Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a bioplastic recycling device that facilitates a comprehensive support configuration for recycling bioplastics, ensuring proper segregation from non-bioplastic materials following a cleaning arrangement to remove impurities like dust and debris from the segregated bioplastic and perform melting of the bioplastics along with addition of additives, for producing sheets automatically as per the user’s requirements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The growing global reliance on plastic materials has led to significant environmental concerns, especially with traditional plastics that take hundreds of years to decompose. Bioplastics, made from renewable sources like plants, offer a more sustainable alternative due to their ability to decompose more rapidly. However, the effective recycling of bioplastics is crucial for minimizing waste and ensuring that these materials do not contribute to environmental pollution. One of the key challenges in bioplastic recycling is the proper segregation of bioplastics from other non-bioplastic materials. When bioplastics are mixed with conventional plastics or other waste, it complicates the recycling process and reduces the quality of the recycled material. Furthermore, contamination from non-biodegradable substances hinder the biodegradation of bioplastics, preventing them from breaking down as intended. Therefore, efficient segregation is necessary to streamline the recycling process, ensuring that bioplastics are correctly identified, cleaned, and reused in an environmentally friendly manner. This segregation prevents contamination and allows for the proper processing of bioplastics, enabling them to be reused in various applications without harming the environment. By adopting systems that focus on the segregation and recycling of bioplastics, we can significantly reduce waste and promote a more sustainable, circular economy.

[0003] Recycling bioplastics requires specialized equipment to ensure efficient segregation and processing of these materials from other waste types. Typically, equipment such as separation conveyors, shredders, and granulators are used to break down bioplastics into smaller, manageable pieces. Separation conveyors help sort bioplastics from other materials like metals or glass using sensors that identify different materials based on their physical properties. Shredders then cut bioplastic waste into smaller pieces, which are further processed using granulators to create uniform pellets for reuse in the production of new bioplastic products. Washing units are also employed to remove contaminants and ensure the purity of the recycled bioplastic. However, there are significant drawbacks to this process. One of the main challenges is the difficulty in segregating bioplastics from other materials, particularly when they are mixed with non-biodegradable plastics. Bioplastics can degrade more easily than traditional plastics, leading to contamination in recycling streams if not carefully separated. Additionally, bioplastics are often produced from different types of biopolymers, which can require different recycling processes, making the recycling system more complex. Cost and energy consumption are also concerns, as the equipment needed for proper segregation and recycling of bioplastics can be expensive and energy-intensive, reducing the overall environmental benefits.

[0004] EP1004367A3 discloses a method and an apparatus for sorting plastic objects particularly containers and films for recycling wherein if it is first determined that the plastic object is clear, the plastic object will be ejected. If the plastic object is not determined as being clear, the apparatus or method next determines if the plastic object is colored. If the plastic object is colored, the plastic object will be ejected. The above method may also be accomplished by use of a truth table which analyzes the characteristics of the plastic object. Also provided is a detector for detecting the presence of chlorine in a plastic object by means of X-ray fluorescence. Sorter means sort the plastic objects into small diameter and large diameter objects.

[0005] US20040235970A1 discloses an invention provides, e.g., methods to recycle and/or reduce plastic, non-plastic, or a combination thereof, from a waste stream. The methods of the present invention include contacting the plastic waste with infrared (IR) energy at one or more frequencies and at one or more intensities, over a period of time effective to heat plastic present in the plastic waste.

[0006] Conventionally, many devices have been developed in order to recycle materials, however the devices mentioned in the prior arts have limitations pertaining to facilitate recycling of bioplastics by sorting from non-bioplastics, cleaning and melting of the bioplastic to form sheet.

[0007] In order to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, there exists a need in the prior arts to develop a device that is required to be capable of recycling bioplastics by effectively separating them from non-bioplastic materials, following a cleaning function to eliminate impurities such as dust and debris and perform melting of the bioplastics and incorporating additives to manufacture sheets automatically based on the user’s needs.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The principal object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to develop a device that is capable of facilitating a support configuration to recycle bioplastics with segregation from materials out of non-bioplastic entities.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to develop a device that is capable of cleaning the segregated bioplastic materials for removing any impurities such as dust, debris etc.

