AUTOMATIC AND INDIVIDUALISED SORTING AND MANAGEMENT PROCESSES OF EWASTES
The E-AIMS Project aims to provide European WEEE managers with optimised sorting,
recovery, and valorisation processes through the demonstration in real processes (pilot
plant) of an innovative solution focused on the eco-efficient, automatic and individualized
sorting and management of e-wastes.
At the end of its useful life, electrical and electronic equipment must be treated through a
process that offers guarantees to recover usable components and adequately treat
potentially dangerous substances. Before removing, crushing, cutting or pressing, all theses
components and substances that may be potentially dangerous or an environmental risk
must be removed.
Following innovative recycling and recovery systems, nowadays 80% of the WEEEs are
returned to the economic circuit in the form of iron, copper, aluminium or zinc. The rest,
including plastics, can not be recovered for the moment, although there are industrial project
aiming to achieve a “Zero Waste” Scenario.
Nonetheless, despite the tremendous effort made towards the adequate treatment of WEEEs
the managing systems face the problem of not having to their disposal the adequate
information on the composition of the appliances nor the right and optimum processes to
manually disassemble the equipment.
The E-AIMS project, led by Inkoa Sistemas and in conjunction with Indumetal Recycling,
Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML and Electro Coord Magyarország
Nonprofit Kft. aims to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility through full-scale
demonstration experiences (pilot plant) of an innovative sorting and management
methodology off Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).
The proposed solution, supported by automation systems, software applications, and RFID
identification systems, will allow to perform automatic sorting and individualized management
of the waste appliances according to a set of data integrated through RFID identifiers into the
own appliance (data on producers, hazardous substances, component materials, and
instructions for disassembly of the equipment) and the criteria previously established by
WEEE managing agents.
The main benefits derived from the application of these methodologies and technologies will
be the fulfilment of EU Directive 2002/96/EC, which sets ambitious objectives for the
collection, recycling, reuse and recovery.
E-AIMS Project “Automatic and Individualised Sorting and Management Processes of eWastes”" is a collaborative project approved on the second call of the Eco-Innovation
Programme 2008 - 2013, financial instrument which main objective is to boost European’s
environmental and competitive standing by supporting innovative solutions that protect the
environment while creating a larger market for “green” technologies, management methods,
products and services.