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Sorting
Used batteries contain many scarce, reusable raw materials. To recover these, the batteries must first be sorted before they can be correctly recycled. The sorting of the empty batteries takes place in Tienen at our sorting center: Sortbat.
Why is it important to sort batteries?
Sorting empty batteries is very important and should always be done in the best and safest way possible. The purer they are sorted, the purer the recycling process can happen, and the purer the raw materials that can be recovered. Therefore, after collection, the batteries undergo a sorting process where they are classified into 7 main categories:
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Lithium primary (non-rechargeable)
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Lithium-ion (rechargeable)
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Nickel-cadmium
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Nickel-metal hydride
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Lead-acid batteries
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Button cells
The sorting process
Recycling centre
In a recycling centre, all different kinds of batteries come together. From small button cells to large bike batteries, damaged or not: all these batteries are welcome here.
Store
Everywhere you can buy (devices with) batteries, you can also return used batteries. You don't need to have bought the batteries in the same store.
Company
Companies can also collect batteries, for instance as an additional service for their employees or if they themselves use a lot of batteries
Schools
Schools that want to contribute can also collect batteries. This way, they earn points that they can exchange for admission tickets and coupons.
The sorting steps
1. Pre-sorting
To begin with, the drums filled with batteries are dumped onto a wide conveyor belt that transitions into a sorting belt for pre-sorting. Along this belt, workers remove the large batteries and accumulators, such as those from drills and electric bicycles. Based on their composition, these are immediately sorted into different groups: electrical devices with built-in batteries, and rechargeable lithium, alkaline, lead, NiMH, and NiCd packs. Any bags are cut open and waste is removed, just like other waste streams such as lamps and electronics.
2. Mechanical sorting
The sieve separates batteries in several fractions based on their respective sizes. In the first step, the smallest parts are separated. These are the button cells and small debris, together with vermiculite. This fraction will not go through the next steps of the sorting process and is disposed of and recycled appropriately.
The second step separates individual batteries from battery packs. The sieve features an optimised layout for this separation. Individual batteries are transported to the feeding device, while battery packs go directly to the characterisation unit.
3. Feeding
Next, the individual batteries and the battery packs are transported to the singulator, via their respective feeding channels, where they are put in a single line and pass through to the characterisation unit for sorting.
4. Characterisation: sorting with AI
The last step in the sorting process is sorting with artificial intelligence (AI) and x-ray. As battery-powered devices continue to multiply, so does the complexity of sorting these batteries. After all, some batteries can have exactly the same dimensions, but a different chemical composition. With the help of laser and x-ray scans, the batteries are identified based on their composition at this stage. Then, the individual batteries automatically end up in specific collection drums per chemical family, after which they are ready for recycling.
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