Analysis of plastic waste from laser-based technique (LIBS) for more efficient recycling

In Sweden, about 30% of the plastic waste is recycled to new materials, while the rest is mainly used in incineration plants. A limiting factor for a higher recycling rate is the availability of analyzing and sorting techniques to handle the high and non-uniform flow of material. The techniques used in production today are mainly “flow-sink” and NIR-spectroscopy to sort plastic types. However, complementing techniques are needed, especially for black plastics where existing methods are insufficient. Swerea KIMAB has previously developed a laser based technique (LIBS) for online chemical analysis of metal scrap. In this pre-study this technique will be customized and evaluated for online analysis of plastic waste. The aim is to identify different plastics types and plastics contaminated with Br from flame retardants, highly relevant for recycling plants in order to generate purer fractions of recycled plastics.

Plastics Recycling