Project description
In total, 23 project applications have been submitted as part of the sixth call for tender for the K projects of the COMET competence center program. Eight new projects with a total volume of more than € 43 million from the federal government, the federation states of Austria (Länder) and the participating organizations are funded.
Background and Objectives
The project Recycling and Recovery of Waste 4.0 – ReWaste4.0 – as part of the Austrian COMET programme is a long term, innovative, and cooperative project on highest scientific and technological level with distinct economic relevance.
For the first time in waste management, new Industry 4.0 approaches (e.g. digital networking, communication between waste quality and plant performance, robotics, etc.) will be investigated and implemented in this project for the purpose of developing the waste management system towards a „circular economy“ with specific focus on interconnected recycling and recovery processes of highest quality. ReWaste4.0 will increase the sector specific know-how and strengthen the international technology leadership of Austrian enterprises.
Project structure
ReWaste4.0 consists of one comprehensive strategic project and two scientific-technical areas with subordinated six specific projects.
Selected key aspects of the specific projects
- Online/Ontime characterization of mixed waste,
- Extraction of high quality (recycling and recovery) products or output streams for increasing the recycling rate of mixed municipal waste,
- Determination of the recycling rate for solid recovered fuel, used for energy recovery in co-incineration plants
- Further development of new technologies for sorting, separation and comminution of waste,
- Development of data sets, models, and control programmes for equipment and their digitalised „networking and communication“ based on the „Industry 4.0 approach“.
