Sorting Lines Research Articles

Strategic decisions leading to sustainable waste management: Separation, sorting and recycling possibilities

A circular economy is a trendy word, which encompasses reaching of closed-loop in all industries. This also applies to the waste management sector, where new regulations and directives have been issued. Given milestones, however, do not have to correspond with economic or even environmental sustainability. Thus, it is more than necessary to evaluate waste management system using these criteria and present supportive or contradictory statements. An approach for such a complex assessment is proposed. It uses mathematical programming models and multi-objective strategy to suggest a suitable number and locations for waste treatment and pre-treatment facilities. Only main fractions of municipal solid waste are considered – plastic, paper, glass and mixed municipal waste. The environmental part covers the production of greenhouse gases respecting all processes in the system, excluding transportation. Based on comprehensive research, non-linear dependencies were estimated for costs and sorting efficiencies. The mathematical model uses an iterative procedure to avoid non-linearity. Afterwards, the case study of Czech treatment infrastructure is designed. The approach resulted in the establishment of 14, and 42 sorting lines for plastics and paper, respectively, supported by 20 Waste-to-Energy plants with different capacity. An interesting output says that in an optimal situation, out of total sorted plastics and paper, only 25% and 79% will be recycled, while the remaining amount ends up in Waste-to-Energy plant. Further research will include additional fractions, such as bio-waste, oils or textile, as it is being collected these days separately. Other directions involve new targets from the real-operated sorting lines and new conditions related to investment for more fractions treated at a single site.

The hype in spectral imaging

Hyperspectral imaging is currently a very well-known and much used technology for measuring features in different fields, such as chemistry, geology, medicine, food and agriculture, either spaceborne (satellites), airborne (drones) or at close proximity (e.g. field scanning, industrial sorting lines or microscopy). Its background is two-fold, and it can be considered as a special case of spectroscopy (“imaging spectroscopy”) or a special case of imaging (“spectral imaging”). Current practice is to use adjectives such as multi and hyper added to “spectral imaging” in order to characterise the number of wavelength bands. In this paper we propose the community to use scientifically sound terminology, like “imaging spectroscopy” or “spectral imaging”, without using ambiguous adjectives. Further, we encourage the community to define and agree upon clear adjectives to describe the number of variables in the naming of our imaging technique.

Detecting Bruise Damage and Level of Severity in Apples Using a Contactless NIR Spectrometer

HighlightsIn the Emission Head (EH) configuration differences in apple bruise severity were well captured.A good representation of new samples variability, in calibration, ensured robust quantitative PLS-DA models.EH mode with PLS-DA is an attractive spectroscopic option for inline apple sorting based on bruise damage. Abstract. Bruise damage in apples is very common and undesirable because it hinders consumer satisfaction and greatly contributes to food loss. Fast detection of bruise damage in fruit using spectroscopic systems is still problematic, especially in terms of quantitative and objective assessments of mechanical damage and standardization of bruise measurement method, among other issues. Non-destructive techniques among which is near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy are under development as a potential solution carrier for such issues. A study of bruise damage was conducted on three apple cultivars using Fourier transform (FT) near infrared spectroscopy in two configurations (‘emission head’ of Bruker’s Matrix-F and ‘integrating sphere’ of Bruker’s multipurpose analyzer, MPA). The emission head (EH) allows for contactless large sample (100 mm) exposure that simulates on-line applications, while the MPA (sample size: 22 mm) is commonly used for in-laboratory analysis of inhomogeneous material such as fruit. Bruise damages were mechanically induced in apples, bruise sizes measured physically and destructively. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used to determine the differences captured by the scanning spectrometers in apple fruit tissues. Discriminant analysis revealed that in both sample acquisition modes, distinction between bruised and non-bruised apple fruit tissue was achieved with high (from 78% to 93%) accuracy of classification (ACcl) based solely on spectral data. The classification accuracy improved when individual cultivars were considered and ranged from 94% to 96%. Classification models were tested for robustness and showed that both cultivar and bruise severity had influence on classification models’ performance. The results showed ability of the emission head configuration in detecting bruises and differentiating between severity of bruises in apple fruit, thus making it a good candidate for use in rapid detection and quantitative assessment of bruising in apple on sorting lines. Possibilities for improving the classification model performance and ensuring their robustness for the EH were suggested. Keywords: Apple bruise, Discriminant analysis, Model performance, Model threshold, NIR spectroscopy.

