Routing of material mixtures
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- BASF SE
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-23
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-02
Smart Images
Figure EP2025088895_02072026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] 240573W001
[0002] 1
[0003] ROUTING OF MATERIAL MIXTURES
[0004] TECHNICAL FIELD
[0005] The present disclosure relates to methods, apparatuses, systems, uses, mixtures and computer elements for routing, monitoring and / or controlling one or more recycling material stream(s) to one or more industrial operation(s).
[0006] TECHNICAL BACKGROUND
[0007] Chemical products are used in diverse applications and end up in multiple supply chains to produce a diversity of products containing plastics. Recycling of articles is challenging owing to the complexity in sorting the diverse set of waste articles. The refeed into chemical value chains is particularly difficult since chemical plants such as steam crackers have narrow specification. Chemical producers are hence hampered to recycle and refeed material in material value chains.
[0008] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In one aspect disclosed is a method for monitoring and / or controlling one or more recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es), the method comprising the steps:
[0010] - providing recycling material data relating to one or more recycling material properties associated with one or more recycling material(s);
[0011] - generating, based on the recycling material data, input mixture data relating to at least a subset of recycling materials) to be mixed;
[0012] - providing the mixture data for monitoring and / or controlling recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
[0013] In another aspect disclosed is an apparatus for or configured to monitoring and / or controlling one or more one or more recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es), the apparatus comprising the steps:
[0014] - an input interface configured to provide recycling material data relating to one or more recycling material properties associated with one or more recycling material(s);
[0015] - a mixture generator configured to generate based on the recycling material data, input mixture data relating to at least a subset of recycling material(s) to be mixed;
[0016] - an output interface configured to provide the mixture data for monitoring and / or controlling recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es).240573W001
[0017] 2
[0018] In another aspect disclosed is a method for monitoring and / or controlling one or more recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es), the method comprising the steps:
[0019] - providing recycling material data relating to one or more recycling material properties associated with one or more recycling material(s);
[0020] - generating, based on the recycling material data, input mixture data relating to at least a subset of recycling materials) to be mixed, the mixing stage and / or one or more recycling and / or production process(es) for an input mixture;
[0021] - providing the mixture data for monitoring and / or controlling recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
[0022] In another aspect disclosed is an apparatus for monitoring and / or controlling one or more one or more recycling materials) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es), the apparatus comprising the steps: - an input interface configured to provide recycling material data relating to one or more recycling material properties associated with one or more recycling material(s);
[0023] - a mixture generator configured to generate based on the recycling material data, input mixture data relating to at least a subset of recycling material(s) to be mixed, the mixing stage and / or one or more recycling and / or production process(es) for an input mixture;
[0024] - an output interface configured to provide the mixture data for monitoring and / or controlling recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
[0025] In another aspect disclosed is a method for monitoring and / or controlling the input feed to one or more recycling and / or production process(es), the method comprising the steps:
[0026] - providing recycling material data relating to one or more recycling material properties associated with one or more recycling material(s);
[0027] - generating, based on the recycling material data, input mixture data relating to at least a subset of recycling materials) to be mixed, the mixing stage and / or one or more recycling and / or production process(es) for an input mixture;
[0028] - providing the mixture data for monitoring and / or controlling the input feed to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
[0029] In another aspect disclosed is an apparatus for monitoring and / or controlling the input feed to one or more industrial operation(s), the apparatus comprising:
[0030] - an input interface configured to provide recycling material data relating to one or more recycling material properties associated with one or more recycling material(s);
[0031] - a mixture generator configured to generate based on the recycling material data, input mixture data relating to at least a subset of recycling material(s) to be mixed, the mixing stage and / or one or more recycling and / or production process(es) for the input mixture;240573W001
[0032] 3
[0033] - an output interface configured to provide the mixture data for monitoring and / or controlling the input feed to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
[0034] In another aspect disclosed is an use of input mixture data as generated according to the methods disclosed herein or by the apparatuses disclosed herein for routing or mixing the recycling material(s) to at least recycling and / or production process. In another aspect disclosed is an use of mixture data as generated according to the methods disclosed herein or by the apparatuses disclosed herein for feeding the recycling material(s) or input mixture(s) to at least recycling and / or production process. In another aspect disclosed is an use of mixture data as generated according to the methods disclosed herein or by the apparatuses disclosed herein for routing the recycling material(s) to at least recycling and / or production process or for mixing the recycling material(s) to an input mixture for at least recycling and / or production process.
[0035] In another aspect disclosed is an input mixture mixed according to the input mixture data as generated according to the methods disclosed herein or by the apparatuses disclosed herein.
[0036] EMBODIMENTS
[0037] The methods, apparatuses, systems, uses, mixtures and computer elements disclosed herein provide for efficient and effective use of recycling streams in industrial operations. By generating mixture data for the available recycling streams with respect to the properties of the recycling streams, the mixture of different recycling streams can be tailored to fit the requirements of input feeds to industrial operations. Moreover, by including the mixing stage and / or one or more recycling and / or production process(es) for the input mixture, the input mixture can be tailored to one or more recycling and / or production process(es) dependent on the mixing stage or the state of the recycling materials. This way multiple resources for recycling material may be used in an efficient manner.
[0038] In the following, embodiments of the present disclosure will be outlined by ways of examples. It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to said embodiments and / or examples.
