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Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advances in Nanoscale Infrared Spectroscopy to Explore Multiphase Polymeric Systems
Published on: June 23, 2023
Method of plastic type definition by characteristic spectral features in the near-IR range
Abstract:
Plastics make up a significant part of solid waste, requiring individual approaches to recycling. The key stage of plastic recycling is its sorting, which should be automated. Therefore, the development of devices and automatic systems for plastic waste sorting is an important task. Such systems should sufficiently have high speed to implement large volumes of recycling. A method for identifying the most common plastics is proposed. It is based on the analysis of the plastics' reflectance spectra measured in the near-IR range of optical radiation. On the example of 12 of the most common types of plastic, it is shown that a limited set of measurements at fixed optical wavelengths in 1.12-1.70µm band is sufficient for the identification, making it possible to implement a fast, fairly cheap, and simple identification system based on mass-produced optical bandpass filters and InGaAs or Ge photodetectors.
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