Every time we manufacture products from raw materials, we're using up just a little bit more of our natural environment, and that's a limited resource. To avoid running out of materials one day — and destroying the Earth in the process — we need to get a lot better at recycling. This year, a group of researchers tackled one of the most difficult problems facing modern recycling services: the plastic in e-waste.
A group of scientists from Frieburg, Germany, published a paper in the April issue of Waste Management describing a new method for the automatic identification of plastics mixed in with e-waste.
E-waste, also called waste from electrical and electronic equipment, is what's left when your electronics stop working. It's everything from a vape cartridge to a whole television.
While there are recycling facilities that get the job done, e-waste is difficult to recycle because it's made up of a lot of different materials, some of which are quite valuable and some of which are dangerous. For example, a platinum component might be found right alongside a capsule of acid — all wrapped in various different kinds of plastic.
Plus, there are thousands upon thousands of different devices, each of which is made of different materials in a different design. Reliably separating the components and retrieving what's reusable is a tricky business.
But this research team has made it a little easier. It examined different sensor types to identify various types of plastic.
Plastic makes up the bulk of e-waste, and you might think it would be the easiest part to melt down into something else. But different types of plastics can't be combined for recycling. That means all the plastic components in e-waste have to be perfectly sorted before being sent off for recycling.
The researchers found that two different types of sensors had complementary strengths. One type, taking "fast hyperspectral measurements," could generate a map of the plastics being assessed and locate a few specific types. Another, taking "fast Raman measurements," could identify black plastic and distinguish between types of plastic that weren't distinguished by the first sensor.
The team recommended combining the two for more sensitive and thorough sorting. "Multi-sensor sequential measurement (sensor network) can improve polymer recycling," the study concluded.
🗣️ Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics?
🔘 Giving me money back 💰
🔘 Letting me trade for new stuff 👕
🔘 Making it as easy as possible ⚡
🔘 Keeping my stuff out of landfills 🗑️
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Incorporating this sorting method will make it easier to automate parts of the e-waste recycling process. That will mean cheaper recycled materials, which lead to lower costs for manufacturers and potentially savings for consumers. Plus, any item made from recycled plastic means one fewer product made with new plastic from polluting oil.
If you want to help — and possibly make a buck in the process — look for programs that let you turn in your electronics for recycling.
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