[0039] The recycling chain may include one or more waste stage(s) and / or recycling stage(s). The recycling chain may include, but not be limited to, multiple process steps such as waste collection step(s), waste sorting step(s), a waste separation step(s), waste recycling step(s) such as pyrolysis, depolymerization or dissolution, and further processing steps to convert waste or recycled material(s) to input materials for production such as chemical production. The production chain may include production step(s) such as cracking step(s) such as steam cracking, production step(s) such as monomer production, separation step(s) to separate outputs of one process step converting input materials including recycled materials to output materials.240573W001
[0040] 4
[0041] Recycling material(s) may include or relate to waste material(s) as provided at a waste stage and / or recycled materials) as provided at a recycling stage. Recycling material(s) may relate to waste material(s) processed by one or more process steps of the waste stage e.g. of a recycling chain. Waste stage may include collecting, sorting, and / or separating waste. Recycling material(s) may relate to or include waste material(s) including collected and / or uncollected, sorted and / or unsorted, separated and / or unseparated waste or combinations thereof. Recycling material(s) may relate to or include waste material(s) including industrial and / or consumer waste, e.g. post-industrial and / or postconsumer waste. Recycling material(s) may relate to or include recycled material(s) processed by one or more process steps of the recycling stage e.g. of a recycling chain. Recycling stage may include mechanical recycling or chemical recycling. Mechanical recycling may include any recycling method leaving the material on molecular level intact. Chemical recycling may include any recycling method affecting the material on molecular level intact. Mechanical recycling may include the cleaning, and reprocessing of waste into new material without altering the chemical structure of the recycled material to be used for product production. This process may include steps such as shredding, melting, and remolding the waste into recycled material to be used for product production. The mechanical recycling process may be suitable for certain types of waste that can be easily separated and cleaned. Chemical recycling may involve the conversion of waste into its original monomers or other valuable chemicals through chemical reactions. This process may include methods such as pyrolysis, gasification, depolymerization, and solvolysis. Chemical recycling may allow for the recycling of mixed or contaminated waste that cannot be processed through mechanical recycling. The resulting monomers or chemicals may be used to produce recycled material to be used for chemical production.
[0042] The recycling material(s) may include multiple different waste and / or recycled materials with different recycling material properties or production attribute(s) or material and / or process types. The input mixture may include a mixture of different recycled material(s). The recycled material(s) may include or relate to:
[0043] - recycling material(s) including end-of-life products or waste-products to be, e.g. recycling material(s) including end-of-life products or waste-products to be processed by mechanical and / or chemical recycling process, the recycling material properties or attribute(s), e.g. material type and / or process type, may relate to or include material type end-of-life products or waste-products to be recycled and / or process type end-of-life products or waste-products to be processed by mechanical and / or chemical recycling process and / or process type end-of-life products or waste-products to be processed by chemical production such as steam cracking,
[0044] - recycling material(s) including end-of-life products or waste-products to be sorted, e.g. recycling material(s) including end-of-life products or waste-products to be sorted by a sorting process for producing a waste fraction to be processed by a mechanical and / or chemical recycling process or by production process, recycling material(s) including end-of-life products or waste-products to be sorted e.g. by a sorting process and recycled by a mechanical recycling process for producing a recyclate to be processed by a chemical recycling process, the recycling material properties or production attribute(s), e.g. material type and / or process type, may relate to or include240573W001
[0045] 5
[0046] material type end-of-life products or waste-products to be sorted and / or process type end-of-life products or waste-products to be sorted by a sorting process for producing a waste fraction to be processed by a mechanical and / or chemical recycling process or end-of-life products to be sorted and recycled by a mechanical recycling process for producing a recyclate to be processed by a chemical recycling process,
[0047] - recycling material(s) including waste products and / or at least one sorted waste fraction to be recycled, e.g. recycling material(s) including waste products and / or at least one sorted waste fraction to be recycled by chemical recycling process for producing a recyclate to be processed by a production process, recycling material(s) including at least one waste fraction to be recycled by a mechanical recycling process for producing a recyclate to be processed by a chemical recycling process, the recycling material properties or production attribute(s), e.g. material type and / or process type, may relate to or include material type waste products and / or at least one sorted waste fraction to be recycled and / or recycling process type waste products and / or at least one sorted waste fraction to be recycled by chemical recycling process for producing a recyclate to be processed by a production process or waste fraction to be recycled by a mechanical recycling process for producing a recyclate to be processed by a chemical recycling process,
[0048] - recycling material(s) including a recycling material to be processed by depolymerization for producing one or more recyclate(s) containing one or more monomer(s), intermediate molecule(s), pre-monomer(s), oligomer(s) or mixtures thereof, e.g. recycling material(s) prior depolymerization, the recycling material properties or production attribute(s) may relate to or include material type e.g. related to composition, origin, origin type or the like and process type depolymerization,
[0049] - recycling material(s) related to a recyclate stream containing one or more monomer(s), intermediate molecule(s), pre-monomer(s), oligomers or mixtures thereof from, by or after depolymerization, the recycling material properties or production attribute(s) may relate to or include material type signifying material as provided from, by or after depolymerization e.g. related to composition, origin, origin type or the like and recycling process type signifying recyclate for production,
[0050] - recycling material(s) to be processed by solvent-based recycling, such as dissolution, for producing one or more recyclate(s) containing one or more polymer(s), oligomer(s) or a mixtures thereof, e.g. at least one input material stream related to a recyclate stream containing one or more monomer(s), intermediate molecule(s), pre-mono- mer(s), oligomers or a mixtures thereof from solvent-based recycling, such as dissolution, the recycling material properties or production attribute(s) may relate to or include material type e.g. related to composition, origin, origin type or the like and recycling process type signifying solvent-based recycling,
[0051] - recycling material(s) containing one or more polymer(s), oligomers or a mixtures thereof from, by or after solventbased recycling, such as dissolution, the recycling material properties or production attribute(s) may relate to or240573W001
[0052] 6
[0053] include material type signifying material as provided from, by or after solvent-based recycling e.g. related to composition, origin, origin type or the like and recycling process type signifying recyclate for production,
[0054] - recycling material(s) including a recycling material to be processed by pyrolysis for producing a recyclate containing hydrocarbons, the recycling material properties or production attribute(s) may relate to or include material type signifying material suitable for pyrolysis e.g. related to composition, origin, origin type or the like and process type signifying pyrolysis,
[0055] - recycling material(s) including a recycling material to be processed by gasification for producing a recyclate containing at least hydrogen and carbon monoxide mixtures, the production at-tribute(s) may relate to or include material type signifying material suitable for gasification e.g. related to composition, origin, origin type or the like and process type signifying gasification,
[0056] - recycling material(s) related to a bio-based or renewable material stream including a bio-based and / or renewable material stream, the recycling material properties or production attribute(s) may relate to or include the environmental attribute(s) such as bio-based and / or renewable content,
[0057] - recycling material(s) including recycling material from, by or after depolymerization, the recycling material properties or production attribute(s) may relate to or include the recycling material type signifying material from, by or after depolymerization,
[0058] - recycling material(s) including recycling material from, by or after solvent-based recycling, such as dissolution, the recycling material properties or production attribute(s) may relate to or include the recycling material type signifying material from, by or after solvent-based recycling,
[0059] - recycling material(s) including recycling material, e.g. containing hydrocarbons, from, by or after pyrolysis, the recycling material properties or production attribute(s) may relate to or include the recycling material type signifying material from, by or after pyrolysis,
[0060] - at least one input material stream related to a recyclate stream including recycling material(s), containing at least a hydrogen and carbon monoxide mixtures, from gasification, the recycling material properties or production attribute may relate to or include the recycling material type signifying material from, by or after gasification,
[0061] - or any combination(s) thereof.
