December 26, 2024 – BASF has teamed up with Endress+Hauser, TechnoCompound, and the Universities of Bayreuth and Jena to launch a groundbreaking research project named SpecReK, aimed at enhancing the efficiency and quality of mechanical plastic recycling. This initiative has received substantial support from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The project leverages cutting-edge measurement technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) to precisely and rapidly identify the components of plastic waste during the recycling process.
The research team is delving into the interaction between plastic materials and light using spectroscopic analysis, aiming to gather chemical structure information about recycled plastics. With this data, they hope to instantly determine the grade of plastics, the types of additives present, and contaminants during processing. Subsequently, AI algorithms will play a pivotal role by recognizing specific patterns in the measurement data and suggesting the addition of certain components or adjustments to the recycling process to optimize the quality of recycled plastics.
Dr. Bernhard von Vacano, the head of BASF’s Plastic Circularity Research project, highlighted, “Currently, we lack the necessary tools to accurately analyze the composition of mechanically recycled plastics during processing. However, this information is crucial for assessing and improving the quality of waste plastics. Only with this knowledge can we increase the use of mechanically recycled plastics to produce high-quality products, making the recycling process more efficient and sustainable.”
According to insights from the Color Masterbatch Industry Network (AsiaMB), the strengthening of the plastic circular economy is urgent. Most recycled plastic waste is currently processed mechanically, involving collection, sorting, shredding, cleaning, and melting. However, due to the diversity of input materials and varying degrees of sorting, the melted material often contains a mix of different plastics, additives, and contaminants, resulting in recycled products of inconsistent quality that fail to meet the demands of high-value plastic product manufacturing.
Dr. Bernhard von Vacano emphasized, “With the growing demand for high-quality recycled materials and the requirements of the current legal framework, it is vital to gain a deep understanding and optimize the material properties and composition of mechanically recycled plastic waste. This will significantly boost the development of the circular economy.”
This collaborative project brings together the expertise of BASF, Endress+Hauser, TechnoCompound, and two renowned universities, with a total budget of €2.2 million. Two-thirds of this amount are funded by the BMBF’s quantum systems research program, with the remaining portion shared among the project partners.
Notably, the prosperity of the circular economy relies on the parallel advancement of both chemical and mechanical recycling. When mechanical recycling of plastic waste is technically infeasible or overly complex, chemical recycling becomes an effective pathway to reintegrate it into the material cycle. BASF is committed to continuously improving both recycling methods to drive the comprehensive development of the circular economy.