Google and Dow use AI to break the bottleneck of plastic recycling

Recently, Google and Dow Chemical announced a groundbreaking collaboration to use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to break the technical bottleneck of film and flexible packaging plastic recycling. This collaboration is expected to help process 70,000 tons of plastic waste that is currently almost impossible to recycle each year.

According to reports, the collaboration plans to use the huge plastic database built by Google, combined with machine learning and molecular vision technology, to train the AI ​​system to identify the molecular composition of plastic packaging at millisecond speeds and perform high-precision classification. Dow's material science capabilities have become an important support for this system. Through the cooperation between the two parties, a technological breakthrough has been achieved in the proof-of-concept stage: AI can not only identify the types of complex materials, but also predict their composition ratios, which creates new possibilities for automatic sorting in recycling centers and the production of high-quality recycled raw materials.

Currently, the system has been put online for testing in Oregon, USA. During the test, the sensors provided by Google combined with AI algorithms to perform real-time molecular-level identification and sorting of plastic flows, significantly improving recycling efficiency and accuracy. Dow provides actual material samples and application data to assist in optimizing AI algorithms and improve their practicality and generalization capabilities. In addition, Dow recently acquired Circulus, a plastic recycling company, further strengthening its influence in recycling infrastructure and laying a solid foundation for the practical application of this AI system.

"By combining Dow's deep accumulation in materials science with Google's advanced AI technology, we hope to completely change the way plastics are recycled." said Zhang Han, global sustainability director of Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics. The relevant person in charge of Google X Lab also emphasized that in the next few months, it will continue to deepen cooperation with Dow to promote the commercialization and large-scale application of the system and realize a true closed-loop cycle of soft plastics.