Simultaneous detection of quality and safety in spinach plants using a new generation of NIRS sensors

Near infrared (NIR) spectrophotometers require study of the spectral acquisition process, so that they can be used for quality and safety assessment of horticultural products. The aim of this work was to optimize the use of two NIR spectrophotometers for analysing spinach plants in situ and online: a manual, portable instrument based on Linear Variable Filter (LVF) technology (MicroNIR™ 1700), suitable for analysis in the field, and during harvest and storage; and a Fourier Transform (FT)-NIR instrument (Matrix-F) suitable for the online analysis in the sorting lines. 195 spinach plants were used to predict the quality (texture, dry matter and soluble solid contents) and safety (nitrate content) parameters. Using the MicroNIR™ 1700 to take 6 spectra per spinach leaf resulted in NIRS models of predictive capacity which enable to screen spinach plants in situ and decide on their industrial destination according to their nitrate content. For the Matrix-F instrument, a single spectrum taken online for the intact product (either moving or not) on the conveyor belt was sufficient to establish product quality and safety during industrial processing. The results also showed that the use of both instruments could form a complementary strategy for global monitoring, allowing spinach plants to be analysed throughout the food supply chain.

Kiwifruit flesh firmness determination by a NIR sensitive device and image multivariate data analyses

A prototype based on a NIR sensitive camera and a Xenon lamp was set up and used to capture 8 bit gray scale (from 0 = black to 255 = white) image of the radiation that passes through the fruit. The count of the pixels with different gray tone was used to build statistical-mathematical models to correlate and predict the kiwifruit flesh firmness. One hundred sixteen fruits conveniently stored to obtain firmness within a range of penetrometric force from 0.8 N to 87 N, were submitted to the optical measurements. Simple regression between the gray tone having the maximum number of pixels and the firmness showed an exponential correlation with R2 values of 0.717. On the contrary, the tone uniformity (maximum number of pixels with the same gray tone) resulted linearly correlated with hardness (R2 = 0.687). PLS algorithm allowed prediction of the flesh firmness with R2 of 0.777 (RMSE = 13 N). Artificial neural networks produced similar results. Although the current technique does not fully satisfies the need of an accurate selection, it could be considered for on-line applications by improving performances (e.g. acting on lamp spectral emissions and camera detection) and with easy mechanical modifications of the sorting lines.

Predictions of fruit shelf life and quality after ripening: Are quality traits measured at harvest reliable indicators?

Nondestructive methods such as near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) are increasingly used in sorting lines to assess quality traits of unripe fruit, i.e. dry matter (DM) and total soluble solid (TSS) contents, in order to create homogenous batches of fruit. The use of this approach is based on the assumption that fruit quality traits at harvest are reliable indicators of their post-harvest behavior and their quality after ripening. The present study tested this assumption by analyzing the relationships between quality traits at harvest and after ripening. In parallel, models were developed to determine the capacity of NIRS measurements on unripe fruit at harvest to predict their shelf life and quality after ripening.The quality traits DM, TSS content, pulp color (PC) and titratable acidity (TA) of 92 mangoes from different harvests, production years, and orchards were compared at harvest and after ripening. Previously developed NIRS models were used to nondestructively assess the quality traits of the mangoes at harvest. New partial least squares (PLS) regressions using different variable selection procedures and preprocessing techniques were used to predict fruit shelf life and fruit quality after ripening based on NIRS measurements at harvest.Weak relationships (r² < 0.41) were found between fruit quality traits measured at harvest and after ripening, except for DM content (r² = 0.61). The PC of mango measured at harvest was found to be the best indicator of fruit shelf life. Errors of PLS regressions to predict the TSS content (RMSEV = 1.1%), titratable acidity (RMSEV = 0.52%), and the Hue angle of the flesh (RMSEV = 1.86°) were in the same range as those of linear regressions based on quality traits assessed at harvest except for PC. This work provides evidence that fruit maturity and quality should be assessed using different indicators.

ENVIRONMENTAL LOGISTICS OF WASTE MANAGEMENT IN VILLAGES, SETTLEMENTS AND PEASANT HOUSEHOLDS

The absence of processing plants, sorting lines or stations, special rolling stock in villages and settlements leads to accumulation of waste in open territories, burning, dumping into streams, rivers and reservoirs. Particularly acutely these ecological problems affect mountain territories, reserves and reserves of our state, where the guarantee of clean environment is in the first place. In line with the approaches to household waste management at the village, village and private peasant household level, hierarchical levels are set: satisfactory, risky, critical. Existing waste management approaches in rural areas are generally inappropriate, since a significant part of the pollutants enters the hydro, lithosphere and biogeocoenosis. The emergence of the current situation is the construction of garbage processing plants. The developed generalized logistic system of waste management in rural areas highlights the impact of garbage disposal approaches on regional ecological safety.