[0011] Yet another object of the present invention is to develop a device that is capable of melting the bioplastic materials along with addition of additives to make sheets in an automated manner as per user requirement.

[0012] The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The present invention relates to a bioplastic recycling device that facilitates the recycling of bioplastics by sorting them from non-bioplastics, cleaning the segregated material to remove dust and debris, and then melting the bioplastic with additives to form sheets, all done automatically according to user specifications.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a bioplastic recycling device comprises of a housing having a chamber disposed at an upper portion for storing of bioplastic material for recycling, a sorter conveyor provided in the housing, underneath the chamber, for receiving the material and sorting the material as per different types of bioplastics, into a plurality of designated containers located at plurality of ends of the sorter conveyor, in accordance with type of bioplastic detected by an artificial intelligence-based imaging unit, installed in the housing and integrated with a processor for recording and processing images in a vicinity of the conveyor, in synchronisation with an NIR (near infrared) spectroscopy sensor embedded in the housing, a dual axis lead screw arrangement arranged within the housing, underneath the conveyor, having a tank mounted on the lead screw arrangement by means of a ball and socket joint, for translating underneath the container to receive the segregated bioplastic from the containers, and a multi-section receptacle attached with the tank, containing a plurality of cleaning solutions which are dispensed into the tank for cleaning of the bioplastic material.

[0015] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention further comprises of a Peltier unit installed in the tank for heating and drying the material, a cutting blade attached with an upper edge of the tank by means of an articulated L-shaped telescopic link for cutting of the material into smaller pieces, a sliding plate disposed underneath the tank to dispense the dried cut material into a vessel configured with a heating element, for breaking down the received material, a curved flap configured with the vessel by means of an articulated L-shaped telescopic pole, to mix and homogenise the broken down material, a base mounted under the vessel to receive the melted material by means of an iris lid provided underneath the vessel, a motorised roller mounted on the base by means of a pair of pneumatic actuators installed vertically on a pair of sliding units provided along opposing edges of the base, roll the melted material into a flat sheet, and a storage container provided in the housing for storing a lubricant, to spray the lubricant onto the roller via a nozzle attached on the storage container.

[0016] While the invention has been described and shown with particular reference to the preferred embodiment, it will be apparent that variations might be possible that would fall within the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
Figure 1 illustrates an isometric view of a bioplastic recycling device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The following description includes the preferred best mode of one embodiment of the present invention. It will be clear from this description of the invention that the invention is not limited to these illustrated embodiments but that the invention also includes a variety of modifications and embodiments thereto. Therefore, the present description should be seen as illustrative and not limiting. While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, it should be understood, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

[0019] In any embodiment described herein, the open-ended terms "comprising," "comprises,” and the like (which are synonymous with "including," "having” and "characterized by") may be replaced by the respective partially closed phrases "consisting essentially of," consists essentially of," and the like or the respective closed phrases "consisting of," "consists of, the like.

[0020] As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” designate both the singular and the plural, unless expressly stated to designate the singular only.

[0021] The present invention relates to a bioplastic recycling device that is capable of performing efficient bioplastic recycling, by separating bioplastics from non-bioplastic materials, cleans the segregated material by removing impurities, and melts the bioplastics with the addition of additives to produce sheets, fully automated to meet user requirements.

[0022] Referring to Figure 1, an isometric view of a bioplastic recycling device is illustrated, comprising of a housing 101 having a chamber 102 disposed at an upper portion of the housing 101, a sorter conveyor 103 provided in the housing 101, underneath the chamber 102, plurality of designated containers 104 located at plurality of ends of the sorter conveyor 103, an artificial intelligence-based imaging unit 105 installed in the housing 101, an NIR (near infrared) spectroscopy sensor 106 embedded in the housing 101, a dual axis lead screw arrangement 107 arranged within the housing 101, underneath the conveyor 103, having a tank 108 mounted on the lead screw arrangement 107 by means of a ball and socket joint, a multi-section receptacle 109 attached with the tank 108, a Peltier unit 110 installed in the tank 108, a cutting blade 111 attached with an upper edge of the by means of an articulated L-shaped telescopic link, and a sliding plate 112 disposed underneath the tank 108 to dispense the dried cut material into a vessel 113 configured with a heating element 114.