[0062] The mixing stage may relate to the stage of mixing of recycling material(s) in the recycling chain. The mixing stage may relate to the recycling and / or waste stage. The mixing stage may be provided by the material type of the240573W001
[0063] 7
[0064] recycling material(s) such as waste, recycled material or recyclate. The mixing stage may relate to the material type of the recycling material(s) as provided by the input mixture data. The mixing stage may relate to the material type of the recycling material as provided by the recycling material data. The mixing stage may be determined based on the material type of the recycling material(s) as provided by the recycling material data. Recycling materials with different or corresponding material types may be mixed at different stages, e.g. waste and / or recycling stage. The mixing stage may relate to waste or recycling stage or any process step of the waste and / or recycling stage, such as mixing after sorting step of waste stage, mixing at input to recycling process or mixing at output of recycling process or input to production process.
[0065] Monitoring and / or controlling one or more one or more recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es) may include generating instruction configured to mix, collect, sort, separate and / or recycle waste or waste fractions. Monitoring and / or controlling one or more one or more recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es) may include generating instruction configured to route recycling material(s) and / or control and / or monitor the input feed to one or more recycling and / or production processes). The instructions may be configured to be executable by at least one mixing apparatus configured to mix recycling material(s), sorting apparatus configured to sort waste and / or waste fractions, collecting apparatus configured to collect waste and / or waste fractions, separation apparatus configured to separate waste and / or waste fractions and / or recycling apparatus configured to recycle waste and / or waste fractions.
[0066] One or more recycling and / or production process(es) for the input mixture may relate to processes of the recycling chain and / or the production chain. One or more recycling processes may relate to chemical and / or mechanical recycling. One or more production processes may relate to chemical production, product production or any intermediate production step relating to producing a product.
[0067] In one embodiment the recycling material data relates to at least one type of recycling material per recycling material, wherein the type of recycling material relates to the stage of the recycling material in the recycling chain and / or the mixing stage.
[0068] In another embodiment the recycling material data relates to a quantity of recycling material per recycling material, wherein the quantity relates to the quantity of recycling material(s) accessible for use by the one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
[0069] In another embodiment the recycling material data relates to one or more composition properties of the one or more recycling material(s), wherein the composition property is associated with at least one or more contaminant(s) critical for the input mixture to one or more recycling and / or production process(es).240573W001
[0070] 8
[0071] In another embodiment input mixture data is generated by determining from the recycling material data one or more mixture(s) that lies within the constraints provided by the target mixture data, wherein the property or the multiple properties of the recycling materials correspond at least in part to the property or the multiple properties of the input mixture as specified by the target mixture data for one or more one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
[0072] In another embodiment contaminant(s) critical to the recycling and / or production process(es) are provided per recycling and / or production process, wherein input mixture data is generated by determining from the recycling material data contaminants critical to the recycling and / or production process(es), wherein based on the provided contaminants critical to the recycling and / or production process(es) one or more process type(s) for one or more input mixtures are generated, wherein the one or more process type(s) relate to recycling and / or production process types.
[0073] In another embodiment input mixture data is generated for multiple recycling and / or production processes, wherein input mixture data is generated and provided per recycling and / or production process.
[0074] In another embodiment generating input mixture data includes determining the material type relating to the mixing stage at which the recycling material(s) of the subset are to be mixed.
[0075] In another embodiment the mixture data includes machine-readable instructions for routing the recycling material(s) to at least one recycling and / or production process.
[0076] In another embodiment the recycling and / or production process includes at least one of the following: end-of-life product sorting, material recycling, chemical recycling, and / or chemical production.
[0077] In another embodiment the recycling material data is provided by one or more computing node(s) associated with the recycling material provider or producer, wherein the mixture data is generated by one or more computing node(s) associated with the recycling and / or production process.
[0078] In another embodiment based the input mixture data one or more entry point(s) to a network including recycling and / or production process(es) is determined, wherein the determined entry point(s) to the network are provided for providing one or more input mixture(s) to recycling and / or production process(es) of the network.
[0079] In another embodiment the recycling material(s) include at least one of: end-of-life products or waste-products to be sorted, end-of-life product or waste-product fraction to be recycled, at least one recyclate to be used by recycling and / or production process for producing chemical products.240573W001
[0080] 9
[0081] In another embodiment the recycling material type(s) relate to at least one of: end-of-life products or waste-products to be sorted, end-of-life product or waste-product fraction to be recycled, at least one recyclate to be used by recycling and / or production process for producing chemical products.
[0082] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0083] In the following, the present disclosure is further described with reference to the enclosed figures:
[0084] Fig. 1 illustrates an example embodiment of a circular material loop including recycling material flows between multiple material participants.
[0085] Fig. 2 illustrates an example embodiment of a circular material loop including recycling material flows with different production, use and / or recycling stages.
[0086] Fig. 3 illustrates an example of a recycling chain including waste and the recycling stage.
[0087] Fig. 4 illustrates an example of a method for monitoring and / or controlling one or more recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
[0088] Fig. 5 illustrates examples of data structures for recycling material data and input mixture data.
[0089] Fig. 6 illustrates an example of an apparatus for monitoring and / or controlling one or more recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
[0090] DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0091] The following embodiments are mere examples for implementing the methods, the apparatuses, the systems, uses, mixtures or applications disclosed herein and shall not be considered limiting.
[0092] Fig. 1 illustrates an example embodiment of a circular material loop including recycling material flows between multiple material participants.
