DONGGUAN – DataBeyond Technology has recently introduced China’s first ‘AI Hyperspectral Optical Sorter for Blended Fabrics’, a system that integrates advanced AI algorithms with hyperspectral recognition technology. The innovation addresses longstanding challenges in the sorting of blended fabrics, marking a potential advancement for textile recycling technologies.
Sorting blended fabrics has been a persistent obstacle for the textile recycling industry. These materials, composed of complex and uneven distributions of different fibres, have proven difficult for conventional methods to separate efficiently or accurately. As a result, significant quantities of blended fabric waste are either incinerated or sent to landfills, leading to both resource wastage and environmental harm.
The introduction of this new tech provides a promising solution to these issues. It is said to enable the precise separation of textiles with multiple material components and offering a pathway to improved recycling efficiency.
Using hyperspectral sensors capable of capturing 256 spectral bands, the sorter offers comprehensive recognition of textile waste. It can accurately identify and separate textiles with varying content levels of polyester, nylon, spandex, and cotton. With a sorting accuracy rate of up to 99 per cent, it significantly enhances the quality of raw materials available for downstream chemical recycling processes.