From Trash to Cash: How Blockchain and Multi-Sensor-Driven Artificial Intelligence Can Transform Circular Economy of Plastic Waste?

Aditya Chidepatil, Prabhleen Bindra, Devyani Kulkarni, Mustafa Qazi, Meghana Kshirsagar and Krishnaswamy Sankaran
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Aditya Chidepatil: Radical Innovations Group, 65380 Vaasa, Finland
Prabhleen Bindra: Radical Innovations Group, 65380 Vaasa, Finland
Devyani Kulkarni: Radical Innovations Group, 65380 Vaasa, Finland
Mustafa Qazi: Radical Innovations Group, 65380 Vaasa, Finland
Meghana Kshirsagar: Radical Innovations Group, 65380 Vaasa, Finland
Krishnaswamy Sankaran: Radical Innovations Group, 65380 Vaasa, Finland

Administrative Sciences, 2020, vol. 10, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: Virgin polymers based on petrochemical feedstock are mainly preferred by most plastic goods manufacturers instead of recycled plastic feedstock. Major reason for this is the lack of reliable information about the quality, suitability, and availability of recycled plastics, which is partly due to lack of proper segregation techniques. In this paper, we present our ongoing efforts to segregate plastics based on its types and improve the reliability of information about recycled plastics using the first-of-its-kind blockchain smart contracts powered by multi-sensor data-fusion algorithms using artificial intelligence . We have demonstrated how different data-fusion modes can be employed to retrieve various physico-chemical parameters of plastic waste for accurate segregation. We have discussed how these smart tools help in efficiently segregating commingled plastics and can be reliably used in the circular economy of plastic. Using these tools, segregators, recyclers, and manufacturers can reliably share data, plan the supply chain, execute purchase orders, and hence, finally increase the use of recycled plastic feedstock.

Keywords: plastic recycling; circular economy; plastic waste; waste segregation; blockchain; smart contracts; multi-sensor; data fusion; artificial intelligence; AI; sustainability; waste-to-value; landfills (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

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