Addition of X-ray fluorescent tracers into polymers, new technology for automatic sorting of plastics : proposal for selecting some relevant tracers

Abstract

A description of a new technology for automatic sorting of plastics, based on X-ray fluorescence detection of tracers, added in such materials is presented. This study describes the criteria for the selection of tracers, and concluded that the most adapted for XRF are some rare earth oxides. The plastics chosen for tracing and identification are the ones contained in ELV and WEEE from which discrimination is difficult for the existing sorting techniques due to their black colour.