[0023] Referring to Figure 1, the housing comprises of a curved flap 115 configured with the vessel 113 by means of an articulated L-shaped telescopic pole 116, a base 117 mounted under the vessel 113 to receive the melted material by means of an iris lid 118 provided underneath the vessel 113, a motorised roller 119 mounted on the base 117 by means of a pair of pneumatic actuators 120 installed vertically on a pair of sliding units 121 provided along opposing edges of the base, a storage container 122 provided in the housing 101, a nozzle 123 attached on the storage container 122, a flap 124 is attached within the housing 101 by means of an robotic arm 125, an robotic gripper 126 disposed in the housing 101, and an iris hole 127 provided underneath the tank 108, plurality of air blowers 128 provided on the tank 108 blow.

[0024] The present invention includes a housing 101 incorporating various components associated with the device, developed to be positioned on a ground surface. The housing 101 is configured with a chamber 102 disposed at an upper portion for storing of bioplastic material for recycling.

[0025] The bottom portion of the chamber 102 is provided with a sorter conveyor 103 for receiving the material and sorting the material as per different types of bioplastics. The ends of the conveyor 103 are positioned with a plurality of designated containers 104 for receiving of sorted materials.

[0026] A user is required to access and press a push button arranged on the housing 101 to activate the device for associated processes of the device. The push button when pressed by the user, closes an electrical circuit and allows currents to flow for powering an associated microcontroller of the device for operating of all the linked components for performing their respective functions upon actuation. The microcontroller, mentioned herein, is preferably an Arduino microcontroller. The Arduino microcontroller controls the overall functionality of the linked components.

[0027] After the activation of the device, the user accesses an user interface which is installed in a computing unit linked with the microcontroller wirelessly by means of a communication module. The user interface enables the user to provide input regarding recycling of bioplastic. The communication module includes, but not limited to Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) module, Bluetooth module, GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) module. The Wi-Fi module contains transmitters and receivers that use radio frequency signals to transmit data wirelessly to the microcontroller. The wireless module typically includes components such as antennas, amplifiers, and processors to facilitate communication and further connected to networks such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or cellular networks, allowing devices to exchange information over short or long distances for communication of wireless commands to facilitate operations of the device.

[0028] Upon receiving of the user input, the microcontroller (not shown) generates a command to activate an artificial intelligence-based imaging unit 105 integrated in the housing 101 for recording and processing images in a vicinity of the frame in a vicinity of the conveyor 103. The imaging unit 105 works in sync with an NIR (near infrared) spectroscopy sensor 106 embedded in the housing 101 for determining type of bioplastic for recycling purpose. The imaging unit 105 incorporates a processor that is encrypted with an artificial intelligence protocol. The artificial intelligence protocol operates by following a set of predefined instructions to process data and perform tasks autonomously. Initially, data is collected and input into a database, which then employs protocol to analyze and interpret the captured images. The processor of the imaging unit 105 via the artificial intelligence protocol processes the captured images and sent the signal to the microcontroller.

[0029] The NIR (Near Infrared) spectroscopy sensor 106 detects the type of bioplastic by analyzing the material’s interaction with near-infrared light. When bioplastic passes through the NIR sensor 106, the NIR light is absorbed or reflected by the material. Different types of bioplastics absorb and reflect light at distinct wavelengths, creating a unique spectral signature. The NIR sensor 106 captures this information and transmits it to a processor, which compares the spectral data against pre-stored reference data for various bioplastics. By identifying the specific absorption patterns, the NIR sensor 106 sends the data to the microcontroller. The microcontroller evaluates the collected data of the imaging unit 105 and the NIR sensor 106 for determining type of bioplastic for recycling purpose.

