Leaded Glass Sorting System Hits the Market

Innov-X Systems, Woburn, Mass., and Austria-based BT-Wolfgang Binder GmbH have entered into an OEM agreement to develop and market a new high-volume sorting system designed to separate heat-resistant and leaded glass from clean glass cullet.

“This new technology will be a welcome solution for glass recyclers worldwide who have long been challenged by co-mingled contaminants, such as glass ceramic and lead,” say the companies in a joint news release.

The new sorting system will combine Innov-X’s QXR-G, a high-volume X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) system that sorts glass by highly specific material chemistry, and Binder’s RedWave technology. RedWave is a high-volume system that offers optical sorting capabilities. The combination is designed to create a high-speed system that differentiates glass on the basis of chemical composition to identify and extract specific cullet contaminants.

Under the agreement, Binder will not only participate in the development but will also provide sales and marketing support for the new glass sorter. “This is exciting news for the glass recycling industry,” says Don Sackett, president and CEO of Innov-X Systems. “Our XRF expertise combined with Binder’s extensive experience in optical glass sorting and their proven mechanical equipment will allow us to bring this much needed technology to market in a time-frame that we could not achieve on our own.”

Gerhard Glawitsch, sales manager of BT-Wolfgang Binder, says, “We are excited about the opportunity to work with Innov-X. This joint development represents an effective solution to the problem of glass ceramics separation and the limited allowed percentage of lead in recycled glass. This new sorting system will be the answer to current and new market demands in the near future.”

Innov-X Systems specializes in portable XRF technology, offering hand-held, mobile laboratory and high-volume inline systems for a variety of industries. The QXR-G technology, licensed to Innov-X by Austin AI Inc. of Texas, was initially developed in cooperation with the Germany-based cullet producer Reiling Glas.

BT-Wolfgang Binder develops optical sorters for the glass recycling industry. Its RedWave technology provides effective removal of ceramics, stones, porcelain and other contaminants from clean glass cullet.