Classification of Nonferrous Metals Using Magnetic Induction Spectroscopy

Recycling automotive, electronic, and other end-of-life waste liberates large quantities of metals, which can be returned to the supply chain. Sorting the nonferrous metals, however, is not straightforward. Common methods range from laborious hand-sorting to expensive and environmentally deleterious wet processes. The goal is to move toward dry processes, such as induction sensors and vision systems, which can identify and sort nonferrous scrap efficiently and economically. In this paper, we present a new classification method using magnetic induction spectroscopy (MIS) to sort three high-value metals that make up the majority of the nonferrous fraction—copper, aluminum, and brass. Two approaches are investigated: the first uses MIS with a set of geometric features returned by a vision system, where metal fragments are matched to known test pieces from a training set. The second approach uses MIS only . A surprisingly effective classifier can be constructed by combining the MIS frequency components in a manner determined by how eddy currents circulate in the metal fragment. An average precision and recall (purity and recovery rate) of around 92% was shown. This has significant industrial relevance, as the MIS-only classifier is simple, scalable, and straightforward to implement on existing commercial sorting lines.

A Review of Bin Filling Technologies for Apple Harvest and Postharvest Handling

Abstract. Bin fillers play a critical role in transporting and distributing fruit evenly and without bruising into individual bins or containers from harvest platforms infield or sorting lines in the packinghouse. Over the years, a large variety of bin fillers have been developed for infield use and postharvest handling. This article reviews different bin filling technologies in terms of major design features, performance, and throughput, as well as automatic control and safety features. For infield use, bin filler designs have evolved from the early use of conveyors and reciprocating plates to recent adoption of soft pads and foam rollers, to reduce bruising and improve fruit distributions. For postharvest use, tilted bins and conveyors commonly used with early bin fillers have been replaced with hinged trays and vacuum suction cups for fruit transport and cylinder brushes and swingable dividers for bruise prevention. While many types of bin fillers have been developed, few are suitable for infield use because it imposes more constraints than postharvest use. Despite the use of automatic sensing and control in most bin fillers, human assistance is still needed during their operation. There are still major issues with the current bin fillers, such as large size, complexity in design, uneven fruit distributions, and low throughput. Further effort should, therefore, be directed towards the development of high throughput, simple yet reliable, compact and fully automated, or even intelligent bin fillers for infield and postharvest use. Keywords: Apple, Automation, Bin filler, Harvest, Infield, Postharvest handling.

Construction design of apple sorter

When assessing the quality of fruit and packaging process, fruit-producing farms owners decide to evaluate fruit by people or automated sorting lines. The purchase of an automated sorting line generates high costs for the company, but it brings benefits in the form of increased work efficiency, and the better organization of fruit packaging and storage processes. The use of that machinery and equipment is common in agricultural farms as well as in fruit and vegetable processing companies. Despite the widespread use of various types of fruit sorters, the analysis of the operation of the designed device and the study of its technological parameters is still a current research problem. During operation of the devices for sorting fruit there are many technical problems affecting technological processes and quality of fruits. In order to improve the efficiency of sorting fruit, this process should be quickly and accurately. The purpose of this paper is to present the automated apple sorter line construction design, and software for quality controlling fruits. Selected elements of the sorter structure including endurance calculation using the Finite Element Method (FEM) and fruit control system using image analysis were presented.

Classification of Kiwifruit Grades Based on Fruit Shape Using a Single Camera

This study aims to demonstrate the feasibility for classifying kiwifruit into shape grades by adding a single camera to current Chinese sorting lines equipped with weight sensors. Image processing methods are employed to calculate fruit length, maximum diameter of the equatorial section, and projected area. A stepwise multiple linear regression method is applied to select significant variables for predicting minimum diameter of the equatorial section and volume and to establish corresponding estimation models. Results show that length, maximum diameter of the equatorial section and weight are selected to predict the minimum diameter of the equatorial section, with the coefficient of determination of only 0.82 when compared to manual measurements. Weight and length are then selected to estimate the volume, which is in good agreement with the measured one with the coefficient of determination of 0.98. Fruit classification based on the estimated minimum diameter of the equatorial section achieves a low success rate of 84.6%, which is significantly improved using a linear combination of the length/maximum diameter of the equatorial section and projected area/length ratios, reaching 98.3%. Thus, it is possible for Chinese kiwifruit sorting lines to reach international standards of grading kiwifruit on fruit shape classification by adding a single camera.

