Recycling turnkey line for e-scrap in France: Shredding for value

Envie's existing plant in Portet-sur-Garonne near Toulouse could process a maximum of two tons of material per hour. This could no longer cope with the constantly growing volumes of electronic waste. Envie recognized the need for action to sustainably increase throughput. Not only was the existing machinery to be modernized with state-of-the-art shredding technology, but the existing plant and operating concept was also to be revised - including an improved and safer working environment for the employees.

Together with the parent company Derichebourg, Envie looked for an innovative solution as part of an extensive comparative study. The pre-shredder (VSR) and the Rotorshredder (RS) from BHS-Sonthofen achieved the best results among the numerous suppliers in terms of material quality, wear behavior and throughput rate. "For us, the focus was not only on the investment costs, but also on the question of whether we could use the machines to meet the current requirements for WEEE recycling and run flexible processes," explains Franck Zeitoun, Managing Director of Envie. "Experienced partners in plant engineering and the lowest possible operating and maintenance costs were also important to us. BHS-Sonthofen met all of these criteria."

Sophisticated design for high recycling performance

Envie opted for a modular solution consisting of an external feed hopper, three soundproofed and air-conditioned sorting cabins, the BHS pre-shredder (VSR) and Rotorshredder (RS) as well as conveyor belts, magnets, screens, safety devices and a fully automatic control system.

With the BHS pre-shredder (VSR), large quantities of bulky and elastic materials can be processed effortlessly. The VSR then unloads the shredded e-scrap onto a conveyor belt, which transports it to an overbelt magnet. This catches the magnetic fractions and feeds them to the Rotorshredder (RS). A multiple screen divides the non-magnetic fractions into three fractions. Two of these fractions are first sent to a second sorting chamber for post-processing before the Rotorshredder (RS) breaks them down further. The particular strength of the RS lies in its ability to optimally shred and break up recyclable materials containing metal, residual materials and composite materials. The shredding tools act on the feed material with intensive impact and shearing forces, resulting in selective shredding. Material composites can be separated efficiently and without large amounts of fines, resulting in unmixed fractions. "The RS has proven to be a real 'game changer'. It enables us to achieve the levels of purity we had hoped for," says Franck Zeitoun.

A positive outcome

Thanks to the technological expertise of BHS-Sonthofen and its French sales partner RESSOR, commissioning at the beginning of 2023 went smoothly. And so far, the new recycling line has impressed in every respect:

• Higher throughput: the plant now processes six tons of small household appliances per hour - a threefold increase on the previous volume.
• Improved metal recovery: The proportion of non-recyclable mixed fractions has been reduced from 11% to less than 1%.
• Higher material purity: Envie can sell the majority of recovered metals directly to partners for further processing.
• Optimized working conditions: Modern sorting cabins provide employees with a safer working environment.

"We are delighted that the recycling plant fully meets our expectations in terms of capacity, material quality and user-friendliness," emphasizes Franck Zeitoun. "With this plant, we are ideally equipped to meet the challenges of the growing WEEE market."