Smart sorting: Netherlands supports AI to revolutionize plastic recycling

The Dutch Ministry of Climate and Green Growth (RVO) has sponsored a project by Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and the start-up Exergy to advance “AI-enhanced” solvent-based plastic recycling.

Source: PackagingInsights

The initiative, titled “AI-Strap: Accelerating Circular Plastics with Solvent-Based Recycling Intelligence,” is designed to address intricate waste streams, particularly multilayer plastic packaging, which current recycling technologies struggle to process.

For instance, the thin plastic that protects produce from spoilage is “extremely” challenging to recycle due to its composition of various polymer layers.

To overcome these challenges, AI will be leveraged to create a more adaptive and scalable recycling process.

Multilayer plastics present a major challenge for recycling. Mechanical recycling is limited by polymer incompatibility. Solvent-based recycling offers a promising route to produce high-quality recyclates, but current implementations rely on static process design and control that do not account for feedstock variability, inefficient solvent use, and high energy demand.

^{Željko Tomović of the TU/e Polymer Performance Materials group}

Collaborative Development

The Polymer Performance Materials group will focus on developing and validating an AI-enhanced, solvent-based recycling method, while Exergy will create digital twin and machine-learning tools to forecast process outcomes and adjust operating conditions dynamically in real-time.

The goal is to end up with a tool that not only identifies the best solvents for a given waste stream, but also determines optimal process parameters for variable feedstock compositions. Through the integration of machine learning with polymer science, we want to drive innovation, reduce plastic waste, and advance the transition toward a more circular and sustainable plastics ecosystem in the Netherlands and Europe.

^{Željko Tomović of the TU/e Polymer Performance Materials group}

Finding the Optimal Solvents

According to TU/e, only 46% of plastic waste in the Netherlands is currently recycled, with approximately 40% stemming from the packaging industry.

The unrecycled polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) waste can pose significant environmental risks when it ends up in landfills or marine ecosystems, as noted by TU/e.

Recently, the European Commission has introduced new regulations aimed at boosting the EU’s plastic recycling sector and reducing imports of inexpensive virgin polymers.

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