Abstract

The aim of this research is to differentiate recyclable material like papers and plastics using capacitance proximity. Capacitance proximity sensor is one of the most famous systems used in the food industry. The sensor is mainly used to detect the level of liquid in the container. However, this research has found a new alternative of using the capacitance proximity sensor which is to identify paper and plastic from mixed recycling materials. This sensor can detect the target based on the permittivity value of each material. The sensors used in this study have been adjusted according to the values of paper and plastic. Experiments have been done using samples with the combination of plastic and paper with different densities. Results obtain from the experiment showed that the capacitance proximity sensor was able to detect non-metallic materials which were plastic and paper and able to identify paper and plastic with different densities.

Keywords:

Capacitance proximity sensor , dielectric, permittivity, plastics , papers, recyclable,

References

1. Amft, O., D. Bannach, G. Pirkl, M. Kreil and P. Lukowicz, 2010. Towards wearable sensing-based assessment of fluid intake. Proceeding of the 8th IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications Workshops (PERCOM Workshops). Mannheim, pp: 298-303.
   CrossRef    
2. Benniu, Z., Z. Junqian, Z. Kaihong and Z. Zhixiang, 2007. A non-contact proximity sensor with low frequency electromagnetic field. Sensor. Actuat. A-Phys., 135(1): 162-168.
   
3. Cesarovic, N., P. Jirkof, A. Rettich and M. Arras, 2011. Implantation of radiotelemetry transmitters yielding data on ECG, heart rate, core body temperature and activity in free-moving laboratory mice. J. Vis. Exp., 57: 3260.
   CrossRef    
4. Elbuken, C., T. Glawdel, D. Chan and C.L. Ren, 2011. Detection of microdroplet size and speed using capacitive sensors. Sensor. Actuat. A-Phys., 171(2): 55-62.
   
5. Facco, P., F. Bezzo and M. Barolo, 2010. Nearest-neighbor method for the automatic maintenance of multivariate statistical soft sensors in batch processing. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 49(5): 2336-2347.
   CrossRef    
6. Hahn, N.J. and P.S. Lauridsen, 2011. Solid Waste Management and Recycling. Encyclopedia of Occupational Health and Safety. Retrieved from: http://www.iloencyclopaedia.org/. (Accessed on: April 2, 2015).
   Direct Link
7. Lundström, J., J. Synnott, E. Järpe and C.D. Nugent, 2015. Smart home simulation using avatar control and probabilistic sampling. Proceeding of the IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communication Workshops (PerCom Workshops). St. Louis, MO, pp: 336-341.
   CrossRef    
8. Nair, A.K., V.R. Machavaram, R.S. Mahendran, S.D. Pandita, C. Paget, C. Barrow and G.F. Fernando, 2015. Process monitoring of fibre reinforced composites using a multi-measurand fibre-optic sensor, Sensor. Actuat. B-Chem., 212: 93-106.
   
9. NAMCO, 2013. Proximity Sensors: Capacitive Sensor Application. Retrieved from: http://www.namcocontrols.com. (Accessed on: August 8, 2014).
   Direct Link
10. Puers, R., 1993. Capacitive sensors: When and how to use them. Sensor. Actuat. A-Phys., 37-38: 93-105.
    
11. Rockwell Automation, 2014. Capacitive Proximity Sensor. Technical Data, Bulletin Numbers 875C, 875CP, Rockwell Automation Publication 875C-TD001A-EN-P, Hong Kong, pp: 1-12.
    
12. Rogoff, M.J., 2014. Solid Waste Recycling and Processing: Planning of Solid Waste Recycling Facilities and Programs. 2nd Edn., William Andrew, Norwich, New York.
    
13. Stevan Jr., S.L., L. Paiter, J.R. Galvão, D.V. Roque and E.S. Chaves, 2015. Sensor and methodology for dielectric analysis of vegetal oils submitted to thermal stress. Sensors, 15(10): 26457-26477.
    CrossRef    PMid:26501293 PMCid:PMC4634471    
14. Tiew, K.G., K. Watanabe, E.A. Basri and H. Basri, 2011. Composition of solid waste in a university campus and its potential for composting. Int. J. Adv. Sci. Eng. Inf. Technol., 1(6): 675-678.
    CrossRef    
15. Udelhoven, T., 2012. Selecting Proximity Sensors For Diverse Applications. Proximity Sensors Provide High-Quality Performance for an Evolving Range of Applications. Retrieved from: http://www.controleng.com/single-article/selecting-proximity-sensors-for-diverse-applications/2f48d26acd6c636a474390c3edaaeb11.html. (Accessed on: February 11, 2015).
    Direct Link
16. Vijayaraghavan, R., S.K. Islam, M. Zhang, S. Ripp, S. Caylor, N.D. Bull, S. Moser, S.C. Terry, B.J. Blalock and G.S. Sayler, 2007. A bioreporter bioluminescent integrated circuit for very low-level chemical sensing in both gas and liquid environments. Sensor. Actuat. B-Chem., 123(2): 922-928.
    

Competing interests

The authors have no competing interests.

Open Access Policy

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

Copyright

The authors have no competing interests.