Nexvision has obtained European funding through the Just Transition Fund (FTJ) supported by the South Region and Europe to develop a new process for sorting black plastic waste.
Black plastics, widely used in packaging, automotive, and electronics, are almost invisible to traditional sorting technologies based on visible or near-infrared (NIR) detection. Their carbon black content absorbs these wavelengths, preventing identification and recycling. As a result, most black plastics are still incinerated or landfilled.
With the BLACK PLAST project, Nexvision introduces a breakthrough method using mid-infrared (MWIR) spectroscopy (2–7 µm). By exploiting spectral remission in this band, the system can detect specific signatures invisible in NIR and accurately identify different families of black plastics.
The process, currently at TRL 4–5, relies on Nexvision’s expertise in advanced vision systems and multispectral image processing. The goal is to achieve real-time, high-speed sorting of industrial black-plastic waste streams, paving the way for large-scale recycling of materials that are currently unrecovered.
