Raman technology application for plastic waste management aligned with FAIR principle to support the forthcoming plastic and environment initiatives

A Raman spectral database of naturally aged plastics: A proof‐of‐concept study for waste plastic sorting

“…The internal project objective was to determine the molecular changes related to the long‐term aging process and the pigments influence on the Raman spectra of degraded plastics in natural environment. [ 16 ] More than a Raman spectral characterization of plastics waste, a sorting algorithm and a plastic Raman database were proposed to support an efficient and proper plastic waste management based on Raman sorting technology. A brief description of the project methodology is given in Figure S1.…”

“…[17] Slow and long degradation processes and mechanisms [18,19] occur for the discarded plastic waste in environment causing changes in their molecular structure. [16] Thus, their Raman signal can be altered due to the environmental factors such as long-term atmospheric or aquatic exposure together with biofilm deposition, chemicals, pollutants, or other biological aggressive agents' agglomeration on waste plastic objects. Moreover, their Raman signal could also be influenced by intrinsic factors such as pigments, [20] fillers, additives, [21] or other blends components which might lead to chemical changes that affect their Raman recognition according to the classical spectral plastic signature.…”

“…Raman spectroscopy is recognized as an efficient tool for rapid differentiation and accurate sorting of plastics by their unique spectral fingerprint. [ 12–16 ] Its great potential for plastic identification was also demonstrated for naturally weathered microplastics collected from sediments. [ 17 ] Slow and long degradation processes and mechanisms [ 18,19 ] occur for the discarded plastic waste in environment causing changes in their molecular structure.…”

“…In our recent study, [ 16 ] the Raman spectral changes related to these extrinsic and intrinsic factors affecting plastic objects Raman spectra were established, taking into account a high stock of plastic waste objects naturally degraded for years. [ 16 ] After their Raman spectra characterization, we noted significant changes in their Raman signal, which might be a challenge for any sorting process relying on Raman technology. Building a dedicated Raman plastic database for real‐world plastic waste to include samples aged for years fills this gap in the existing knowledge.…”

Mid-infrared spectroscopy and machine learning for postconsumer plastics recycling

“…13 Consequently, there has been an unprecedented surge of multi-disciplinary research aimed at reducing plastic waste, limiting the production of virgin polymers, and improving pathways for PCPW to re-enter the value chain. [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] The development of automated optical sorting technologies for implementation at MRFs is one of these active research thrusts in the plastics recycling community. 28,29 This is because MRFs currently rely on air jets, magnetic separators, mechanical pistons, and human intervention to sort PCPW, all of which are methods that have been deemed insufficient to meet growing recycling demands.…”