[0030] The housing 101 is attached with a flap 124 by means of a robotic arm 125 to guide the material over the conveyor 103 towards designated containers 104 as per detected type of bioplastic. The robotic arm 125 comprises, motor controllers, arm 125, end effector and sensors. All these parts are configured with the microcontroller. The elbow is at the middle section of the arm 125 that allows the upper part of the arm 125 to move the lower section independently. Lastly, the wrist is at the tip of the upper arm 125 and attached to the end effector thereby the end effector works as a hand to position the flap 124 for guiding the material over the conveyor 103 towards designated containers 104 as per detected type of bioplastic.

[0031] Synchronously, the microcontroller actuates the conveyor 103 to translate the materials for recycling process. The conveyor 103 includes a direct current (DC) motor drives pulleys, which rotate and move the belt along its length. The belt, typically made of durable materials like rubber or PVC, carries items from one end to the other. Rollers or idlers support the belt and facilitate smooth movement of bioplastic materials for segregation from non-bioplastic entities.

[0032] A robotic gripper 126 is disposed in the housing 101. The microcontroller actuates the gripper 126 to removes non-bioplastic entities from the conveyor 103, as detected by the imaging unit 105 and NIR spectroscopy sensor 106. The robotic gripper 126 comprises motor controllers, arm 125, end effector and sensors. All these parts are configured with the microcontroller. The elbow is at the middle section of the gripper 126 that allows the upper part of the gripper 126 to move the lower section independently. The gripper 126 comprises an electric motor and linked with the microcontroller. The microcontroller provides a signal relating to the force, position, or the speed required of the gripping. The gripper 126 receives the signal and its motor carries out the gripping of the non-bioplastic entities to remove from the conveyor 103.

[0033] The housing 101 is arranged with a dual axis lead screw arrangement 107 positioned underneath the conveyor 103. The lead screw arrangement 107 incorporates a lead screw arrangement 107 mounted with a tank 108 on the lead screw arrangement 107 by means of a ball and socket joint. The microcontroller actuates the lead screw arrangement 107 for translating the tank 108 underneath the conveyor 103 to receive the segregated bioplastic from the containers 104. The dual axis lead screw arrangement comprises of an X-axis and Y-axis lead screw that work synchronously to enable multi-directional movement of the tank 108. The lead screw turns a rotatory motion into a linear motion. The motor connected to the lead screw is a DC (direct current) motor that provides the required power to the nut to rotate over the screw, and move linearly over the screw, thus, translating the tank 108 to receives the segregated bioplastic from the conveyor 103 into the containers 104.

[0034] Each of the container 104 is provided with a hinged lid to dispense the bioplastic material into the tank 108. The microcontroller actuates the lid to dispense the material into the tank 108. The motorized lid comprises of a lid connected to a motor via a shaft in view opening/closing of the container. Upon actuation of the lid by the microcontroller, the motor starts to rotate in a clockwise/anticlockwise direction to impart rotational movement to the lid. Thus, opening the lid in view dispense the bioplastic material into the tank 108.

[0035] The received bioplastics into the tank 108 is required to be first cleaned for removal of impurities. A multi-section receptacle 109 is attached with the tank 108. The sections of the receptacle 109 contain a plurality of cleaning solutions. The microcontroller actuates a pump configured with each of the section to release the cleaning solutions into the tank 108 via a conduit.

[0036] The pump is used to induce flow or raise the pressure of the cleaning solutions. The working principle of pump involves imparting energy to the cleaning solutions by means of a centrifugal force developed by the rotation of an impeller that has several blades or vanes. The impeller of the pump is rotated by an electric DC (Direct Current) motor. The cleaning solutions in the specified portion enters the impeller’s eye and translates through the outlet conduit and the dispensed into the tank 108 for cleaning of the bioplastic material. The cleaning solution is dispensed in accordance with type of bioplastic material in the tank 108, via the conduit.

[0037] The tank 108 is embedded with a weight sensor for detecting weight of the bioplastic material. The weight sensor used herein is a kind of a transducer. The weight sensor depends on the conversion of a load into an electronic signal. The signal is a change in voltage or current otherwise a frequency on the basis of load and the signal is sent to the microcontroller for processing in order to monitor weight of the bioplastic material collected in the tank 108.