Improvement of the Municipal Solid Waste Management System in Ivano-Frankivsk City

Purpose. Analysis and development of proposals to improve the system of solid waste management in the city. Ivano-Frankivsk. Methods. Theoretical analysis and synthesis. Results. The problems of solid waste in Ivano-Frankivsk. Analyzed regional strategy for waste management. Topical issue of separate collection at the place of their education and start sorting lines, waste treatment complexes. The basic problem of improving the system of separate waste collection and treatment of solid waste, given the importance of practical embedded system of separate collection of MSW social component. Conclusions. It should be guided by the principles of integrated waste management, the introduction of energy saving technologies and a shift to low-waste production, which generally improve the environmental situation in Ivano-Frankivsk

Microfocus X-ray imaging of Brazil nuts for quality control

Non-destructive quality assessment of food prior to processing is desirable in commercial facilities due to its non-invasive nature, for economic reasons and for its safety appeals. Grading Brazil nuts in this way allows for the separation of undesirable nuts to avoid contamination during the automatic nut-shelling process. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of X-ray phase contrast enhanced imaging in assessing nut quality . For this goal, details of the imaging technique are described and phase contrast X-ray and microtomography imaging of nut samples are investigated. Both high quality (i.e. “sound”) nuts as well as treated nuts were examined. It was concluded that both the X-ray imaging and tomography techniques have the potential to discriminate morphological features of the nut and to identify “sound” kernels from atypical ones. Larger nuts and nuts with a larger gap area between shell and kernel were concluded to have more atypical formations. Both techniques also seemed promising for use in automatic sorting lines. However, by using microtomography, the visualization of finer formations not noticeable in the X-ray images was possible. Further studies shall be carried out to investigate the nature of these formations, how they affect nut quality and their evolution with storage time.

Combination of the Sorting Line Priority Polling Control Mechanism

The paper proposed the priority polling control mechanism of the unit material combinations sorting lines, and sorters operating process is understood to be the arrival process of orders, service process of each sorter sorts orders and the conversion process between sorting machines. Control process, sorters of the combined sorting lines are divided into the priority sorters and ordinary sorters, priority sorters use full service control, ordinary sorters use limited service (k = 1), applies the polling service system theory, through the embedded Markov chain and probability generating function to establish the mathematical model of the system, the exact solution of the control mechanism of the polling system model and the first and second characteristic parameters, combined with the actual production priority parameters of orders picking for simulation analysis

Nondestructive Analysis of Chlorpyrifos on Apple Skin Using UV Reflectance

Analysis of chlorpyrifos using UV was performed to assess the possibility of nondestructive detection of pesticides on agricultural products. Absorbance of chlorpyrifos dissolved in acetonitrile was positively proportional to its concentration at 229 and 290 nm at limits of detection (LOD) of 0.0233 and 0.0113 mg kg-1, and limits of quantification (LOQ) of 0.0778 and 0.0378 mg kg-1, respectively. This suggested that a UV method is suitable for detection and quantification of chlorpyrifos. UV reflectance changes were used to estimate the amount of chlorpyrifos dried on apple skin. Differences between reflectance at 280 and 300 nm were positively proportional to the amount of chlorpyrifos standard dried on apple skin, and the LOD was 0.0849 mg cm-2. Reflectance differences between 260 and 290 nm were positively proportional to the amount of chlorpyrifos included in water-dispersible Dursban dried on apple skin, and the LOD was 0.000214 mg cm-2. These LOD values were below the amount required for acute intoxication in mammals resulting from oral dosage. This UV optical method is practical for 100% nondestructive inspection and detection of chemicals present on product surfaces and thus may be suitable for use in sorting lines. However, it may not be effective for detecting chemicals in products' internal tissues as can be achieved through immunochemical techniques and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry, which, while more sensitive than this UV method, are destructive and therefore not suitable for 100% inspection of shipping products.

Fluorimetrische Pigmentanalyse im Obst - Einflussfaktoren auf das Fluoreszenzsignal

Reflectance spectroscopy has been established as an analytical method of assessing fruit ripeness and quality with hand-held units or in sorting lines. With the higher sensitivity of fluorescence spectroscopy, it is also possible to measure individual fruit compounds, which only appear in extremely low quantities. However, its application in practice is not possible till now, because the reabsorption and fluorescence quenching effects in the complex fruit tissue influence the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the fluorescence signal.

