Identification and Sorting of Polymers in a Circular Economy Using Fluorescent Tracer Materials

Abstract

Less than 50 % of plastic waste is recycled in Germany today. Substantial improvements become necessary to meet future recycling targets. One technological option is using inorganic fluorescent materials, providing additional sorting information. This tracer-based sorting (TBS) approach is already being applied for PVC sorting, to separate fiber-reinforced particles. As multiple new marker substances are available, combination of markers will enable multiple sorting codes, and thus provide high-quality recycled materials in future. TBS is being tested for post-consumer plastic packaging sorting.