[0093] The material ecosystem of Fig. 1 is an example of an ecosystem and shall not be considered limiting. The material ecosystem may include multiple production stages, end-of-life stage and / or recycling stages, such as collecting, sorting and / or recycling. The material ecosystem may include monomer and / or polymer producer 101.1, monomer and / or polymer user 101.2, polymer-containing product producer 101.3, polymer containing product user 101.4, waste240573W001
[0094] 10
[0095] collector and / or sorter 101.5 and recycling system operator 101.6. The material loop may contain the material flow from monomer to product and to recycled materials fed back into the monomer and / or polymer production.
[0096] At different stages of the material loop waste material may be generated. For example, at the production stages of the monomer and / or polymer producer 101.1, monomer and / or polymer user 101.2 and / or polymer-containing product producer 101.3 post-industrial waste may be generated. Further for example, at the end-of-life stage of the polymer containing product user 101.4 post-consumer waste may be generated. The waste may be re-fed or re-circled into the material loop at different stages. For example, the waste may be re-fed or re-circled directly into production, e.g. at the production stage of the monomer and / or polymer producer 101.1. Further for example, the waste may be collected, sorted and / or recycled, e.g. at the production stage of the monomer and / or polymer user 101.2 or the polymer-containing product producer 101.3. Further for example, the waste may be collected, sorted and / or recycled at the end-of-life stage of the polymer containing product user 101.4. The different arrows in Fig. 1 illustrate different possibilities for material flows between different stages.
[0097] Fig. 2 illustrates an example embodiment of a circular material loop including recycling material flows with different production, use and / or recycling stages.
[0098] The material ecosystem of Fig. 2 is an example of an ecosystem and shall not be considered limiting. The material ecosystem may include different example stages. The material ecosystem may include refining stage, chemical production stage, end product production stage for producing consumer product, end-of-life collection stage, sorting stage, and / or recycling stage. Input materials from recycling stage and / or refining stage may be fed to chemical production including steam cracking and / or downstream process stages. Input materials to steam cracking may include fossil or non-fossil input materials. Fossil input materials may include naphtha, oil, coal and / or natural gas. Fossil input materials may be non-renewable, non-recycled and / or non-bio-based materials. Non-fossil input materials may include recycled, renewable and / or bio-based materials. Recycled materials may be produced from material waste. Renewable materials may be produced by using renewable energy to produce mixtures of hydrocarbons. Bio-based materials may be produced from renewable materials or materials from natural resources such as plants, agricultural residue, or food waste. The steam cracker may produce for example hydrogen, methane, ethylene, propylene, butylene, and / or aromatics. Downstream processes may produce acrylates, ethylbenzene, polystyrol, polyethylene or the like. Waste such as wax or lubricant may be generated in downstream process stages, which may be fed back into the steam cracking stage, or which may be collected to be recycled.
[0099] Downstream products may be provided to intermediate production followed by product production e.g. for producing the end consumer product. Product production may for example include dispersion production, paint production, foam production or the like. Waste may be generated by product production, which may be fed back into intermediate production, or which may be collected to be recycled. The produced product may be used, and waste may be generated at the end-of-life.240573W001
[0100] 11
[0101] The different types of waste may be collected, sorted and / or recycled to be fed back into one or more production stages. Different waste types may be collected and / or sorted. The waste may include one or more waste materials. The waste may include mixed waste materials. For re-feeding the waste materials into the material loop, waste materials may be recycled to recycled materials. Different waste materials may be mixed prior to recycling. Different recycling materials may be mixed prior to re-feeding recycling materials into chemical production. This may lead to shortages of recycled materials with sufficient quality to be refed into chemical production. One option to overcome such shortages may be mixing high quality recycled materials and lower quality recycled materials based on tracking the quality of the recycling materials. By tracking the quality of recycling materials, the mixing may be conducted for the waste to be recycled prior to the recycling stage or after the recycling stage prior to refeed into production. The determination regarding the stage, the mixture and / or the production the recycled materials are to be fed into may be conducted in a data-driven manner based on tracking the quality of the recycling materials.
[0102] Fig. 3 illustrates an example of a recycling chain including waste and recycling stage.
[0103] The example recycling chain is shown for illustrative purposes and shall not be considered limiting. The recycling chain may include the stages or steps from plastic products to recyclate. The recycling chain may include one or more waste stages, where waste is collected, separated and / or sorted. The end-of-life products may be collected, separated and / or sorted as waste. The waste stemming from different plastic products or parts thereof may have different qualities in terms of recyclability. The quality of waste intended for recycling may relate to the suitability of the waste for processing into recycled materials. This may depend on the purity, such as the degree to which the waste is free from contaminants and / or non-recyclable materials, consistency, such as the uniformity of the waste material in terms of composition, chemical and / or physical properties, homogeneity such as the extent to which the waste material is uniform in its chemical and physical characteristics, traceability such as the ability to track the origin and processing history of the waste material.
[0104] The recycling chain may include one or more recycling stages, where waste is recycled by one or more recycling processes to produce recyclate. The waste may be fractioned e.g. depending on contaminants, and / or non-recyclable material, purity, composition, chemical and / or physical properties, chemical and / or physical characteristics, consistency, homogeneity, traceability or any combination of the factors impacting the suitability of the waste for processing into recycled materials. For example, PET waste bottles may obey homogeneous and pure waste fraction that may be suitable for material recycling such as mechanical recycling. Other waste fractions may also obey homogeneous and pure characteristics and may not be suitable for mechanical recycling but may be suitable for chemical recycling such as depolymerization. Further other waste fractions like mixed industrial or consumer waste may be suitable for chemical recycling such as pyrolysis, gasification or incineration. The recyclates produced by any such recycling methods may be refed into the material loop at different stages. For example, mechanically recycled waste materials may be refed into plastics production. Further for example, chemically recycled waste materials e.g. as240573W001
[0105] 12
[0106] recycled through depolymerization may be refed into monomer and / or polymer production. Further for example, chemically recycled waste materials e.g. as recycled through pyrolysis may be refed into chemical production replacing naphtha. Further for example, chemically recycled waste materials e.g. as recycled through gasification may be refed into chemical syngas production.
