TECHNOLOGY | SORTING
Holy Grail 2.0 technologies eye industrial testing
The two-year old Holy Grail 2.0 Digital Watermarks Initiative – driv- en by AIM European Brands Association and the Alliance to End Plastics Waste and supported by more than 80 companies that reflect the packaging materials supply chain and created to evaluate and develop the viability of digital watermark technolo- gies for more accurate sorting of packaging – is nearing its next phase of development following the successful validation of two prototype detection units this year that combine digital watermark technology with NIR sorting. Digital watermarks are imperceptible codes that can be added to the surface of consumer goods packaging which carry a range of attributes about the package and the application. The aim is that the digital watermark can be detected and decoded by a special high-resolution camera when the packaging enters a waste sorting facility to achieve more accurate sorting and higher quality recyclates. The digital watermark technology was developed by US software company Digimarc. According to AIM, a prototype detection unit developed by
Tomra and Digmarc completed successful validation in April, demonstrating high results across all tested categories of plastic/ fibre-based packaging material, achieving 99% detection, 96% ejection and 93% purity rates. The trial, which replicated real-world industrial conditions, evaluated the technology based on several success criteria, including detection efficiency, ejection efficiency, purity, prototype stability and routine function, ease of program- ming sorting, and counting capabilities. In January, AIM reported that the first prototype detection unit, developed by Pellenc ST and Digimarc, achieved an ejection rate greater than 95% following a four-month trial in which 125,000 pieces of rigid and flexible packaging representing up to 260 different stock-keeping units were evaluated. Engineers also tested several parameters including speed and accuracy of the prototype system.
AIM and relevant HolyGrail 2.0 partners are in discussions to define a clear and executable plan for upcoming Phase 3 industrial tests with the two machine prototypes. The Phase 3 plan consists of installing one of the prototype sorting units in a commercial recycling or sorting facility with the objective of assessing the technical feasibility of the HolyGrail 2.0 technology at industrial scale. The plan is to start Phase 3 this year at a location in France or
Germany. Brand owners and retailers attached to the project will bring their enhanced products commercially to market in three countries, Denmark, France, and Germany. Products with digital watermarks will be available on store shelves for consumers to purchase. After consumption, the packaging will enter the waste stream for sorting in different material recovery facilities designed to run industrial trials for different packaging materials.
22 PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | September 2022
The Mistral+ Connect multi-material sorting machine for sorting and recycling centres includes a series of sensors that connect the peripherals of the all-in-one Mistral+ Full Package concept to its Smart & Share support tool that continuously analyses the sorter to optimise performance. New sensors collect additional information to log and analyse equipment incidents, prevent conveyor failure and jams, and to analyse stream composi- tion and distribution on the conveyor belt. Global sorting technology group Bühler last
year introduced Sortex N PolyVision, a new optical sorter for PET flakes that detects same-in-colour contaminant materials including PA, PE, PMMA, POM, PP, PS, PVS and SAN as well as foreign materials including rubber, silicone and residual- coloured flakes, at rates up to 6 tonnes/hr. The fully integrated and controllable anodized chute feeding system can be configured with one, two or three chutes modules. The polymer and colour sorter incorporates
PolyVision detection technology which uses what the company calls transreflective sorting which can detect both clear and opaque polymer contamina- tion by their unique chemical signatures. The overall system incorporates the company’s
trademark PolyCam camera which delivers clear separation of PET from other polymers, joined to high-intensity halogen lighting that is combined with a passive background. This configuration ensures minimal calibration which in turn ensures consistent sorting performance, even in varying ambient light levels, said the company. Automati- cally adjusted lighting systems compensate for vary- ing light levels for consistent operation. Bühler’s SmartEject technology fires air precisely at the whole object to ensure efficient removal.
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Above: Bühler last year introduced Sortex N PolyVision, a new optical sorter for PET flakes
www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com
IMAGE: BÜHLER
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