Recycling is a hugely significant activity. According to a study by UN Environment’s International Resource Panel, global demand for raw materials has increased tenfold over the past century and now totals around 85 billion tons a year. Demand is expected to double again by 2030. The resources of finite raw materials are at threat of being completely exhausted in the medium term. That’s why it will become increasingly important to recycle raw materials in the future.
To be able to sort and identify raw materials in a reliable fashion, Fraunhofer EZRT is researching dual energy methods. These methods employ the fact that different materials exhibit different attenuation coefficients. This means that the input data for a quantitative determination of material properties can be obtained from energy-resolved “spectral” measurements. The material to be examined travels on a material chute or conveyor belt either past or through the detection unit, consisting of an X-ray tube and a special X-ray detector and is “X-rayed” as it passes.
This method can be used for a wide variety of separation tasks, especially in the recycling sector. A prerequisite is that the material is “radiolucent,” i.e. a significant proportion of the radiation hitting the sample will actually pass through it and can be registered by a detector located behind it.
Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS