Wastebatteries collector and sorter G&P Batteries is set to double the capacity of its Darlaston facility in the West Midlands with the installation of an automated battery sorting line.
The company is planning to install a bespoke sorting machine from Swedish recycling technology firm Optisort, which it says is the first of its kind for sorting waste portable batteries in the UK.
Michael Green, managing director of G&P Batteries, said: This is an exciting investment for us as for some time weve been searching for the technology that can streamline the waste battery sorting process. We were impressed by the speed and accuracy of the Optisort battery sorter and applaud the company for developing technology that will benefit the battery recycling industry as a whole.
Capacity
The machine, which is expected to be installed during summer 2012, will enable the firm to sort around 5 batteries per second, and if running at full capacity, up to a tonne of batteries per hour.
It will be programmed to recognise and separate the most common battery brands which make up the majority of batteries collected, while less common battery brands and chemistries will be sorted by hand.
A sensor will captures images of each individual battery that passes along the machines main conveyer, comparing them to batteries that have been previously sorted, using compressed air to propel the batteries into different containers.
The machine will also compile data about the brand, model, size and chemistry of all the batteries that are sorted, which can be used for analysis.
Targets
Mr Green said: At the moment we think that if you were to take out the top twenty brands, you would have removed around 80% of the batteries we are receiving. The system will be set up to deal with the most common types, and we will focus our sorting skills on the difficult to recognise varieties.
Everything we do at the moment is done by hand, but this machinery will allow us to get a higher throughput with the same number of staff. As the number of batteries that we have to sort rises in line with collection targets, we want to ensure that we are able to handle more.
The UK batteries sector has been subject to non legally-binding recycling targets since the introduction of the Batteries Directive in 2006. The 2012 target of 25% is the first compulsory target to come into force, and will rise to 45% in 2015.
Optisort chief executive Hans Eric Melin, said: We are very pleased to be doing business with G&P Batteries, a company that has an international reputation for its accurate and compliant sorting and recycling processes. We hope that other companies in Europe will soon follow their lead.
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