Recyclers must swiftly adapt to prepare for the significant surge in recycling of LED lighting products, as the global shift towards energy-efficient LED lighting is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 11.0% from 2023 to 2030, according to Grand View Research.
The Promise and the Challenge
As LED volumes grow, maximizing the recovery of usable material and isolating it into the most saleable form is the objective for recyclers.
However, complex issues can arise when assembling and implementing systems in a piecemeal manner. Efficiently recycling LEDs is an extremely complex process involving sequential mechanical reduction and separation. This entails not only cutting and crushing but also magnetic, electrostatic, and gravity separation and classification.
An Integrated Solution
To meet increased LED volumes and avoid issues, a recycler with over a dozen locations turned to BCA Industries to design a complete end-to-end system tailored to meet their needs. The LED-specific system is comprised of various integrated equipment that functions in concert.
Initially, an infeed conveyor brings inoperable LED bulbs to a dual shaft shredder. Next, a series of magnets are used to recover ferrous metals that could otherwise be trapped under other material. The conveyed material is further reduced by a granulator, a single shaft machine with a bed knife that crushes and cuts, and additional magnets are used to capture the finer ferrous material. An eddy current separator is then utilized to extract non-ferrous metals like copper and aluminum.
Other processes such as vibratory screening and density separation are utilized to extract additional valuable materials like glass and plastics of varying weights.
Throughout the reduction and separation process, stringent environmental controls are implemented to capture minuscule dust particles, mitigating potential health risks.
The system effectively separates and recovers the maximum amount of valuable material. After successful development and implementation, the system is now available to other recyclers.
“These new systems are specifically built to efficiently recycle LEDs from initial feed to controlling the plant environment, all the way to producing the maximum amount of salable material, including ferrous metals, aluminum, copper, light plastic, heavy plastic and glass, when separation is complete,” says John Neuens, Industrial Consultant, BCA Industries, a developer and manufacturer of industrial shredding and recycling equipment.
For more information: call 414-353-1002; email [email protected]; visit www.bca-industries.com.