AI assisted real-time material characterization

Does the delivered shipment contain the correct material? What does the waste load actually contain? What wood species are in the woodchip pile, or what is the moisture on the surface of the wood? In industry, there are numerous situations where real-time material characterization creates significant business value.

For example, in waste incineration plants, process control could be optimized much more accurately if the properties of incoming material were known in real time. Plants already carry out extensive laboratory measurements for incoming and outgoing material, for example due to environmental permit requirements, but these measurements are often completed too slowly from the perspective of process control.

Similarly, in industrial facilities it is important to ensure that the material arriving from suppliers corresponds to the agreed quality. In the forest industry, there are situations where identifying the wood species from woodchips or determining the moisture of wood quickly is important from the perspective of production and quality.

Real-time material characterization brings industry a competitive advantage – it enables smarter production, better resource efficiency, and more sustainable material flows.

Ai4Value’s Solution

Ai4Value has developed an AI-based solution for real-time material characterization. At the core of the solution are near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR spectroscopy) and advanced AI algorithms, which provide immediate information on the composition of the material being studied.

NIR spectroscopy is a non-destructive measurement technique that is particularly well suited for fast in-situ measurements of bulk materials, such as fuels and industrial side streams. Traditionally, the challenge of the method has been its limited sensitivity and the difficulty of obtaining quantitative measurement results. With the help of AI, the interpretation of NIR spectra can, however, be significantly improved, which enables more accurate analyses and better decision-making in real time.

Ai4Value’s material characterization solution can be used either as a standalone solution or as an extension of the AMA Ash Modelling Application platform. When connected to AMA, the solution can be used to complement the input data of samples and to further improve the analysis of ash batches and the matching process.

Benefits

Real-time material characterization provides immediate information about the composition and key properties of the material being studied. The solution can be used in a versatile way, for example to support production workflows, quality assurance, and the management of material flows.

When material properties can be identified immediately, companies are able to optimize their processes, reduce uncertainty, and make better decisions faster. This is reflected concretely in cost savings, increased efficiency, and more consistent quality.