Purdue Fort Wayne lands two grants totaling more than $560,000 for recycling research projects

Competing against universities nationwide, Bin Chen, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science at Purdue University Fort Wayne, recently received two major grants from the Department of Energy for recycling research projects.
 
The first is funding a two-year, $100,000 effort to help UHV Technologies Inc. create a machine to sort a variety of recyclable plastic bottles for conversion into chemicals and/or other usable materials while also reducing production costs. As the crushed bottles roll down a conveyor belt, an overhead camera system utilizes artificial intelligence to recognize their type and then sort them rapidly into one of eight or more possible classifications. The project is in the research and development phase and has the potential of being a much more accurate and efficient process than was previously available.
 
The second grant of $461,071 was submitted with UHV Technologies and Penn State University to work on sorting batteries for recycling. This three-year project has the goal of increasing consumer participation in battery recycling programs, improving the economics of recycling, and establishing state and local collection programs. Chen’s areas of responsibility include designing and developing a sorting AI engine similar to the one for plastic bottles.
 
“I believe AI will be, or is increasingly being, integrated into manufacturing processes,” Chen said. “Traditionally, many of these processes rely on human judgment and expertise. The latest advancements in AI—for example in computer vision—can improve productivity and automate many labor-intensive tasks. The manufacturing industry looks for new engineering graduates who have specific AI knowledge.”
 
Two PFW graduate students have already been identified to take part in the first project, and Chen said he’s looking for others to work on the second.
 
“These grants not only support the cutting-edge research activities at Purdue Fort Wayne, but also provide great opportunities for our students to engage in these projects,” Chen said. “I believe all things we do in a university should aim to improve our students so that they have the required knowledge when they graduate.”
 
Chen believes the best way for him to continue learning is by developing and completing his research projects. He works with Sean Ryan, director of university engagement, on helping one or two local industry companies upgrade their processes each summer, using AI to develop his research and provide specific options.
 
Chen said studying new AI advancements takes significant commitment, but almost everything is available to view online. He also communicates directly with the authors of research papers.
 
“In engineering, we have to update our knowledge consistently,” Chen said. “There is no way to teach the course the same way for 10 years. The instructors and faculty members must continue to learn and adjust to the new technology and developments in the field.”