Computer-aided optical characterization and sensing applications: from minerals to waste

Optical based characterization techniques and related analytical methodologies, originally utilized in the mineral sector, can be profitably applied to solid waste streams products as resulting from different recycling processes. This approach, when supported by digital tools allows to perform a full characterization of compositional and textural attributes of the different particulate solids constituting the waste flow streams. To reach this goal specific physical-chemical attributes must be collected, analyzed and processed in order to define, according to market requirements, specific classes of quality to assume as reference to define optimal processing strategies. Computer-assisted optical characterization, coupled with hyperspectral sensing devices and embedding recognition/classification logics, can contribute to reach these goals, dramatically reducing analytical time and costs. In this work an example of this “transfer approach”, from minerals to waste, is presented, analyzed and discussed, with reference to a porphyry copper ore sample and a WEEE product