WEEE RECYCLING | INNOVATION
Cleaned project involves mechanical pre-sorting of the WEEE plastics followed by separation of three streams – polymer, bromine and antimony trioxide – in a dissolution plant. The project, which is two years into its four-year duration, has so far estab- lished the sorting technology at small-scale and created a data library for the Raman spectroscopy being used. It has also established the dissolution process at lab-scale at TNO which is preparation for a scaled-up demonstration at Fraunhofer ICT using 1 kg samples. Partners in the Plast2bCleaned project also include Elix Polymers, Electrolux, Gaiker and Coolrec. The latter two companies are partnering with Fraunhofer ICT, Erema, Otto Schouter and others in the Creator project which was also presented at the webinar. The process being developed in the Creator project uses dissolution for separation of BFRs from WEEE plastics, while Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is used for identifying BFRs. In addition to improving collection rates and
removing legacy additives, applications for recycled WEEE plastics also need to be developed in order for the sector to achieve circular sustain- ability. A lot of activity is focusing on this need, as shown in recent developments by consumer electronics brands, manufacturers and WEEE recycling companies. As part of its Circular Initiative 2021 programme, white goods manufacturer Electrolux unveiled the 2-Infinity prototype vacuum cleaner in July which it developed with its partner Stena Recycling in Sweden. The 2-Infinity is 90% recyclable, as compared with up to 75% for current products in the market. The next stage of the project involves manufacturing a pre-series of up to 300 appliances to be evaluated for production. This is the second prototype developed by the
partners: the first prototype, made from 100% recycled materials and reused components, was
shown in October 2020. Stena said at the time: “The goal is to learn more about how to make the market for recycled plastics function as well as for virgin materials. The first concrete result is a visionary vacuum cleaner made of 100% recycled plastic and reused components from electronic consumer products. The prototype is developed to explore circularity in household appliances.” The material in the first prototype originated
from used consumer products such as hair dryers, vacuum cleaners and computers. The focus on consumer products has enabled the project to study the lifespan of the recycled products and components to gain insights about consumer recycling behaviour and attitudes. Henrik Sundström, Head of Sustainability at Elec-
trolux, says: “This project has highlighted many of the considerations we take into account as we seek to become more circular. From product design and material use to new business models, there are regulatory requirements as well as quality and safety questions that need to be addressed. We have to strike a good balance in increasing the amount of reused and recycled materials when making products that are optimised for further recycling at the end of life.”
Above: The 2-Infinity prototype vacuum cleaner was developed by Electrolux with its partner Stena Recycling
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IMAGE: ELECTROLUX
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