GemiLAB is a new database that will help analyze the quality of waste for material recycling and energy recovery. The database developed by Geminor will assist in making cleaner fractions and better utilization of waste in Europe.
GemiLAB is a new database that makes it possible to register and analyze the content of waste volumes from producers across Europe. Through this data gathering, it will be possible to assess the quality of waste fractions over time. The database, which initially will be used to collect data on waste wood, is developed as a response to increased material recycling and the varying sorting routines in today’s waste market.
Inge Raymond Langhelle, Senior Account Manager and in charge of GemiLAB, comments on the new database: “The industry needs more tools that will make it easier to develop new products and fuels based on waste. GemiLAB is a database that will define quality, and thus create better conditions for efficient material recycling and energy recovery across Europe.
– In order to design high-quality fractions, it must be easier to establish the reasons why waste quality varies in the market. The database is meant to be a reference over time, and hence increase the efficiency of all parties involved. We want this data to benefit both producers and off-takers.”
Better testing
In order to gather information for the database, new test routines have been introduced at several of Geminor’s HUBs in Germany, Denmark, and Norway. Here, samples of the waste are collected to establish contents such as stone, gravel, steel, aluminum, glass, moisture, and MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard). The size of the wood chips is also measured and recorded. In addition, samples are taken and sent for chemical analysis to find other possible contaminants, such as heavy metals. In this way it is easier to establish the purity of the waste wood fractions, and whether they can be classified as A1, A2, or A3-wood.
Database for RDF and SRF
GemiLAB will soon also collect data from other fractions for material recycling, as well as from waste fuels for energy recovery and cement production. The database will hopefully contribute to the development of international recycling, says Chief Operating Officer of Geminor, Ralf Schöpwinkel: “In order to create an efficient circular economy where we can recycle much more of our waste, we must become better at designing clean and tailored waste fractions. Measuring the quality of fractions is very important in achieving this. In order to design better fractions, we are very dependent on finding common international standards for quality fractions. In other words, we must find best practice and let everyone take part in this across Europe. A database such as GemiLAB is one of several tools that can help establish such quality standards.”
Source: Geminor
