Sieving
| Technology | |
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| Technology details | |
| Name: | Sieving |
| Category: | Pre-processing (Separation technologies), Post-processing (Separation technologies) |
| Feedstock: | all solid materials |
| Product: | separated products |
Sieving is a simple technique for classifying and separating particles of different sizes. Sieving has been around since the time of the ancient Egyptians and can be considered the backbone of particle size technology. Sieving’s continuing popularity is due to the technique’s fundamentally simple principle and methodology, historical reference, and cost effectiveness. Several instrument components involved in a sieve analysis can be quality controlled, making the technique applicable to various industries including pharmaceutical, industrial, agricultural, and chemical. In food industries sieves (often vibrating) are used to prevent the contamination of the product by foreign bodies. The main method is separation of product(s) into different fractions according to the particle size. Particles with a size bigger than the mesh of the used sieve will be withheld and smaller particles will fall through.
Feedstock
Origin and composition
The sieving method is used to separate different components from a solid mixture via separating particles of different sizes. The feedstock composition therefore is a mixture of materials of different particle size e.g. coming from a sizing pro-treatment or a drying process.
Pre-treatment
For sieving no specific pre-treatment is needed since it is used to separate different fraction within a process chain. Sometimes it is combined with other separation technologies or the particle mixtures need to be dry.
Process and technologies
While sieving may appear rudimentary compared to more modern instrumental particle sizing techniques, it still requires several important considerations to obtain the best repeatable and precise results. Several factors must be considered when developing a robust sieving method or performing a routine quality analysis. Sample size, sieving duration, controlled agitation parameters and end point determination are all critical method variables which need to be addressed.
Sieve analysis
A sieve analysis (or gradation test) is a practice to assess the particle size distribution (also called gradation) of a granular material by allowing the material to pass through a series of sieves of progressively smaller mesh size and weighing the amount of material that is stopped by each sieve as a fraction of the whole mass.
Several mechanisms are used to disperse the sample and transport it through the screens (i.e. vibration, air entrainment or flowing liquid). While considered relatively low resolution, sieving’s practical applications lend itself well to quality control specifications.
Products
Since sieving only is a method to classify particles by size there is no specific product from this technology. The process results in more homogenous material composition in the different fractions that can be used for further processing.
Post-treatment
The post-treatment of the different products are depending on the next steps within the production chain.
Technology providers
| Company name | Country | Technology category | Technology name | TRL | Capacity [kg/h] | Pore size [µm] | Feedstock: Food waste | Feedstock: Garden & park waste |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company 1 | [Country HQ location] | [Technology category (if different sub-categories are defined this has to be specified here, the available categories can be found on each technology page under the chapter Process and technologies)] | [Technology name (the "branded name" or the usual naming from company side)] | [4-9] | [numeric value] | ● | ● | |
| Company 2 | [Country HQ location] | [(if different sub-categories are defined this has to be specified here, the available categories can be found on each technology page under the chapter Process and technologies)] | [Technology name (the "branded name" or the usual naming from company side)] | [4-9] | [numeric value] | ● | ● |
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| Technology and process details | |||
| Technology name: | Technology category: | Pre-processing (Separation technologies), Post-processing (Separation technologies) | |
| TRL: | Capacity: | kg·h-1 | |
| Pore size: | µm | Sieve material: | |
| Sieve type: | Surface area: | m2 | |
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Retsch GmbH
https://www.retsch.com/products/sieving/sieve-shakers/
Fritsch GmbH
https://www.fritsch-international.com/sample-preparation/sieving/
Humboldt
https://www.humboldtmfg.com/humboldt-motorized-economy-sieve-shaker.html
W.S. Tyler
https://wstyler.com/particle-analysis/
Van Borselen
https://www.vanborselen.nl/uk/multi-motion-zeefmachine.html
Russell Finex Limited
https://www.russellfinex.com/en/separation-equipment/sieving-machines/
Open access pilot and demo facility providers
Patents
Currently no patents have been identified.
References
- Sieving in Wikipedia
- Sieve analysis