E Waste Sorting System | AISORT
Application Overview — Electronics Recycling
E-Waste Sorting in Modern Recycling Facilities
Electronic waste (WEEE) is the fastest-growing waste stream globally, with 62 million tonnes generated in 2025 and projected to reach 82 million tonnes by 2030. E-waste sorting recovers valuable materials (precious metals, copper, aluminum, engineering plastics) while safely removing hazardous components (batteries, mercury-containing switches, capacitors). The material complexity of e-waste — a single device can contain 60+ elements — makes it the most demanding application for sensor-based sorting.
Material Characteristics and Sorting Challenges
E-waste sorting challenges: extreme material diversity (from low-density plastics to high-density precious metals) requiring multi-technology approaches; hazardous components that must be identified and removed before shredding (batteries pose fire risk during mechanical processing); brominated flame-retardant plastics that are restricted under the Stockholm Convention and must be separated; and rapidly evolving product designs that change the material composition of the e-waste stream year to year.
Recommended Sorting Technology Stack
Pre-shredding: manual or robotic removal of batteries, toner cartridges, and large hazardous items. Post-shredding: XRT (density-based separation of metals, plastics, and ceramics) → eddy current (non-ferrous metals) → induction (stainless steel, copper) → NIR (polymer identification of plastic fraction) → RGB (color-based plastic sorting). For precious metal recovery, additional gravimetric and chemical processes follow mechanical sorting.
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Metal Recovery | >95% for Cu/Au/Ag/Pd |
| Plastic Purity | >97% by polymer |
| Throughput | 2-8 t/h (WEEE) |
| Particle Size | 5-100mm post-shred |
These benchmarks represent achievable performance with modern sensor-based sorting equipment, assuming properly sized, well-maintained equipment operating on representative feedstock. Actual results depend on specific material composition, throughput, and operating conditions.