Hyperspectral imaging applied to end-of-life (EOL) concrete recycling

Abstract The recovery of materials from DW is an important target of the recycling industry and it is important to know which materials are present in order to set up efficient sorting and/or quality control actions. The implementation of an automatic recognition system of recovered products from End-Of-Life (EOL) concrete materials can be a useful way to maximize DW conversion into secondary raw materials. In this paper a new approach, based on HyperSpectral Imaging (HSI) sensors, is investigated in order to develop suitable and low cost strategies finalized to the preliminary detection and characterization of materials constituting Demolition Waste (DW) flow stream. Results showed that it is possible to recognize DW materials and to distinguish the recycled aggregates from the investigated contaminants (brick, gypsum, plastic, wood and foam).