Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 2

Every year, approximately 10 million tons of e-waste plastics are disposed of globally; half of that are black*plastics. To be recycled, plastics must be sorted according to their constituent polymers. Current optical sorting*technology that is used by most industrial recyclers cannot detect the polymer composition of black plastics,*which are commonly used in electronics.*This project will overcome the black plastic e-waste challenge by accelerating the development of a novel*terahertz (THz) sensor array technology. A small THz sensor, developed by TeTechS, has successfully detected*and sorted black plastics with 90% accuracy. Building on that success and utilizing Conestoga's expertise and*know-how of optical sorting technologies, the collaborating partners will create a full-scale, industry-ready*working prototype THz-sensor array which meets the recycling industry's standards for precision and speed.*The proposed THz sensor array is a ""drop-in"" technology that can be added to existing optical sorting machines*that are widely used by recycling companies, thus optimizing such machines' sorting capacity with minimal*engineering.*By successfully commercializing the THz industrial sensor array for e-plastic sorting, end-users of the*technology, Canadian recycling companies, will directly profit from this innovation which improves efficiency*and output purity. As the first fully industrialized application of THz technology, the project will catalyze*knowledge-creation in THz applied research beyond the field of recycling, influencing the manufacture of*diverse products and affecting multiple sectors of the Canadian economy. It will also place Canada at the*leading edge of this influential and broadly applicable technology.