TECHNOLOGY | ANTICOUNTERFEITING


Figure 1: Data showing the relative cost and performance available from different authentication options (Security levels range from 0-3 where 3 is the highest). Technology DNA


Ferromagnetic Holograms* IR


Multicoloured particles Paper labels* UV


Cost to implement ($/lb.) 0.01 0.45 1.89 0.1


0.08 0.3


0.07


Source: Eluceda * based on producing 1000 parts/lb. of masterbatch


In the area of recycling, the company offers the


Sort4Circle solution that uses Tracer-Based-Sorting (TBS) based on Polysecure fluorescent particles and a new detector being developed with Carl Zeiss AG. The detector sorts waste streams using NIR, the object image, colour, MIR (for black plastics), tracer and—optionally—digital watermarks. Jochen Moesslein, Managing Director, says it sorts items specifically and reliably. Objects containing tracers can also be sorted after shredding. First trials with large stakeholders are ongoing,


with results to date said to have shown that purity of the sorted fraction can be close to 100%. Sorting yields in diverse waste streams are greater than 90%, while sorting costs are comparable to the sorting costs of today’s stepwise NIR-sorting process, according to Moesslein. “This proves that Sort4Circle enables by far the largest step towards a circular economy for plastics,” he says, adding that Polysecure’s pilot plant facility is open for testing.


Right: Taggant technologies could play a key part in sorting systems for plastics waste, according to Polysecure


Authentic solutions UK-headquartered Eluceda says its taggants are also designed to be embedded into polymers and detected using the company’s proprietary readers. Uses include verifying authenticity of pharma- ceutical packaging, tracking medical devices through the supply chain, and protecting components from counterfeiting. “One recent trend in anti-counterfeit technolo- gies for polymers using Eluceda technology is the use of taggants to ensure that the correct grade of polymer has been used in areas where specification is key. For example, Eluceda taggants can be used to verify if an antimicrobial or flame-retardant


T T E 32 COMPOUNDING WORLD | December 2023 R www.compoundingworld.com


grade of polymer has been used, where testing for such a feature is difficult or expensive when in situ,” says a company spokesperson. Another recent trend is the use of Eluceda taggants to selectively identify recycled materials, which can help to ensure that they are recycled into the correct products. “The three most important factors in determin- ing the value of an authentication system are cost of implementation per pound of master batch, size of the authentication feature, and level of security,” the company explains (Figure 1). ”Holograms and paper labels are overt, but they


still require some knowledge and equipment to recreate them in an accurate way. The other technologies are covert and require knowledge of their presence. If a counterfeiter does not know the authentication method being employed, then it is more difficult to copy,” the company says. “This information downgrades ferromagnetic and multicolored particles because they are not fully covert; it is difficult, but possible to see them without assistance in most applications.” Eluceda says the three remaining technologies


— DNA, IR, and UV — all require the authenticator to have a piece of equipment and the knowl- edge of the material’s presence and location. This can be considered a 2-factor authentication, which it says doubles the burden for a counterfeiter to bypass. In the case of certain IR


and UV materials, the company says the user needs to know a specific wavelength or wavelengths of excitation and the common nature of the UV makes it less secure than IR taggant. Where


DNA is concerned, the user needs to have a very specific set of test


Size of technology (μm) 0.001 20


10000 (l,w), 36 (h) 5


20


10000 (l,w), 20 (h) 5


Level of security 3 1 1 2


1.5 0.5 1


I


M


A


G E


:


K


S H


O C


U


S T


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