TEXTILES.ORG
Chinese company DataBeyond Technology has officially launched China’s first “AI Hyperspectral Optical Sorter for Blended Fabrics,” which integrates advanced artificial intelligence algorithms with hyperspectral recognition technology. According to DataBeyond, this breakthrough successfully addresses the long-standing challenges in the sorting of blended fabrics, marking a pivotal milestone in the company’s efforts to drive transformation and upgrades in the textile recycling industry.
As blended textiles are made from a mix of various materials with complex and uneven distribution, sorting these fabrics has been a persistent problem. Consequently, a large portion of blended fabric waste is either incinerated or landfilled, causing significant resource waste and environmental damage.
In response to this challenge, the company has developed the “AI-powered hyperspectral sorter for blended fabrics,” which enables precise separation of textiles containing multiple material components, providing for efficient sorting and recycling of blended fabrics. The sorter is equipped with hyperspectral sensors that capture 256 spectral bands, allowing for full-spectrum recognition of textile waste. It can accurately sort textiles with 30-80 percent polyester content, nylon content, spandex content, and cotton content, achieving a sorting accuracy rate of up to 99 percent. This provides high-quality raw materials for downstream chemical recycling processes.
As market conditions change, the sorter can be adjusted to meet differing customer needs. It allows for flexible switching between sorting targets, facilitating efficient matching with downstream processing requirements, thereby increasing the resource value of blended fabric waste.