Federal President and Environment Minister examine Metal Recycling with Laser Light

Federal President Joachim Gauck in conversation with Edwin Büchter, cleanLASER

Not only Joachim Gauck was personally interested in the new metal recycling process. He was joined by his partner Daniela Schadt, Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks and Parliamentary State Secretary Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter.

At the Week of the Environment in Berlin, Clean-Lasersysteme (cleanLASER) presents for the first time a laser-based system for real-time analysis for scrap recycling. While the components are conveyed through the laser device at a rate of approx. 3 m per second, the machine recognizes the type and quality of metal recyclables. This enables the separation and recycling of the valuable metals according to type, even if paints or metallic coating materials are on the secondary metal.

The process has great potential: From the automotive and aviation industries to waste incineration plants – scrap metal is produced in large quantities. With 100 sorting plants, around 1.1 million tons of CO2 can be saved in just one year. This is roughly equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions of the city of Ulm.

The Week of the Environment took place on 7/8 June 2016 in the Schlosspark Bellevue in Berlin.

www.woche-der-umwelt.de