[0107] Fig. 4 illustrates an example of a method for monitoring and / or controlling one or more recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
[0108] The recycling material data may be associated with waste material and / or recycled material. Waste material may be generated by collecting, sorting and / or separating waste. Recycled material may be generated by recycling the waste material, e.g. by mechanical and / or chemical recycling.
[0109] In another embodiment the input material stream(s) including recycling material(s) may be routed based on the one or more recycling material properties associated with the recycling material(s) or one or more production attribute(s) associated with the input material stream(s) including recycling material(s). In particular the recycling material (s) may be routed based on the one or more recycling material properties associated with the recycling material(s) or one or more production attribute(s) associated with the recycling material(s). Further in particular the recycling materials) may be routed based on the one or more recycling material properties or the recycled material type and / or the process type provided by or included in the one or more production attribute(s) associated with the recycling material (s).
[0110] Recycling material data relating to one or more recycling material properties associated with one or more recycling material(s) may be provided. Recycling material data may relate to identifiers associated with respective recycling material. Recycling material data may per recycling material relate to at least one type of recycling material, such as post-industrial waste, post-consumer waste, the origin of the waste such as the industrial process that generated the waste or any combinations thereof. The recycling material type may relate to the stage of the recycling material in the recycling chain, such as the waste stage, like waste collection or sorting, or the recycling stage. Recycling material data may per recycling material relate to a quantity of recycling material, such as the quantity of recycling material available. The quantity may relate to the quantity of recycling material accessible for use by the one or more recycling and / or production process(es). Recycling material data may relate to material and / or technical properties of the recycling material. The material and / or technical property of the recycling material may include at least one composition property associated with the recycling material and / or at least one operation property associated with the recycling material. The composition property may be associated with at least one or more substance(s) critical for the input mixture to the one or more recycling and / or production process(es). The operation property may be associated with one or more input mixture characteristics critical to processing the input mixture by the one or more recycling and / or production process(es). The recycling material data may be associated with waste material and / or recycled240573W001
[0111] 13
[0112] material. Waste material may be generated by collecting, sorting and / or separating waste. Recycled material may be generated by recycling the waste material, e.g. by mechanical and / or chemical recycling.
[0113] Based on the recycling material data, input mixture data relating to at least a subset of recycling material(s) to be mixed and provided to at least one recycling and / or production process may be generated.
[0114] For example, based on the at least one composition property and / or at least one operation property per recycling material, the recycling materials containing contaminants or substance(s) critical for the input mixture to a first subset of recycling and / or production process(es) or to processing the input mixture by the first subset recycling and / or production process(es) may be mixed for use by a second subset of recycling and / or production process(es) not impacted by the substances or in their processing. To make such determination the contaminants or substances critical to the recycling and / or production process(es) may be provided per recycling and / or production process. Such substances may include e.g. for a steam cracker compounds or substances containing Br, Cl, S, N, halogens, oxides, N-deriva-tives, S-derivatives, metals, metal oxides, graphite, mercury or any combinations thereof. Based on the provided contaminants or substances critical to the recycling and / or production process(es) one or more process type(s) per mixture may be generated. Process types may relate to recycling processes like pyrolysis and / or production processes such as steam cracking.
[0115] Based on the contaminants or substances critical to the recycling and / or production process(es), the at least one composition property per one or more recycling material(s) at least one subset of the one or more recycling materials) identifier(s) or one or more recycling material(s) and a total composition property associated with at least one input mixture comprising one or more recycling materials may be determined. For generating the at least one subset of the one or more recycling material(s) or respective identifier(s) or the respective total composition property associated with at least one input mixture with total composition property fulfilling the target composition property different approaches and options may be used. The total composition property may be generated based on scoring approaches, optimization approaches, physiochemical modelling approaches, data-driven modelling approaches and / or hybrid approaches combining physiochemical and data-driven modeling.
[0116] The scoring approach may include determining a score per one or more recycling material(s). For the scoring, the properties required for the recycling and / or production processes may be selected and optionally prioritized. The score per one or more recycling material(s) may include determining a score per property of the one or more recycling material (s) and the respective total composition property specified by the target input mixture that measures the distance of the property of the one or more recycling material(s) to the respective total composition property specified by the target input mixture. Based on the per property score an accumulated and optionally normalized score per recycling material or respective identifier may be determined. The per property scores may further include a penalty depending on the relevance of the specific property for the recycling and / or production process(es), e.g. if the property is required or optional. Based on the penalized score the accumulated score may be determined. Based on the240573W001
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[0118] accumulated score the one or more recycling material(s) suitable for the recycling and / or production process(es) may be selected for mixing. The scores may be normalized e.g. to a relative scale of percentage.
[0119] The optimization approach may include determining weighted quantities of one or more recycling material(s) depending on the composition properties per recycling material or respective identifier depending on or under the constraints of the contaminants or substances critical to the recycling and / or production process(es). Depending on or under the constraints of the constraints of the contaminants or substances critical to the recycling and / or production pro-cess(es)may refer to the weighted sum of at least part of the composition properties of the one or more recycling materials) complying at least in part with the target composition properties of the recyclate or the recycled input material for recycling and / or production process(es). Based on the weights, the one or more recycling material(s) suitable for one ore more recycling and / or production process(es) and the quantity of one or more recycling materials(s) determined by the weight may be selected for mixing. In mathematical terms an objective function or cost function may be minimized under defined constraints. For example, based on the weights the recycling materials suitable for the recycling and / or production process(es) and the quantity of recycling materials determined by the weight may be selected for mixing.
[0120] The generation of mixture data may include determining the material type or mixing stage relating to the stage at which the recycling material(s) of the subset are to be mixed.
[0121] For example, based on the quantity of recycling material available recycling materials may be mixed at different stages. If sufficient quantity of waste material is available that would fit the requirements of the recycling and / or production process(es), the waste material may be mixed. If sufficient quantity of recycled material is available that would fit the requirements of the recycling and / or production process(es), the recycling material may be mixed. The mixed waste material may be recycled and may be mixed with the mixed recycled material.
