Bettery: toward revalorization of batteries from medical devices
Odisee is mapping the residual streams of rechargeable batteries within five Flemish hospitals. We identify current end-of-life strategies and determine the greatest opportunities to reuse these batteries in a higher R strategy.
Batteries play an increasingly important role in our lives and contribute to the large amounts of e-waste generated each year. Even in the healthcare sector, we are seeing a movement toward more wireless medical devices equipped with batteries so that they are portable and facilitate flexible use. These batteries are currently recycled at best. Because they are often used for short periods of time, they harbor potential to be reused in new applications.
In the project 'Bettery.com', CenSE, in collaboration with the spearhead Care Innovation (Healthcare) and the Energy Technology course, is mapping the current residual streams of rechargeable batteries within 5 Flemish hospitals. We identify the current end-of-life strategies and determine the greatest opportunities to reuse these batteries in a higher R-strategy. There is not yet a solution in Flanders to dismantle these medical devices and reuse the batteries in a new application. Given the necessary operations (testing, dismantling, sorting, production, etc.), this offers employment opportunities for the social economy. Within a broad collaboration with partners from the social pentagon, we will then look for opportunities to create new solutions with these batteries. To realize this, a social-circular chain will be put together.
Meet the researchers
Our partners
- Wase Workshop
- MAAAT
- The Circular Hub
- Battery pack service
- CircuLife
- UZ Gent
- AZ Sint-Jan
- OLV Aalst
- ZNA Antwerp
- ASZ Aalst
