Tracer-Embedded Polyester Recycling for Product Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing recycling systems lack a mechanism to confirm whether products are made of recyclables, leading to environmental pollution, health hazards, and transaction disputes, with no embedded identification to verify product composition.
Innovation Solution
A closed loop recycling identification system that adds a tracer to recyclable yarn during the spinning process, enabling verification of textile products as recyclable through a blockchain traceability system, reducing waste, carbon emissions, and energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If identification is used to manage recycling of products, then product tracking is enabled, but the identification is not embedded in the product so there is no way to confirm whether a product is made of recyclables
Solution Approach 1:
The tracer is added to the recyclable material during the yarn spinning step, before the product is manufactured. This preliminary embedding of identification ensures that the tracer is integrated into the product structure from the beginning, enabling reliable traceability and verification of recyclability throughout the product lifecycle.
Solution Approach 2:
A tracer substance is introduced as an intermediary element that can be detected to confirm the presence of recyclable materials in the final product. The tracer acts as a mediator between the recycling process and product verification, allowing downstream facilities to identify and process recyclable content without directly analyzing the complex product composition.
2Productivity
If conventional recycling systems are used, then waste processing is performed, but there is no control mechanism to control the quantity of each link in the recycling chain
Solution Approach 1:
The block chain platform provides a feedback mechanism that records and tracks the quantity of recyclable materials at each stage of the recycling process. Data from tracer identification is fed back into the system to update inventory records, enabling real-time quantity control and transparency across all links in the recycling chain.
Solution Approach 2:
The tracer is embedded in the material during yarn spinning, establishing a baseline identification record before the product enters the recycling stream. This preliminary action enables automatic tracking and quantity measurement when the tracer is detected during recycling processing, eliminating the need for manual quantity verification at each stage.
3Loss of substance
If incineration or landfilling is used for waste, then waste disposal is achieved, but harmful substances are produced causing environmental pollution and health hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The system converts the previously harmful practice of incineration and landfilling into beneficial recycling. By enabling reliable identification of recyclable materials through tracer embedding, the system redirects waste streams from harmful disposal methods into productive recycling processes that recover valuable materials and reduce environmental pollution.
Solution Approach 2:
The tracer identification system provides feedback that enables sorting and routing of recyclable materials away from incineration and landfilling facilities. This feedback loop ensures that identified recyclable content is directed to appropriate recycling processes, preventing the generation of harmful emissions and pollution associated with thermal and landfill disposal.
Data Source
AI summary
A closed loop recycling identification system includes a first flow including steps of collecting polyester materials by recycling waste materials from a source to collect polyester materials, spinning the collected polyester fibers as yarn with a tracer being added thereto, weaving the yarn into fabric, and manufacturing the fabric into textile products; a second flow including steps of cleaning the collected waste materials having the tracer, classifying the clean waste materials, and pulverizing the classified waste materials into polyester fibers or pellets; and a joining flow joining the spinning step to finish a closed cycle. It is possible to confirm the textile products as ones made of recyclables by identifying the tracer.