[0038] The microcontroller evaluates a quantity of cleaning solution required to clean the materials in accordance to the weight of the bioplastic material segregated into the tank 108. The microcontroller accordingly activates the pump to dispense the quantity of cleaning solution into the tank 108 for cleaning of the materials.

[0039] An iris hole 127 is provided at bottom portion of the tank 108 for draining of cleaning solution after cleaning. The iris hole 127, mentioned herein, consists of a ring in bottom configured with multiple slots along periphery, multiple number of blades and actuating ring on the top. The blades are pivotally jointed with blade actuating ring and the base plate are hooked over the blade. The blade actuating ring is rotated clock and antilock wise by a DC motor embedded in ball actuating ring which results in opening of the holes to dispense and drains the cleaning solution into a connected drainage.

[0040] The tank 108 incorporates a Peltier unit 110 and that is actuated by the microcontroller post cleaning operation in order to dry the materials for further processing in recycling operation. The Peltier unit 110 is based on the Peltier effect that stated that the cooling of one junction and the heating of the other when electric current is maintained in a circuit of material consisting of two dissimilar conductors. The Peltier effect is related to production or absorption of heat at the junction of two metals on the passage of a current, thereby drying the materials for further processing in recycling operation.

[0041] Additionally, a plurality of air blowers 128 are provided on the tank 108 and that are actuated by the microcontroller to blow air onto the bioplastic material for drying of the material. The air blower 128 works by passing air across a heated element to elevate temperature of the air and increases the velocity of air when the air is passed through equipped impellers, thereby removes the moisture of the materials completely in order to drying out the material.

[0042] Post drying of the materials in the tank 108, the materials are required to be cut into smaller pieces. The upper edge of the tank 108 is included with a cutting blade 111 integrated by means of an articulated L-shaped telescopic link. A pneumatic arrangement is associated with the device for providing extension / retraction of the link as per requirement.

[0043] The microcontroller actuates an air compressor and air valve associated with the pneumatic arrangement consisting of an air cylinder, air valve and piston which works in collaboration to aid in extension and retraction of the link. The air valve allows entry / exit of compressed air from the compressor. Then, the valve opens and the compressed air enters inside the cylinder thereby increasing the air pressure of the cylinder. The piston is connected to the link and due to the increase in the air pressure and the piston extends. For the retraction of the piston, air is released from the cylinder to the air compressor via the valve. Thus, it provides the required extension / retraction of the link for positioning the link in proximity to the material for performing cutting operation. All the pneumatically operated components are associated with the device comprising of the same type of pneumatic arrangement.

[0044] Simultaneously, the microcontroller actuates a rotary joint integrated with the blade 111 for providing articulated movement of the blade 111. The working of the rotary joint is similar to the working of the ball and socket joint as mentioned above to cut the materials into the smaller pieces for recycling process. The bottom portion of the tank 108 is configured with a sliding plate 112. A slider is associated with the plate 112 and the tank 108 for providing translation to the plate 112 order to open / close the tank 108. A vessel 113 is configured underneath the tank 108 for receiving the smaller pieces of the materials from the tank 108.

[0045] Post cutting of the materials into smaller pieces, the microcontroller actuates the slider to dispense the pieces into the vessel 113. The slider is associated with a pair of sliding rails fabricated with grooves in which the wheel of the slider is positioned that is further connected with a bi-directional motor via a shaft. The microcontroller actuates the bi-directional motor to rotate in a clockwise and anti-clockwise direction that aids in the rotation of the shaft, wherein the shaft converts the electrical energy into rotational energy for allowing movement of the wheel to translate over the sliding rail by a firm grip on the grooves. The movement of the slider results in the translation of the plate 112 for opening the plate 112 and transfer the smaller pieces into the vessel 113.

