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A Review of Sorting and Separating Technologies Suitable for Compostable and Biodegradable Plastic Packaging
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This review evaluates sorting and separation technologies for identifying compostable and biodegradable plastics from conventional plastic waste streams to prevent contamination of recycling and composting systems. Technologies covered include spectral-based, hyperspectral imaging, gravity-based, flotation, and tracer-based sorting, with each approach assessed for advantages and limitations within a circular economy context.
As a result of public pressure and government legislation to reduce plastic waste there has been a sharp rise in the manufacture and use of alternatives to conventional plastics including compostable and biodegradable plastics. If these plastics are not collected separately, they can contaminate plastic recycling, organic waste streams, and the environment. To deal with this contamination requires effective identification and sorting of these different polymer types to ensure they are separated and composted at end of life. This review provides the comprehensive overview of the identification and sorting technologies that can be applied to sort compostable and biodegradable plastics including gravity-based sorting, flotation sorting, triboelectrostatic sorting, image-based sorting, spectral based sorting, hyperspectral imaging and tracer-based sorting. The advantages and limitations of each sorting approach are discussed within a circular economy framework.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.