Recycling Product News April 2022, Volume 30, Number 4 by Baum Publications Ltd.

NEXT-GENERATION MACK LR ELECTRIC

BATTERY-ELECTRIC VEHICLE WITH INCREASED RANGE

APRIL 2022 recyclingproductnews.com PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40069270

DATA-DRIVEN OPTICAL SORTING BOOSTS PROFITABILITY WHY BATTERY RECYCLING IS A HOT TOPIC IN 2022

BUILDING TRUCK SCALES THE NEW-FASHIONED WAY

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COVER STORY NEXT-GENERATION MACK LR ELECTRIC

30 24

Q&A: ASCEND ELEMENTS’ ROGER LIN

DATA-DRIVEN SORTING BOOSTS PROFITABILITY

MACHINEX COMPLETES TWO MRF UPGRADES IN THREE MONTHS

April 2022 | Volume 30, Number 3

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS & SECTIONS

Next-generation Mack LR Electric offers increased range and capacity

From the Editor

News Room

Commentary: Why battery recycling is such a hot topic in 2022

Spotlight

Hauling & Collection

Q&A with Ascend Elements

Battery Recycling

Equipment Roundup

Data-driven sorting boosts profitability

Sorting & Separation

Machinex completes two MRF upgrades in three months

Operations

Advertiser Index

Evergreen to install total of 15 AMP Robotics sorting systems

Sorting plant processes C&I and C&D waste streams in a single facility

PreZero’s new sorting plant for lightweight plastic packaging

APRIL 2022 | VOLUME 30 • NUMBER 3 EDITOR IN CHIEF Kaitlyn Till ktill@baumpub.com 604-291-9900 ext. 330 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Arturo Santiago asantiago@baumpub.com 604-291-9900 ext. 310 EDITOR Slone Fox sfox@baumpub.com 604-291-9900 ext. 335 ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES Sam Esmaili sam@baumpub.com 604-291-9900 ext. 110

FROM THE COVER: A NEXT-GENERATION MACK LR ELECTRIC COLLECTION TRUCK Mack Trucks’ next-generation battery-electric vehicle offers customers a more sustainable option for refuse and recycling collection.

ADVERTISING PRODUCTION MANAGER Tina Anderson tanderson@baumpub.com 604-291-9900 ext. 222 DESIGN & PRODUCTION Morena Zanotto morena@baumpub.com 604-291-9900 ext. 325 PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER Ken Singer ksinger@baumpub.com 604-291-9900 ext. 226 VICE PRESIDENT/CONTROLLER Melvin Date Chong mdatechong@baumpub.com FOUNDER Engelbert J. Baum

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WE’D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU Do you have a story, equipment or technology innovation, commentary or news that our readers in the recycling industry should know about? Drop us a line any time. Contact: Editor Slone Fox at sfox@baumpub.com or 604-291-9900 ext. 335

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FROM THE EDITOR

FROM THE EDITOR WHERE DO EV BATTERIES GO WHEN THEY DIE?

ith gas prices trending the way that they have been, I can’t be the only one who is seriously considering making the change to an electric vehicle. Lately, I’ve found myself weighing just how badly I actually need to run certain errands. Is going to the store really worth it if I’m spending more on the gas it takes to get there than I am on what I went there to buy? In Canada, where I live, the federal carbon tax increased by 25 percent on April 1, raising gas prices even more. This is in addition to the government’s newly released Emissions Reduction Plan which will ban the sale of vehicles running on internal combustion engines as of 2035. With 13 years left until purchasing a new gasoline or diesel vehicle is out of the question, making the switch to an EV seems like the natural choice. The upswing in popularity for electric vehicles can be seen globally. According to Gary Moore, director of global business development at UNTHA, it’s predicted that by the end of this year, one in every 10 new cars in the U.K. will be electric, and electric vehicle sales in the U.S. will double to reach 1.2 million. There are countless arguments in favour of the switch to electric vehicles: lower maintenance costs, no more oil changes, a smaller carbon footprint, and they’re generally cheaper to operate than their gas and diesel counterparts. While these benefits are undeniably persuasive, electric vehicles also come with some drawbacks that prospective buyers need to take into consideration. For me, a major drawback is that I live many kilometres away from the closest EV charging station. And because I live in an apartment, that also complicates charging it at home. I can’t just park it in my garage, run an extension cord to the car, and forget about it for a few hours. Plus, with summer approaching, and therefore road trip season, the range limitations that come along with electric vehicles can really throw a wrench in my adventure plans.

recyclingproductnews.com | APRIL 2022

With 13 years left until purchasing a new gasoline or diesel vehicle is out of the question, making the switch to an EV seems like the natural choice. While there are ways to work around almost all of these inconveniences, there’s still one major challenge that is harder to navigate: what happens to the batteries when they reach the end of their life? In this issue of Recycling Product News, we explore the future of electric vehicles and the challenges that EV battery recycling is both overcoming and facing. Read on to find out how Ascend Elements’ Hydro-to-Cathode process is turning endof-life lithium-ion batteries back into usable material, while UNTHA’s Gary Moore provides a commentary on the role of electric vehicles in the wider battery recycling debate.

SLONE FOX Editor sfox@baumpub.com recyclingproductnews.com

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NEWS ROOM

AQUA METALS RECOVERS COPPER FROM LITHIUM-ION BATTERY BLACK MASS

A STAY CURRENT www.recyclingproductnews.com CONNECT WITH US

@RecyclingPN

recyclingproductnews.com | APRIL 2022

qua Metals has recovered copper from lithium-ion battery black mass at the company’s Tahoe-Reno location. The plating of the high-quality copper, which is selectively plated atom-by-atom, is another step towards Aqua Metals’ goal of recovering all high-value materials in lithium-ion batteries. To date, the company has also produced high-purity lithium hydroxide from lithium-ion battery black mass and has successfully lab-tested cobalt plating. Copper is an important raw material for manufacturing the copper foil for lithium-ion batteries. Electric vehicles can contain more than a mile of copper wires, using 4 to 16 times more copper than gasoline-powered vehicles. As of 2021, the world consumed 30 million tonnes of copper per year, and by 2050 it is predicted to double to 60 million tonnes. Efficient and clean recycling methods for recovering copper from spent lithium-ion batteries are critical to meeting this global demand. The company recycles spent lithium-ion batteries in a clean, economical way that is fundamentally non-polluting by utilizing the renewable electron as the reagent instead of chemicals or high heat. The room-temperature process uses about 1/200th of the chemicals of a standard hydro process and does not generate the carbon footprint of a high heat approach. Li AquaRefining is a closed-loop process that recycles the chemicals it uses. Consequently, it has a fraction of the waste streams, estimated at approximately 99.5 percent less than the standard hydro process, according to the company. “What differentiates us from other metals recycling processes is that our technology produces high-purity metals. Cathode materials can be produced from pure metals, and starting with high-purity metals is the best approach to making cathode materials,” said David Regan, vice president of commercial for Aqua Metals. “We believe our technology will provide our partners with the ability to recycle more economically and cleanly, and provide a superior business opportunity with the option of selling product back into the battery supply chain or selling high-purity metals to the metals industry.” In addition to lithium and copper, Aqua Metals’ R&D program is working to recycle the other critical elements of lithium-ion batteries such as cobalt, nickel, and manganese. Aqua Metals will continue to update the market when meaningful progress is made in the recycling process.