[0122] Further for example, based on the type of recycling material, recycling materials may be mixed at different stages. Post-industrial waste may have higher purity with respect to the compounds and substances contained than postconsumer waste. Post-industrial waste may be mixed at the waste stage prior to recycling process to ensure homogenous and pure input into the recycling process. Post-consumer waste may be mixed at the recycling stage after the recycling process, since purity and homogeneity may be less crucial for recycling processes such as gasification. Similarly, the recycling materials may be mixed at different stages depending on recycled, bio-based and / or renewable content.
[0123] The input mixture data may, based on such determination, be generated including one or more recycling material properties or one or more production attribute(s) associated with the input mixture. The one or more recycling material properties or production attribute(s) may relate to a material type and / or a process type and / or mixing stage. The recycling material type may relate to the stage for mixing the material, such as end-of-life product, sorted waste,240573W001
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[0125] unsorted waste, mechanically recycled recyclate, chemically recycled recyclate. The recycling material type may relate to the stage of the recycling material as being recycled or to be recycled. The process type may relate to properties of the process the recycling material were recycled by, are to be recycled by or are to be used for production. For example, the recycling material type may signify that the recycling material is recycled input material or recyclate. This way the recycling material associated with this recycled material type may be assigned to be mixed after recycling stage. Further for example, the recycling material type may signify that the recycling material is to be recycled waste materials. This way the waste material associated with the to be recycled material type may be assigned to be mixed prior to recycling. Further for example, the recycled material type may signify to be recycled material or waste material that may be unsorted or sorted, such as end-of-life products or parts thereof. This way the recycling material associated with the recycled material type sorted waste may be assigned to be mixed prior or after recycling or the recycling material associated with the recycled material type unsorted may be assigned to be mixed prior or after sorting. The sorting process may precede the recycling process. The recycling process may precede the production process.
[0126] The one or more recycling material properties or production attribute(s) associated with the recycling material(s) may relate to the one or more process stages at which the recycling material(s) are to be mixed. For example, the one or more recycling material properties or production attributes associated with the recycling material(s) may relate at least to or signify at least end-of-life-product or parts thereof, unsorted waste, sorted waste fraction, mechanically recycled recyclate and / or chemically recycled recyclate. Further for example, the one or more recycling material properties or production attributes associated with the recycling material(s) may signify the material as material and / or process type at least end-of-life-product or parts thereof, unsorted waste, sorted waste fraction, mechanically recycled recyclate and / or chemically recycled recyclate. Further for example, the one or more recycling material properties or production attributes associated with the recycling material(s) may signify the material as process type to be mechanically and / chemically recycled. Further for example, the one or more recycling material properties or production attributes associated with the recycling material(s) may signify the material as mixing stage waste or recycling stage, such as mixing after sorting step of waste stage, mixing at input to recycling process or mixing at output of recycling process or input to production process.
[0127] The input mixture data may be provided for monitoring and / or controlling one or more recycling material(s) to be provided to the at least one recycling and / or production process. The one or more recycling material(s) may be associated with at least one recycling material property or production attribute related to the material type and / or the process type. Material type may relate to the process stage of mixing. The process type may relate to the recycling and / or production process the recycling material is to be provided to. One or more recycling material(s) may relate to material mixed at different stages of the recycling and / or production process(es). The one or more recycling materials) may include end-of-life products or parts thereof, unsorted waste fractions, sorted waste fractions, mechanically recycled material and / or chemically recycled material. The one or more recycling material(s) type may relate to end-of-life products or parts thereof, unsorted waste fractions, sorted waste fractions, mechanically recycled material240573W001
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[0129] and / or chemically recycled material. Mixing stages may include any stage between the sorting process, entry to mechanical recycling process, entry to chemical recycling process and / or entry to production for producing output materials). Process type may relate to sorting process, mechanical recycling process, chemical recycling process and / or output material production process. By tracking the recycling material and / or process type of the input mixture, the recycling materials can be reliably and effectively routed to the mixing stages. Further by considering the recycling material and / or process type of the input mixture, the recycling materials can be reliably routed to the next process stage after mixing. Moreover, different input mixtures can be reliably mixed at different mixing stages.
[0130] Providing input mixture data may include assigning input mixture data to an input mixture ID associated with the input mixture. Assigning at least one recycling material property or production attribute to the at least one input mixture may include providing an input mixture identifier associated with the produced input mixture and assigning the recycling material property or production attribute, e.g. on or after mixing, to the input mixture. Assigning at least one recycling material property or production attribute associated with recycling material(s) to input mixture may include the linking of the input mixture identifier with the recycling material property or production attribute. The input mixture identifier may be associated with the physical entity of the input mixture. The input mixture identifier may be uniquely linked to the physical entity of the input mixture. This way the virtual or digital identifier of the input mixture may be uniquely linked to the physical material. Such linking may include a physical or virtual link of identifiers uniquely associated with the physical material. For physical linking a tag or code may be physically connected to the material, e.g., by printing a QR code on the packaging. For virtual linking different identifiers associated with the physical material may be linked. For example, an order number, a batch number, LOT number or a combination thereof may be linked.
[0131] The input mixture may be prepared based on the input mixture data at the mixture stage provided by the recycling material properties or production attribute(s) e.g. relating to material type. The input mixture may be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es) based on recycling material properties or production attribute(s) e.g. relating to material and / or process type. Based the input mixture data one or more entry point(s) to a production network including recycling and / or production process(es) may be determined. The determined entry point(s) to the production network may be provided for providing one or more input mixture(s) to the production network. The one or more input mixtures may be provided to the determined entry point(s) of the production network. By considering the material and / or process type of the input mixtures, the input mixtures can be reliably and effectively routed to the entry points of the production network configured to process respective input mixtures.
