Short Description
The “Digital Waste Research Lab” (DWRL) – a research facility designed for the sorting and online and real-time characterisation of bulk waste using innovative sensor technology and object recognition – has been established at the Chair of Waste Processing Technology and Waste Management (AVAW) at the Technical Univertity of Leoben. The extended operation enables a steady supply and removal of test material.
Thanks to a dosing hopper with a capacity of 8 m³ and a continuously adjustable throughput of 60 to 300 m³/h, the plant can be fed continuously and with a steady flow rate. The hopper is filled mechanically (e.g., by a wheel loader, grab crane, etc.). The machine is fitted with container rollers on one side and can therefore be positioned flexibly on the asphalt yard.
Two mobile conveyor lines, each with a flat conveyor belt, connect directly to the discharge belts of the DWRL to transport the analysed or sorted material flow out of the hall. Two downstream inclined conveyor belts enable material to be conveyed into roll-off containers or similar receptacles.
This extended infrastructure thus enables the sorting or characterisation of individual samples ranging from a few cubic metres up to continuous waste streams. Furthermore, additional units can be connected upstream and downstream of this line to test and research a wide variety of issues on an industrial scale.
Contact Person
Renato Sarc
Research Services
This extended operation enables the high-volume feeding and removal of test material for the DWRL research facility. A dosing hopper with a capacity of 8 m³ and a throughput of 60–300 m³/h (depending on material density) enables a uniform and continuous supply of material to the plant. Following analysis or sorting, two large conveyor lines, each with two conveyor belts, are used to discharge the material or to feed it into containers or similar receptacles. This ensures continuous operation of the plant in a technical sense.
Methods & Expertise for Research Infrastructure
The extended operation of the DWRL enables large-scale experimental investigations and method development on an industry-relevant scale, which can be summarised as follows:
- Fundamental and experimental research,
- Digital waste and product analysis, characterisation,
- Sample characterisation and digital description,
- Determination of material-specific composition,
- Determination of volume flow (volume per unit of time),
- Creation of a digital particle size distribution,
- Monitoring and sorting of contaminants and/or recyclables from non-hazardous (mixed) waste such as plastics, paper, glass, metals, textiles, etc.
- Validation of sorting/separation results,
- Simulation of sorting processes,
- Data analysis and visualisation of results,
- Application of mathematical and statistical methods for data processing,
- Development and application of AI approaches in waste management and technology.