Status of recycling end-of-life vehicles and efforts to reduce automobile shredder residues in Korea

The present end-of-life vehicle (ELV) recycle rate and management status during the dismantling stage were investigated to aid the establishment of policies for the management of ELVs by surveying information and using the results gained from questionnaires given to dismantlers. The average recycle rate at the dismantling stage was 44% of the mass of a new vehicle and the rest of the ELV was then compressed and transported to shredding companies to recover mainly the iron content, which averaged 38.7% of the mass of a new vehicle. Nonferrous metals such as copper, antimony, zinc, and aluminum accounted for only 1.5%. The automobile shredder residues (ASRs) were composed of light and heavy fluffs and soil/dust and amounted to 15.8% based on the mass of a new vehicle. The dumping of fluff and inorganic residues in landfill sites, however, will be restricted when new regulations are implemented to reduce the disposal amount to less than 5% of a new car, as has been done in European countries and in Japan. The detailed characteristics of ASR were investigated to suggest appropriate means of treatment such as volume reduction or the utilization of thermal technologies to meet future expected enforcement. Also, some concerns on hazardous pollutant release such as that of dioxins while utilizing such thermal treatment methods were considered. The present on-going research and development projects to meet such future management targets are also introduced.     

Sustainable design for automotive products: Dismantling and recycling of end-of-life vehicles

The growth in automotive production has increased the number of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) annually. The traditional approach ELV processing involves dismantling, shredding, and landfill disposal. The “3R” (i.e., reduce, reuse, and recycle) principle has been increasingly employed in processing ELVs, particularly ELV parts, to promote sustainable development. The first step in processing ELVs is dismantling. However, certain parts of the vehicle are difficult to disassemble and use in practice. The extended producer responsibility policy requires carmakers to contribute in the processing of scrap cars either for their own developmental needs or for social responsibility. The design for dismantling approach can be an effective solution to the existing difficulties in dismantling ELVs. This approach can also provide guidelines in the design of automotive products. This paper illustrates the difficulty of handling polymers in dashboards. The physical properties of polymers prevent easy separation and recycling by using mechanical methods. Thus, dealers have to rely on chemical methods such as pyrolysis. Therefore, car designers should use a single material to benefit dealers. The use of materials for effective end-of-life processing without sacrificing the original performance requirements of the vehicle should be explored.     

Recycling plastics from automotive shredder residues: a review

Automotive shredder residue (ASR) is an inevitable by-product of car recycling, i.e. removal of all liquids and hazardous or valuable components from the car and shredding of the hulk, followed by the recovery of steel, iron, and non-ferrous scrap. The European Union (EU) ELV Directive requires attaining higher recovery and recycling rates, resulting in a reduction of the amount of ASR going to landfill. The most plausible methods to achieve a considerable reduction of ASR are as follows: either recycling of separated materials and dismantled bulky parts, such as bumpers, dashboards, cushions, and front and rear windows, or else systematic sorting of the commingled and size-reduced materials, resulting from shredding. After a brief comparison of the actual situation in the EU, the USA, and Japan, the characteristics of actual ASR are reviewed, as well as some of the most prominent efforts made to separate and recycle specific fractions, such as polyolefins, ABS, or polyurethane. Attention is paid to some major players in the EU and to some of the pitfalls that besiege these ventures.     

Automobile Shredder Residues in Italy: characterization and valorization opportunities

At the moment Automobile Shredder Residue (ASR) is usually landfilled worldwide, but European draft Directive 2000/53/CE forces the development of alternative solutions, stating the 95%-wt recovery of an End of Life Vehicle (ELV) weight to be fulfilled by 2015. This work describes two industrial tests, each involving 250-300 t of ELVs, in which different pre-shredding operations were performed. The produced ASR materials underwent an extended characterization and some post-shredding processes, consisting of dimensional, magnetic, electrostatic and densimetric separation phases, were tested on laboratory scale, having as main purpose the enhancement of ASR recovery/recycling and the minimization of the landfilled fraction. The gathered results show that accurate depollution and dismantling operations are mandatory to obtain a high quality ASR material which may be recycled/recovered and partially landfilled according to the actual European Union regulations, with particular concern for Lower Heating Value (LHV), heavy metals content and Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) as critical parameters. Moreover post-shredding technical solutions foreseeing minimum economic and engineering efforts, therefore realizable in common European ELVs shredding plants, may lead to multi-purposed (material recovery and thermal valorization) opportunities for ASR reuse/recovery.     