[0046] The vessel 113 is integrated with a heating element 114 for breaking down the received material. The microcontroller activates the heating element 114 to heat and melt the received material. The heating unit consists of a coil such that as current is passed through the coil, the coil becomes hot and produces heat energy. This heat energy of the heating unit is transferred to the received material within the vessel 113 thereby melting the material. The heating unit is then actuated by the microcontroller in order to regulate the temperature of the heating unit required for heating.

[0047] A multipart box is disposed in the housing 101 for storage container 122 of additives into the vessel 113 to be mixed with the material. The parts of the box are connected with the vessel 113 by means of pipes. The microcontroller actuates an electronic valve integrated in each of the part of the box to dispense the additives via pipes into the vessel 113.

[0048] The electronic nozzle 123, used herein, is a short tube with a taper integrated with fine-tuned valve or orifice that is electronically regulated to speed up or regulate the flow of the additives. The valve controls flow of additives by varying the size of the flow passage as directed by a signal from the microcontroller. This enables the direct control of flow rate and the consequential control of process quantities such as pressure, and additives level in view of dispensing the additives as per the determined requirement, into the tank 108.

[0049] The vessel 113 is arranged with a curved flap 115 by means of an articulated L-shaped telescopic pole 116. The extension / retraction of the pole 116 is powered by the pneumatic arrangement. The working of the extension / retraction of the pole 116 is similar to the working of the link as mentioned above. The microcontroller actuates the pole 116 via the pneumatic arrangement, in synchronization with the heating element 114, in order to give position of the curved flap 115 for mixing and homogenising the broken down material.

[0050] The bottom portion of the vessel 113 is configured with an iris lid 118. The working of the iris lid 118 is similar to the working of the iris hole 127 as mentioned above. The microcontroller actuates the iris lid 118 for dispensing the melted material into a base 117 mounted under the vessel 113.

[0051] The base 117 is incorporated with a pair of sliding units 121 provided along opposing edges of the base. A pair of pneumatic actuators 120 are installed vertically on the sliding units 121 to roll the melted material into a flat sheet. The extension / retraction of the actuators 120 is powered by the pneumatic arrangement. The working of the extension / retraction of the actuators 120 is similar to the working of the link as mentioned above.

[0052] Synchronously, the microcontroller actuates a direct current (DC) motor associated with the roller 119 such that rotates an integrated hub of the roller 119 consequently results in rotation of the roller 119 for applying pressure over the melted material to form a sheet. The working of the sliding units 121 is similar to the working of the sliding plate 112 as mentioned above to cover entire portion of the base 117 for pressing of the dispensed material to form the sheet.

[0053] The housing 101 is arranged with a storage container 122 for storing a lubricant. The storage container 122 is integrated with a nozzle 123 for dispensing lubricant. In relation to apply equated amount of pressure over the material by the roller 119, the microcontroller actuates the nozzle 123 to dispense lubricant over the roller 119. The working of the nozzle 123 is similar to the working of the electronic valve mentioned above, such that dispense the lubricant over the roller 119 to aid in formation of sheet out of the recycling process of the bioplastic materials.

[0054] A battery (not shown in figure) is associated with the device to supply power to electrically powered components which are employed herein. The battery is comprised of a pair of electrodes named as a cathode and an anode. The battery uses a chemical reaction of oxidation/reduction to do work on charge and produce a voltage between their anode and cathode and thus produces electrical energy that is used to do work in the device.

[0055] The present invention works best in the following manner, where the present invention operates by first storing bioplastic material for recycling in the chamber 102 located at the upper portion of the housing 101. The sorter conveyor 103 beneath this chamber 102 sorts the material by type using the artificial intelligence-based imaging unit 105 integrated with the processor and synchronized with the NIR (near infrared) spectroscopy sensor 106, directing the material into designated containers 104. The dual-axis lead screw arrangement 107, located below the conveyor 103, translates the tank 108 to receive segregated bioplastic from these containers 104. The bioplastic is then cleaned using cleaning solutions dispensed from the multi-section receptacle 109, with the solution dispensed based on the material type detected in the tank 108. The Peltier unit 110 installed in the tank 108 heats and dries the material, while the cutting blade 111 reduces the material into smaller pieces. These smaller pieces are dispensed onto the sliding plate 112 into the vessel 113 with the heating element 114 that breaks down the material further. The curved flap 115 attached to the vessel 113 mixes and homogenizes the broken-down material. The melted material is then rolled into the flat sheet by the motorized roller 119 mounted on the base, with lubricant sprayed onto the roller 119 to facilitate the process. Additionally, robotic gripper 126 and the robotic arm 125 guide the material through the recycling process, with weight sensors and air blowers 128 used to optimize material handling and drying. The user interface connects to the computing unit, allowing control of the entire recycling process.

