Currently, roughly 20%[1]of plastic waste generated in our daily lives is recycled as material for new products (material recycling), while the remainder is used as fuel or incinerated. Recycled plastics have to maintain a certain degree of purity, which is why materials made of plastic waste, such as ABS[2]and polypropylene (PP), must be accurately identified. However, black plastics, often used in home electronics or automobile upholstery, do not transmit or reflect visible light, making it difficult to identify their materials using conventional near-infrared spectroscopy[3]. Additionally, in order to accelerate plastic recycling, higher accuracy and productivity are required for sorting operations. The new product employs a proprietary tracking Raman spectroscopic method to rapidly sort all plastic pieces regardless of their colours, including black, with high precision, thereby helping to improve the productivity of recycling plants. With the launch of this product,
The new product's high-precision, high-speed sorting of plastic including black pieces is thanks to its unique combination of Raman spectroscopy with a tracking mechanism. Raman spectroscopy is a detection method that utilizes laser light to illuminate plastic pieces to obtain molecular information of the substance, thereby enabling the material detection. This method is technically applicable to black plastic. However, due to the limited amount of reflection by the black plastic pieces, the measurement time is too long relative to the speed and throughput required to effectively sort all the pieces regardless of their colours at recycling plants. Therefore, the practical application of Raman spectroscopy to sorting black plastic has so far proven difficult. By combining Raman spectroscopy with
This new product maintains a conveyor speed of 1.5 meters per second and can sort up to 1 ton of plastic per hour. It can even be customized according to a customer’s throughput and installation space by changing the module which tracks and measures the plastic pieces or the combination of conveyor belts.
[1] According to "Plastic Products,
[2] Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. A type of plastic that is highly resistant to heat and impact.
[3] A method of measurement in which an object is illuminated with near-infrared light. Based on such factors as reflection and penetration of light, the object’s light absorption is measured and the type of resin the object comprises can be determined
[4] By continuously moving the position of the laser, the target object is continuously illuminated by the laser, allowing for light to be reflected
Distributed by
Media enquiries, please contact:
Canon Central and
e. Mai.youssef@canon-me.com
e. Rania.ElRafie@apo-opa.com
About Canon Central and
Canon Central and
Canon’s corporate philosophy is Kyosei(https://apo-opa.co/3VZpZLo) — ‘living and working together for the common good’. CCNA pursues sustainable business growth, focusing on reducing its own environmental impact and supporting customers to reduce theirs using Canon’s products, solutions and services. At
For more information: www.Canon-CNA.com
© African Press Organization, source