SPOTLIGHT Reuse & Recycling
the carbon-effi ciency – as well as the safety and speed – of the FPD system.
Evolving technology The machine now installed at Areera could be described as embryonic, since further modules are already being designed and trialled to separate out and extract additional valuable streams. The current version of the FPD PRO machine fi ts into a 40-foot container, with processing of TVs, monitors and laptops separated into two machines – the FPD PRO and the Laptop PRO, to respectively process TVs and monitors and laptops. The machines can be used standalone or linked together.
Specifi cally relating to WEEE, the UK government has also adopted a clear stance on the identifi cation and disposal of persistent organic pollutants in these types of consumer goods. Importantly, the latest guidance on WEEE collected across the EU (and the UK) recommends that those handling this stream should apply the best available treatment, recovery and recycling techniques (BATRRT). In 2022, this requirement will also extend to fl at panel displays and screens. Two years ago, the UK government
defi ned the majority of WEEE plastics waste as “hazardous”, banning it from export to countries outside the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the EU announced its intention to follow this example.
As the country emerges from Brexit to take the chair at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow this November, there is a huge opportunity for the UK to reinforce its leadership in these areas by embracing
In the FPD PRO, TVs and monitors are placed vertically on the in-feed conveyor belt and moved through the container. Processing happens in three stations: the fi rst weighs the FPDs, collecting and categorising data such as the type of technology in the FPD. In the next station, a robot arm scans
the screen, determines the processing method and then removes the LCD (liquid crystal display) screen. If the screen is identifi ed as a CCFL (cold cathode fl uorescent lamp) TV, it gets conveyed to the next station where a second robot takes an image to identify the location of CCFLs, and then removes the mercury hazards from the chassis. The remainder of the FPD then moves on to the next step.
Obtaining specifi cs on any plastics component is important, says O’Brien, above all because many products combine polymers with a bromine fl ame retardant, which is now widely deemed to be hazardous over a given concentration. Identifi cation and separation means that the bromine-free fraction can be recovered.
Automating the process The work on integrating the automation for FPD Recycling has been carried out by fellow Irish company Robotic and Drives Services (RDS). Its Technical Director, Stephen Nolan, says that, while other models were used on the fi rst versions of the system, the current enclosed operation at Areera incorporates two ABB IRB2600 20kg-payload robots with two additional axes. The extra axes are required for functions such as cutting. There were several challenges involved in the FPD project, says Nolan: “These included the overall harsh environment,
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but, specifi cally, the dust and mercury handling, the robot speeds and the need to build in 3D vision.”
Given the fact that the FPD system is
already being installed around the world, with many more likely to follow, it was also essential that any control equipment used had a global presence and could be serviced anywhere. “Future additional robots, also
from ABB, will include collaborative robots (cobots) and pickers for battery separation,” says Nolan. “This is for downstream value-add, including removal of the printed circuit board.” The removal of the back of each TV is likely to be a hybrid operation, he predicts, involving cobots and manual intervention.
Business models One of the key requirements for the FPD system is the ability to use the cloud for collecting, storing and accessing data. “We capture in the machine a dataset that doesn’t exist up to that point: the weight, size, manufacturer, barcode number and model number,” says O’Brien.
In a sector where, as part of WEEE
regulation, manufacturers now pay substantial producer responsibility fees, this will give them – as well as regulators and compliance organisations – valuable data on what is and isn’t being recycled. To make the integrated robotic system available to recyclers around the globe, FPD Recycling also brought innovation to its business model. All of the machines in its portfolio are off ered as Technology- as-a-Service (TaaS), with a fl at annual fee, supplemented by a per-screen fee for volumes that exceed a certain threshold. “This fi nance model does two things,” says O’Brien. “It allows for eff ective, high-value recycling, but it also removes barriers to entry for the recycler.” This robotic technology is also a convincing answer to an urgent question. “Waste electronics is a bigger problem than, say, plastics, by an order of magnitude,” says O’Brien. “It’s a stream that contains extremely toxic elements, but which is also the fastest-growing, and one where – up to now – there haven’t been adequate solutions.”
CONTACT:
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www.abb.com
Automation | November 2021
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