Polysecure and Pforzheim University Aim to Revolutionise Plastic Recycling with Innovative Sort4Circle Technology, Boosting Efficiency and Supporting Circular Economy Initiatives.

Polysecure, a leading technology company specialising in resource efficiency and circular economy innovations, in collaboration with Pforzheim University, has announced the development of an advanced sorting technology aimed at revolutionising plastic recycling. The innovative solution, named Sort4Circle®, emerged from extensive research and development and is set to be demonstrated as a pilot plant in Freiburg.

The Sort4Circle® project, funded by the state of Baden-Württemberg under the Invest BW funding line, involves Umwelttechnik BW GmbH as an associated partner to support the marketability and exploitation of the results. The initiative aims to significantly enhance the recycling rate of plastic waste through a fundamentally different approach compared to current sorting processes. Unlike conventional methods, which primarily focus on packaging plastics and a limited number of material groups, Sort4Circle offers the capability to quickly and accurately identify individual packaging and other items, assigning them to highly pure and recyclable material groups. This technology introduces three central innovations: continuous object singulation, precise detection, and accurate placement into multiple fractions.

A key component of Sort4Circle is a newly developed detector module that simultaneously measures material characteristics such as colour, image, polymer type (using NIR technology), and fluorescent marker. This enables reliable sorting into pure fractions. Additionally, Polysecure's patented tracer-based sorting (TBS) technology, which uses fluorescent additives for reliable object identification regardless of composition, is further refined in this project.

Polysecure is responsible for developing and building the pilot system, while Pforzheim University contributes by generating economic, technical, and ecological data for recycling plastic streams. The project consortium is also conducting a Germany-wide collection and sorting study to analyse the quality and quantity of plastic waste, providing essential data for the further development of Sort4Circle®.

Funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour, and Tourism, the project will run from October 2023 to September 2025. This groundbreaking initiative promises to set new standards in plastic recycling, driving forward the circular economy with its innovative and efficient sorting technology.

Contact:
Martina Kaminski - Polysecure GmbH
E-mail: martina.kaminski@polysecure.eu
 
Leon Deterding - Hochschule Pforzheim
E-Mail: leon.deterding@hs-pforzheim.de

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