Real-time PGNAA analysis of metallic alloys for subsequent targeted sorting
FUNDED BY

NETWORK PARTNERS
The project is funded by the European Union and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia as part of the ERDF/JTF program NRW 2021-2027 in the measure GreenEconomy.IN.NRW (Environmental Economy, Circular Economy and Climate Adaptation) under the funding code ERDF- 20800098.
Project time 01.04.2024-31.03.2027
The recycling of metal scrap as secondary raw materials is the safest, most ecological and most economical form of raw material supply. Although metals can in principle be recycled an infinite number of times, remelting without loss of quality is only possible if the composition can be accurately recorded before remelting and is melted down by type. Determining the elemental composition of large volumes of scrap non-destructively in real time would make it possible to optimally control input flows of the recycling process for the first time. As a result, the scrap content of alloys can be further increased and high-quality alloys can be produced in a targeted manner. In copper and aluminium production, there is great interest in the elemental analysis of recycling materials in real time in order to classify the metallic secondary raw materials according to existing standards and regulations and to recycle them according to type. A satisfactory metrological solution is currently not available for either copper or aluminium production and is to be developed within the framework of AlloySort.
In the MetalClass project (Förderkennzeichen 01IS20082A), a method based on artificial intelligence (AI) was developed that enables the classification of various copper and aluminum alloys into predefined categories in the sub-second range. Based on these results, the AlloySort project aims to expand the process using further AI and machine learning methods in order to determine the proportion of elements in the alloys directly in real time, thereby enabling the identification of unknown elements in scrap. In addition, the setup of the MetalClass demonstrator, set up in AiNT's technical center and in operation, will be expanded to include a conveyor belt, among other things. The aim of this extension is to determine the conditions under which it can be used in commercial operation. This also includes the determination of various influencing factors of the material to be measured, such as the arrangement on the conveyor belt, different densities and masses.
AiNT develops and tests measuring systems for elemental analysis based on prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA). These measuring systems enable non-destructive elemental analysis of a wide variety of materials and differ from existing methods in that the material to be measured is analysed as a whole and without sample preparation. During a measurement, a gamma spectrum is recorded, the evaluation of which enables the complete elemental composition of the material to be determined. These data are analysed by means of AI methods in order to allow for a real time measurement in the sub-second range.
The AlloySort joint project is being carried out with the following joint partner:
The project is funded by the European Union and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia as part of the EFRE/JTF-Programms NRW 2021-2027 in the measure GreenEconomy.IN.NRW (Umweltwirtschaft, Circular Economy und Klimaanpassung). Funding is provided as part of the Umweltwirtschaftsstrategie of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.