Recycling collected batteries
European countries are in average collecting approx. 0,150 kg used batteries per capita corresponding to approx. 75.000 t/y. Most of the used batteries collected with the municipal waste and subsequent land filled or incinerated. In both cases the metals in the batteries are lost for further recycling. The EU-directive on batteries is demanding the collection of 25 % before September 26th 2012 and 45 % before September 26th 2016. As the Directive is implemented the collected amount of batteries will increase substantially.
Most potable used batteries collected in EU are sorted by hand, which is slow, faulty and having a poor working environment. Very few sorting lines are using automatic sorting devices. The purpose of sorting is to produce 5-6 fractions of batteries suitable for economic processing and recycling of the metals in the batteries. In Germany a system was invented with a price 5-10 times higher than our system. This system is not able of distinguishing batteries that contain cadmium from Non-cadmium batteries. In France a mechanical system is running, but it can not distinguish batteries that contain cadmium from Non-cadmium batteries.
Environmental sustainability, and ecological footprint
The sensor being able of sorting out NiCd-batteries is an important contribution in realising the demands of the environmental policy stated in the EU-Directive. At present most batteries are sorted by humans. It is not possible through manual sorting to identify all NiCd-batteries due to missing or false labelling, corrosion, deformation, etc. Manual sorting is faulty and slow and the working conditions can be problematic. The existing automatic sorting systems do not have technology for sorting out NiCd-batteries. The new sensor makes the sorting of NiCd-batteries accurate, fast and documented saving the environment for tonnes of cadmium and nickel being land filled. In stead cadmium and nickel in the batteries can be recycled saving natural resources of especially nickel and keeping the amount of the two heavy metals in circulation low.
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