X-BATT REUSES LITHIUM-ION WASTE GRAPHITE TO PRODUCE NEW BATTERIES

-BATT is getting closer to producing more powerful batteries by reusing waste graphite that usually ends up in landfills. The company’s polymer technology, along with recycled graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries, can be made into a composite anode that outperforms traditional materials. Recycled graphite is highly contaminated and was unable to be reused in batteries – until now. “Graphite isn’t an unlimited resource, and the U.S. imports all of its battery-grade graphite from foreign countries. X-BATT’s team is combating this challenge by discovering innovative ways to reuse waste graphite and create new batteries that are just as powerful, if not more so, than their traditional counterparts – something many people thought would never be possible,” said Bill Easter, founder of X-BATT. The benefits of this new material don’t stop at its increased performance. This technology could also lead to a domestic source for anode material, helping to support the increased demand for lithium-ion batteries that is expected to grow by 25 percent each year. X-BATT’s techniques can help meet this demand in an eco-friendly way. To help further its research, the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) awarded Semplastics, X-BATT’s parent company, a $1 million contract to produce polymer-derived ceramic composite anodes using coal as a carbon source for lithium-ion batteries. The company has discovered that adding a carbon source, such as coal, to the PDC material offers stability and normalizes charge/discharge behaviour, improving cycling life and decreasing nominal voltage.

LAST20 BEGINS TESTING OF ASPHALT MADE WITH RECYCLED PLASTICS

ast20 will partner with the Yonkers Department of Public Works to test asphalt made with recycled plastics. To make the asphalt, Last20 replaces a portion of bitumen, the common binding agent in traditional pavement, with low-density polyethylene. The plastic-infused pavement will be tested as part of a program that aims to drive economic development, innovation, and growth in Westchester County, New York.

CENTURY WASTE SERVICES ADDS DENNIS EAGLE PROVIEW COLLECTION TRUCK TO FLEET

entury Waste Services will use a Dennis Eagle ProView collection truck in New York as part of a bid to further improve safety in the city’s collection operations. Century Waste Services’ new refuse vehicle will provide direct vision, helping drivers see pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles, and any obstacles on the roads around them. The collection truck also features a low-entry walk-thru cab which makes entering and exiting the vehicle safer. Century Waste Service’s first ProView collection truck will initially operate in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, but Savino says the company is among the bidders for New York City’s commercial waste zones which are planned to be introduced later this year.

NTH CYCLE RECEIVES $1 MILLION INNOVATION GRANT TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE COBALT SUPPLY IN NORTH AMERICA

th Cycle has been awarded a $1 million National Science Foundation Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant in support of building a sustainable domestic supply of cobalt and other critical minerals in North America. Nth Cycle’s clean and modular electro-extraction technology can salvage cobalt and other critical minerals from a variety of ore and low-grade mine tailings for use in new domestic clean energy technology production, like batteries for electric vehicles, wind turbine generators, or energy storage. Nth Cycle is capable of processing these metals at 75 percent lower carbon intensity while operating at a significantly lower cost through 60 percent energy savings compared to traditional technologies, according to the company. Mining and upgrading domestic critical minerals sustainably is crucial for building a clean energy future domestically. Nth Cycle’s modular electro-extraction technology is used by miners as an alternative or enhancement to older processing technologies. APRIL 2022 | recyclingproductnews.com

NEWS ROOM

SONOCO ALLOYD WINS ISRI 2022 DESIGN FOR RECYCLING AWARD

n recognition of its innovation and commitment to sustainability in the design and manufacturing of new products, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries has named Sonoco Alloyd as the 2022 Design for Recycling winner. The award is presented annually to the most innovative contribution to products designed with recycling in mind. Sonoco has received the award for its Sonoco Alloyd EnviroSense PaperBlister package that offers a recyclable alternative to traditional retail plastic-to-card blister packaging – all without the need for costly new sealing equipment lines. Made entirely from renewable resources, the EnviroSense PaperBlister package is plastic-free, so it is recyclable in the paper stream.

MCNEILUS ACQUIRES CARTSEEKER VEHICLE AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGY

cNeilus has acquired the CartSeeker curbside automation product from Eagle Vision Systems and Waterloo Controls. McNeilus is focused on designing and developing technology and other heavy-duty truck advancements, and this investment in refuse collection vehicle automation drives that strategy forward. CartSeeker curbside automation is a patented AI-based recognition technology that identifies and locates curbside waste carts and helps automate the operation of the truck’s robotic lift arm without joystick manipulation. The CartSeeker product will complement McNeilus’ ongoing work with autonomy by providing more potential for solutions that deliver operational simplicity and high performance.

SPEED &

P OW E R • • • •

PERFECT MIX OF PRESSURE (UP TO 4000 PSI) AND SPEED (UP TO 225 HP) HOPPER SIZED FOR THE LARGEST OF OCC AND TO MINIMIZE OVER FEEDING HIGH GRADES MANIFOLD BLOCK DESIGNED WITH REPLACEMENT CARTRIDGE VALVES THAT KEEP THE POWER UNIT COOLER AND QUIETER OPTIONAL STAMPER - TO MAXIMIZE RUNNING IN AUTOMATIC WITH BULKY GRADES

I N T E G R I T Y I Q U A L I T Y I R E L I A B I L I T Y I VA L U E

recyclingproductnews.com | APRIL 2022

800.843.7512 AmericanBaler.com

GREYPARROT’S HYBRID AI WASTE RECOGNITION SYSTEM RECEIVES £488,000 DEVELOPMENT GRANT

reyparrot, in collaboration with Blue Green Vision, has been awarded £488,000 by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to develop a hybrid AI/Near-Infrared (NIR) waste recognition and monitoring system to provide automated, cost-effective, and accurate recognition of plastics waste at scale. The system will enable the identification of all types of material and packaging, including the recognition of black plastics and mixed material packaging that confuse current NIR systems. The system can also distinguish packaging by usage and differentiate polymers with a high granularity. The live recognition data will be integrated with sorting machines and other equipment to add this cognitive intelligence to existing infrastructure. This recognition capability will eventually be extended to other materials such as scrap metal, WEEE, and fibre.

BASF TO EXPAND BATTERY MATERIAL RECYCLING IN NORTH AMERICA WITH NEW FACILITY

ASF has signed an agreement to secure land for its future cathode active materials (CAM) and recycling site in Bécancour, Quebec, as part of its commitment to support North American producers in their transition to e-mobility. The investment is intended to enhance BASF’s CAM production footprint in North America by complementing its existing manufacturing sites. The new site allows for ample space to expand up to 100 kt of CAM per year with the potential for a fully integrated precursor cathode active materials supply. The site will also be well connected to BASF’s global metal sourcing network with the provision for a nickel and cobalt intermediates base metal refinery and recycling of all battery metals, including lithium. The opportunity for potential future upstream investment integration supports BASF’s strategy to build an integrated, closed-loop battery materials ecosystem in key regions.

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SPOTLIGHT

INTRODUCTIONS & UPDATES

Feed stacker

EDGE Innovate

PORTABLE FEED STACKER FOR ORGANIC MATERIALS

The EDGE FTS Radial is a portable feed stacker that is specifically designed for the turning, blending, and stockpiling of lower-density organic materials such as mulch, compost, and soils. The feed stacker is also available with an aggregate-style hopper option that allows operators to increase their stockpile holding capacity, or to efficiently load vessels and barges. Additional options include a two-deck vibrating live head, overband magnet, wireless remote functionality, and radio-controlled reject grid. The FTS Radial adds versatility with continuous stockpiling while tracking, giving operators the ability to increase their stockpile holding capacity over a much smaller footprint.

recyclingproductnews.com | APRIL 2022

Feeders

Coperion

FEEDER LINE FOR PLASTICS PROCESSING

The ProRate PLUS continuous gravimetric feeder line was designed with the specific requirements of the plastics processing industry in mind. The feeder line features a unique design that allows up to six feeders to be easily grouped around an extruder inlet within a 1.5-metre radius. The three feeder models, PLUS-S, PLUS-M, and PLUS-L, are capable of handling feed rates from 3.3 up to 4800 dm3/h, depending on the material. All ProRate PLUS feeders feature Smart Force Transducer weighing technology that operates under compression and provides accurate, stable, and reliable digital weight measurement under a broad range of operating conditions.

