BatZink – Removal of zinc-containing batteries and impurities from municipal solid waste incineration iron scrap

As part of the project, ferrous scrap fractions were sampled at six different Swiss slag processing plants and analysed for their composition, battery content and the proportion of associated waste incineration slag. Based on these results, various mechanical processing and separation methods for removing batteries and other contaminants were developed and tested in the pilot plant and in field trials. Among other things, methods were developed for the targeted destruction of batteries and the subsequent separation of the zinc-containing fine fraction released in the process. To achieve the highest possible quality of scrap iron, a process based on AI-driven, sensor-assisted robotic sorting was utilised, amongst other methods. The process approaches developed in the project were evaluated in terms of separation efficiency, product quality and transferability to a commercial-scale plant.

In addition, an analysis was carried out to determine the extent to which the material streams generated during processing can be channelled into further recycling processes. A life-cycle analysis was used to assess the environmental benefits of processing the waste from the waste-to-energy plant and removing the zinc-containing batteries it contains. Based on a rough cost estimate, the environmental benefit per franc spent was also calculated.

Factsheet BatZink - Removal of zinc-containing batteries and impurities from municipal solid waste incineration iron scrap

Final Report BatZink - Removal of Contaminants from WtE Iron Scrap

Technical Infographic BatZink