Avaliação de processos nas linhas de beneficiamento e classificação de batatas

A batata é uma das principais hortaliças cultivadas no Brasil, sendo uma cultura de grande expressão econômica no estado de São Paulo. Após a colheita os tubérculos são submetidos aos processos de beneficiamento e classificação, sendo então destinados ao mercado consumidor. Neste trabalho realizou-se a descrição e a caracterização dos processos das unidades de beneficiamento e classificação de batatas por meio da identificação do material usado para a construção do maquinário, caracterização dimensional dos equipamentos, medidas de rotação de operação das esteiras de abastecimento e das classificadoras, determinação da velocidade de deslocamento e da rotação dos tubérculos e a produtividade dos operários. Determinou-se também os pontos críticos de impacto com queda durante o beneficiamento, utilizando-se a esfera instrumentada (70 mm), Techmark, Inc., Lansing, Michigan, Estados Unidos. Com esta, obtiveram-se dados de aceleração máxima (G) e mudanças na velocidade (deltav). Este levantamento foi realizado em cinco unidades de beneficiamento e classificação para batatas localizadas no estado de São Paulo. Observou-se variação quanto ao comprimento do equipamento, atingindo 26,5%. Foi constatado também variação na vazão de água entre as unidades devido à diferença nos sistemas utilizados para a lavagem dos tubérculos, tendo os volumes oscilado de 15,4 a 168 mil litros por hora. As escovas mais utilizadas na etapa de lavagem eram compostas de cerdas com nylon cristal e fibra de coco, não sendo encontradas escovas compostas de origem animal. A rotação média para todas as unidades na etapa de lavagem foi de 157 rpm, porém verificou-se variação de 75% (112 a 196 rpm). Para a etapa de secagem, a rotação média foi de 122 rpm, tendo oscilado de 68 a 210 rpm. Os pontos das linhas de beneficiamento e classificação de batata demonstraram maior G nos pontos de transferência (entrada do lavador e ensaque). Nas unidades A, B e D as maiores médias de G ocorreram nas etapas iniciais de lavagem, apresentando valores próximos de 140 G (m/s²).

Pontos críticos de impacto em linhas de beneficiamento utilizadas para citros no Estado de São Paulo

A produção citrícola brasileira é uma das mais importantes para a fruticultura do País, comercializando principalmente para o mercado externo. O impacto mecânico é um fator importante a ser minimizado, visando a reduzir as perdas pós-colheita, diminuindo conseqüentemente os prejuízos decorrentes do manejo inadequado. Neste trabalho, foram avaliados os pontos críticos e o nível de impacto em que os frutos são submetidos em equipamentos nacionais e importados, utilizados para beneficiamento e classificação de citros. Utilizou-se da esfera instrumentada (70 mm) (Techmark, Inc., Lansing, EUA), com registrador de aceleração, para a avaliação da magnitude de impactos (G, m/s²) nos pontos de transferência das linhas de classificação de laranjas e lima-ácida Tahiti. A esfera instrumentada foi colocada, juntamente com os frutos, na etapa de recebimento das linhas que funcionavam em seu volume padrão diário, e seguiu o fluxo dos frutos até a etapa de classificação. Os resultados demonstraram que os maiores impactos foram causados por quedas em pontos de transferência com superfícies rígidas, sendo os maiores valores encontrados na etapa de recebimento e na entrada dos frutos em "containers" utilizados para o armazenamento. Observou-se, também, que a magnitude de impacto foi significativamente reduzida quando se utilizaram superfícies recobertas com acolchoados nos diversos pontos de transferência.

Texture changes of vegetable cultivars measured by non-destructive methods

According to our experiments the tested group of non-destructive methods offers a useful tool not only to follow the texture changes of vegetables during storage but to characterize the firmness and vision parameters during the growing period as well. Advantages of these methods are: they are mobile, easy to set up, easy to use and quick. The suitable maturity state — and so the optimum harvest date also - can be determined by these methods. In addition, these methods can be built into sorting lines making possible to sort and classify great amounts of produces. These methods help the producer to offer homogenous products of controlled quality. They can be used for measuring different effects on vegetable's quality parameters (fertilization by different microelements, different irrigation effects on the product) as well.

Quantitative Assessment of Insect Pest Damage to Figs

Previous researchers have listed insect pests associated with figs, but the proportion of damage caused by these different pests has not been described quantitatively. As broad spectrum insecticides are being replaced by less toxic but more species-specific pest management methods, this information has become more important. We took harvest samples from three orchards in 2002, four in 2003, and six in 2004, and identified the insect pests responsible for defects among the samples. Diagnostic characteristics of damage to figs differed among common insect pests. Nitidulid beetles and navel orangeworm together usually accounted for > 90% of producers' losses to insect infestation. Losses from nitidulid beetles greatly exceeded those from navel orangeworm in the first year, but were similar in the remaining sites in the second and third year of the study. Mean infestation levels generally increased significantly as the harvest season progressed, but not at all sites. Producers should examine cull figs from their sorting lines over several years to determine which of these insect pests is most abundant in their locations.