Mobile impact crusher

Cloud-based software

Metso Outotec

MOBILE IMPACT CRUSHER FOR TIGHT JOB SITES

Metso Outotec’s newest Nordtrack impact crusher targets smaller-sized applications and job sites in the construction and demolition waste recycling segment. The Nordtrack I1011 mobile impactor has compact dimensions and comes equipped with a large hanging screen that combines high crushing capacity with calibrated end product accuracy. The I1011 features a powerful crusher and engine, resulting in a capacity as high as 300 tph. It is able to be transported on a standard trailer, making it cost effective and quick to move between sites, while its size makes moving the equipment around tight job sites easy.

AMCS Water management system

CDE

WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR HIGH-TONNAGE PROCESSORS

CDE’s AquaCycle A2500 thickener is a water management and recycling system with a capacity of 11,000 gpm to fit the requirements of sites processing high tonnages. The increased capacity also provides a lower rise rate, enabling operators to process challenging, harder to settle materials. An alternative to water extraction from natural sources and the costly process of pumping water to the plant, CDE’s A2500 significantly reduces water consumption by ensuring up to 90 percent of processed water is recycled for immediate recirculation. It is equipped to provide materials processing operations with sufficient water supplies while ensuring optimal production efficiency, minimum loss of fines, and maximum water recycling.

CLOUD-BASED SOFTWARE AUTOMATES METAL RECYCLING

The AMCS Platform for metal recycling is cloud-based software that allows waste and recycling companies to operate smarter and more digitally by offering an end-to-end integrated platform with six core solution areas designed to interoperate seamlessly. The new-generation solution is designed to automate all aspects of scrap metal recycling operations, from scales and compliance, to pricing and contract management. The platform also handles transport, inventory valuation, inventory management, production, brokerage, and sales, as well as outbound logistics and finance. The AMCS Platform combines industry-specific software with optimization capabilities, e-commerce innovation, and on-vehicle technologies to simplify day-to-day operations.

APRIL 2022 | recyclingproductnews.com

HAULING & COLLECTION

NEXT-GENERATION MACK LR ELECTRIC OFFERS INCREASED RANGE AND CAPACITY THE BATTERY-ELECTRIC VEHICLE FEATURES 42 PERCENT MORE ENERGY

ack Trucks’ next-generation Mack LR Electric battery-electric vehicle (BEV) is now available for order. The Class 8 Mack LR Electric refuse model combines power and durability with zero emissions, offering customers a more sustainable option for refuse and recycling collection. Mack began serial production of the LR Electric in 2021 at its Lehigh Valley Operations facility in Macungie, Pennsylvania. “Mack Trucks, the market leader in the refuse industry, is also a leader in e-mobility, and this is another step forward in our ongoing electrification journey,” said Jonathan Randall, Mack Trucks senior vice president of sales and commercial operations. “Customer feedback about the Mack LR Electric has been extremely positive, and we look forward to continuing to advance electrification to fulfill the needs of our customers.” The next-generation LR Electric’s batteries can store up to 42 percent more energy and a standard 376 kWh total battery capacity offers an increased range. Featuring twin electric motors, the Mack LR Electric offers 448 continuous horsepower and 4,051 lb.-ft. of peak output torque from zero rpm. The LR Electric has a two-speed Mack Powershift transmission, Mack mRIDE suspension and Mack’s proprietary S462R 46,000-pound rear axles. Easily identifiable by a copper-coloured Bulldog on the cab denoting the electric drivetrain, the LR Electric’s vehicle propulsion is offered through four NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide) lithium-ion batteries that are charged though a 150 kW, SAE J1772-compliant charging system. The four batteries also provide all power for every onboard accessory, driven through 12V, 24V, and 600V circuits. The

recyclingproductnews.com | APRIL 2022

two-stage regenerative braking system helps recapture energy from the hundreds of stops the vehicle makes each day with an increasing load. “Mack continues to make investments in e-mobility, and we are pleased that this next-generation LR Electric further improves our offering,” said Scott Barraclough, Mack senior product manager of e-mobility. “Our dealers also are becoming EV certified, so customers will have the same level of service and support they have come to expect from Mack and its extensive dealer network.” Mack has EV-certified dealers in California, Idaho, and Quebec, and many more are working towards achieving EV Certification status. Mack and Mack Financial Services also recently announced the Mack Vehicle-as-a-Service (VaaS) program to help customers better manage the purchase process for the Mack LR Electric model, and Mack also is partnering with all body builders. VaaS includes the vehicle chassis, the refuse body, applicable taxes, and a comprehensive vehicle protection plan. Customers have the option to bundle a charger and associated installation costs into a single invoice, an all-inclusive offer that is unique in the industry, according to Mack. VaaS is offered as a five-year lease with single monthly payments and the option to renew. The Mack Ultra Service Agreement includes all preventive and corrective maintenance, Mack GuardDog Connect uptime services, roadside assistance, battery monitoring, and a battery performance guarantee. GuardDog Connect monitors vehicle systems, including battery health and performance and checks for fault codes and defects reported by the battery and electric components of the energy storage system.

Join us in

CALGARY June 9-11, 2022 Westin Hotel, Calgary Contact: Donna Turner Tel: 613-728-6946 Ext. 2 Email: donna@cari-acir.org

HAULING & COLLECTION

Electric fans eliminate parasitic draws.

AUTOCAR

ELECTRIC FAN SYSTEM FOR REFUSE TRUCKS

utocar has teamed up with Engineered Machined Products (EMP) to offer a Smart Flow electric fan on select ACX refuse trucks. The e-fan system’s design helps reduce fuel consumption, noise, and radiator clogging. ACX refuse trucks without front-end power take-off have the choice of the EMP cool pack featuring the Smart Flow e-fan system or the standard cool pack with a mechanical fan. Both configurations will be standard option choices in Autocar’s ACX refuse trucks.

A FAN THAT KEEPS ITS COOL

EMP Director of Sales and Marketing Todd Kangas says the concept of using an electric fan is not new; EMP has provided electric fans and electric components to the transit bus industry for years. Traditional mechanical fans are either two-speed, or they’re either on or off. Because of this, the traditional fan draws more power from the engine than is needed, which in turn consumes more fuel while bogging down the engine. The electric fan systems are full variable speed and only provide the necessary airflow to meet an engine’s cooling requirements. As a result, there are zero parasitic draws and there is less fuel consumption when using an electric fan.

recyclingproductnews.com | APRIL 2022

The fan’s design helps reduce fuel consumption, noise, and radiator clogging.

“We saw a need for this kind of technology in the refuse industry,” says Kangas. “Refuse is similar to transit in the same kind of duty cycles with lots of stop and go. The mechanical fan pulls about 37 hp from the engine. If the engine is 350 hp, that means 10 percent of the engine power is being used to drive the fan. If you need more power for the engine, that will make you guzzle more fuel. Once you pull that mechanical fan and remove that parasitic load, it frees up the horsepower on the engine and can save fuel and add to the engine’s capabilities.”

