A neutron-based system for detection of chemical contaminants in wood waste

The project addresses a critical challenge regarding resource-efficiency in society for unlocking significant volumes of non-toxic secondary materials from a complex and heterogeneous feedstock. The challenge in using wood waste for material recycling is governed by elemental flows, i.e. for an increased circularity the concentrations of critical elements are crucial. Several technologies have been presented over the years to scan wood waste for contaminants but are still in the development stage especially for use as an on-line detection unit on a conveyer belt and sustain the reliability required to work at production speeds. Moreover, there is no confirmed technology for characterizing whole bed-depth bulk flows of wood waste in real-time. Neutron-based spectroscopy has been recognized as promising for bulk flow analysis and have a present use in coal, mining and cement industries and for security applications. The project goes over the state of the art by proposing the calibration of the only available pilot system in academia worldwide based on Pulsed Fast and Thermal Neutron Activation (PFTNA). Gaining the elemental composition information provided by the PFNA neutron system could be a significant step towards a modern wood waste recycling sector that can reliably provide a separating function of non-toxic material flows. The benefits for energy generation will be an informed allocation of wood waste fractions to proper incineration units, i.e. bio co-combustion and waste incineration. The realisation of a new bio-based value chain will also be possible by involving the generation of secondary materials and their validation for bio-based products in residential construction (particleboards, insulation boards).