The EU project ADIR - Next generation urban mining - Automated disassembly, separation and recovery of valuable materials from electronic equipment - aims to develop a completely new recycling method to automatically disassemble electronics and recover valuable materials from them. Over the course of four years, the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen and eight project partners from three countries have developed a viable recycling concept. Particular attention is being paid to the elements tantalum, neodymium, tungsten, cobalt and gallium. These metals are found in almost all electronics today and are rare, costing almost 250 euros per kilogram in some cases, and have so far been almost impossible to recycle economically from used electronics.
The focus is on flexible processes that can be automated to break down electronic devices into their individual parts at the end of their useful life. Laser technology, robotics, vision systems and information technology work together intelligently in a dismantling system. Lasers play a key role here, as they can identify ingredients and desolder or cut out components without contact. This allows strategically important recyclable materials with high economic significance to be efficiently recycled on an industrial scale. A high recycling rate was achieved with tantalum, for example, which could be recovered at a rate of 96 to 98%.
