More recycling efficiency for plastics - Helmholtz researchers characterize polymers in electronic waste with specific sensor combinations

Plastics make up around a quarter of the materials contained in electronic waste (e-waste). The proportion that is recycled is comparatively low - the majority is simply incinerated. The first step to improve recycling is the identification of polymer materials, so that they can be selectively sorted and processed in a way that preserves their function. Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF), an institute of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), have now succeeded in determining the specific characterization of the main e-waste plastic types by combining multiple sensors. Applied on an industrial scale, more plastics can be optimally processed and returned to the production chain.