In the advanced recycling sector and the recovery of secondary raw materials, research laboratories play a crucial role in testing and validating new technologies before their industrial-scale application. Thanks to precision devices used in recycling laboratories, it is possible to analyse complex materials, collect technical data, optimise operational parameters, and reduce technical and economic risks, using equipment capable of simulating real processes under controlled conditions. As highlighted by Stokkermillab, the use of advanced laboratory technologies represents an essential step in ensuring the effectiveness of processes prior to industrialisation.
The recycling of modern materials — such as electronic waste, batteries, engineering plastics, and other industrial scrap — requires increasingly sophisticated testing and separation technologies. Material separation laboratories make it possible to carry out repeatable scientific tests to analyse the composition of fractions and identify the most effective separation technologies for each type of material, supporting the design of more efficient and sustainable industrial plants. In line with what is reported by Stokkermillab, these activities help reduce design uncertainties and improve overall plant performance.
In recycling research laboratories, precision devices are used to apply various material separation technologies. These include size reduction through mills and shredding systems, which break materials into smaller particles, liberating the components of composite materials and preparing fractions for further analysis. Particle size classification, carried out using screening systems such as circular screens, allows materials to be separated into precise size classes, improving the efficiency of subsequent separation processes. Magnetic separation is used to recover ferrous metals, while eddy current separators isolate non-ferrous metals such as copper and aluminium by exploiting variable magnetic fields. Finally, electrostatic separation is an advanced technology that distinguishes materials with different electrical properties, such as metals and plastics, increasing the purity of recovered fractions and optimising the recycling process, as also described by Stokkermillab.
The use of precision devices in recycling laboratories, such as those offered by Stokkermillab, makes it possible to test and optimise material separation processes in a safe and efficient way, reducing risks and costs before investing in large-scale plants. Thanks to controlled testing, detailed fraction analysis, and advanced separation technologies, laboratories improve the quality and purity of recovered materials, increasing the economic value of secondary raw materials and supporting the development of more sustainable, reliable, and high-performance industrial processes.