Thermal process of fluff: Preliminary tests on a full-scale treatment plant

Until only recently fluff has been largely disposed of in controlled landfill sites. However, in Europe environmental regulations, including the EU Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC and ELV (End of Life Vehicle) Directive 2000/53/EC, have dramatically increased the pressure on all stakeholders to develop alternative solutions. As increasingly stringent legislation forces Shredder Residues (SR) to be diverted from landfilling, newly developed technologies will be in a position to compete for the market value of disposing of the waste.However, the fluff waste stream is so variable that it cannot be automatically assumed that processes developed for one type of fluff will prove to be suitable for other fluff streams. This situation has contributed towards convincing stakeholders to withhold investment funds or delay taking decisions as to how best to proceed; as a consequence, very few technologies have been fully developed on a commercial basis. It is of particular interest therefore that commercial alternatives to be used in dealing with this complex waste stream should be identified.The present paper illustrates the findings of a full-scale thermal treatment performed on SR samples obtained from various shredding plants. The outcome of the study provides an important contribution towards assessing the feasibility and reliability of the process, thus constituting a basic prerequisite for process performance evaluation. The full-scale plant, designed for the thermo-valorization of tyres, was purpose-modified to allow for fluff combustion. Three different fluff compositions (car fluff with different percentage of shredding, whites and 100% car fluff) were taken into consideration. Both the raw samples and solid products were thoroughly characterized. Combustion emissions were continuously analyzed during the test period, alternatively operating for tyre and fluff combustion. Classification of combustion residues for landfill disposal was carried out indicating only 2% (ashes) as hazardous waste. Preliminary results, obtained from a unsophisticated thermodynamic analysis of the process, indicated a value of 0.61 for energy efficiency parameter calculated in accordance with the Directive 2008/98/EC.To conclude, the thermal treatment investigated may be deemed an appropriate technique for use in managing fluff. Indeed, values obtained for all organic and inorganic contaminants released into the atmosphere were lower than legal limits prescribed, and a significant energy content was recovered from waste fractions.     

Bio-Based Polymers and End-of-Life Vehicles

As new materials, such as bio-based plastics and composites, are introduced in vehicles for their improved environmental performance, it is necessary to understand how to efficiently recover these biodegradable materials. This paper provides an overview of the end-of-life phase for automobiles, focusing on the dismantling and shredding processes, and the recovery of materials. Targeted unit operations, such as dismantling of components from vehicles and pretreatment prior to shredding, along with design-for-environment principles, should enable the efficient recovery of materials at the end-of-life phase compared with popularly conceived all-in-one-approaches because of the diverse arrangement of material components.     

Recycling and pollution control of the End of Life Vehicles in China

The quantity of vehicles has increased rapidly in recent years in China; however, the recycling of End of Life Vehicles (ELV) faces several problems and barriers including the collection difficulty and the environmental pollution caused by improper dismantling. In this paper, based on analysis of the basic situation regarding management and recycling of ELV in China, the ELV flow was introduced, and the potential ELV quantity was estimated. The current management regulations and policies were summarized, and dismantling and pollution control technologies for ELV recycling were introduced, too. It was suggested that with the rapid growth of ELV quantities, more regulations will be enacted, and the recycling network will be more effective; the dismantling technology and pollution control measures will be upgraded, and the recycling and remanufacturing industries will be more combined. The government should pay more attention to improve the management and supervision of, and encourage the development of, high level enterprises.     

An international comparative study of end-of-life vehicle (ELV) recycling systems

End-of-life vehicles (ELV) have become a global concern as automobiles have become popular worldwide. An international workshop was held to gather data and to discuss 3R policies and ELV recycling systems, their background and present situation, outcomes of related policies and programs, the framework of recycling and waste management, and case studies on related topics in several countries and regions, as well as the essential points of the comparison. Legislative ELV recycling systems are established in the EU, Japan, Korea, and China, while in the US, ELV recycling is managed under existing laws on environmental protection. Since automobile shredding residue (ASR) has a high calorific value and ash content, and includes heavy metals as well as a mass of unclassified fine particles, recycling ASR is considered highly difficult. Countries with a legislative ELV system commonly set a target for recovery rates, with many aiming for more than 95 % recovery. In order to reach this target, higher efficiency in ASR recovery is needed, in addition to material recycling of collectable components and metals. Environmentally friendly design was considered necessary at the planning and manufacturing stages, and the development of recycling systems and techniques in line with these changes are required for sound ELV management.     

