In this paper, a methodological approach based on hyperspectral imaging (HSI) working in the short-wave infrared range (1000-2500 nm) was developed and applied for the recycling-oriented characterization of post-earthquake building waste. In more detail, the presence of residual cement mortar on the surface of tile fragments that can be recycled as aggregates was estimated. The acquired hyperspectral images were analyzed by applying different chemometric methods: principal component analysis (PCA) for data exploration and partial least-squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) to build classification models. Micro-X-ray fluorescence (micro-XRF) maps were also obtained on the same samples in order to validate the HSI classification results. Results showed that it is possible to identify cement mortar on the surface of the recycled tile, evaluating its degree of liberation. The recognition is automatic and non-destructive and can be applied for recycling-oriented purposes at recycling plants.
Keywords: cement mortar; construction and demolition waste; degree of liberation; hyperspectral imaging; micro-X-ray fluorescence; post-earthquake building waste; quality control; recycled masonry aggregate; tile.