## 4 E-Waste Management in Serbia--Current Situation
### Technical Requirements Analysis and Proposed Solution
The statistics suggest that fulfilling only the requirement of the 10% increase in non-aluminum part extraction yields approximately a 1.7% purity increase in the shredded aluminum. Therefore, meeting the aluminum purity requirement is more restrictive, and it will automatically lead to the fulfillment of the second requirement. Even with a highly conservative improvement, requested by the company, of only 10% in non-aluminum extraction from the conveyor, compared to current manual sorting, the solution brings significant economic benefits to the company. When previously mentioned amounts of processed metals are considered, the robotized solution increases the amount of non-aluminum metals by approximately 15 kg per shift, amounting to 660 kg per month. Applying the average price of the non-aluminum metals of 3.5 EUR/kg brings a direct economic benefit of 2.300 EUR/month, only from the value of additionally extracted higher value metals. However, the related improved purity of aluminum from the current 88%-93% to at least 95% yields an additional 3.700 EUR/month. Consequently, the combined added value from improved sorting accounts for approximately 72.000 EUR/year. The environmental impact of the increased metal purity is directly linked to reductions in energy consumption during the melting and purification process. It leads to lower emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and other hazardous substances as well as reduced waste generation of slag, dust, and other waste materials. Managing and disposing of these types of waste can be costly and environmentally challenging. Most importantly, since metals are finite resources, improved extraction during recycling leads to a reduction in the need for virgin material extraction and preservation of ecosystems. Using recycled metals with lower impurities in manufacturing processes can also lead to energy savings downstream, as materials with higher purities have better properties. This is especially true for copper with high electrical conductivity, where high-quality copper ensures that products which use it have better efficiency, and reduced energy consumption during their operational lifespan. The introduction of robotized solutions enables management or maintenance workers to use the data from the camera vision system for statistical and real-time analysis of the shredding process, providing feedback. For instance, pieces that are shredded and are not the right size could indirectly mean that there are problems with the QZ device, which would require preventative maintenance. On the other hand, more non-metal pieces on the conveyor could mean that the Eddy current separation needs to be fine-tuned. The intelligent use of statistical analysis, combined with integration with other production entities, can lead to an optimized processing cycle in view of Industry 4.0 through connection with ERP systems, smart logistics scheduling, and reduced energy consumption. Using smart analysis of the sorting data opens a possibility for future live feedback to the Eddy current separator and QZ machine, which can be used for online tuning of the parameters to achieve better overall performance based on the historical and current size and composition of the parts on the non-ferrous metal sorting conveyor. From a worker's perspective, the proposed solution perfectly illustrates the replacement of human workers with robots in dull, dirty, and dangerous environments. Workplaces in the recycling industry are often underpaid and risky due to the safety and health aspects of the work and are therefore desirable for automation, regardless of the economic aspects of the investment. Given the 8 h shifts and the potential negative impact on workers' eyesight, musculoskeletal injuries, and disorders, particularly in standing positions, the proposed automation is highly desirable for the workers involved. The study proposes complete automation as the ideal scenario for robot integration, where a machine replaces all workers.