Strategies for the enhancement of automobile shredder residues (ASRs) recycling: Results and cost assessment

With reference to the European regulation about the management of End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs), Directive 2000/53/EC imposes the achievement of a recycling target of 85%, and 95% of total recovery by 2015. Over the last few years many efforts have been made to find solutions to properly manage the waste coming from ELVs with the aim of complying with the targets fixed by the Directive.This paper focuses on the economical evaluation of a treatment process, that includes physical (size and density), magnetic and electrical separations, performed on the light fraction of the automobile shredder residue (ASR) with the aim of reducing the amount of waste to dispose of in a landfill and enhancing the recovery of valuable fractions as stated by the EU Directive. The afore mentioned process is able to enhance the recovery of ferrous and non-ferrous metals of an amount equal to about 1% b.w. (by weight) of the ELV weight, and to separate a high energetic-content product suitable for thermal valorization for an amount close to (but not higher than) 10% b.w. of the ELV weight.The results of the economical assessment led to annual operating costs of the treatment ranging from 300,000 €/y to 350,000 €/y. Since the considered plant treats about 13,500 metric tons of ASR per year, this would correspond to an operating cost of approximately 20–25 €/t. Taking into account the amount and the selling price of the scrap iron and of the non magnetic metal recovered by the process, thus leading to a gain of about 30 €/t per ton of light ASR treated, the cost of the recovery process is balanced by the profit from the selling of the recovered metals. On the other hand, the proposed treatment is able to achieve the fulfillment of the targets stated by Directive 2000/53/EC concerning thermal valorization and reduce the amount of waste generated from ELV shredding to landfill.     

Projection of end-of-life vehicle (ELV) population at provincial level of China and analysis on the gap between the future requirements and the current situation of ELV treatment in China

The paper describes a model for projecting the ELV population in 31 province-level regions of China in 2015, 2017, and 2020 under three scenarios, and compares the projection results with the current distribution and capacity of qualified ELV processors in China. Historical data on the population, GDP and vehicle scrap rates are combined to model ELVs. The development in vehicle ownership is modeled by a dynamic Gompertz function. We acquire a model for the changing trend of the vehicle scrap rate as motorization improves, using Japanese historical data of over 60 years. We recalculate the parameters of the model using Chinese historical data collected over a decade when applying the model to China. The paper not only presents a baseline projection of the ELV population in province-level regions of China at different levels of motorization, but also identifies the gap between the future requirements and the current situation of ELV treatment in China.     

Auto shredder residue recycling: Mechanical separation and pyrolysis

Directive 2000/53/EC sets a goal of 85% material recycling from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) by the end of 2015. The current ELV recycling rate is around 80%, while the remaining waste is called automotive shredder residue (ASR), or car fluff. In Europe, this is mainly landfilled because it is extremely heterogeneous and often polluted with car fluids. Despite technical difficulties, in the coming years it will be necessary to recover materials from car fluff in order to meet the ELV Directive requirement. This study deals with ASR pretreatment and pyrolysis, and aims to determine whether the ELV material recycling target may be achieved by car fluff mechanical separation followed by pyrolysis with a bench scale reactor. Results show that flotation followed by pyrolysis of the light, organic fraction may be a suitable ASR recycling technique if the oil can be further refined and used as a chemical. Moreover, metals are liberated during thermal cracking and can be easily separated from the pyrolysis char, amounting to roughly 5% in mass. Lastly, pyrolysis can be a good starting point from a "waste-to-chemicals" perspective, but further research should be done with a focus on oil and gas refining, in order both to make products suitable for the chemical industry and to render the whole recycling process economically feasible.     

