XRT Scanner - X-ray elemental analysis for waste recycling

Titech Visionsort is leading in high capacity waste sorting machines, which sort out plastics and paper fractions based on optical spectroscopy. This method can not be extended to sorting of black plastics, identification of flame retardant additives, and sorting of metals and Aluminium alloys, which are all environmentally and economically important recycling tasks. X-ray spectroscopy has the potential to do these sorting tasks, but in order to do so performance (speed) must be lifted considerably and pr oduction costs strongly reduced compared to existing systems. The measurement task requires faster electronics, more sensitive detectors and new X-ray sources. Electronics and detectors must be integrated in several hundred pixel long arrays to cover 1 m wide conveyors. Cost targets can only be achieved by making scanners dedicated to specific tasks, where flexibility is traded for simplicity and system design focuses on taking advantage of parallelity. Successful scanners will be used in waste handling f acilities enabling higher recovery rates, more recycling, and less atmospheric pollution from incineration.