value.
Horizontal versus vertical balers in MRFsCompactors and pre-compaction strategiesBale density, dimensions, and weight targetsContamination limits and bale quality specsWire tying, safety, and bale handlingLesson 2Glass handling and cullet separation: breakers, screens, and glass-specific conveyorsThis part talks about handling glass from when it arrives until separating the broken pieces called cullet. It explains breakers, screens, and special conveyors just for glass, looking at sizing the pieces, taking out small bits and dirt, and reducing damage, dust, and loud noise.
Glass breaker types and impact on fragment sizeScreens for cullet sizing and fines removalGlass-only conveyors and chute designManaging ceramics, stones, and residual metalsWear protection, dust, and noise controlLesson 3Primary feeding systems: hoppers, apron feeders, vibratory feedersThis part introduces main feeding systems that move material from storage to processing. It compares hoppers, apron feeders, and vibratory feeders, pointing out flow control, risks of blocking, wear, and linking with controls.
Hopper design, live capacity, and bridging risksApron feeders for heavy and abrasive loadsVibratory feeders for metering and spreadingLevel sensors and interlocks for safe feedingWear liners and maintenance access designLesson 4Ancillary systems: dust extraction, air knives, water sprays (if any), control panels and SCADA basicsThis part reviews support systems for safe and steady work. It includes taking out dust, air knives, water sprays if used, and control panels with simple SCADA ideas for watching, alarms, and recording data.
Dust extraction hoods, ducts, and filtersAir knives for label and light fraction removalWater sprays for dust and fire risk controlLocal control panels and emergency stopsSCADA screens, alarms, and trend loggingLesson 5Conveying and material flow: conveyor types, transfer points, speed controlThis part looks at types of conveyors and managing material flow in dry recycling plants. It covers belt, chain, and roller types, designing transfer spots, controlling speed, reducing spills, and how paths affect running time and safety.
Belt, chain, and roller conveyor selectionTransfer chutes, skirting, and spillage controlSpeed control, VFDs, and throughput tuningInclines, declines, and material rollbackGuarding, walkways, and lockout pointsLesson 6Size reduction equipment: shredders, hammer mills, crushers, granulators — working principles and settingsThis part explains machines that break things smaller before sorting or baling. It compares shredders, hammer mills, crushers, and granulators, focusing on how they cut, choosing screens, power use, and controlling the final piece size.
Single-shaft and twin-shaft shredder functionsHammer mill impact action and grate selectionCrushers for rigid containers and bulky itemsGranulators for plastics and uniform particlesEnergy, wear parts, and oversize controlLesson 7Truck unloading and tipping floor operationsThis part describes unloading trucks and working on the tipping floor at dry recycling places. It talks about truck movement, safe areas, how loaders work, checking for bad stuff, and how storing and feeding affects the steady running of the rest of the line.
Traffic flow, signage, and safety proceduresTipping floor layout and storage strategiesLoader operation, stockpiling, and mixingIncoming load inspection and contaminationHousekeeping, fire risk, and incident responseLesson 8Magnetic and eddy-current separation: ferrous and non-ferrous removal principles and placementThis part explains how magnetic and eddy-current machines take out iron metals and other non-iron metals. It covers how they work, design choices, where to put them in the line, and main settings that affect how much you recover and how clean it is.
Ferrous capture with overband and drum magnetsEddy-current rotor design and operating principleSeparator placement relative to shredders and screensKey settings: belt speed, splitter, and burden depthMaintenance, wear points, and safety precautionsLesson 9Optical sorting and near-infrared (NIR) systems: capabilities, limitations, and typical placementsThis part looks at optical and NIR sorting machines for plastics, paper, and other recyclables. It covers how they detect things, the parts that push out rejects, how to set them up, problems with dirt or water, and where they usually fit in the line.
NIR detection of polymers and paper gradesColor cameras and combined sensor platformsAir jets, valves, and ejection timingEffects of moisture, dirt, and overlappingTypical placements after screening or sizingLesson 10Screening and classification: trommels, vibrating screens, ballistic separatorsThis part covers machines for screening and sorting materials by size and shape. It explains trommels, vibrating screens, and ballistic separators, including how to set them, usual sizes they cut at, and what maintenance they need.
Trommel design, speed, and aperture selectionVibrating screens and stroke adjustmentsBallistic separators for 2D and 3D splitsManaging fines, wrapping, and blindingInspection, cleaning, and wear monitoring
