Detection system for screening of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) in recycling facilities

废物的处置和管理是一个全球性问题，迫切需要新的技术解决方案来实施安全，高效和具有成本效益的固体废物再利用和回收，以促进可持续发展和循环经济。家用产品可能是无害的，但当它们相互混合时也可能是有毒的。含有有害成分的油漆清洁剂、油、电池和杀虫剂等产品在处置前可能需要特殊处理。家用产品的残留物可能含有化学物质，如果使用不当，会造成安全风险。家庭危险废物（HHW）的分类，分类和记录是一个耗时和昂贵的过程，需要熟练和训练有素的人员。人们对新技术和物联网（IoT）的兴趣越来越大，以自动化废物分类和分类，以减少传统方法所需的人力负担。我们的第一个研究目标是开发处理HHW容器图像数据的软件，以识别产品类型和相关危害。扫描软件将识别WHIMIS符号、标签成分和UPC条形码。我们的第二个目标是将扫描仪与气体传感技术相结合，该技术将对有害的HHW排放挥发性有机化合物（VOC）进行分类。HHW VOC曲线将由传感器阵列组成，该传感器阵列将以高灵敏度检测目标VOC并区分混合物中存在的不同VOC。传感器阵列将进行优化，以保持较低的采样时间，从而能够快速或接近实时地监测VOC，组装成便携式VOC分析仪。最后，这两项技术将结合成一个简单的扫描仪设备，与VOC传感器集成，可以自动分类和分类含有未知或危险废物的HHW物品的危险类别和可回收性。 扫描仪和挥发性有机化合物分析仪的组合将在一年的快速开发期后进行原型制作和现场测试。拟议的技术将是加拿大回收设施的一个有价值的技术解决方案。

Disposal and management of waste are a global problem and new technology solutions are urgently needed to implement safe, efficient, and cost-effective reuse and recycling of solid waste to promote sustainability and circular economy. Household products can be harmless, but they can also be toxic when mixed with each other. Products such as paint cleaners, oils, batteries and pesticides that contain hazardous ingredients may need special handling before disposal. Residues from household products may contain chemicals that pose a safety risk if used improperly. Sorting, classifying and recording of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) is a time-consuming and expensive process that requires skilled and trained personnel. There is increasing interest in new technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT) to automate the sorting and classification of waste to reduce the burden of human labour necessary in traditional approaches. Our first research objective is to develop software that processes image data of HHW containers to identify the product type and associated hazards. The scanning software will recognize and identify WHIMIS symbols, labeled ingredients, and UPC barcodes. Our second objective is to integrate the scanner with a gas sensing technology that will classify hazardous HHW emitting volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The HHW VOCs profile will be comprised of a sensor array that will detect target VOCs with high sensitivity and distinguish between different VOCs present in a mixture. The sensor array will be optimized to maintain a low sampling time to enable rapid or near-real-time monitoring of VOCs assembled as a portable VOC profiler. Finally, the two technologies will be combined into a simple scanner device integrated with a VOC sensor that can automatically sort and categorize HHW items containing unknown or hazardous waste in terms of hazard category and recyclability. The combination scanner and a VOC profiler will be prototyped and field-tested following a rapid 1-year development period. The proposed technology will be a valuable technology solution for Canadian recycling facilities.