[0132] Input mixture(s) may be routed based on the one or more recycling material properties or production attribute(s) associated with the input mixture(s). The input mixture(s) may be routed based on the material type and / or the process type provided by or included in the one or more recycling material properties or production attribute(s) associated with the input mixture(s). Determining one or more entry point(s) of the production network may include providing entry point data characterizing the entry point(s), in particular the first process stage or step inside the system boundary of the production network, and determining the entry point based on the entry point data and the at least one240573W001
[0133] 17
[0134] recycling material property or production attribute. For input mixtures the recycling material properties or production attribute(s) may relate to recycling material type and / or a recycling process type of the input mixture. The recycling material type may relate to the process or mixing stage of the recycling process the material was processed by or the material output of the process or mixing stage the recycling process the material was processed by. Such process or mixing stage may be outside the boundary of the production network or not part of the network. The process type may relate to the recycling and / or production process the input is to be processed by or was processed by. The production and / or recycling process may be part of the production network or inside the system boundary of the production network. Based on these data points the input mixtures may be routed to respective entry points that are characterized by the first process stage inside the production network. The entry point(s) may relate the input mixture identifiers with entry point identifiers. The entry point(s) may signify the physical entry point(s) to the production network. The entry point(s) may be determined and provided per input mixture. A material routing apparatus or system may relate to or include any physical infrastructure configured to transport materials, such as containers, pipes, ships, rails, trucks or the like.
[0135] Fig. 5 illustrates examples of data structures for recycling material data and input mixture data.
[0136] The recycling material data may relate to recycling material properties. Recycling material data may include multiple recycling material IDs and respective properties per ID. Recycling material data may relate to at least one type of recycling material, such as post-industrial waste, post-consumer waste, the origin of the waste such as the industrial process that generated the waste or any combinations thereof. Recycling material data may per recycling material relate to a quantity of recycling material, such as the quantity of recycling material available. The quantity may relate to the quantity of recycling material accessible for use by the one or more recycling and / or production process(es). Recycling material data may relate to the location of the recycling material. Recycling material data may relate to at least one composition property associated with recycling material. The composition property may be associated with at least one or more contaminants or substance(s) critical for the input mixture to be provided to the one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
[0137] The input mixture data may be generated as e.g. disclosed in the context of the methods of Fig. 4. The input mixture data may relate to input mixture properties. Input mixture data may include multiple IDs associated with the recycling material of the input mixture and respective properties per ID. Input mixture data may relate to at least one type of recycling materials included in the input mixture, such as post-industrial waste, post-consumer waste, the origin of the waste such as the industrial process that generated the waste or any combinations thereof. Input mixture data may per input mixture ID relate to a quantity of recycling materials included in the input mixture, such as the quantity of recycling material available for the input mixture. The quantity may relate to the quantity of recycling material accessible for the input mixture to be used by the one or more recycling and / or production process(es). Input mixture data may relate to the location of the recycling materials and / or the input mixture. Input mixture data may relate to at least one composition property associated with recycling materials of the input mixture. The composition property240573W001
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[0139] may be associated with at least one or more contaminants or substance(s) critical for the input mixture to be provided to the one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
[0140] Fig. 6 illustrates an example of an apparatus for monitoring and / or controlling one or more recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
[0141] The operating apparatus may be configured to execute any of the steps as disclosed e.g in the context of Figs. 4 or 5. The operating apparatus may comprise an input interface configured to provide recycling material data relating to one or more recycling material properties associated with one or more recycling material(s). The recycling material data may be provided by the owner of the recycling material data such as collector, sorter and / or separator, recycler and / or product producer. The input interface may be communicatively coupled to the computing node(s) associated with collector, sorter and / or separator, recycler and / or product producer.
[0142] The operating apparatus may comprise a mixture generator communicatively coupled to the input interface. The mixture generator may be configured to generate based on the recycling material data, input mixture data relating to at least a subset of recycling material(s) to be mixed, the mixing stage and / or one or more recycling and / or production process(es) for the input mixture. The generation may include the steps as disclosed e.g in the context of Figs. 4 or 5.
[0143] The operating apparatus may comprise an output interface communicatively coupled to the mixture generator. The output interface may be configured to provide the mixture data for monitoring and / or controlling recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es). The output interface may be communicatively coupled to a mixture apparatus and may provide the input mixture data for routing the input mixture to input feeds. Routing data may be provided to collector, sorter and / or separator, recycler and / or product producer as disclosed e.g in the context of Figs. 4 or 5.
[0144] The present disclosure has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments and examples as well. However, other variations can be understood and effected by those persons skilled in the art and practicing the claimed disclosure, from the studies of the drawings, this disclosure and the claims.
[0145] Any steps presented herein can be performed in any order. The methods disclosed herein are not limited to a specific order of these steps. It is also not required that the different steps are performed at a certain place or in a certain computing node of a distributed system, i.e. each of the steps may be performed at different computing nodes using different equipment / data processing.
[0146] As used herein ..determining" also includes ..initiating or causing to determine", "generating" also includes ..initiating and / or causing to generate" and "providing” also includes "initiating or causing to determine, generate, select, send240573W001
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[0148] and / or receive”. "Initiating or causing to perform an action” includes any processing signal that triggers a computing node or device to perform the respective action.
[0149] In the claims as well as in the description the word "comprising” or "including” or similar wording does not exclude other elements or steps and shall not be construed limiting to the elements or steps lined out. The indefinite article "a” or "an” does not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit may fulfill the functions of several entities or items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in the mutual different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used in an advantageous implementation or further elements may be included.
[0150] Providing in the scope of this disclosure may include any interface configured to provide data. This may include an application programming interface, a human-machine interface such as a display and / or a software module interface. Providing may include communication of data or submission of data to the interface, in particular display to a user or use of the data by the receiving node, entity or interface.
[0151] Various units, circuits, entities, nodes or other computing components may be described as "configured to” perform a task or tasks. Configured to shall recite structure meaning "having circuitry that” performs the task or tasks on operation. The units, circuits, entities, nodes or other computing components can be configured to perform the task even when the unit / circuit / component is not operating. The units, circuits, entities, nodes or other computing components that form the structure corresponding to "configured to” may include hardware circuits and / or memory storing program instructions executable to implement the operation. The units, circuits, entities, nodes or other computing components may be described as performing a task or tasks, for convenience in the description. Such descriptions shall be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to.” Any recitation of "configured to” is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) interpretation.
[0152] In general, the methods, apparatuses, systems, computer elements, nodes or other computing components described herein may include memory, software components and hardware components. The memory can include volatile memory such as static or dynamic random-access memory and / or nonvolatile memory such as optical or magnetic disk storage, flash memory, programmable read-only memories, etc. The hardware components may include any combination of combinatorial logic circuitry, clocked storage devices such as flops, registers, latches, etc., finite state machines, memory such as static random-access memory or embedded dynamic random-access memory, custom designed circuitry, programmable logic arrays, etc.
