WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – SORTING AND SEPARATING
A symphony of all sorts BY UTILISING ADVANCED AUTOMATED SORTING ON THE GROUND FLOOR, SOCIETY CAN KEEP PRECIOUS RESOURCES IN CIRCULATION. CEMAC TECHNOLOGIES’ ERIC PAULSEN EXPLAINS.
T
alk of harmonisation is widespread throughout the waste and resource recovery industry. While often applied to discussions of policy and the need for consistent regulatory frameworks, TOMRA Sorting Recycling and CEMAC Technologies are taking the idea to the facility floor. At Symphony of all Sorts, a digital launch event for TOMRA’s latest iteration of automated sorting technology, Volker Rehrmann, Head of TOMRA’s Recycling/Mining and Circular Economy divisions, highlighted the power of circular composition. “The bright future we see ahead of us requires the cooperation and smooth interaction of industry and all stakeholders along the value chain,” he said. “A good example of perfect interaction of all elements is nature. One reaches into the other, nothing is lost. It’s like an endless symphony, where various instruments work together to align and form a beautiful whole.” One of nature’s best instruments is resources, Rehrmann continued. “We know resource are finite. We are currently over exploiting mother nature’s resources and we can’t continue like this,” he said. “Once the resources are gone, they are gone forever. We don’t have a second planet we can rely on – that’s
40 / WMR / September 2020
The AUTOSORT range is designed to meet societal demand for faster, more efficient and smarter recyclable material sorting.
why we need to keep resources in circulation like a musical loop. “There is simply no alternative – the shift to a circular economy is paramount.” It’s this line of thinking that inspired TOMRA’s new AUTOSORT range, which works to create a harmonised symphony through the accurate sorting of waste materials. The idea being that through advanced sorting at the ground level, society can reuse resources currently in circulation, thereby ensuring sustainability for future generations. The line features three new equipment innovations, a next generation AUTOSORT, AUTOSORT SPEEDAIR and AUTOSORT CYBOT, which incorporates robotic recycling technology. According to Eric Paulsen, Managing Director of TOMRA’s Australian
partner CEMAC Technologies, all three products are designed to meet societal demand for faster, more efficient and smarter recyclable material sorting. He explains that the next generation AUTOSORT line brings together the latest in technological innovation to deliver advanced accuracy for complex sorting tasks, thereby facilitating higher throughput rates. “Compact and flexible in construction, AUTOSORT allows for an uncomplicated integration into existing and new facilities,” Paulsen says. “Utilising TOMRA’s FLYING BEAM technology, homogenous light distribution for better detection and monitoring across the entire belt width is guaranteed, resulting in heightened performance and operational efficiency.” Additionally, the AUTOSORT’s monitoring system generates more
