X-ray monitoring and sorting of spent portable batteries

Current automation technologies can be integrated by X-Ray transmission technology in raison of sorting speed, recognition affordability, low costs and simplicity of the sorting system suitable to be applied to end of life goods for recycling purposes. The application of X-Ray transmission imaging to recognise spent portable batteries reveals interesting perspective, allowing reliable battery selection in classes of typologies differing for electrochemical system and size. Images, coming from an on line system, are acquired by devices pointed out at TU Delft laboratories, and preliminarily processed by software developed at TU Delft in order to obtain a data base acquired under standard conditions. Pattern matrices for different kinds of batteries, coming from previous image acquisition and analysis, have been processed at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”. Image texture analysis and feature extraction allow to obtain a pattern vector related to each class of batteries. After pattern analysis, carried out by the software T.R.A.C.E., developed by the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, the related classification procedure allows proper selection of the items into the different classes identified for typology and chemical characteristics.