NIR sorting

Application examples of near-infrared sorting

Sensor sorting with near-infrared technology is suitable for a wide range of recycling materials. NIR sorting systems are widely used today. This is because they help to increase the accuracy and efficiency of recycling. Common areas of application are almost all types of recycled materials.

These include, among others:

Lightweight packaging
Packaging waste
Pre-sorted recyclables
Household waste (MSW)
Commercial waste
Mixed construction waste
Metal recycling

We would be happy to advise you on how you can optimize the recycling rate of your materials with the help of NIR sorting and our SPALECK screening technology.
We also offer to test your materials in our TestCenter. Of course, you can further process the materials prepared in this way in the test centers of the manufacturers of NIR sorting systems. This is our daily practice. We will be happy to help you with this.

Kunststoff wird mit Hilfe von SPALECK Siebmaschinen aufbereitet und anschließend auf NIR-Sortiergeräten nach Material sortiert

What is an NIR sorting system?

Sensor sorting using near-infrared spectra

NIR sorting systems are fully automated sorting systems that sort a wide variety of materials according to their near-infrared spectrum. They belong to the group of sensor-based sorting systems. In recycling, it is a modern and established technique for reliably sorting materials according to their molecular composition. The interaction of the recycling technology used is crucial here. For example, screening machines, feed hoppers and conveyor chutes carry out elementary preparatory work so that NIR sorting can be carried out economically.

How does NIR sorting work?

Near-infrared spectroscopy

In NIR sorting, the recycling material is fed to the NIR sorting system via a conveyor belt. A light source installed above the conveyor belt irradiates the various recyclable materials with infrared light. This physical analysis technique uses infrared rays in the 760 – 2500 nm range. Depending on the material, sometimes more and sometimes less of the wavelengths are reflected. The NIR sorting device assigns the individual piece of material to a specific material class precisely on the basis of this information about which wavelengths are absorbed or reflected.

Kunststoffe und Folienabfälle werden der NIR-Sortierung zugeführt

Advantages

Fast and accurate sorting of recycling materials
Cost-efficient, provided the material is optimally fed onto the NIR sorting device
Adaptable to changing material compositions
Good scalability for large volume flows
Can be combined with other recycling technologies such as laser technology, electromagnetic sensors, X-ray technology and X-ray sorting
Also suitable for small particle detection
High purity levels of the sorted fractions

We would be happy to advise you on the topic of material feed for NIR sorting systems

Disadvantages

Relatively high initial investment
Cost-effectiveness requires high loading density and full utilization of the machine width ( SPALECK offers tried-and-tested concepts for optimum loading of the NIR sorting devices)
Risk of caking and sticking depending on the material
More demanding maintenance and calibration

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How can I improve the results of my NIR sorting system?

The interplay of technology makes the difference

The aim and necessity of recycling is to process large volume flows in the best possible way. This is necessary so that recycling can be carried out economically. Thanks to the technical design and the screening machines and conveyor chutes specially designed for your recycling process, your NIR sorting machines are fed very consistently. This enables very high throughputs. At the same time, it enables the materials to be separated so that the NIR technology can detect them optimally. This gives you a monolayer with a feed width matched to the NIR device. This enables perfect feeding and very good separation results.

PET, HDPE, PP, LDPE, PA

High-performance near-infrared sorting

Recycling has made great progress in recent years. The further development of the state of the art has played a major role in this.

For a more sustainable future and to meet the increasing legal requirements for recycling, NIR systems are becoming ever more powerful in this context.

Hausmüllaufbereitungsanlage mit anschließender NIR-Sortierung

NIR sorting – Why the task of the material is crucial

Modern NIR sorting devices can be real high performers and game changers in terms of sorting quality. In practice, it is clear that a holistic view of the recycling process is crucial. Specifically, it is fundamentally important to design the material feed, the screening process and the feed to the NIR sorting devices in the best possible way. SPALECK is the right partner for this!

With the help of our SPALECK TestCenter, our close cooperation with leading manufacturers of NIR devices and the experience gained from many international customer projects, we can work with you to implement high-performance recycling processes with high-performance conveying and separation technology.