Revolutionizing Plastic Recycling: Advanced Chlorine Detection with LIBS

Plastic recycling is essential for sustainable resource management, but it comes with significant challenges, particularly concerning contamination. One of the critical risks in polypropylene recycling is the presence of chlorine, which can negatively affect the quality and safety of recycled products, inducing or fastening their degradation and even causing corrosion of manufacturing machines. Traditional methods for chlorine detection in recycled materials have limitations, making the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy technique a valuable alternative.

Recycled plastic samples we received contained chlorine concentrations below 1000 ppm. The primary challenge was determining whether our Sci-Trace could provide a quick and reliable detection method for Cl content. Direct measurement of halogens like chlorine using LIBS is difficult due to their spectral characteristics. However, emerging approaches indicate that chlorine detection may be possible indirectly through molecular bands formed by fragment species in the plasma during analysis.

Sample 1:Granulated sample  

Sample 2: Shredded sample

Our experiments demonstrated that AtomTrace LIBS solutions can successfully detect molecular bands associated with chlorine, even in small amounts within recycled plastics. This is a significant breakthrough, as conventional methods like X-ray fluorescence (XRF) have a critical limitation since they can only measure surface contamination and cannot analyze the bulk composition of recycled plastic. This surface-only detection can lead to quality issues and undetected contamination entering the production process. LIBS, on the other hand, provides a more reliable alternative by analyzing deeper layers of the material, ensuring more accurate and robust quality control.

The findings confirm that our Sci-Trace is a promising tool for assessing chlorine contamination in recycled plastics. Its ability to analyze material beyond the surface ensures better quality control and reduces the risk of substandard materials entering production. As plastic recycling continues to evolve, adopting advanced analytical techniques like LIBS will be crucial in maintaining material integrity and sustainability.