End-of-Life Vehicles management: Italian material and energy recovery efficiency

Each European Member State must comply with Directive 2000/53/EC recycling and recovery targets by 2015, set to 85% and 95%, respectively. This paper reports a shredder campaign trial developed and performed in Italy at the beginning of 2008. It turns out to be the first assessment about the critical aspects belonging to the Italian End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) reverse supply chain involving 18 dismantling plants, a shredder plant and 630 ELV representatives of different categories of vehicles treated in Italy during 2006. This trial aims at improving the experimental knowledge related to ELVs added waste, pre-treatment, part reuse, recycling and final metal separation and car fluff disposal. Finally, the study also focuses on the calculation of the effective Italian ELV recycling rate, which results equal to 80.8%, and auto shredder residue (ASR) characterization. According to the results obtained in this work, ASR still contains up to 8% of metals and 40% of polymers that could be recovered. Moreover, physical-chemical analysis showed a Lower Heat Value of almost 20,000 kJ/kg and revealed the presence of pollutants such as heavy metals, mineral oils, PCBs and hydrocarbons.     

Characterization of Shredder Residues generated and deposited in Denmark

This study presents a detailed characterization of Shredder residues (SR) generated and deposited in Denmark from 1990 to 2010. It represents approximately 85% of total Danish SR. A comprehensive sampling, size fractionation and chemical analysis was carried out on entire samples as well as on each individual size fraction. All significant elemental contents except oxygen were analyzed. The unexplained “balance” was subsequently explained by oxygen content in metal oxides, carbonates, sulphates and in organics, mainly cellulose. Using mass and calorific balance approaches, it was possible to balance the composition and, thereby, estimate the degree of oxidation of elements including metals. This revealed that larger fractions (>10 mm, 10–4 mm, 4–1 mm) contain significant amount of valuable free metals for recovery. The fractionation revealed that the >10 mm coarse fraction was the largest amount of SR being 35–40% (w/w) with a metal content constituting about 4–9% of the total SR by weight and the <1 mm fine fraction constituted 27–37% (w/w) of the total weight. The lower heat value (LHV) of SR samples over different time periods (1990–2010) was between 7 and 17 MJ/kg, declining with decreasing particle size. The SR composition is greatly dependent on the applied shredding and post shredding processes at the shredding plants causing some variations. There are uncertainties related to sampling and preparation of samples for analyses due to its heterogeneous nature and uncertainties in the chemical analyses results (≈15–25%). This exhaustive characterization is believed to constitute hitherto the best data platform for assessing potential value and feasibility of further resource recovery from SR.     

Recovering metallic fractions from waste electrical and electronic equipment by a novel vibration system

The need to recover and recycle valuable resources from Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is of growing importance as increasing amounts are generated due to shorter product life cycles, market expansions, new product developments and, higher consumption and production rates. The European Commission (EC) directive, 2002/96/EC, on WEEE became law in UK in January 2007 setting targets to recover up to 80% of all WEEE generated.Printed Wire Board (PWB) and/or Printed Circuit Board (PCB) is an important component of WEEE with an ever increasing tonnage being generated. However, the lack of an accurate estimate for PCB production, future supply and uncertain demands of its recycled materials in international markets has provided the motivation to explore different approaches to recycle PCBs.The work contained in this paper focuses on a novel, dry separation methodology in which vertical vibration is used to separate the metallic and non-metallic fractions of PCBs. When PCBs were comminuted to less than 1 mm in size, metallic grades as high as 95% (measured by heavy liquid analysis) could be achieved in the recovered products.     

Full scale treatment of ASR wastes in a modified rotary kiln

A plant, designed for the thermo-valorisation of tyres, was specifically modified in order to treat Automobile Shredder Residue (ASR). Results from two full-scale combustion experiments, carried out on large ASR feeding lots (thousands of tons) indicate the proposed technology as a potential route to help the fulfilling of impending 95% reuse and recovery target set by the End of life Vehicle (ELV) Directive (January 2015). The paper describes the main operational troubleshot occurred during the first experiment (emissions at the stack out of regulatory limits and problems of clogging on the conveyer belt) and the consequent upgrading solutions (pre-treatment, introduction of waste double low-flow screw feeder and a cyclone prior to the main fan, modification of rotatory kiln inlet) adopted to allow, during the second long-term experiment, a continuous basis operation of the plant in full compliance with the discharge limit to the atmosphere. Characterization of both ASR and combustion residues allowed to quantify a 18% of combustion residues as not dangerous waste while only the 2% as hazardous one. A pre-treatment for the reduction of fines in the ASR was recommended in order to achieve the required energy recovery efficiency.     

