AuRoWa-E

Development of robot-assisted process chain for the disassembly of waste electrical equipment

The project aims to develop a flexible, cost-effective, and semi-automated system for the efficient recycling of heat exchangers in the recycling industry. The growing demand for critical raw materials in the EU—driven, for example, by new energy technologies—is increasing import dependency and supply risk. However, waste electrical equipment such as heat exchangers contain valuable materials and offer great potential as a secondary source of raw materials. At the same time, improper recycling requires environmentally friendly solutions.

To address these challenges and the shortage of skilled workers, the project focuses on automating pre-treatment and dismantling. The focus is on AI, robotics, and image processing systems that enable precise identification and flexible handling of the devices and reduce the need for manual pre-treatment.

In collaboration with the project partners, automation solutions are being developed that enable more environmentally friendly disposal and more economical extraction of spare parts and raw materials from old devices. In the long term, this will help reduce dependence on raw materials. The project thus makes a decisive contribution to strengthening the circular economy in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and Europe. It promotes independence from raw material imports and contributes significantly to resource conservation and sustainable economic development throughout the region.

Cooperation partner

• REMONDIS Electrorecycling GmbH
• Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) of RWTH Aachen University
• IBG Automation GmbH

Funding

This research and development project is funded by GreenEconomy.IN.NRW with funds from the ERDF/JTF program NRW.