SMART FLOW BENEFITS

Reduced thermal cycling is another benefit of the EMP Smart Flow e-fan. The electric fans optimize the engine’s temperature, reducing wear and load on the engine, hoses, and radiator. In addition, when the electric cool pack detects a retarder request, the fans immediately react to reduce the oil temperature going into the transmission. The engine then remains consistent in temperature and minimizes scaled-down thermal cycling. The EMP fan system also helps address radiator clogging and reduces some truck maintenance requirements because of the reversible capability of the electric fans. The electric fans can be reversed and assist in debris removal from the radiator. The e-fan system only draws the required amount of air through the cool pack which has fewer fins per inch than the standard radiator and is less likely to clog. The e-fan system also helps reduce noise. A mechanical fan attached to a typical CNG or diesel truck creates a roar as the vehicle accelerates. “Everyone is familiar with the roar that comes from the huge fan that has to turn on to cool the engine. Essentially, the EMP electric fan system turns on the fans individually and cools the engine while picking up refuse cans. That is something a mechanical fan in a truck can’t do. So, the electric fan system mitigates the roar and loudness,” says Kangas. The Smart Flow e-fan system’s technology is integrated into the Autocar smart dash, which ties into the truck’s dashboard to provide reversal and diagnostic capability without an external data link adapter or service tool. The data is saved, allowing mechanics, owners, fleet managers, operators, and engineers to download the truck’s diagnostic history to determine if the fans are working correctly.

Once you pull that mechanical fan and remove that parasitic load, it frees up the horsepower on the engine and can save fuel and add to the engine’s capabilities. Todd Kangas Director of Sales and Marketing, Engineered Machined Products

NO PRESORT THE FUTURE OF MECHANICAL SCREENING

A true non-wrapping or jamming screen placed after the infeed conveyor that doesn’t require a presort. Rotating series of cantilevered steel augers fractionate inbound material and produce a clean OCC end-product. The OCC Auger Screen reduces demand on sorters. This decreases the amount of sorters required, while increasing their productivity and the overall system performance. Patented non-round auger shape causes material agitation to create clean OCC product.

THE FUTURE IS HERE. INTRODUCING THE PATENTED OCC AUGER SCREEN •

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2/28/2022 9:55:50 AM

BATTERY RECYCLING

COMMENTARY: WHY BATTERY RECYCLING IS SUCH A HOT TOPIC IN 2022 THE ROLE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN THE WIDER BATTERY RECYCLING DEBATE BY GARY MOORE

t’s no secret that the technology landscape is advancing rapidly, especially where the topic of all things electric is concerned. If we look at this specifically in the context of electric vehicles (EVs), it’s clear that a gradual shift in attitude – on both a governmental and societal level – is taking place. In fact, it’s predicted that by the end of this year, one in every 10 new cars in the U.K. will be electric, and EV sales in the U.S. will nearly double in 2022 to reach 1.2 million. When looking at the U.K., this may have something to do with the government’s recent net-zero measures – announcing a ban on sales of all new gas and diesel cars by 2030 – but it could also be representative of a change in the tide of what businesses and consumers want. For instance, the car manufacturer Tesla has been paving the way in EV technology and promoting a more sustainable future for the world’s automobiles for almost two decades, developing cleaner and more environmentally considerate solutions compared to their gas or diesel counterparts. Maybe now is the time that this “need to be green” will become more mainstream, as awareness of the topic rises. While there’s no doubt that this self-reflection – in the context of being “green” – has risen rapidly over the last few years, it is continuing to grow too. But this isn’t solely because of the topic’s presence at high-profile summit COP26, but also the various documentaries about plastic recycling, food waste, and oceanic pollution that have been appearing more regularly on our TV screens. Nowadays, people on both a domestic and commercial level are concerned about the impact they’re having on the planet. They’re passionate about contributing to positive change, and as a result, technologies such as electric vehicles and solar panels are gaining popularity. But what does all this talk about electric vehicle uptake have to do with the wider battery recycling debate in the industry?

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO SPARK INNOVATION

With the obvious appetite for more environmentally conscious tech and new solutions coming in droves, this means that the global waste and recycling industry has a bigger part than ever to play. These new “green” technologies, such as cars, e-bikes, and solar panels, require lithium-ion batteries to operate, and with their usage set to further increase over the coming months and years, there must be the capability and infrastructure in place in every country to be able to deal with them safely and effectively at the end of their life. For instance, the Department of Energy estimates that only 5 percent of America’s discarded lithium-ion batteries get recycled. In truth, neither the U.K. or the U.S. currently have the resources or measures in place to be able to handle the influx of tricky waste streams, such as batteries, on a large scale. Massscale recycling plants don’t yet exist in the U.K., but I think that this will change over the next 12 months as the industry wakes up and realizes that electric vehicles are not a trend and will be here to stay. If we’re going to work towards being a more environmentally progressive planet, something must change – infrastructure

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EV sales in the U.S. are expected to double in 2022.

With the obvious appetite for more environmentally conscious tech and new solutions coming in droves, this means that the global waste and recycling industry has a bigger part than ever to play. needs planning, sector professionals need to collaborate, and those with decision-making power need to recognize this at a policy level too. We can’t simply continue to rely on Europe to deal with such waste, as this is neither economically nor environmentally sustainable. There’s also an argument that even our continental neighbours are only now making the first steps in this market. As such, I think that this is where we will see one of the biggest areas for growth in the industry as we look ahead to the rest of 2022 and beyond.

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BATTERY RECYCLING INDUSTRY-WIDE INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION

If we’re going to work towards being a more environmentally progressive planet, something must change – infrastructure needs planning, sector professionals need to collaborate, and those with decision-making power need to recognize this at a policy level too. Having the mainstream recycling capabilities in place to help ethically and sustainably manage and dispose of this “troublesome” and explosive material will not only help to reduce the number of lithium-ion batteries ending up in landfills, but it will also help to prevent waste fires – of which 48 percent are caused by this kind of material in the U.K. each year. This is a similar trend also seen in North America, with the waste and recycling sector having experienced 317 reported facility fires in the U.S. and Canada in 2020.

Recycling lithium-ion batteries is tricky, so it will undoubtedly take a real sense of togetherness across the industry to help remedy the current challenges they present. But that’s why we need to work in partnership to come up with a long-term plan that works. There are some major players on a global level that are already providing turnkey solutions for the recycling of this material, so there is plenty of knowledge and expertise to draw upon – those conversations just need to be had. UNTHA’s collaboration with URT, a German engineering partner specializing in WEEE recycling technology, is specifically relevant in this space, as we provide the organization with the shredding technology, for their own turnkey battery recycling solution – a system which covers everything from discharging, dismantling, and shredding, to drying, sieving, metal separation, and foil downstream treatment. Battery recycling is already happening in small pockets of the world – we’re not moving from a standing start. That’s why it’s likely that 2022 will be the year we see this area of industry truly make leaps and bounds. And with plenty of innovation and cross-continental teamwork, not only is this a reachable reality, but the future of the sector will look very bright indeed. GARY MOORE is the director of global business development at UNTHA.

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BATTERY RECYCLING

Q&A

ASCEND ELEMENTS TAKES LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES FROM GRAVE TO CRADLE There exists a general perception that a product made with recycled materials is not as good as one made with raw materials. When it comes to recycling electric vehicle (EV) lithium-ion batteries, Ascend Elements is changing that view. I met with Roger Lin, Ascend Elements vice president of Global Marketing and Government Relations, to discuss his company’s recycling technologies that are cost effective, environmentally friendly, and yield the highest-quality materials.

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Can you give me a brief history of Ascend Elements?

Roger Lin

Ascend Elements is an engineered materials company that makes lithium-ion battery materials from recycled lithium-ion batteries. It was founded in 2015 under the name Battery Resources. We’ve been working on this process for quite a while. The original work was done at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, WPI, here in Central Massachusetts. Initial patents were filed in 2012 on this unique, innovative, and efficient process to turn spent lithium-ion batteries back into new battery “active materials.” Right now we’re on the cusp of scaling up the technology with what we call Hydro-to-Cathode and are putting in large-capacity commercial operations in the United States. The first phase is in Covington, Georgia, which, once it’s operational, will be processing 30,000 metric tons per year of spent lithium-ion batteries and scrap. It’s big. And it has to be big because there are a lot of batteries that will be coming at us.