Washing treatment of automotive shredder residue (ASR)

Worldwide, the amount of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) reaches 50 million units per year. Once the ELV has been processed, it may then be shredded and sorted to recover valuable metals that are recycled in iron and steelmaking processes. The residual fraction, called automotive shredder residue (ASR), represents 25% of the ELV and is usually landfilled. In order to deal with the leachable fraction of ASR that poses a potential threat to the environment, a washing treatment before landfilling was applied. To assess the potential for full-scale application of washing treatment, tests were carried out in different conditions (L/S = 3 and 5 L/kg_TS; t = 3 and 6 h). Moreover, to understand whether the grain size of waste could affect the washing efficiency, the treatment was applied to ground (<4 mm) and not-ground samples. The findings obtained revealed that, on average, washing treatment achieved removal rates of more than 60% for dissolved organic carbon (DOC), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN). With regard to metals and chlorides, sulphates and fluoride leachable fraction, a removal efficiency of approximately 60% was obtained, as confirmed also by EC values. The comparison between the results for ground and not-ground samples did not highlight significant differences.     

纸塑铝复合包装废物的回收与再生利用现状

通过对典型的垃圾填埋场和复合包装再生利用企业的调研,分析了我国现有复合包装废物产生与回收再生利用的现状.并针对纸塑铝复合包装材料的结构和特点,对现有复合包装材料的再生利用技术进行研究比较,指出了我国复合包装回收利用过程中亟待解决的问题及未来的研究方向.     

关于我国报废汽车市场发展趋势的初步研究

随着汽车保有量的快速上升,我国报废汽车市场规模正在进入快速增长区间。根据发达国家的经验,报废汽车拆解与回收利用是循环经济产业的重要支柱。未来我国报废汽车市场规模的增长以及相关资源回收利用市场的发展,将会产生许多新的市场机会,也会对我国循环经济产业发展产生较大影响。     

Fate of metals contained in waste electrical and electronic equipment in a municipal waste treatment process

In Japan, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) that is not covered by the recycling laws are treated as municipal solid waste. A part of common metals are recovered during the treatment; however, other metals are rarely recovered and their destinations are not clear. This study investigated the distribution ratios and substance flows of 55 metals contained in WEEE during municipal waste treatment using shredding and separation techniques at a Japanese municipal waste treatment plant. The results revealed that more than half of Cu and most of Al contained in WEEE end up in landfills or dissipate under the current municipal waste treatment system. Among the other metals contained in WEEE, at least 70% of the mass was distributed to the small-grain fraction through the shredding and separation and is to be landfilled. Most kinds of metals were concentrated several fold in the small-grain fraction through the process and therefore the small-grain fraction may be a next target for recovery of metals in terms of both metal content and amount. Separate collection and pre-sorting of small digital products can work as effective way for reducing precious metals and less common metals to be landfilled to some extent; however, much of the total masses of those metals would still end up in landfills and it is also important to consider how to recover and utilize metals contained in other WEEE such as audio/video equipment.     

End-of-life vehicle recycling and automobile shredder residue management in Japan

The Japanese Government introduced the Law on Recycling of End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV Recycling Law) in 2002. This law requires manufacturers to retrieve chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), airbags, and automobile shredder residue (ASR) from ELVs and to properly recycle the remaining materials. This framework is compared with European ELV directives. Pilot-scale incineration plant testing has revealed a greater formation of by-product persistent organic pollutants (POPs) during the primary combustion of ASR compared to normal municipal solid waste. This may be attributed to the abundance of chlorine, Cu, and Fe in ASR, as Cu and Fe have been found to catalyze the formation of POPs under certain conditions. However, most by-product POPs were destroyed by the secondary combustion, and almost all were removed after flue gas treatment. The direct melting system is a shaft-type gasification and melting technology that has proved effective in many municipal solid waste applications. This system can be applied to ASR recycling for effective decomposition of brominated flame retardants and polybrominated dioxins.