An investigation on non-ferrous metals particles separability from electronic scraps using Hyperspectral Imaging and Micro-XRF Analysis

The increasing volume of waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) to be discarded as defective, unused or obsolete assumed, in these last years, an increasing interest both for the recycling industry and for the environment. A significant amount of valuable materials that can be profitably recovered is, in fact, contained in WEEE (i.e. metals, precious metals, non-ferrous metals, high-quality plastics and other materials). In this study the attention was focused on the development, the set-up and the implementation of non-ferrous metal concentration strategies at the end of an industrial recycling process. The fulfilment of this goal passes through an in-depth characterization of WEEE products. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) alongside with micro-XRF analysis are two of the main emerging innovative technologies in raw materials industry that can be profitably applied to reach this target. The different possibilities offered by their combined utilization are explored and discussed, with particular reference to the recovery of non-ferrous metals from mixed WEEE by-product obtained by a Magnetic Density Separation (MDS) process.