The project aims to contribute to the development of a circular economy by the development of i) tools for a chemometrics-assisted decontamination (DC) process with advanced quality control and ii) a revolutionary DC technology based on a renewable energy source. The project results shall facilitate repurposing and recycling waste plastic and glass materials, prolong the lifetime of these materials and help to meet stringent EU food-contact regulations. The project team focuses on DC from plasticizers, herbicides, persistent organic pollutants, lubricant oils, and fouling agents.

Current decontamination methods such as hot water washing and gamma irradiation are resource-intensive and environmentally taxing. In contrast to that, the consortium of this project suggests to utilize visible light as a renewable energy source and specifically develop a catalytic system, which can be used multiple times for DC without activity loss. Because common empirical technical development is multi-step and time/resource-consuming, the project team aims to use assistance of AI helping to reduce the required resources and personnel and get maximum efficacy. Target algorithms and techniques include neural network architectures, feature attributions, reinforcement learning, clustering, genetic algorithms and Large Language/Multimodal Models (LLM/LMM). This approach aligns with the call's emphasis on innovative, resource-saving processes that support the transition to a sustainable economy. Finally, the developed process will be tested in a photoreactor and in an automated decontamination setup with feedback from AI tools.

The consortium, comprising leading research institutions (Technical University of Vienna, FOTEC GmbH, SWISDATA gGmbH), and industry partners (Moncon GmbH, Redeem Solar Technologies GmbH), will collaborate to develop this cutting-edge technology, ensuring it is scalable and suited for waste management.

The project outcomes will provide substantial benefits to the reusable packaging industry, recycling companies, AI developers, photoreactors developers and the broader environmental sector, enhancing Austria's position as a leader in circular economy innovations. The chemometric software tool developed for light-driven DC could be further generalized for the application to commonly used DC procedures. By fulfilling both, the quantitative and qualitative objectives of the call, the project will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, promote the use of renewable energy sources, and support the creation of resilient, resource-efficient production systems. Moreover, the integration of advanced chemometric techniques into the decontamination process will establish new standards for efficiency and sustainability in waste recycling.