The objective of the project PURESCRAP is to increase the use of low-quality scrap grades (post-consumer scrap) by deploying and applying best available technologies to reduce impurities. This is achieved through novel sensor combinations and analysis supported by artificial intelligence. A key part is the connection between scrap sorter and the steel industry which are the consumers of the scrap. This ensures that there is a demand for the enhanced purification and valorisation methods. The steel industry also enables the industrial scale verification of the PURESCRAP methods, where sorted scrap is used for steelmaking in semi-industrial and industrial scale. The shredding process is identified as the most promising method leading to impurity liberation and later removal, for which the site of the Swedish scrap supplier STENA is chosen for demonstration. With a better analysis of the scrap material after the sorting and preparation chain, appropriate material handling can be optimised for desired outputs. During the project, sensor stations will be integrated in the two separate processing chains for heavy (cut) and shredded scrap. The proposed innovation of PURESCRAP has the ambition to go far beyond industrial state-of-the-art to achieve a higher recycling rate of post-consumer scrap (increased share of low-quality scrap over the total scrap input by at least 40% or more) compared to the usual practice for a specific steel quality, whereas realistic grades are e.g., rail steel R260 (1.0623; EN13674) and engineering steel 42CrMo4 (1.7225; DIN EN10083). This clearly contributes to the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA ) of the Clean Steel Partnership, and to the achievement of the European Green Deal goals regarding circular economy as well as to the reduction of CO2 emissions. The outstanding performance of the proposed PURESCRAP sensor stations will be demonstrated through the implementation at industrial scale at a scrap supplier site.

Ship recycling refers to the disassembly of a ship in recycling facilities, as well as the storage and processing of these materials to reuse them. The ship recycling industry enables the reuse of raw materials for industrial purposes, and thus is fully in line with the European Circular Economy Action Plan and Green Deal objectives. Yet, in addition to work-related diseases due to toxic substances, unacceptably high levels of fatalities and injuries at current shipbreaking yards makes ship recycling one of the most dangerous occupations in the world (ILO 2015). Besides, due to the lack of proper waste management, toxic waste from shipbreaking contaminates the coastal areas and exposes the workers to hazardous substances. Although international regulations exist to reduce and prevent the adverse effects of ships on human health and the environment (IMO 2009; UNEP 2011; Regulation EU No 1257/2013), improving the safety and health of workers and stopping the detrimental impact on the environment still remain major challenges of the sector. The main objective of SHEREC is to enable the involvement and adoption of innovative robotics, data and AI systems into the ship recycling industry to significantly improve the occupational health and safety conditions in this industry and to prevent contamination of hazardous materials both at occupational and environmental levels. Specifically, SHEREC will (1) semi-automate the preparation process in ship recycling using an AI-powered drone inspecting the interior of the ship to locate hazardous materials on the ship, (2) create an automated ship recycling plan using a digital twin of the ship and AI-based planning methods, and (3) automate the cutting and paint removal processes in ship recycling process using two innovative mobile robotic systems that can work autonomously or via tele-operation.