Traceable Residual Material Transport for Low-Energy Recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing recycling methods for residual materials, such as scrap metal skeletons from sheet metal processing, mix them with household scrap, leading to increased energy consumption in the recycling process due to the need for additional processing.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a track & trace system with trackers on containers holding single-sorted residual materials, allowing precise tracking and separation to minimize energy consumption by ensuring pure materials are processed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If residual material is mixed with household scrap for recycling, then the recycling process can handle larger volumes, but energy consumption increases due to additional processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments residual material into separate containers based on material type (e.g., aluminum, steel, copper) using trackers to identify and categorize different materials. This segmentation prevents mixing and allows recyclers to process each material type separately, reducing the additional processing energy required for heterogeneous mixtures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary sorting and tracking of residual material at the source (manufacturing facilities) before transport to recyclers. By pre-separating materials into single-type containers with attached trackers during the production phase, the system eliminates the need for energy-intensive sorting operations at the recycling facility.
2Use of energy by moving object
If residual material is sorted into single-types and tracked separately, then energy consumption decreases and material value increases, but the system complexity increases due to tracking infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses self-service tracking where containers are automatically identified and tracked through RFID tags or barcodes attached to them. The trackers on containers automatically transmit material type information to the system without requiring manual intervention, reducing operational complexity while maintaining separation benefits.
3Quantity of substance
If residual material is sorted into single-types and tracked separately, then the value of recycled material increases, but the device complexity increases due to tracking infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The tracker system serves multiple functions: it identifies material type, tracks container location, monitors filling status, and provides certification of material purity. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate systems for each function, thereby limiting the increase in overall system complexity while maximizing material value through reliable tracking and certification.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a system (10) and a method (42) for the more particularly type-sorted and labelled delivery of residual material (12) to a recycler (14). Information about the residual material (12), more particularly about the material type of the residual material (12), is stored on a tracker (24) on the container (22) of the residual material (12). The tracker (24) can obtain the information from a grinder (20), which in turn can receive the information from a machine tool (16a, b), more particularly from a material table (32a, b) of the machine tool (16a, b). The information can also be used to offer the residual material (12) in an online marketplace (36).