Metaspectral, a young Canada-based software company founded in 2018, has developed artificial intelligence -AI - technology that makes it possible to sort previously indistinguishable materials at the polymer level in real-time. Headquartered in British Columbia, the company has announced it has received new funding of in total $419,000 from the CleanBC Plastics Action Fund.
The technology developed by the company is based on computer vision. It uses deep learning and hyperspectral imagery - a type of spectroscopy that captures the complete spectrum of light emitted by an object. This information is then processed to create an image that represents the different wavelengths of light as different colours. In recycling plants, hyperspectral imagery can help separate materials that were previously unidentifiable, allowing large quantities of plastic to be sorted and recycled more efficiently and accurately. Metaspectral has developed the first protocol of its kind to stream hyperspectral data, enabling this to be analysed in real-time, pixel-by-pixel, as it is being captured. Metaspectral’s Fusion platform is already being used by the largest recycling company in Canada.
“Our technology uses deep learning to analyse hyperspectral imagery from specialised cameras placed over a conveyor belt carrying recyclables,” said Migel Tissera, CTO and co-founder of Metaspectral. “The images captured contain information from across the electromagnetic spectrum, making it possible for our algorithms to identify materials immediately and sort them accordingly.”
Metaspectral previously received $300,000 from the CleanBC Plastics Action Fund, at the initial launch of the Fund at the end of 2020. At that time, the $5M fund was established to promote the development of the circular economy in British Columbia by providing funding to British Columbia-based businesses working to reduce reliance on virgin plastics or make better use of post-consumer recycled plastics. British Columbia's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy dedicated another $10 million to the fund in 2022 for projects to reduce plastic pollution.
This latest financing will go towards the continued development of the technology, with an emphasis on differentiating homopolymer high-density polyethylene (HDPE), often found in milk containers, from copolymer HDPE, typically found in containers used to store automotive oil and detergents.
In 2022, milk containers were added to British Columbia’s deposit-refund system, which adds up to 40 million additional containers to the province’s recycling system annually.
“It has historically been impossible for humans or traditional cameras to differentiate between plastics at this level, meaning that to date, various types of plastics have been recycled in bulk together,” said Francis Doumet, CEO and co-founder of Metaspectral. “When post-consumer recycled plastic cannot have its purity guaranteed, its quality and market value decrease significantly.”
The Government of Canada will require plastic packaging in Canada to contain at least 50% recycled content by 2030.