A Romanian company is announcing that it will use artificial intelligence in a program to develop technologies to detect batteries in electrical and electronic equipment to prevent fires caused by them at recycling facilities.

Electronic waste in the recycling center Photo: Green WEEE

GreenWEEE International, the market leader in the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), announces that it is part of the GRINNER consortium, formed by an interdisciplinary group of experts from seven research organizations and industries from as many European countries, led by LYNQ, a company specializing in the production Software.

The GRINNER project, launched on September 1, 2022, is developing battery detection technology based on artificial intelligence (AI) systems that use data from X-ray detectors to locate batteries in the WEEE stream at recycling facilities. The GRINNER solution also includes the use of a robotic system for safe, automatic removal (pickup and placement) of batteries prior to the grinding phase at sites.

Batteries can cause explosions and fires during recycling

When some types of batteries inside WEEE, especially lithium-ion (Li-ion) and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), are damaged, they catch fire or explode, causing fires.

“Batteries are increasingly used in new electrical and electronic products, most of which are sealed, which is a big problem for us recyclers as they are almost impossible to visually identify and remove. This project will play an important role in improving the sorting process of small equipment containing batteries, as well as in the recycling process, which also means minimizing the risk of explosion and fire caused by batteries”, says Marius Kostake, CEO of GreenWEEE.

Batteries can be found in small appliances, IT and telecommunications equipment, which are often collected together with other waste: e-cigarettes, MP3 players, digipas, electric toothbrushes, oral irrigators, video cameras, locks, POS, electronic price tags, etc.

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