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.     

Automotive shredder residue (ASR) characterization for a valuable management

Car fluff is the waste produced after end-of-life-vehicles (ELVs) shredding and metal recovery. It is made of plastics, rubber, glass, textiles and residual metals and it accounts for almost one-third of a vehicle mass. Due to the approaching of Directive 2000/53/EC recycling targets, 85% recycling rate and 95% recovery rate in 2015, the implementation of automotive shredder residue (ASR) sorting and recycling technologies appears strategic. The present work deals with the characterization of the shredder residue coming from an industrial plant, representative of the Italian situation, as for annual fluxes and technologies involved. The aim of this study is to characterize ASR in order to study and develop a cost effective and environmentally sustainable recycling system. Results show that almost half of the residue is made of fines and the remaining part is mainly composed of polymers. Fine fraction is the most contaminated by mineral oils and heavy metals. This fraction produces also up to 40% ashes and its LHV is lower than the plastic-rich one. Foam rubber represents around half of the polymers share in car fluff. Moreover, some chemical–physical parameters exceed the limits of some parameters fixed by law to be considered refuse derived fuel (RDF). As a consequence, ASR needs to be pre-treated in order to follow the energy recovery route.     

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.     

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.     

Management status of end-of-life vehicles and characteristics of automobile shredder residues in Korea

An end-of-life vehicle (ELV) is dismantled to recover and recycle any re-usable parts, then shipped to the shredding facility for further recovery of iron with any remaining Automobile Shredder Residue (ASR) to be considered as wastes and to be disposed of by either thermal treatment or landfill. Overall ELVs management status in Korea, including recycling resulting from the dismantling processes, was surveyed using some questionnaires given to dismantlers and other available information to provide some feasible means for future treatment. The averaged recycle rate in the dismantling stage showed a value of 44% and the rest of an 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. The non-ferrous metals such as copper, antimony, zinc and aluminum accounted for only 1.5%. The Shredder dusts (SDs) were found to be composed of light and heavy fluffs and soil/dust and amounted to 15.8% based on the mass of a new vehicle. Dumping of fluff and inorganic residues into a landfill site, however, will be restricted when new regulations are implemented to reduce the disposal amount to less than 5% of a new car as done in European countries and Japan. The detailed characteristics of SDs were investigated to provide an idea of how to treat them in order to meet a future expected enforcement.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

On the ASR and ASR thermal residues characterization of full scale treatment plant

In order to obtain 85% recycling, several procedures on Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR) could be implemented, such as advanced metal and polymer recovery, mechanical recycling, pyrolysis, the direct use of ASR in the cement industry, and/or the direct use of ASR as a secondary raw material. However, many of these recovery options appear to be limited, due to the possible low acceptability of ASR based products on the market. The recovery of bottom ash and slag after an ASR thermal treatment is an option that is not usually considered in most countries (e.g. Italy) due to the excessive amount of contaminants, especially metals. The purpose of this paper is to provide information on the characteristics of ASR and its full-scale incineration residues. Experiments have been carried out, in two different experimental campaigns, in a full-scale tyre incineration plant specifically modified to treat ASR waste.Detailed analysis of ASR samples and combustion residues were carried out and compared with literature data. On the basis of the analytical results, the slag and bottom ash from the combustion process have been classified as non-hazardous wastes, according to the EU waste acceptance criteria (WAC), and therefore after further tests could be used in future in the construction industry. It has also been concluded that ASR bottom ash (EWC – European Waste Catalogue – code 19 01 12) could be landfilled in SNRHW (stabilized non-reactive hazardous waste) cells or used as raw material for road construction, with or without further treatment for the removal of heavy metals. In the case of fly ash from boiler or Air Pollution Control (APC) residues, it has been found that the Cd, Pb and Zn concentrations exceeded regulatory leaching test limits therefore their removal, or a stabilization process, would be essential prior to landfilling the use of these residues as construction material.     

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.     

Study on dechlorination technology for municipal waste plastics containing polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene terephthalate

It is necessary to remove chlorine efficiently from municipal waste plastics (MWP) that contain polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other plastics containing chlorine. In this article we consider thermal degradation liquefaction technology. In Japan, the chlorine content of reclamation oil products must be kept below 100 ppm owing to the quality standard for pyrolysis oil. Liquefaction dechlorination technology for MWP is still an important issue to study. The twin-screw extruder that has been developed as dechlorination technology for blast furnaces and coke ovens has a shorter residence time for dechlorination than other dechlorination technologies. In this article, we used a single-screw extruder for the dechlorination process because it also has a short residence time. Experiments on the dechlorination process were carried out by using a single-screw extruder to assess its dechlorination performance. Practical use of the single-screw was demonstrated by the operation of a commercial oil reclamation plant operated by Sapporo Plastic Recycle Co., Ltd. (SPR). Moreover, an investigation of cascade recycling was carried out in 2008 in which material recycle wastes were mixed with MWP and processed by chemical recycling (liquefaction). It was demonstrated that cascade recycling is an efficient recycling combination and contributes to local feedstock recycling. However, it was shown that MR wastes affect the quality of the reclamation oil when they make up more than 40% of the feed mix. If the quantity of MR wastes is kept below 40%, the reclamation oil is able to meet the quality standard. The SPR plant can be operated safely and in a stable manner.     

