The €3.9 million KANAL project – funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action – also includes Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences and environmental engineering firm Jeanvré.
The project hopes to prove that aluminium production scrap can be effectively sorted and transformed into high-quality secondary aluminium.
For this stage of the project, Gerhard Lang has installed TOMRA’s “Autosort TTM Pulse” system at its metals sorting plant in Gaggenau in southwestern Germany.
The plant’s infeed material consists of stamping scrap – the excess metal material that is removed during the metal stamping process – from the production of car parts and panels.
The aluminium scrap comprises a mixture of 5xxx (high-magnesium) and 6xxx (low-magnesium) aluminium wrought alloys which are produced as a by-product of the stamping process.
The material is shredded before undergoing a multi-stage magnetic separation process to remove the ferrous metals before being fed into the TOMRA system for sorting. Gerhard Lang Recycling previously sold the mixed material to aluminium manufacturers after the shredding stage.
The Autosort system uses dynamic laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (Dynamic LIBS) technology to sort the material into different products.
Maximilian Lang, managing director at Gerhard Lang Recycling, said: “With the integration of Autosort Pule, we are able to process a throughput of around 4-7 tons per hour and achieve exceptionally high purity levels, exceeding 95% and potentially reaching 97%.
“As a result, our material is suitable for use in the production of aluminium without downgrading. We can now sell the recovered materials to leading aluminium manufacturers and recyclers for direct integration into the production of new aluminium alloys. What’s more, we are considering the potential to explore additional applications for other aluminium alloys.”
Frank van de Winkel, market strategy manager for metal at TOMA, commented on the KANAL project: “This is a very exciting project for TOMRA to be involved in, and we are delighted that Gerhard Lang Recycling GmbH is reaping the benefits that our Autosort Pulse can offer.
“With the European Union’s commitment to climate neutrality by 2050, as outlined in the Green Deal, and the specific target of a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 under the ‘Fit for 55’ initiative, there has never been a more crucial time to explore ways of making the aluminium supply chain more sustainable.”
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