[0056] Although the field of the invention has been described herein with limited reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternate embodiments of the invention, will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention. , Claims:1) A bioplastic recycling device, comprising:

a) a housing 101 having a chamber 102 disposed at an upper portion for storing of bioplastic material for recycling;
b) a sorter conveyor 103 provided in said housing 101, underneath said chamber 102, for receiving said material and sorting said material as per different types of bioplastics, into a plurality of designated containers 104 located at plurality of ends of said sorter conveyor 103, in accordance with type of bioplastic detected by an artificial intelligence-based imaging unit 105, installed in said housing 101 and integrated with a processor for recording and processing images in a vicinity of said conveyor 103, in synchronisation with an NIR (Near Infrared) spectroscopy sensor 106 embedded in said housing 101;
c) a dual axis lead screw arrangement 107 arranged within said housing 101, underneath said conveyor 103, having a tank 108 mounted on said lead screw arrangement 107 by means of a ball and socket joint, for translating underneath said container to receive said segregated bioplastic from said containers 104;
d) a multi-section receptacle 109 attached with said tank 108, containing a plurality of cleaning solutions which are dispensed into said tank 108 for cleaning of said bioplastic material, wherein said cleaning solution is dispensed in accordance with type of bioplastic material in said tank 108, via a conduit configured with pump provided with each section of said receptacle 109;
e) a Peltier unit 110 installed in said tank 108 for heating and drying said material;
f) a cutting blade 111 attached with an upper edge of said tank 108 by means of an articulated L-shaped telescopic link for cutting of said material into smaller pieces;
g) a sliding plate 112 disposed underneath said tank 108 to dispense said dried cut material into a vessel 113 configured with a heating element 114, for breaking down said received material;
h) a curved flap 115 configured with said vessel 113 by means of an articulated L-shaped telescopic pole 116, to mix and homogenise said broken down material;
i) a base 117 mounted under said vessel 113 to receive said melted material by means of an iris lid 118 provided underneath said vessel 113, wherein a motorised roller 119 is mounted on said base 117 by means of a pair of pneumatic actuators 120 installed vertically on a pair of sliding units 121 provided along opposing edges of said base, roll said melted material into a flat sheet; and
j) a storage container 122 provided in said housing 101 for storing a lubricant, to spray said lubricant onto said roller 119 via a nozzle 123 attached on said storage container 122;

2) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a flap 124 is attached within said housing 101 by means of a robotic arm 125 to guide said material over said conveyor 103 towards designated containers 104 as per detected type of bioplastic.

3) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a robotic gripper 126 is disposed in said housing 101 removes non-bioplastic entities from said conveyor 103, as detected by said imaging unit 105 and NIR spectroscopy sensor 106.

4) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a weight sensor is embedded in said tank 108 for detecting weight of said bioplastic material to actuate said pump to dispense a quantity of cleaning solution.

5) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein an iris hole 127 is provided at bottom portion of said tank 108 for draining of cleaning solution after cleaning.

6) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a multipart box is disposed in said housing 101 for storage of additives into said vessel 113 to be mixed with said material, wherein said additives are dispensed via pipes configured with electronic valves.

7) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of air blowers 128 are provided on said tank 108 blow air onto said bioplastic material for drying of said material.

8) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said containers 104 is provided with a hinged lid to dispense said bioplastic material into said tank 108.

9) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a user interface is adapted to be installed with a computing unit to enable said computing unit to connect with a communication unit linked with a microcontroller provided in said housing 101, to initiate and control said recycling process.