Fire Reduction by Employing AI
The German company Korn Recycling has reduced a major safety risk in its sorting plant in Albstadt: fires caused by improperly disposed lithium-ion batteries.
Battery.Sort by WeSort.AI provides preventive protection for sorting facilities. As reported by the provider, the AI-powered Battery.Sort solution from Würzburg-based company WeSort.AI was integrated into the commercial waste sorting facility earlier this year. Since then, it has used X-ray sensors and artificial intelligence to detect hazardous objects, particularly lithium batteries and battery-containing devices, and automatically remove them. The installation was carried out by Europress.
Between June 15 and July 31, 2025, only one battery-related fire was recorded – compared to 17 incidents during the same period the previous year, WeSort.AI gave account. “During this time span, Battery.Sort detected and removed an average of 12.41 kilograms of potentially hazardous materials per hour from a waste stream of approximately 20 tons of commercial waste. These included not only individual lithium-ion battery cells, but also vapes, battery packs, and block batteries. It is precisely these hidden batteries that frequently trigger fires during sorting and processing.” As underlined, the fact that Battery.Sort made its way into live operations is thanks to Korn Recycling. As the first industry partner, the company from Albstadt played a decisive role in the development of the technology and made its plant available for the installation of the initial system.
About WeSort.AI
WeSort.AI develops AI-based systems for intelligent detection and sorting of various materials in the waste management industry. The company’s mission is to make recycling processes safer, more efficient, and more sustainable.
(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 3/2025, Page 43, Photo: WeSort.AI)
