Page 38 from: Out now: Recycling Technology 2021!
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2021
Application
On the fridge recycling front line
URT Umwelt- und Recyclingtechnik GmbH (also known as URT Recycling Technology) of Germany is celebrating its 25th
anniversary. In 2020, the e-scrap processing solutions provider has managed to build four fridge recycling lines, despite the
Coronavirus crisis.
Robot analyses the blowing agents in fridges’ insulation foam. VHC blowing agents in polyurethane foam in end-of-life refrigerators.
T
he plant engineering company from Karl-
stadt in central Germany is an expert in
the niche WEEE market, not only as a
result of its many years of experience but also
through its constant plant innovations. In or-
der to remain technologically up to date, URT
participates in standardisation groups.
Development and research in the field of
plant engineering is part of the daily routine
for the URT team. Main research targets are
the reduction of opex and capex, increasing
plant availabilities, higher levels of automa-
tion and plant monitoring. While other plant
constructors are trying to open up ever more
fields of business, URT concentrates on the
core competence of plants for the processing
of electrical and electronic scrap.
URT is an expert in the following fields of
plant engineering:
– Refrigerator recycling
– Small domestic appliance and IT recy-
cling
– Large domestic appliance recycling
– Printed circuit board recycling
– Toner cartridge recycling
– LCD recycling
– CRT recycling
– Sorting of WEEE plastics
Active around the globe
Despite the Coronavirus crisis, URT has
built four fridge recycling plants in 2020. Two
of the facilities are for treating fridges con-
taining volatile hydrocarbons (VHCs), with
online incineration of the blowing agent pen-
tane; the others recover all kinds of blowing
agent. In total, URT has built more than 50
refrigerator disposal plants worldwide.
To achieve continuous success in this field,
URT’s systems are constantly undergoing fur-
ther development and its processes are adapt-
ed to the latest laws and standards.
Cost-efficient
To recover all kinds of blowing agent, URT
uses an activated carbon adsorption unit. The
activated carbon adsorbs the blowing agents,
which are released during the shredding pro-
cess and the post-treatment of the polyure-
thane foam from the gas stream. Once the car-
bon is loaded, the gases are desorbed by hot
steam. A high air volume flow in the fridge
recycling plant ensures the collection of all
the blowing agents released from the polyu-
rethane foams.
The plant is very efficient in terms of oper-
ating costs, thanks in part to the low electrical
connection power and the lack of any need
for nitrogen. The system separates the water
from the blowing agents. This saves disposal
costs and the recovery rate (EN 50625) can be
easily evaluated.
Selective treatment
In Europe, CFCs have not been used in the
production of cooling devices since 1995. A
common characteristic of the VHC substitute
used since then has been their flammability.
For this reason, all treatment plants must be
fire- and explosion-proof.
Various concepts have already been suc-
cessfully developed by URT. In the case of new
plants, it is quite reasonable to adopt differ-
ent treatments for VHC and VFC end-of-life
cooling devices as the operating costs can be
reduced considerably. Owing to the selective
operation of VHCs, there are no costs for the
disposal of the gases as the VHCs are burned
in the plant. The resulting energy can be used
directly; the heating of factory halls, for exam-
ple, is ideal for this.
Robot check
No nitrogen is required for explosion
protection in treating the fridge unit, thus
dramatically reducing opex. To ensure
only VHC-containing fridges enter the plant,
URT has developed a robot that analyses
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