Munich will once again see an estimated 140 000 visitors from all over the world flock to its exhibition centre from 30 May to 3 June to demonstrate, observe and discuss the most important recycling technology trends. Delegates are free to roam across 18 halls, divided into 10 separate categories.
As always, recycling and waste management is well represented with five halls to explore. And then there’s the outdoors area where live demonstrations take place several times a day. A detailed review of the week-long event will be published in the next issue of Recycling International. But here is a teaser of what’s to come…
Polish recycler Elemental Strategic Metals has partnered with URT to recycle more batteries. A new thermo mechanical recycling plant is being built near its headquarters in Grodzisk Mazowiecki. ‘The lithium-ion battery recycling facility will enable a recovery of more than 98% of the black mass,’ according to URT.
Due to the one-step, slow-rotating shredding process before drying, fewer fines from the other fractions are carried over into the black mass, the company explains. ‘This produces a black mass of the highest purity.’
How does this work? The previously deep-discharged batteries are fed into a single-stage shredding process via a sluice system. The shredded fraction enters a vacuum dryer which evaporates the electrolytes. They are then condensed again and filled in liquid form.
This process, from shredding to dryer discharge, is contained within and kept inert by a nitrogen atmosphere. The dry active material (black mass) is then separated from the remaining components by sieving and filled. ‘In order to meet recycling targets, the active mass must be almost completely separated,’ URT underlines.
Ferrous metals are separated from non-ferrous metals by magnetic separation processes.
Anode and cathode foils are further components of the batteries that are separated in the plant.
Delamination is done by impact grinding the foils to enable further separation of the metal coating, plastic foils and remaining active material. In addition to the optimum working conditions the plant will fulfill national and European emission standards.
This is ensured by a multi-stage exhaust air treatment system consisting of gas scrubbing and exhaust air post-combustion. Want to know more? Visit URT in hall B6 at booth 539.
Erdwich’s fully automated recycling system for refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners enables efficient, safe and environmentally-friendly disposal of harmful refrigerants and compressor oils – all in one step. ‘Around three million refrigerating devices are disposed of in Germany every year.
Chlorofluorocarbons and other fluorinated gases pose the biggest problems at end-of-life stage,’ the tech provider notes.
To prevent these from being released into the environment, they must be disposed of properly in a closed system. ‘In addition, the increasing use of flammable refrigerants places high demands on operational safety,’ Erdwich argues. Furthermore, the number of air-conditioning units which have served their time, and are operated at high pressure within the cooling circuit, is increasing.
‘The recycling technology used by the disposal companies was previously supplied by only a small number of manufacturers. As a result, they did not always serve the desired application purpose, meaning additional engineering was required,’ Erdwich points out. That’s why it has designed a new type of extraction system based on years of experience in this particular recycling niche.
The fully automatic KAA100 extracts both refrigerant and compressor oil from not only intact but also defective refrigerating devices and airconditioning systems in a single work step. On request, Erdwich is able to include separating and shredding machines as well as exhaust air purification technology in a closed system. Want to know more? Visit Hall C5, booth 122.
‘Plastics recycling is becoming increasingly important in waste management; improved sorting and shredding systems enable plastic scrap to be optimally extracted,’ Lindner Recyclingtech observes. Above all, the shredder specialist says it wants to help deliver energy-efficient and profitable solutions for the challenges of tomorrow’s waste management.
‘At IFAT 2022, Lindner is reaching out to waste disposal and recycling companies who want to take advantage of our extensive, long-standing plastics expertise and actively enter this emerging industry,’ the company says.
On equipment design, Lindner is confident ‘the future belongs to the electric motor’, arguing: ‘They don’t just save energy, they also make a valuable contribution to reducing operating costs, reducing CO2, and promoting a world with lower emissions.’
Lindner’s innovative E-model shredders, available in both stationary and mobile forms, offer cost-effective operation with optimised efficiency at all times. The Dynamic Energy Exchange is one of Lindner’s signature features and ensures maximum efficiency and consistent performance through its active recovery of braking energy.
Compared to conventional hydraulic drives, energy consumption can be reduced by up to 40% by actively recovering braking energy during shaft reversing. Continuously high performance also increases the throughput significantly.
Lindner will present its future-oriented vision during a special media briefing on 31 May (10am) in conference room B62. It is also represented during the VDMA biomass demonstrations in the outdoor area. Want to know more? Visit Lindner in Hall B6, at booth 251/350.
Sennebogen is inviting industry players to come to Munich and discover not one, not two, but three brand-new innovations. Firstly, it is presenting the 19 tonne battery-powered material handler. Second, is the 22 tonne recycling material handler 8.22 of the new G-series. And last but not least, Sennebogen has just launched the 4 tonne telehandler 3.40 G.
IFAT was chosen as the stage for the world premiere. ‘With our mobile battery models, you can continue working even when the machine is connected to the power grid for recharging,’ Sennebogen notes. It is especially excited to showcase its telehandler 3.40 G. ‘The machine is visually a real highlight,’ the company remarks.
In addition to the impressive performance data and the stacking height of 7.70 m, the material handler ‘shines’ in particular with its unique selling point; the Multicab.
The most modern cab of its kind can be raised infinitely to an eye level of 4.10m. ‘This guarantees the best allround visibility in recycling operations.’ Do you want to know more? Visit Sennebogen in Hall C5, booth 241 / 340
Material separation specialist Tomra Sorting has reached a milestone this year, its 50th anniversary. It is eager to present its vision for the coming years at IFAT during a special news conference at the press centre on 31 May (12.30pm). The theme of the talk is: ‘Whatever it takes to close the loop’.
In recent years, the company has done what it can to help ‘break the bottlenecks of recycled plastic content’. It has supplied various reverse vending systems for plastic bottles – with the most recent installations in Scandinavia and Singapore. Meanwhile, thanks to Tomra’s Autosort and Autosort Flake systems, DGrade opened its first plastic sorting facility situated in Abu Dhabi. The facility opened in late March and produces high-quality recycled plastic content for the packaging industry.
‘Today, recyclers and sorting plant operators are faced with the task of cleaning contaminated waste to a level suitable for further processing or local trading,’ Tomra observes. At the same time, brand owners and converters that buy post-consumer recyclates are demanding high-purity mono fractions, sorted by type and colour.
‘By adopting new sensor-based sorting technology, plant operators can effectively sort and purify high-value plastics from waste streams to supply polyethylene (PET) or other fractions to the market. To create more valuable products, a combination of pre-sorting and flake sorting solutions is needed.’
Enter Tomra’s sorting systems. The tech company explains: ‘First, near-infrared (NIR) sorters separate targeted plastics from contaminants such as unwanted polymers and foreign materials. The purified plastics are then shredded, washed, and dried.’
The resulting plastic flakes are then processed in a secondary step with a high-precision flake sorting system that can sort flakes as small as 2mm. ‘These ultra-flexible systems enable operators to define whether they’d like to sort materials by polymer type and/or colour, creating products specifically tailored to even the most demanding requirements,’ says Tomra. Visit Tomra in Hall B6, at booth 339/438.
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