On March 14, local time, researchers at University College London (UCL) published a paper in Frontiers in Sustainability in which they used machine learning to automatically classify different types of compostable, biodegradable plastics and distinguish them from conventional plastics.
"The accuracy is very high and could make the technology practical for future use in industrial recycling and composting facilities," said Prof. Mark Miodownik, corresponding author of the study.
The researchers used artificial intelligence to classify plastic materials between 5 mm by 5 mm and 50 mm by 50 mm. The traditional plastics tested were mainly PP and PET (mainly used for food containers and beverage bottles); the compostable and biodegradable plastic samples were mainly PLA and PBAT, used for cup lids, tea bags and magazine packaging.