Pyrolysis and dehalogenation of plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE): A review

Plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) have been an important environmental problem because these plastics commonly contain toxic halogenated flame retardants which may cause serious environmental pollution, especially the formation of carcinogenic substances polybrominated dibenzo dioxins/furans (PBDD/Fs), during treat process of these plastics. Pyrolysis has been proposed as a viable processing route for recycling the organic compounds in WEEE plastics into fuels and chemical feedstock. However, dehalogenation procedures are also necessary during treat process, because the oils collected in single pyrolysis process may contain numerous halogenated organic compounds, which would detrimentally impact the reuse of these pyrolysis oils. Currently, dehalogenation has become a significant topic in recycling of WEEE plastics by pyrolysis. In order to fulfill the better resource utilization of the WEEE plastics, the compositions, characteristics and dehalogenation methods during the pyrolysis recycling process of WEEE plastics were reviewed in this paper. Dehalogenation and the decomposition or pyrolysis of WEEE plastics can be carried out simultaneously or successively. It could be ‘dehalogenating prior to pyrolysing plastics’, ‘performing dehalogenation and pyrolysis at the same time’ or ‘pyrolysing plastics first then upgrading pyrolysis oils’. The first strategy essentially is the two-stage pyrolysis with the release of halogen hydrides at low pyrolysis temperature region which is separate from the decomposition of polymer matrixes, thus obtaining halogenated free oil products. The second strategy is the most common method. Zeolite or other type of catalyst can be used in the pyrolysis process for removing organohalogens. The third strategy separate pyrolysis and dehalogenation of WEEE plastics, which can, to some degree, avoid the problem of oil value decline due to the use of catalyst, but obviously, this strategy may increase the cost of whole recycling process.     

Review of Italian experience on automotive shredder residue characterization and management

Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR) is a special waste that can be classified as either hazardous or non hazardous depending on the amount of hazardous substances and on the features of leachate gathered from EN12457/2 test. However both the strict regulation concerning landfills and the EU targets related to End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) recovery and recycling rate to achieve by 2015 (Directive 2000/53/EC), will limit current landfilling practice and will impose an increased efficiency of ELVs valorization. The present paper considers ELVs context in Italy, taking into account ASRs physical–chemical features and current processing practice, focusing on the enhancement of secondary materials recovery. The application in waste-to-energy plants, cement kilns or metallurgical processes is also analyzed, with a particular attention to the possible connected environmental impacts. Pyrolysis and gasification are considered as emerging technologies although the only use of ASR is debatable; its mixing with other waste streams is gradually being applied in commercial processes. The environmental impacts of the processes are acceptable, but more supporting data are needed and the advantage over (co-)incineration remains to be proven.     

Conventional and fast pyrolysis of automobile shredder residues (ASR)

This work aims at comparing performance and product yields in conventional pyrolysis and fast pyrolysis of automotive shredded residues. In both processes, carbon conversion to gaseous and liquid products was more than 80%. Gas production was maximised in conventional pyrolysis (about 35% by weight of the initial ASR weight), while fast pyrolysis led to an oil yield higher than 55%. Higher heating values (HHV) of both conventional pyrolysis gas and fast pyrolysis oil increased from 8.8 to 25.07 MJ/Nm3 and from 28.8 and 36.27 MJ/kg with increasing pyrolysis temperature.     

The development and prospects of the end-of-life vehicle recycling system in Taiwan

Automobiles usually contain toxic substances, such as lubricants, acid solutions and coolants. Therefore, inappropriate handling of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) will result in environmental pollution. ELV parts, which include metallic and non-metallic substances, are increasingly gaining recycling value due to the recent global shortage of raw materials. Hence, the establishment of a proper recycling system for ELVs will not only reduce the impact on the environment during the recycling process, but it will also facilitate the effective reuse of recycled resources. Prior to 1994, the recycling of ELVs in Taiwan was performed by related operators in the industry. Since the publishing of the “End-of-life vehicle recycling guidelines” under the authority of the Waste Disposal Act by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) in 1994, the recycling of ELVs in Taiwan has gradually become systematic. Subsequently, the Recycling Fund Management Board (RFMB) of the EPA was established in 1998 to collect a Collection–Disposal–Treatment Fee (recycling fee) from responsible enterprises for recycling and related tasks. Since then, the recycling channels, processing equipment, and techniques for ELVs in Taiwan have gradually become established. This paper reviews the establishment of the ELV recycling system, analyzes the current system and its performance, and provides some recommendations for future development. The reduction of auto shredder residue (ASR) is a key factor in maximizing the resource recovery rate and recycling efficiency. The RFMB needs to provide strong economic incentives to further increase the recycling rate and to encourage the automobile industry to design and market greener cars.     

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.     

Recycling of waste lead storage battery by vacuum methods

Waste lead storage battery is the most important recyclable lead material not only in various European and other OECD countries but also in China. Pollution control of lead has become the focus of people’s attention in the world. A vacuum process for recycling waste lead storage battery was developed in this work. The experimental results showed that all the valuable materials in waste lead storage battery could be satisfactorily recycled by vacuum technologies. The vacuum melting of lead grids and the vacuum reduction of lead pastes produce the lead bullion with the direct recovery ratio of 96.29% and 98.98%, respectively. The vacuum pyrolysis of plastics can produce pyrolysis oil with yield of more than 93 wt.%. These vacuum recycling technologies offer improvements in metallurgical and environmental performance.