Project duration: 1 January 2020 – 31 December 2022

Objective

The AUSOM project aims at bringing an automatic sorting technology for metal alloys based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to the market. It will bring a higher quality secondary raw material supply to the European market and meet the identified needs of a robust and cost-effective design that can be incorporated in existing sorting logistics and is capable of sorting steel as well as aluminium and other metals.

The solution (technology)

The project aims at bringing a robust cost effective sorting technique based on laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for sorting of shredded scrap metal, to the market. LIBS is today the only existing technique that has the capability to on-line identify also the lighter alloying elements such as e.g. Si, Al, and Mg. A sorting system based on LIBS therefore has the capabilities to sort e.g. the aluminum fractions Zorba and MLC (mixed low copper) and also other metals such as steel alloys. MLC alone is estimated to have an increased value of 860€ per ton when sorted and several hundreds of thousand tons of MLC waste occurs in a year in Europe.
While commercial LIBS sensors already exist, there is a need for a more cost-effective and robust solution that can address a higher scrap throughput, dirty materials, and a variety of metals such as steel alloys. A prototype for such a system has been developed by Swerim and RISE Acreo and tested at several scrap sorting facilities. The AUSOM project now aims at further developing this prototype to work under the conditions needed for scrap sorting equipment such as the XRF-based solutions developed by Redwave. The target is to have a scalable system to meet both the needs of smaller and larger recycling facilities.

Partnership

  • Galloo, Belgium
  • Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium
  • LTU Business AB, Sweden
  • REDWAVE, a division of BT-Wolfgang Binder GmbH, Austria
  • RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB, Sweden
  • Spectral Industries BV, Netherlands
  • Swerim AB (Lead Partner), Sweden