High-resolution tracking of industrial process materials using trace incorporation of luminescent markers

1. A method of marking bulk, undifferentiated industrial process material, the method including encoding the industrial process material with a luminescent marker in a trace amount sufficient to be non-destructively optically detectable in and/or on the industrial process material in situ in the field or on-site, wherein the trace amount of the luminescent marker is used to track, identify or authenticate the industrial process material for at least two of material control, inventory control, stock control, process control, logistics control, quality control and pollution control, wherein the luminescent marker includes a multiplicity of constituent luminescent materials, the constituent luminescent materials being inorganic phosphorescent phosphors, and wherein each luminescent material of the constituent luminescent materials has a phosphorescence emission spectrum including one or more distinct peaks that are unique to that luminescent material, such that emissions from respective luminescent materials are mutually non-interfering when subjected to pulses of light in a predetermined pulsing sequence and detectable through gating that involves detection at exactly one time value.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the industrial process material is at least one of cement, concrete, timber, mineral ore, plastic, fiber, food, paint, metal, explosive-precursor material and explosive material.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the luminescent marker is optically detected in situ in the field or on-site with a portable or fixed luminescence reader.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the emissions are a unique luminescent response that represents a unique code corresponding to the industrial process material.

5. A method according to claim 4 , wherein the unique code is further represented by one or more predetermined luminescence detection parameters and/or a luminescence detection algorithm.

6. A method according to claim 4 , wherein the unique code is further represented by the relative presence and/or absence of a plurality of luminescent emission and/or excitation profiles respectively associated with a corresponding plurality of luminescent materials that comprise the luminescent marker.

7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein information relating to the industrial process material and its conferred unique luminescent response are associatively stored in a database.

8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the trace amount of the luminescent marker is further usable to track the industrial process material through a plurality of life-cycle stages, including at least two of raw material acquisition, processing, manufacturing, formulation, transportation, distribution, use, reuse, maintenance, recycling, disposal and waste management.

9. A method according to claim 1 , further including tracking a product, part or structure formed from the industrial process material without damaging the product, part or structure.

10. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the industrial process material is acquired or processed in a plurality of batches and a unique luminescent response is conferred on individual batches of the industrial process material to enable inventory control or stock control thereof.

11. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the industrial process material has low inherent visual identity.

12. A method according to claim 11 , wherein the industrial process material is selected from the group consisting of a material used for construction, a material used for structural and non-structural applications in transportation vehicles, a material used for industrial manufacturing of goods, components, clothing, and chattels, a material used in the industrial manufacturing of computers and information technology-based items, a material used for large-scale industrial packaging of goods, components and chattels, a material used in primary and energy industries, and a material used in miscellaneous industrial manufacturing.

13. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the luminescent marker is optically detectable using optical radiation having a wavelength range of about 250 nm to about 365 nm.