[0153] Moreover, any of the methods, method steps, processes and actions described or illustrated herein may be implemented using executable instructions in a general-purpose or special-purpose processor and stored on. A processor may be a processor of any suitable type, and is preferably a processor configured for parallel processing of at least a hundred or a at least a thousand threads in parallel, e.g. a graphical processing unit (GPU). For instance, the240573W001
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[0155] processor comprises at least a hundred or a at least a thousand parallel processing cores. In particular, the processor may comprise at least one (preferably at least a thousand) compute unified device architecture (CUDA) core(s), which may allow for using a graphical processing unit as the processor, which may increase computational efficiency. For instance, the processor may comprise at least one (e.g. at least a hundred) streaming multiprocessor cores, which may allow for increasing the data throughput. As a further example, the processor may comprise one or more (e.g. at least a hundred) tensor core(s). A tensor core may be specifically adapted to perform matrix operations and may allow to accelerate large matrix operations. A tensor core may be configured to perform mixed-precision matrix multiply and accumulate calculations in a single operation. For instance, a tensor core may perform mixed-precision floating-point matrix arithmetic, specifically utilizing FP16 (half-precision) inputs to produce either full-precision (FP32) or half-precision (FP16) outputs. In the case of FP16 output, a tensor core may provide a performance boost by storing the intermediate accumulation results in FP32 format, thereby maintaining the precision necessary for accurate results. For example, a processor may comprise several thousand tensor cores, each capable of performing 64 floating point FMA (Fused Multiply-Add) operations per clock cycle. With these capabilities, such a GPU may allow for hundreds of TFLOPs (Tera Floating-Point Operations per Second) of performance in mixed-precision computations. Furthermore, a tensor core may support a variety of numerical formats, including IEEE standard half-precision, single-precision, and double-precision floating-point formats, as well as a range of integer formats.
[0156] Any disclosure and embodiments described herein relate to methods, systems, apparatuses, devices, systems, products, chemicals, materials, productions, instructions, computer program elements lined out above and vice versa. Advantageously, the benefits provided by any of the embodiments and examples equally apply to all other embodiments and examples and vice versa.
[0157] All terms and definitions used herein are understood broadly and have their general meaning.
Claims
240573W00121Claims1. A method for monitoring and / or controlling one or more recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es), the method comprising the steps:- providing recycling material data relating to one or more recycling material properties associated with one or more recycling material(s);- generating, based on the recycling material data, input mixture data relating to at least a subset of recycling material(s) to be mixed, the mixing stage and / or one or more recycling and / or production process(es) for an input mixture containing at least a subset of recycling material(s);- providing the input mixture data for monitoring and / or controlling recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recycling material data relates to at least one type of recycling material per recycling material, wherein the type of recycling material relates to the stage of the recycling material in the recycling chain and / or the mixing stage.
3. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein recycling material data relates to a quantity of recycling material per recycling material, wherein the quantity relates to the quantity of recycling material(s) accessible for use by the one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
4. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the recycling material data relates to one or more composition properties of the one or more recycling material(s), wherein the composition property is associated with at least one or more contaminant(s) critical for the input mixture to one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
5. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein input mixture data is generated by determining from the recycling material data one or more mixture(s) that lie within the constraints provided by target mixture data, wherein the property or the multiple properties of the recycling materials correspond at least in part to the property or the multiple properties of the input mixture as specified by target mixture data for one or more one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
6. The method of the preceding claim, wherein contaminant(s) critical to the recycling and / or production processes) are provided per recycling and / or production process, wherein input mixture data is generated by determining from the recycling material data contaminants critical to the recycling and / or production processes), wherein based on the provided contaminants critical to the recycling and / or production processes) one or more process typee) for one or more input mixtures are generated, wherein the one or more process type ) relate to recycling and / or production process types.240573W001227. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein input mixture data is generated for multiple recycling and / or production processes, wherein input mixture data is generated and provided per recycling and / or production process.
8. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein generating input mixture data includes determining the material type relating to the mixing stage at which the recycling material(s) of the subset are to be mixed.
9. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the input mixture data includes machine-readable instructions for routing the recycling material(s) to at least one recycling and / or production process.
10. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the recycling and / or production process(es) include at least one of the following: end-of-life product sorting, material recycling, chemical recycling, and / or chemical production.
11. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the recycling material data is provided by one or more computing node(s) associated with the recycling material provider or producer, wherein the input mixture data is generated by one or more computing node(s) associated with the recycling and / or production process(es).
12. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein based on the input mixture data one or more entry point(s) to a network including recycling and / or production process(es) is determined, wherein the determined entry point(s) to the network are provided for providing one or more input mixture(s) to recycling and / or production process(es) of the network.
13. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the recycling material(s) include at least one of: end-of- life products or waste-products to be sorted, end-of-life product or waste-product fraction to be recycled, at least one recyclate to be used by recycling and / or production process for producing chemical products.
14. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the recycling material type(s) relate to at least one of: end-of-life products or waste-products to be sorted, end-of-life product or waste-product fraction to be recycled, at least one recyclate to be used by recycling and / or production process for producing chemical products.
15. An apparatus for monitoring and / or controlling one or more one or more recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es), the method comprising the steps:- an input interface configured to provide recycling material data relating to one or more recycling material properties associated with one or more recycling material(s);240573W00123- a mixture generator configured to generate based on the recycling material data, input mixture data relating to at least a subset of recycling material(s) to be mixed, the mixing stage and / or one or more recycling and / or production process(es) for input mixture;- an output interface configured to provide the input mixture data for monitoring and / or controlling recycling material(s) to be provided to one or more recycling and / or production process(es).
16. Use of input mixture data as generated according to the method of any of claims 1 to 13 or by the apparatus of claim 14 for feeding the one or more recycling material(s) or input mixture(s) to one or more recycling and / or production process(es) or for routing the recycling material(s) to at least recycling and / or production process or for mixing the recycling material(s) to an input mixture for at least recycling and / or production process.
17. An input mixture mixed according to input mixture data as generated according to the method of any of claims 1 to 13 or by the apparatus of claim 14.