PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Global technological development is inevitably accompanied by an increase in waste, which poses a threat to the natural environment.
A type of waste that requires specific and strictly-defined treatment is waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). It is estimated that, on average, almost 9.5 million tonnes of e-waste are generated annually in the European Union, of which approximately 3.6 million tonnes are collected and recycled.
Refrigeration and air conditioning equipment is a special group of WEEE. The presence of refrigerants (fluorinated greenhouse gases) and synthetic oils makes their processing much more complex than typical WEEE. Therefore, dismantling companies and processing plants must have the knowledge and technical capabilities to safely remove refrigerants and oils.
According to 2017 figures, there were 154 registered waste processing plants in Poland, of which only 13 process WEEE. In addition, those plants dedicated to the refrigeration sector dealt only with used refrigerators and none of the other waste generated by the refrigeration and air conditioning equipment sector.
In Poland, there are no WEEE processing plants focused on recovery of parts that can be reused in refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. In addition, there is no e-commerce platform dedicated to such spare parts and, when the parts are put on sale via other means, the technical documentation of those parts is missing, so the potential buyer cannot receive any warranty or information on functionality of the recovered parts.
OBJECTIVES
The RE-ELECTRO 4 LIFE project aims to create a re-use model which will allow for the maximum reuse of elements from dismantled refrigeration and air-conditioning devices as spare parts and increase the availability on the market of recovered parts from heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) equipment. This is expected to extend the life of such equipment, and be a catalyst for similar activities on a European scale.
The project will demonstrate a new circular business model for HVACR equipment, by developing a repair centre and e-marketplace for spare parts obtained from end-of-life refrigerators and air conditioners.
The project’s specific objectives are to:
Create disassembly facilities for HVACR equipment, with prototype diagnosis stands for testing spare parts.
Establish a spare parts distribution network by creating an e-commerce platform that will allow the purchase of those parts throughout Europe.
Promote the platform in Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia.
Expand the HVACR used equipment collection network in Poland.
Increase awareness of the reuse, second life and circular economy in the refrigerant and air-conditioning sectors.
RESULTS
The project’s expected results are:
Approximately 4,500 spare parts to be recovered and tested by the end of the project.
At least 1,000 recovered spare parts to be sold in the last year of the project (the spare parts will extend the life of 1,000 pieces of HVACR equipment and will result in an estimated waste reduction of 70 tonnes).
Five prototype diagnosis stands will be developed for testing the following groups of elements: compressors, engines, fans, pressure elements and valves.
260 tonnes of waste equipment recovered in the last year of the project.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from HVACR equipment will be reduced by 5 tonnes of CO2/year.
The advanced and automated reuse model will be ready for replication in other places and sectors.