Where do you get your materials from?

The two major sources of input for our Covington facility will be end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and lithium-ion factory scrap. The most obvious source is batteries from electronics devices, electric vehicles, or other battery-powered products which have reached their end of life. But the other

recyclingproductnews.com | APRIL 2022

lesser-known source we’re getting batteries from is manufacturing scrap from gigafactories. These gigafactories produce a fair amount of scrap material. It’s all the stuff that doesn’t meet specifications during the manufacturing process. That all needs to be disposed of and handled in the right way. We’re going to be taking that scrap and returning it back into the battery supply chain to make it a truly circular manufacturing process. Somewhere between 8 and 10 percent of all the output of a lithium-ion battery factory ends up as scrap. That is going to be the majority of our feedstock for a number of years. But later in this decade, the end-of-life batteries that are coming off EVs that are being retired or scrapped will begin to overtake the manufacturing scrap side. The materials we process are a little different depending on what stage they’re coming out of. Manufacturing scrap takes many forms since it spans the entire production process of lithium-ion cells. Cells are comprised of cathode active materials and anode active materials coated onto either aluminum or copper metal foils. These foils are stacked or rolled up into an electrode stack or a jelly roll. They are then packaged inside a pouch or a metal can. The can is either a cylindrical metal can or a rectangular shaped can we call a prismatic. These are then formed into lithium-ion cells. Those cells then get turned into batteries by connecting them in series or in parallel, or a combination of both. That battery is then packaged in a strong housing, which then ends up going into the electric vehicle. At any point in the above process, something can fall out of specification and be scrapped, and thus need to be recycled.

Eight to ten percent of the output of a lithium-ion battery factory ends up as scrap.

What is the Hydro-toCathode process?

This Hydro-to-Cathode process is the most efficient way to turn a lithium-ion battery that’s reached end of life back into the cathode active material, which is probably the single most important component of a lithium-ion cell. Not only does the cathode active material define the lithium-ion battery type – NMC, LCO, NCA, LFP etc., it is also the single most valuable part of a lithium-ion cell, representing about half of the total cost. This is why it is so important to a lithium-ion battery. Our process takes that end-of-life battery and transforms it into brand-new cathode active material – it’s essentially a grave-to-cradle process, where we’re taking it at the end of life and returning it back to a new life. The path that we take is the shortest and most efficient, and thus the most economic path back to that critical cathode active material. The output of our Hydro-to-Cathode process is indeed the cathode active material, and it is not only more sustainable, less carbon intensive, and less polluting, it is also more economic.

So by making that as efficient as possible, and as high-value as possible, we’re hoping to drive recycling rates for lithium-ion batteries, not just EVs, but for all lithium-ion batteries, up to as close to 100 percent as we can. Because when the recycling is economic, then the recycling becomes inevitable. It will happen. When the batteries come in, whether it’s electrode scrap like coated foils that come out of the gigafactory from the beginning of the production process, or the electric vehicle with a big battery pack from the end of the process, those can all go essentially into that same front-end process by which we take in the input scrap material or end-of-life lithium-ion battery, and then process it through our Hydro-to-Cathode line. Sorting is not required. But it can help. We want to make it as efficient as possible. And by sorting up front, it can help with the efficiency. However, even without the sorting up front, the process is still more efficient than what’s traditionally done out there, which is to use either high-temperature incineration processes known as pyrometallurgy processes, or traditional hydrometallurgy processes, which then basically create only commodity metals and don’t go all the way back into these important cathode active materials. Our process is still incredibly efficient. But we’re always looking to squeeze out even more inefficiencies. APRIL 2022 | recyclingproductnews.com

BATTERY RECYCLING

End-of-life batteries and manufacturing scrap make up Ascend Elements’ feedstock.

Are the recycled materials you produce and use to create new batteries just as, if not more, efficient than raw materials from mined sources?

There was a very interesting result from a study that was done by a third-party consortium called the USABC, which is comprised of companies like GM, Ford, and Stellantis, to look at advanced batteries for automotive purposes. USABC did a study on batteries made using cathode material from our Hydro-to-Cathode process and compared it against cathode material of the same composition but made using traditional cathode processes. What they found was that on all the important parameters they performed similarly, whether they were made from our Hydro-to-Cathode materials, or made using a traditional cathode process. In two cases they found the performance of the Hydro-to-Cathode materials from recycled feedstock actually exceeded that of the traditionally made cathode materials from newly mined, virgin feedstocks. Those two areas were in cycle life (how many times you can charge and discharge a battery before it fails to hold charge anymore) and in power capability. The cycle life was seen to be between 30 and 50 percent longer than the traditional cathode materials. And the power capability was upwards of 80 percent greater. It turns out, the porosity inside the particles of the cathode active material enabled the lithium to

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travel more easily through the cathode material and thus enabled higher power capability. The porosity also better accommodated the stress and strain of charging and discharging the materials so that it would not be damaged as much with every charge and discharge cycle as a traditionally made material would be. What’s important to note here though is that the porosity is just one aspect of the material that we can control using our technology. However, we can also modify things like the composition of the material – changing the ratio of nickel to manganese to cobalt, for instance, manufacturing an NMC 811 cathode active material from NMC 111 input scrap batteries. We can also control particle size and particle size distribution, the crystallinity of the particle, the shape or morphology of the particle, in addition to the porosity. It is a very versatile material engineering technology.

The performance of the Hydroto-Cathode materials from recycled feedstock actually exceeded that of the traditionally made cathode materials from newly mined, virgin feedstocks. Roger Lin Vice President of Global Marketing and Government Relations, Ascend Elements

Recovered elements can be infinitely recycled.

Why is there the general perception that recycled materials are not as good as raw or mined materials?

I think it’s just a common conventional wisdom that a recycled product is always going to be inferior to a pristine or virgin made product. I think most of that experience comes from dealing with recycled paper or plastic, other things that go through a process. And then when you come out the other end, you find that it is not as high quality as before. That’s not true with what we do with the battery materials because we focus on the battery elements. The ones that are so valuable to us, the lithium, the nickel, the cobalt, are elements – meaning they cannot be destroyed and can be infinitely recycled. Paper and plastic are not elements – they are compounds. So is cathode active material. It’s important to note we are not doing what’s called direct recycling of lithium-ion batteries either. We’re not taking the old battery materials and just trying to wash them or rejuvenate them, and put them in new batteries as if they’re new. We’re breaking down all those battery materials to their core elemental components, into individual atoms, the most basic building block of matter. We’re then rebuilding those atoms back up into new cathode materials, engineered for high performance, which is why we can have the results that rival or, in some cases, exceed that of the traditionally made cathode materials.

BATTERY RECYCLING

As more vehicles are becoming batterypowered, is Ascend Elements planning for an influx of more feedstock?

Yes. We’ve got expansion plans to increase capacity in the U.S., over in the EU, and the U.K., and even parts of Asia because we know electric vehicles will grow in those regions going forward. EVs, especially the light-duty passenger EVs, are going to be the largest demand for lithium-ion batteries, surpassing what consumer electronic devices like laptops or smartphones consume. But we’re also looking at applications in ESS, or energy storage systems. These are very large batteries that could be thousands of times larger than an EV battery. They are installed in the electricity grid for instance to help store solar power that’s generated during the day for use at night after the sun goes down. That’s another growing segment of application for lithium-ion batteries.

Car-Go-Net

Battery materials are broken down to their core elemental components.

