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BASF's SpecReK project: analysing mixed material flows

The composition of plastic waste is to be precisely determined during the recycling process.
 

In the SpecReK project (Spectroscopic Investigation of Plastics Recycling), BASF is working with Endress+Hauser and TechnoCompound, as well as the universities of Bayreuth and Jena, to research how the mechanical recycling of plastics can be further developed. According to a joint statement by the project participants, the aim of the project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), is to reliably and precisely identify the composition of plastic waste during the recycling process and thus improve the quality of the recycled plastics. According to the information provided, the latest measurement methods combined with artificial intelligence (AI) will be used for this purpose. Spectroscopic methods, which utilise the interaction between light and material, are used to obtain information about the chemical structure of the recycled plastics. This is said to make it possible to determine in real time what types of plastic, additives and impurities the material is composed of during processing. In the next step, an artificial intelligence algorithm is to recognise patterns in the measurement data and make suggestions as to which other components can be added or how the recycling process can be adapted to improve the quality of the recycled plastic.
 
Project coordinator Dr Bernhard von Vacano, head of the Plastics Circularity research programme at BASF, explains: ‘We currently don't have the analytical tools necessary to determine the exact composition of mechanically recycled plastic during the processing stage. However, this information is necessary to evaluate and improve the quality of plastic waste. This will enable us to use more mechanically recycled plastics to manufacture high-quality products in the future and to make the recycling process more efficient and sustainable.’
 
Sources:

  • Press release BASF (19.12.2024)
  • Photo: © BASF

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