Canon unveils Raman analyser for advanced plastic recycling in EMEA

Canon has announced the EMEA launch of its groundbreaking Raman plastic analyser, the TR-A100. The innovative Raman plastic sorting equipment is available now, bringing advanced material identification technology to Europe. It significantly advances the company’s commitment to a circular economy by maximising material recycling across the region. 

Effective plastic recycling requires high material purity, meaning materials like ABS and polypropylene (PP) must be accurately identified. However, conventional near infrared spectroscopy has difficulty identifying black plastics, commonly found in electronics and automotive upholstery, due to their light absorbing properties. This challenge has historically hindered efficient recycling processes; a critical bottleneck that Canon's new technology directly addresses.

The TR-A100 plastic analyser employs an advanced laser scanning method that helps to enhance material identification. This technique oscillates the laser irradiation position, even when analysing multiple plastics on a tray, to reduce energy density. This enables the identification of plastics without causing damage by rising temperature. By ensuring sufficient, tailored measurement time, the TR-A100 can accurately identify even black plastics, which typically present weak signals to other technologies.

‘The inability to efficiently sort black plastics has been a significant barrier to achieving a truly circular economy within EMEA,’ commented Peter Bragg, Canon EMEA’s sustainability and government affairs director. ‘Canon has been prioritising extending the lifecycle of materials, avoiding unnecessary waste and embracing circularity. Our new TR-A100 Raman plastic analyser directly helps us achieve this by offering unprecedented efficiency and speed, drastically improving recycling purity. This breakthrough unlocks vast quantities of previously unrecyclable materials and significantly accelerates our collective journey towards a more sustainable future by strengthening our circularity efforts across Europe.’

It can rapidly identify plastic types and determine the proportion (number) of target plastics present within the measured plastic sample. The results from the Raman plastic analyser can then be leveraged by recycling plants to further refine purity by optimising their collection and sorting conditions, thereby contributing to a substantial increase in the volume of material recycled. 

The TR-A100 is now available for order across Europe. Canon's strategic entry into the recycling system market with this product reinforces its ambition to lead in advanced material recycling and contribute significantly to global sustainability initiatives.