So there’s a lot of demand and there will be a lot of lithium-ion batteries coming from not only vehicles, but from other applications. The one tenet is that these lithium-ion batteries will all wear out at some point. We have not yet invented a way to make them last forever. They will all need to be recovered and recycled at some point.

What will be your focus for 2022?

2022 is the beginning of our capacity build out to accommodate the growing number of lithium-ion batteries that will need to be processed. By 2025, we’re expecting over a million metric tons of lithium-ion batteries to be available for recycling globally, from both end-of-life batteries as well as manufacturing scrap. We’re expanding our capabilities now at our plant in Covington, GA. This 154,000-square-foot facility will be focused on producing the black mass and extracting lithium, nickel, and cobalt. That’s what we call a Base-class facility, and Covington will be known as “Base 1.” In our next phase, which we will begin this year, we will open a new facility where we process the outputs from Base 1 back into new cathode active material. That’s really where the heart of our Hydro-to-Cathode process will be, at this facility. We will call this our Apex-class facility, and this new plant will be “Apex 1.” This is where we will raise critical battery elements to the highest level, or “apex value,” in the lithium-ion battery supply chain. Our mission is to elevate the value of recycled elements by engineering sustainable materials for the global transition to clean energy, and provide sustainability without compromise. RPN

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EQUIPMENT ROUNDUP

DATA-DRIVEN SORTING BOOSTS PROFITABILITY THE MELOSCH COMPANY USES TOMRA INSIGHT TO INCREASE THROUGHPUT AND IMPROVE PRODUCT QUALITY

s a fourth-generation company that values continual development through technology, the Melosch Company is utilizing the TOMRA Insight data platform to make data-informed decisions that positively impact the business long term. TOMRA Insight collects data from automated sorting units to provide a fully transparent performance overview that can be used to instantly optimize machine settings.

WHERE TRADITION MEETS INNOVATION

The Melosch Company is an operator-owned family business from northern Germany whose origins go back over 100 years. The company offers tailored disposal solutions and modern processing facilities to optimally prepare secondary raw materials. Municipal waste paper sorting remains a strong pillar of its business today and processes more than 150,000 metric tons of high-purity recyclable paper annually. Vadim Sander, branch manager at the Melosch Company’s Ahrensburg plant, explains: “The quality of our raw materials can vary based on the location, but the quality of what is sold to the processors has to be consistently high. To meet our customers’ quality requirements, we decided to embrace digitalization and continue being at the forefront of our industry.” Sander’s task was to find an economically feasible automated sorting solution, especially in a market with high demand and labour shortages. “As the packaging and paper industry steadily transitions to a circular economy, our customers’ quality expectations have gotten a lot higher. Quality used to mean adding manual sorters to remove impurities and distinguish between paper types. Now it’s about delivering nearly perfect quality in a fraction of the time. With the labour environment not being in our favour, it only seemed logical to upgrade our lines with the newest generation AUTOSORT with TOMRA Insight to uncover new opportunities for optimization. The fully automated, connected sorting units maximize throughput and stabilize our workforce. Our customers are satisfied too because the TOMRA sorting units deliver consistently pure yields,” says Sander.

TOMRA INSIGHT REDUCES OPERATIONAL COSTS

TOMRA Insight gathers near real-time data and safely stores it in the cloud so it can be accessed remotely via web-based desktops and mobile devices. Since the platform continuously

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Insight is currently operating on two new generation AUTOSORT machines, and Melosch will soon connect two previous generation AUTOSORT units from a different plant.

measures the quality of the material stream in the sorting line, operators can optimize settings to respond to material composition changes. Since TOMRA Insight provides deepdive data that wasn’t previously available, managers can now make operational and business decisions based on clear-cut and detailed information. The value of always having sorting line data on hand offers huge potential. Downtime can be reduced by monitoring machine health, supporting predictive and condition-based maintenance management, thus preventing unscheduled machine shutdowns. Monitoring variations in throughput can also improve efficiencies through TOMRA Insight data. In the case of the Melosch Company, older infrastructure and other restrictions meant paper was fed onto the sorting line at a 90-degree angle, resulting in poor material distribution across the accelerator belt. Through its advanced data-driven graphics, TOMRA Insight detected an unknown opportunity, and the company installed a metal sheet to alter the feed angle and evenly spread the input material. Depending on the material stream, data optimization processes can potentially increase throughputs by an entire ton per hour without compromising quality. The data platform can also reduce operational costs by minimizing loss and providing optimal quality. After installing two new generation AUTOSORT machines with TOMRA Insight, the Melosch Company now has fewer reclamations of material, proving that the sorting data offers a competitive advantage in salable secondary raw materials.

BOTTOM-LINE RESULTS DRIVEN BY DATA The Melosch Company’s Ahrensburg plant operates with two new AUTOSORT machines which are connected to TOMRA Insight and were installed in 2020 and 2021. Due to the positive results, the Erfurt plant will soon connect its two AUTOSORT units from the previous generation to TOMRA Insight as well. At the company’s Pinneberg facility, a new AUTOSORT complements an existing AUTOSORT machine. The Ahrensburg plant has already seen two significant bene-

Quality used to mean adding manual sorters to remove impurities and distinguish between paper types. Now it’s about delivering nearly perfect quality in a fraction of the time. Vadim Sander Branch Manager, The Melosch Company fits in the first few months of using TOMRA Insight – increased throughput and nearing 97 percent purity in deinking without manual labour. Sander explains: “The constant increase of requirements to meet occupational safety combined with labour shortages in the waste sector puts us under pressure to reduce hand pickers from our line. We needed an intelligent solution to improve our processes and profitability.” In addition to performance and composition charts, TOMRA Insight also allows users to create reports specific to batches

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rather than a particular time frame. A planned automated reporting feature will soon be released to make data access and analysis even easier. Users will define reporting requirements and frequency, including the email distribution list for automatic reporting. What the Melosch Company likes most about TOMRA Insight is the way it makes it possible to have near real-time data from anywhere. “It’s fantastic to see so much data about the performance of our machines and quality rates whenever we want. Now we always know what is happening at our plants: we use the mobile app to compare the exact data to our subjective valuation of the material before it is sorted. The information shows whether we should make adjustments on the line, and the data tells us whether those adjustments are working. It takes the guesswork out of yield management. “I expected TOMRA Insight to be useful, but we were not sure just how much. It includes reporting features we hadn’t considered before, which have positively impacted our bottom line. Also, the open communication with TOMRA is extremely valuable – they ask about our needs or features we’d like to see in the future. Recent updates have included batch reporting, charts giving defect composition in percentages, conversions from imperial to metric weight unit, and usability improvements that help us get even more out of our data. With more updates in the pipeline, we’re certain TOMRA Insight enables us to improve our recovery rates, our product quality, and our profitability,” says Sanders.

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EQUIPMENT ROUNDUP

OPTICAL SORTERS

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MSS CIRRUS FIBERMAX

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TOMRA RECYCLING AUTOSORT REDWAVE REDWAVE 2I

Whether it’s sorting prohibitives such as plastic bottles, metals, film, trash, and cardboard from newspaper, or extracting mixed paper and sorted office paper, MSS’ CIRRUS FiberMax provides a user-friendly and intelligent fibre-sorting solution. A 1,000-feet-per-minute high-speed acceleration conveyor enables proper material distribution which results in minimal collateral damage, allows for high throughput, and uses the latest generation colour and metal detection sensors. CIRRUS FiberMax also features patented MaxSelect sequential scanning technology that provides the scan rate, the number of utilized wavelengths and the UV/VIS/ NIR wavelength range. At over 1,000 picks per minute, FiberMax is up to 40 times faster than manual sorters.

