Evaluation of Plastic Waste Degradation Using Terahertz Spectroscopy for Material Recycling

In Japan, the majority of waste plastics are classified into three categories: approximately 22% are used for material recycling, 3% are used for chemical recycling, and 62% are used for thermal recycling. Thermal recycling is not considered true recycling in the EU, however. To achieve a decarbonized society, Japan must increase the share of material recycling. The accurate identification of plastic materials is essential in this regard, and while near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is commonly employed in analyses, it cannot be used to assess degradation levels. Plastics characterized by different degrees of degradation can reduce the quality of recycled products and require additional treatment. In this study, we irradiated artificially degraded polyethylene and polypropylene samples using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and terahertz (THz) waves and subsequently compared them with undegraded samples. Our results provide experimental confirmation that THz waves can be used to determine the degree of plastic degradation. When combined with NIR-based material identification, this method could enhance the precision and efficiency of plastic recycling, contributing to a more sustainable recycling system.