Classification of black plastic using active thermography

Sustainability is undoubtedly one of the most important goals in modern society and has a major impact on economic and political decisions. One of the strategies towards sustainability is the European Green Deal. A key policy initiative that determines the regulatory landscape supporting the European Green Deal is the Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) (EC, 2020), whose objective is to reduce the EU’s consumption footprint and double its circular material use rate in the coming decade, while boosting economic growth. Specific actions were launched in several areas, including electronics and ICT1, packaging, plastics and textiles. An important segment of a circular economy, especially in waste management, is the sorting and recycling of materials. To raise levels of high-quality recycling, improvements are needed in waste collection and sorting. The sensor systems currently available on the market for sorting plastics in waste management largely rely on near-infrared (NIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR). However, the sorting of black plastics, including those manufactured in the automotive field, remains problematic with these systems. The task of sorting these black plastics from the shredder light fraction poses a demanding challenge to sorters.