Machinex’ MACH Hyspec optical sorter uses a high-speed, short-wave infrared hyperspectral detection system to sort different types of material, such as plastics, fibre, carton containers, wood products, and metals. The new generation of MACH Hyspec includes revised maintenance and access features which result in a 50 percent reduction in required cleaning and maintenance time with the added benefit of improved aesthetics, ergonomics, and operator safety. Key highlights of MACH Hyspec optical sorters include 3D volumetric detection depth up to 430 mm, MACH fast detection and analysis, and a static acquisition system with no moving parts for reliability and stability.

TOMRA Recycling’s AUTOSORT technology combines the company’s latest optical and artificial intelligence technology into one compact unit. AUTOSORT includes Laser Object Detection and Deep LAIser technologies that recognize objects that aren’t seen by traditional NIR scanners. Residue objects that would typically go undetected are recognized and ejected. When combined with its deep-learning-based sorting add-on, GAIN, AUTOSORT delivers an efficient solution to distinguish between and sort different types of woodbased materials and boost yield and purity, such as sorting non-processed wood from processed wood products. By targeting processed wood composites as impurities, the technology leaves a clean non-processed wood fraction, or, depending on customers’ requirement, producing individual high-purity engineered wood composite fractions out of the infeed stream.

REDWAVE 2i, based on machine learning and artificial intelligence, uses Sensor Fusion technology which combines near-infrared sensors, RGB cameras, and all-metal detectors in one machine for improved sorting results for a variety of recyclable materials. The machine’s adaptable and expandable design enables up to 4-channel sorting with just one machine and easy progression from a two-way to three-way system. Other key features include real-time monitoring, easy maintenance, optimized energy consumption, and 24/7 remote maintenance access. The 2i system is also available with the “mate” control system, which provides artificially intelligent support, measures material qualities, and records and evaluates information during production.

APRIL 2022 | recyclingproductnews.com

SORTING & SEPARATION

Machinex has completed two single-stream MRF upgrades as the result of a collaboration with Pratt Industries.

A MACH ballistic separator.

MACHINEX COMPLETES TWO MRF UPGRADES IN THREE MONTHS THE PROJECTS AIM TO IMPROVE UPTIME, RECOVERY, AND CAPACITY

achinex has completed two single-stream MRF upgrades located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Duncan, South Carolina. These two projects resulted from a collaboration between Pratt Industries and Machinex. Upgrades started in June 2021 at the Duncan location. This single-stream system needed to replace its rubber disc polishing screen and increase throughput capacity without adding additional sorters to handle around 15,000 tons of recyclable materials per year. The system was redesigned to sort materials from curbside collection using equipment such as a MACH ballistic separator and two MACH Hyspec optical sorters to sort fibres and PET/HDPE. The upgrade in Fayetteville was completed in August 2021. This single-stream system needed a retrofit to meet the client’s objectives and remove the bounce belts while increasing capacity. The client also wanted the higher recovery of HDPE and

PET and added a QC station to its aluminum line to reach a UBC-grade product. The new system includes a MACH ballistic separator, two MACH Hyspec optical sorters to respectively eject PET, 3D fibre, and mixed paper, and is designed to process 20,000 tons of material per year. Ultimately, the upgrade aims to improve the uptime, recovery, and capacity of the MRF. “Machinex worked very closely with our team to ensure that the design and components of the upgrades accomplished our objectives,” said Pratt Recycling Senior Vice President Kurt Schmitz. “We are very pleased with the end results.” More recently, Machinex also teamed up with WB Waste Solutions to help the company upgrade its Olive Street Recycling facility in Maryland. The facility processes residential single-stream and commercial materials. Olive Street Processing was awarded several new contracts for processing additional tons of residential

recyclingproductnews.com | APRIL 2022

single-stream materials, so it needed to improve recycling capacity to meet these requirements. The company contacted Machinex to retrofit its recycling system. Key elements of the mod-

existing building with a low roof to add several pieces of equipment. The result is an increased tonnage capacity from 10 to 25 tph. Machinex’s team worked around the clock to deliver

Working with Machinex, with their customer service, it was incredible how quickly we were able to get this project off the ground and completed. Dave Taylor Director of Recycling, WB Waste Solutions ernized facility are two MACH Ballistic separators and a dual-eject MACH Hyspec optical sorter to eject PET and mixed paper. The container line features a magnet for the removal of ferrous metals and an eddy current to remove the non-ferrous metals. Machinex’s engineering team had to deal with a tight

the upgrade on time, and the system only experienced six weeks of total downtime, says Dave Taylor, director of recycling at WB Waste Solutions. “Working with Machinex, with their customer service, it was incredible how quickly we were able to get this project off the ground and completed.”

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SORTING & SEPARATION

EVERGREEN TO INSTALL TOTAL OF 15 AMP ROBOTICS SORTING SYSTEMS DEPLOYMENT OF AI-GUIDED ROBOTS ACCELERATES HIGH-QUALITY PLASTICS RECOVERY

MP Robotics has extended its partnership with Evergreen, one of North America’s largest producers of food-grade recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET). Evergreen, which has grown through acquisitions to four locations across North America, now has 15 of AMP’s robotic AI sorting systems installed or planned across three facilities. In addition to six robots in Ohio, Evergreen has added six in California, and will soon add three in New York. AMP’s technology identifies and sorts green and clear PET from post-consumer bales of plastic soft drink bottles at speeds up to three times faster and at a higher accuracy than manual sorters can achieve. Evergreen then recycles the material into reusable flakes or pellets, which it sells to end markets as feedstock for new containers and packaging. “Evergreen is a leader in the transformation of recycling processes, and its application of AI-guided sortation is increasing plastic recycling rates and helping to close the loop on PET,” said Matanya Horowitz, founder and CEO of AMP Robotics. “Evergreen’s repeat orders of our systems is a testament to the operational benefits of our AI and automation solutions, and we’re proud to play a role in the company’s expansion and modernization efforts.” With AMP’s robots focused on refining the quality of material and separating plastics more precisely by colour, Evergreen has seen a notable improvement in purity along with pick rates of up to 120 bottles per minute – an increase of up to 200 percent. The robots are removing up to 90 percent of contamination, on average, across different lines at Evergreen’s Ohio facility. Due to its expansion and infrastructure investments, Evergreen’s annual capacity of rPET has increased to more than 147 million pounds, up from 40 million pounds one year ago. Evergreen has also increased the number of post-consumer PET bottles it collects and recycles, from two billion PET bottles annually to 11.6 billion bottles. “As a leader in the transition to recycled PET from virgin resin, the precision and accuracy of AI-enabled robotics has allowed us to better monitor material composition throughout our opera-

recyclingproductnews.com | APRIL 2022

Evergreen’s repeat orders of our systems is a testament to the operational benefits of our AI and automation solutions, and we’re proud to play a role in the company’s expansion and modernization efforts. Matanya Horowitz Founder and CEO, AMP Robotics tion, increase capture, and ensure high quality in the rPET resin we produce,” said Greg Johnson, Evergreen’s general manager. “We want to recover all we can, and with AMP’s technology, we are – thereby helping to supply a higher-quality end product and a larger volume of recycled plastic for brands to source for their recycled content goals and sustainability commitments.” In addition to PET, AMP’s AI platform precisely identifies and captures plastics including high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS), sorted further by colour, clarity, and opacity, along with different form factors – lids, tubs, clamshells, cups, and more. AMP’s technology also recovers cardboard, paper, cans, cartons, and many other containers and packaging types reclaimed for raw material processing. It can quickly adapt to container packaging introduced into the recycling stream with recognition capabilities to the brand level – increasingly critical as demand for sufficient quantities of high-quality recycled material grows to meet consumer packaged goods companies’ commitment to use of post-consumer recycled content.

