Global – Recycling businesses looking to gain a competitive edge are widening their search for innovative solutions beyond the ever-larger, stationary recycling systems. The word on the lips of many is ‘mobile’. Recycling International lists some of the key trends and tools to look out for’¦.
Using magnets to sort metal scrap is a ‘steadily growing market’ and interest in mobile systems is ‘really taking flight’, observes Dutch technology firm Goudsmit. This trend can be attributed partly to the many recyclers now turning their attention to the iron-rich automotive shredder residue waste stream.
As regards the practicalities of mobile magnetic separation systems, Goudsmit prefers neodymium overbelt magnets because they are ‘very compact’, thus offering significant weight reduction benefits. Their relative lightness makes the belt very easy to replace while also providing a ‘more intense’ attraction of metals compared to conventional magnets.
‘As a result, iron scrap has a lower chance of letting go and dropping back into the waste stream,’ explains Eugène van den Boomen, the company’s sales manager for magnetic recycling equipment. Neodymium magnets can be up to twice as strong in the first 100-120 mm and so they are ‘highly suitable for separation of small iron particles’, he adds.
To reduce wear, Goudsmit has introduced an impact-reducing layer bonded between the cleats of the belts.
Higher expectations
‘We sell a couple of hundred such magnets each year – to people from all over the place, from Germany to Mexico,’ Van den Boomen remarks. ‘This week, I’m receiving a recycler from Moscow. He’s flying over to the Netherlands just to visit our test centre.’
According to Van den Boomen, it also pays dividends to have a partnership with an established shredder manufacturer such as Komptech. ‘We just shipped several shredder overbelt magnets to their headquarters in Frohnleiten, Austria, and there is already a new order lying on my desk,’ he points out.
Goudsmit has seen an uptick in business following the introduction of increasingly strict EU targets; last year alone, the company witnessed growth of around 35%. ‘There are higher expectations with regards to recycling,’ says Van den Boomen.
‘This directly results in more demand for recycling solutions – both stationary and mobile.’ Some clients may look to invest in mobile options in order to add more capacity to an expanding site, he adds by way of example.
Hybrid eddy-current separator
Together with Dutch company Tuip Recycling Solutions, Goudsmit has developed a ‘hybrid’ mobile eddy-current separator to operate in extremely dusty surroundings for Hydro in Norway, to whom Goudsmit has just delivered 20 magnets.
‘What’s so special about this new unit is that all motors are hydraulically-driven,’ Van den Boomen explains. ‘All in all,’ he concludes, ‘I am sure the future has a lot to offer when it comes to mobile recycling applications, for sorting or otherwise.’
Recycling your phone in under five minutes
Over the next 12 months, Intellibox is aiming to roll out more than 1500 of its ATM-style phone trade-in for cash kiosks across the UK. Some 40 ‘Intelliboxes’ are already in operation and the number was set to increase to 70 this March, according to company ceo Som Sinha.
He expects this expansion to push Intellibox’s turnover from £1 million to £10 million by the end of the year. The kiosk has built-in analytics which scan the phone, identifying not only the model and age but also whether it has any dents, scratches and cracks before arriving at a purchase value.
The kiosks are located in community hotspots such as shopping centres and supermarkets, and allow trade-ins to be completed in less than five minutes. Consumers are given the choice of a cash (online banking) reward or Amazon gift vouchers.
During a ‘trial’ period from January 2017 to January 2018, more than 3000 mobile phones were handed in for recycling. Phones put on the market can fetch up to £450 if returned in good condition.
Gadget Repair Solutions provides the reverse logistics, data erasure and device management at its 10 500 square feet processing centre at Southend in south-east England.
Intellibox plans to branch out into other Western European countries – including France, Spain and Germany – in 2019.
Dispatch made easy with cieTrade app
US recycling and trading software firm cieTrade Systems Inc. has launched cieDispatch, a mobile app for truck drivers to manage dispatch jobs. It allows them to instantly retrieve a list of assigned tickets, get directions to service locations via Google Maps, update job statuses, write comments as well as taking photos.
The new app by cieTrade replaces the old-fashioned paper ticketing system, which requires a lot more effort to maintain on the driver’s part. Scribbled notes and calling back and forth to the main office is now a thing of the past, says Dan Martin, cieTrade senior recycling plant specialist.
He explains that cieDispatch was designed as a productivity tool for the backoffice to manage drivers, get real-time load status updates while reducing data-entry at the end of the day.
With cieDispatch, the back office is automatically alerted when a load is completed or if it is canceled, along with the reason why. Martin points out that this is a big help when processing claims and issueing invoices.
The full mobile technology feature can be read in Recycling International’s upcoming issue.
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