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Documente Cultură
RECYCLING
1 https://www.amprobotics.com/single-post/2017/03/22/AMP-Robo-
tics-Partners-with-Carton-Council-and-Alpine-to-Make- Carton-Recycling-More-Efficient
2 https://www.amprobotics.com
3 https://www.amprobotics.com/single-post/2017/08/29/AMP-Robotics-announces-a-second-recycling-robot-using-
artificial-intelligence-is-being-installed-to-recover-food-and-beverage-cartons
4 http://www.bulkhandlingsystems.com
5 http://www.sadako.es/?p=2044&lang=en
6 24 who has previously obtained an SME instrument to fund the research
7 https://www.fastcompany.com/3052355/once-robots-are-sorting-the-recycling-the-economics-all-change
8 https://www.fastcompany.com/3052355/once-robots-are-sorting-the-recycling-the-economics-all-change
9 https://phys.org/news/2014-11-robots-e-waste.html
1 0 2 8 http://smart.unsw.edu.au/research-end-end-micro-recycling-using-intelligent-robots-close-e-wast e-loop
college 11, Project LIAM 12 and DTI 13.
11 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/e-recycling-technology-innovators-what-i-learned-from-rafael-r eveles
12 http://mashable.com/2016/03/21/apple-liam-recycling-robot/#TMYt494aF5qX
https://www.dti.dk/specialists/robots-with-super-senses-to-sort-waste-for-recycling/36763 http://innosort.teknolo-
gisk.dk/aktiviteter.aspx
13 http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/h2020/topics/smeinst-11
-2016-2017.html
that they; do not see a future in recycling robotics due to slower production
speeds. Pellenc st states its optical sorting machines have “an throughput
of 150,000 objects an hour”3 and suggests “A key lesson was: use only
non-contact technologies, to ensure industrial speed.” 14
14 http://www.pellencst.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Pellenc-Selective-Technologies1.pdf
15 Brochure Max-AI
Ambition
16 One of the largest firms in the optical sorting industry Pellenc ST provided this information, and was
defiantly not interested in shifting its manufacturing model or supply model to supplying robotics systems.
17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kt_OgiMpjo 0.22
Due to the complex variation of contents present in municipal waste, using
robotics could become economically competitive, making ‘
robotics for recycling’ simpler, more compact, more consistent, higher quality
production, durable and accurate with an double verification system.
18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCYtbN-iGLM http://www.machinexrecycling.com/products/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kt_OgiMpjo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFwAAAz5r_8
http://www.max-ai.com/bhs-build-advanced-recycling-system-south-carolina/
1. On the pilot premises, integrate the initial system with robotics, vision and
collection equipment.
4. Once objectives one to three have been achieved and shown niche economic
advantages over a standard larger optical sorting municipal plant; it is the
objective to commercialize and offer the entire solution to existing manual
sorting centre’s, waste treatment companies, municipalities and local investors.
The return of investment on robotized plant will determine the projects impact,
if able to provide an above market returns model, it could attract competitors
and associate franchise investors.
Methodology
Activity one consists of first developing the digital CAD model of the plant and
then using that CAD model for the construction of the actual research plant, to
install it with: working Max-AI robotics modules, conveyor belts, vision
systems, x-ray scanner vision systems, robotic computer systems, operating
software, remote access systems and collection systems, where the project
will move from concept to laboratory.
Activity two will consist of developing the optimal sorting solution that can
sort the entire municipal waste stream, using only a combination of robotic
systems, grabbers, linear motion, bag cutter and inspection technologies. With
5 max AI’s 30 different types of content can be selected, limited to: the
material, grabbing shape and positioning of the item. With an x-ray scanning
and conductive sensors other material can be scanned such as organics,
different types of metal, wood, electronics, and different quality categories 19
can be classed.
Activity three can start when the entire municipal waste stream can be sorted
and the robotized plant shows there is an economic investment niche for
smaller, simpler, less capacity, decentralized plants. Activity three will consist
of developing a replicable franchise model, establishing: municipal license
applications, EPR reward claiming procedure, personnel tasks, managing daily
operations, continuous operation, managing supply channels,
19 10 some bottles can be contaminated with liquid still inside; cans can have cigarette filters or other contents
inside. Paper and aluminum can be contaminated with organics. It might be able to detect this using an x-ray scan
or by the increase in energy usage (weight) when lifting a standard item.
transport logistics, managing sales channels, optimizing the plant design,
components and functioning.
Activity four consists of the initial commercialization of the replicable plant done
by the ‘new consortium firm’ owned by the participating consortium: whose core
business will be bringing the whole system solution of a ‘automated robotized
100% municipal waste sorting plant’, onto the investment market. The pilot
plants ‘proof of concept’ will be used to attract offers to install new plants, from
local private investors 20 and municipalities 21.
Activity five will consist of marketing and commercializing the project by setting
up and managing new commercial plants. This will include working with local
municipalities to select plant locations and provide guidance with schemes such
as the EDRF 22
20 European Investment bank, local infrastructure investments, angel investors, local investment banks, and
crowd equity investors will be targeted by writing the neighbors a letter with the investment opportunity to buy
equity in new plants, in some cases potentially funding the plant before it is constructed.
21 “The municipality has the responsibility for the collection of household municipal waste”
22 P15 Uitvoeringsprogramma VANG - Huishoudelijk Afval 14 https://www.fi-compass.eu/esif/erdf P7 Uitvoe-
ringsprogramma VANG - Huishoudelijk Afval“the motivation of citizens, the creation of knowledge, facilities for
waste separation, is an important task for municipalities.”
