Sorting Waste Glass Cullet by Iron Oxide Content
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods struggle to efficiently sort waste glass cullet with varying iron oxide content in a single-layer material stream, particularly due to the low coloration of waste glass cullet with low iron oxide content, making it difficult to identify and separate.
Innovation Solution
The method involves irradiating the material stream with visible and infrared light, detecting the transmission light, and classifying waste glass cullet based on the ratio of infrared to visible light intensity, which exceeds or falls below a predetermined threshold, allowing for separation into fractions with higher and lower iron oxide content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If waste glass cullet with low iron oxide content is used, then higher quality glass can be produced, but it becomes difficult to identify and separate due to low coloration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the detection parameter from visible light absorption (coloration) to near-infrared light transmission. By measuring transmission in the 1100-1200 nm range where iron oxide causes characteristic attenuation, the system can detect low iron oxide content glass that appears visually similar to high iron oxide glass, thereby resolving the identification difficulty while maintaining glass quality standards
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces visual detection (mechanical/optical system based on human perception of color) with an infrared transmission measurement system. This substitution enables detection based on molecular absorption characteristics rather than visible color, allowing precise identification of low iron oxide glass that would be indistinguishable to the human eye
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If waste glass cullet with higher iron oxide content is present, then coloration makes it easier to identify, but it cannot be processed into higher quality glass
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an infrared transmission measurement system as an intermediary between the waste glass stream and the classification decision. This intermediary provides objective quantitative data about iron oxide content that is independent of visual coloration, enabling accurate differentiation between glass types based on compositional rather than aesthetic criteria
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses infrared transmission measurements to provide feedback about the actual iron oxide content of each glass piece, which then feeds into the classification algorithm. This feedback loop ensures that glass pieces are sorted based on their measured properties rather than visual appearance, preventing high iron oxide glass from being mistakenly classified as suitable for high-quality production
3Measurement precision
If single-layer material stream is used, then sorting accuracy can be improved, but processing time and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by arranging glass pieces in a single-layer stream before measurement, ensuring that each piece is individually accessible to the infrared measurement system. This preliminary organization enables accurate measurement of each piece's transmission properties without requiring complex real-time sorting mechanisms during the measurement phase
Solution Approach 2:
The system processes the waste glass stream by segmenting it into individual pieces arranged in a single layer. This segmentation allows the measurement system to target and measure each piece independently, improving measurement accuracy while enabling parallel processing of multiple pieces through the stream, thus balancing precision with throughput
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables efficient classification and separation of waste glass cullet according to its iron oxide content, even with low iron oxide content, by utilizing the attenuation of near-infrared spectra and compensating for measurement impairments with visible light transmission measurements.
Implementation Method 1
waste glass cullet exhibits attenuation of the spectra in the near infrared range from 1100 to 1200 nm depending on its iron oxide content. The greater the iron oxide content, the greater the attenuation.
Implementation Method 2
Certain properties of waste glass cullet can be detected using visible light and optical sensors. If waste glass cullet has a high Fe2O3 content, it appears greenish in color.
Data Source
AI summary
Method and sorting system for sorting out waste glass cullet with a higher content of iron oxide from a single-layer material stream of waste glass cullet. The material stream contains waste glass cullet with a higher and a lower content of iron oxide. The material stream is irradiated with visible light and the visible transmission light passing through the waste glass cullet is detected, the material stream is irradiated with infrared light in a frequency range of at least 1100-1200 nm and the infrared transmission light passing through the waste glass cullet is detected, a waste glass cullet is classified as having a higher content of iron oxide if the ratio of the intensity of the infrared transmission light to the intensity of the visible transmission light exceeds or falls below a predetermined threshold value, and the cullet classified in this way is separated from other waste glass cullet.