FlexiPlant - The research infrastructure for recycling 4.0
Research activities Cooperation
What is FlexiPlant?
The predictive control system and modern sensor systems enable optimum processing of end-of-life products and mineral composites.
Source: HZDR/Mondsilber
With FlexiPlant, we are designing a globally unique infrastructure for researching and developing flexible and sustainable technologies to extract and recycle metals from complex raw material sources, e.g. from electronic waste. The infrastructure connects equipment for pre-sorting, shredding and separation via a routing system that is not only flexible and automated, but can also be connected to new equipment developments at any time. Innovative, particle-based multi-sensor systems characterize material flows and individual samples. The data results are processed in real time using mathematical models and machine learning and fed into the heart of the infrastructure: the decision-making system, where artificial intelligence is used to evaluate separation processes and automatically and flexibly adapt process routes to the respective material and particle properties of the material flow. In this way, we endeavour to achieve optimum processing that recovers raw materials from complex material flows in an energy-efficient manner.
Why do we develop a FlexiPlant?
The dependence of the domestic high-tech industry on raw materials can be reduced if part of the metals supply can be recovered from recycling processes. High-tech products in particular contain a large number of elements from the periodic table that have so far hardly been returned to the material cycles. Procedures and processes that allow recycling in the required quality are only being trialled in Europe on a laboratory or small-scale, if at all. However, the increasing complexity of globally generated material flows makes the further development of technologies for the recovery of resources indispensable. There is currently no research infrastructure in which new, automated and digitalised recycling technologies can be tested on a pilot scale and flexibly expanded. Therefore, we plan to realise such an infrastructure with FlexiPlant.
Main focus for research and application
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End of life products (WEEE) and mineral composites |
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Process technologies, process and system engineering, automation, machine learning, artificial intelligence, sensors, design-for-recycling, Life Cycle Assessment |
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Testing of newly developed separators within a network, material flow-dependent process optimization, model flow preparation |