Data management plan
The proposed project will work with existing technologies and implement TRL
9 technologies that are already working. The Max-AI can identify a wide range
of materials and can ‘air suction’ grab “recyclable containers & small residue in
either quality control or recovery positions”.
It will be requested for the Max-AI to be operational with the software so that
optimum combinations can be found with other robotic system to sort the
entire stream.
Business plan
There are significant returns to be obtained from sorting municipal waste:
these are EPR – extended producer responsibility rewards, resale value and
the revenues received from municipalities for handling the municipal waste
Revenues from established EPR rewards
The financial return for the investor or municipality operating the robotized
sorting plant should arise in part from existing ‘EPR rewards – extended produ-
cer responsibility rewards’: in the Netherlands the EPR reward scheme is regu-
lated by ‘Nedvang’ who allocated the EPR rewards to support municipalities in
reaching waste recycling rate targets 23 whom in turn pay recycling businesses
to sort non treated ‘household packaged waste’ into upgraded to be further
recycled content. Nedvang provides financial rewards, per 1000 K.G. or 1 ton of
sorted household waste, ranging from 0.7 cents per K.g. to 76 cents per k.g of
recycled municipal waste: for Paper carton A - 46.78 Euros per ton, carton B –
7.31 Euros per ton, Glass fur - 46.78 Euros per ton, Glass colour separated –
58.48 Euros per ton, plastics – 756 Euros per ton, Metal packaging – 70.17 Euros
per ton, drinking cartons - 398 Euros per ton.
23 https://www.nedvang.nl/uploads/20170411_Vergoedingen_sheet.pdf
The established EPR rewards, are financed by an EPR tax charged to produ-
cers of household packaged products. In the Netherlands “Afvalfonds verpak-
kingen” charges the EPR fees to producers for bringing household packaged
product onto the national marketplace, they charge producers the following:
Similar EPR scheme regulators in other EU countries are; DSD Duales system Deutschland 24 -
Germany, Fost plus - Belgium and
24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oylK48Y1xDc
others 25, these organizations manage national EPR regulations and are
members of EXPRA 26- an organization that deals with producers of household
packaged items. A household packaging producer that “signs a contract with an
EXPRA member becomes exempt from its own responsibility to take back and/or
recycle used packaging material within the scope of the functioning of the
programme” 27 and gets to place a recycling "Green Dot" 28 trademark logo on
their packaging. The producers of packaged waste do however pay EPR taxes to
members of EXPRA such as Nedvang, who in turn would “ensure the recovery and
recycling of packaging waste is done in the most economically efficient and
ecologically sound manner.” 29
25 The current members of EXPRA are Fost Plus (Belgium), Ecopack (Bulgaria), Green Dot Cyprus, EKO-KOM
(Czech Republic), Valorlux (Luxembourg), Greenpak (Malta), CONAI (Italy), Eco-Rom Ambalaje (Romania),
ENVI-PAK
(Slovakia), EcoEmbes (Spain), Nedvang (the Netherlands), Green Dot Norway, Öko Pannon (Hungary), TMIR
(Israel), CEVKO (Turkey), Herrco (Greece) and PAKOMAK (Macedonia). http://www.expra.eu/en/about/faqs
26 https://www.expra.eu
27 http://www.expra.eu/en/about/faqs The payment of EPR taxes enables producers to evade “ Verpakkingen-
besluit ” that makes companies responsible for the collection of their produced packaging. S inds 1 januari 2006 is
het Besluit Beheer Verpakkingen en Papier en Karton (het ‘Verpakkingenbesluit’) van kracht. Dit besluit maakt
bedrijven verantwoordelijk voor de organisatie en kosten van de inzameling en recycling van hun verpakkingsaf-
val. Hiertoe is Stichting Nedvang opgericht.
28 "Green Dot" trademark and focuses its work on the protection and promotion of this symbol. http://www.ex-
pra.eu/en/about/faqs
29 http://www.expra.eu/en/about/faqs 43 PET, PE, Bottles, PS, PP, PVC and other.
all types plastic packaging are collected together, the different
typesofplasticwaste4 3 stillneedtobesortedfurtherintothe various types of
polymers categories to become a further recyclable market product, this can
done through optical sorting and costs around 200-300 Euros per ton – against
the EPR revenues of 756 Euros per ton received by the municipality. With a
robotics system capable of separating different types of plastics directly, the
EPR rewards can be obtained directly, in addition to higher plastic value resale
revenues. Other recyclable materials like paper: 47 E and metal: 70 E, provide
lower EPR rewards, they however shouldn’t need sorting first and provide a
higher resale value of around 100 E per ton based on mainly fluctuating Chine-
se market prices.
Work package one firstly consist of building the digital simulation of the
concept plant: establishing the plant layout, from the entry point to the
finalresaleprocessing, 74 thiscanbedoneby mmi.rwth-aachen and the
participating system integrator.
With the design plan for the plant, the project can move from concept to
laboratory, procuring the components, location and premises where the
robotics systems can be set up by the system integrator Rovimatica .
System integrator
Robotics
Potential Municipalities
30 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52015PC0595&from=EN 31 http://ec.eu-
ropa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Municipal_waste_statistics
32 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52015PC0595