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OPERATIONS

SORTING PLANT PROCESSES C&I AND C&D WASTE STREAMS IN A SINGLE FACILITY STADLER AND ZENROBOTICS BUILD MOST ADVANCED MRF IN THE EU WITH REMEO

TADLER and ZenRobotics have built a new sorting plant with Remeo, a company specializing in environmental management. STADLER designed and built the materials recovery facility with Remeo, while ZenRobotics supplied AIbased robotic waste sorting technologies. The facility, located in the Greater Helsinki Region in Finland, stands out not only for its artificial intelligence (AI) technology and high level of automation, but also for integrating commercial and industrial (C&I) and construction and demolition (C&D) waste lines into the same plant – something that the companies claim is an industry first.

TWO PLANTS IN ONE

The new Remeo MRF presented unique and complex design challenges for being the first of its kind, combining a C&D plant capable of processing 30 tph with a C&I plant with 15 tph capacity, and a high level of automation. This required innovative thinking from Remeo, STADLER, and ZenRobotics, as well as a close collaboration among the partners. “The combination of our experience with the C&D line, STADLER’s solid familiarity with the C&I line and ZenRobotics’ impressive knowledge of robotics made this an excellent cooperation with the best results,” says Mauri Lielahti, business director of processing at Remeo. “We appreciated STADLER’s capability to be innovative, their willingness to seek new solutions, and that they were ready to listen to the customer’s needs. We have been working closely with ZenRobotics since 2014 and have continuous development cooperation. Thanks to the knowledge we acquired on our older recycling facility, we knew what we should and should not do. It has been easy to work with them.” The result of this collaboration is a design that “combines ballistic separators, screening drums, 3D drums, optical sorters, air separators, sorting robots, magnets, and eddy-currents, as well as the ZenRobotics robots, making it the most advanced waste sorting facility in the European Union,” says Nikolaus Hofmann, sales engineer at STADLER.

recyclingproductnews.com | APRIL 2022

The new facility utilizes 12 robot arms that together perform up to 24,000 picks per hour from C&D waste streams, eliminating unsafe heavy lifting for humans. The robots can also sort multiple fractions, including different qualities of wood, metals, stone, and plastic.

APRIL 2022 | recyclingproductnews.com

OPERATIONS

It’s the largest fully roboticized MRF of its kind, which brought new operations and safety aspects to take into consideration in the design.

The new facility is equipped with 12 robot arms from ZenRobotics.

Juha Mieskonen, head of sales at ZenRobotics, adds: “The Remeo facility is equipped with 12 robot arms that pick objects from bulky C&D waste that weigh up to 30 kilograms and together perform up to 24,000 picks per hour. In other words, the robots do all the heavy lifting that’s neither safe nor feasible for humans. They sort multiple fractions on the spot, including different qualities of wood, metals, stone, and plastic. The robots can be trained to recognize new fractions if needed, thanks to various sensors and artificial intelligence. The facility integrates two different processing lines and features two consecutive robot systems on each line. It’s the largest fully roboticized MRF of its kind, which brought new operations and safety aspects to take into consideration in the design.”

COMPLETION AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

The successful outcome of this complex project lies on the reciprocal trust and close collaboration between Remeo, STADLER, and ZenRobotics – from the design phase right through to completion of the build and installation. Lielahti explains, “It is no secret that the pandemic has been

Juha Mieskonen Head of Sales, ZenRobotics

a challenge to us all and it has added its own challenges to our project as well. We had to do the whole planning phase in online meetings. The process has required rigorous communication, but it has worked well. STADLER’s sales team has been involved all the time and we think it is one of the cornerstones for this project being such a success. We felt that there weren’t any gaps between sales and manufacturing teams, and in our experience, this guarantees a successful project.”

IMPACT ON WASTE MANAGEMENT

The annual processing capacity of the facility is 120,000 tonnes of construction waste and 60,000 tonnes of energy waste produced in commerce and industry. This waste is recycled into high-quality alternatives to virgin materials, giving waste a new life and reducing the need for incineration. Remeo’s MRF will cover more than 30 percent of all waste recycling needs in the Helsinki region. In doing so, this facility also removes the need to export the waste from Finland as the capacity to recycle waste domestically increases. Remeo’s facility offers effective recycling close to the origin of the waste, cutting transport emissions due to the short distance.

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OPERATIONS

Black scans identify plastics that are difficult to sort in conventional plants.

PREZERO’S NEW SORTING PLANT FOR LIGHTWEIGHT PLASTIC PACKAGING UP TO 120,000 TONS OF PACKAGING WILL BE PROCESSED ANNUALLY

reZero has launched Europe’s newest sorting plant for lightweight packaging in Eitting, Bavaria. After almost a year of construction, up to 120,000 tons of lightweight packaging will be processed for recycling every year. The plant, with a capital expenditure of about 40 million euros, provides 50 jobs and was built as part of a strategic partnership on the site of the local Wurzer Group. In the future, the plant can operate around the clock, 365 days a year. The plant utilizes the latest technology in its sorting process, including black scans that identify black plastics that are difficult to sort in conventional plants. Sorting robots also support employees when it comes to quality control and re-sorting. Based

on artificial intelligence, the fully automatic sorting plant will surpass all sorting quotas outlined under the Packaging Act adopted in 2019. The collected packaging material is sorted into a total of 18 different fractions. This includes polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene, and polystyrene. Unlike in other plants, the respective fractions can also be sorted by colour. Using the latest detection technology and innovative separating units, manual sorting can be largely eliminated. “With the commissioning of the plant in Eitting, we’re expanding our existing network of high-performance lightweight packaging sorting systems, not just in terms of space, but also in terms of quantity. With a total annual

recyclingproductnews.com | APRIL 2022

capacity of all our plants in Germany of around 600,000 tons, we’re establishing ourselves as part of the absolute frontrunners in this market segment,” says Carsten Dülfer, CEO of PreZero Germany. The commissioning of

national structures, we are closing a geographical gap with the location in Eitting,” says Christian Kampmann, head of business unit sorting. “In particular, our recycling plants in Austria and Italy are very easily reached from

Using the latest detection technology and innovative separating units, manual sorting can be largely eliminated. the new plant will play an important role in sorting recyclable materials, and eventually producing new products from them. “With regard to our inter-

a logistical point of view. In the future, they will be able to access material that has been processed according to type and use it for subsequent production processes.”

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ONLINE HIGHLIGHTS

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FINANCIAL REPORT

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ADVERTISER INDEX 3 Tek.................................................................... 47 American Baler..............................................12 Bandit Industries........................................ 45 BKT Tires............................................................37 Buffalo Turbine............................................ 46 Bunting Magnetics Company.............21 Cardinal Scale.................................................. 2 CARI.......................................................................17 CP Group........................................................... 19 CONEXPO-CON/AGG................................ 41 Gensco Equipment.....................................31 Industrial Netting....................................... 28 International Baler.....................................27

AVANGARD INNOVATE BECOMES FIRST RECYCLER IN NORTH AMERICA TO USE HONEYWELL TECHNOLOGY FOR PLASTICS RECYCLING

Liebherr-Canada............................................ 3 Mack Trucks....................................................23 OverBuilt............................................................13 PMR..................................................................... 29 SENNEBOGEN LLC...................................... 9

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DUST

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G DU AS • ST DI & O ESE DO L • R C EL ON ECT TR RI OL C EQ UI PM EN T

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Recycling Product News April 2022, Volume 30, Number 4

Articles inside

From the Editor

Q&A with Ascend Elements

PreZero’s new sorting plant for lightweight plastic packaging

Spotlight

Evergreen to install total of 15 AMP Robotics sorting systems

News Room