AI spots batteries in UK e-waste plant
LionVision system aims to cut fire risks and recover metals
An AI vision system installed at a UK electrical recycling plant is being used to detect and remove loose lithium‑ion batteries and disposable vapes from the waste stream to reduce fire risk and recover valuable materials. LionVision’s camera‑led tool, developed with University of Manchester researchers and UK innovation funding, scans conveyors at SWEEEP Kuusakoski’s Sittingbourne site and triggers an air‑ejection bar to knock identified batteries out for separate handling. The operator is integrating the system into wider automation to improve safety and material yield.
Battery fires have risen at sorting facilities as damaged cells can ignite when crushed or exposed to air and water, posing risks to staff, vehicles and infrastructure. Material Focus warns that disposable vapes and hidden batteries in electricals have driven significant increases in such incidents. The charity estimates households discard about 103,000 tonnes of electricals annually and store some 880 million unused items, representing nearly £1 billion in recoverable precious and critical metals lost to landfill.
Developers say the AI models are updated with new training data to recognise different brands and battery types—cylindrical cells, soft‑pack laptop batteries and emerging products—so the system can adapt as waste mixes change. Front‑end sorting improvements could recover metals like gold, palladium, lithium and rare earths from “urban mines,” reducing dependence on new imports.
The trend toward low‑cost, fast‑turnover electronics—earbuds, chargers and disposable vapes—exacerbates the problem: Britons buy an estimated 1.14 billion such items yearly and discard over half. Industry voices call for better preparedness for successive waves of disposable devices to limit fire hazards and capture critical materials.
The deployment coincides with industry focus on e‑waste recovery and awareness activities led by groups such as the WEEE Forum, reinforcing the dual goals of improving recycling safety and maximising resource recovery.
