Automobile Shredder Residue Research Articles

Unveiling The Potential of Microwave Plasma Treated Char For Sustainable Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR) Management and Reduced Ecological Risk Of Cadmium

Introduction: This study explores the effectiveness of microwave plasma pyrolysis in reducing heavy metal concentrations, specifically cadmium, in automobile shredder residue (ASR). METHOD: The ASR was subjected to plasma pyrolysis at microwave power levels ranging from 800 to 1000W, resulting in a significant decrease in heavy metal concentration in the char. Utilizing the Bureau Communautaire de Référence (BCR) sequential extraction method, a standardized procedure developed by the European Commission, we assessed the chemical speciation and matrix properties of the char. The results indicated that microwave plasma treatment effectively decreased the bioavailable forms of cadmium. After 6 minutes of pyrolysis at 1000W, the exchangeable and acid-soluble fractions (F1) dropped to 10%, while the reducible fraction (F2) fell to 12%. RESULT: This treatment resulted in a substantial increase in the oxidizable (F3) and residue (F4) fractions, which reached 27% and 51%, respectively. Importantly, the potential ecological risk of cadmium decreased significantly, with the risk index (Er) dropping from 164.91 to 28.45, aligning with Taiwan's regulatory standards for non-hazardous waste.CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that microwave plasma pyrolysis is a promising and sustainable approach for the disposal of ASR, offering an environmentally friendly alternative for waste management. This study provides valuable insights for policymakers, environmental scientists, and industries seeking effective solutions for ASR treatment.

Study on the pyrolysis characteristics and char gasification kinetics of pre-separated automobile shredder residues

Automobile shredder residue (ASR) is a typical solid waste produced by the end-of-life automobile industry. The pyrolysis and gasification of ASR are effective methods to achieve reduction and resource utilization. By means of thermogravimetric analysis and fixed-bed experiments, the distribution as well as physicochemical properties of five typical ASR pyrolysis products after pre-sorting were systematically investigated, and the gasification kinetics of their pyrolysis char under CO2 as well as steam were also studied. Results showed that the pyrolysis of ASR was basically completed at 500°C, and the pyrolysis gas yield increased significantly with temperature. The tar contained mainly poly-benzene rings with carbon atoms C11–15 and their derivatives. At high temperatures, the structure of pyrolysis char tended to become more ordered, with small functional group such as - OH, - NH, - CH3, - CC -, and - COOH fracturing. The residual amounts of heavy metals such as Cr, Pb, and Ni in pyrolysis char were mostly exceed 45%, which were significantly affected by the type of heavy metals, pyrolysis temperature and material type. Hydrogen production from steam gasification accounted for up to 65%, and the gasification reactivity was better than that of CO2 gasification. The activation energy (E) calculated through shrinking core model (SCM) and random pore model (RPM) was 38.81–105.44 kJ/mol and 39.53–98.56 kJ/mol, respectively, which provided a good fit to the gasification kinetics in two gasification atmospheres. This study provides detailed data for the ASR pyrolysis and gasification technology, which is an important reference value for ASR research.

Is the assimilation to a solid recovered fuel a viable solution for automobile shredder residues’ management?

Directive 2000/53/EC and the European Circular Economy Package (2018) required the Member States to take all the necessary measures to reach the reuse-recycling goal of 85% for end-of-life vehicles (ELVs). In 2019, Europe achieved 89.6% of reuse-recycling, but most EC countries are still not completely compliant, Italy standing, for example, at only 84.2%. For this reason, actions are necessary to increase reuse-recycling for the waste generated in the operations of ELV shredding and separation, known as automobile shredded residues (ASRs). This study was aimed at assessing if the assimilation of ASRs to a solid recovered fuel (SRF) was a feasible solution. That would allow the waste to lose its status (end-of-waste, EoW), thus increasing the recycling rate. The assimilation of ASRs to SRFs requires the compliance with a series of parameters, namely net calorific value (NCV), content of chlorine (Cl), mercury (Hg) and selected heavy metals. The above-mentioned parameters were analyzed in the principal ASR fractions, namely textile, plastic and foam rubber, found in the samples collected during four sampling campaigns (2017–2021) performed at the same ELV treatment plant. Notwithstanding the great variability observed in the four samples, the results of the analyses revealed that the three fractions were compliant with NCV, Cl and Hg content. Conversely, the heavy metals' content was found a more critical parameter, in fact only the plastic fraction was suitable for SRF assimilation. Textiles presented criticality for the content of copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and antimony (Sb). The heavy metals' contamination of foam rubber was found to be strongly related to particles' dimensions. A model which put particle size and metals’ content into relationship was developed and validated. Removing particles of <40 mm significantly improved the quality of the material, however the content of Cu and Ni remained a critical issue for particles up to 200 mm. The SRF assimilation of the plastic fraction would increase the reuse-recycling rate of approx. 2.4–3.3%, thus allowing the achievement of the EC goals concerning the ELV management.

Evolution and speciation transformation of chlorine during automobile shredder residue pyrolysis

Disposal of automobile shredder residue (ASR) via pyrolysis enables the recovery of valuable products; however, the production of hazardous pollutants and low-value products is inevitable due to its high chlorine content. In this work, chlorine evolution behavior and the conversion mechanism during ASR pyrolysis between 480 and 600 °C were systematically studied. The experimental results for organic chlorine (Org-Cl) showed that released chlorinated gases were complex, and HCl only accounted for 35% of the gas phase products, while short-chain hydrocarbons with carbon atoms between two and four accounted for 52%. Chlorine was predominantly retained in the char, and Org-Cl was the primary contributor to the residual chlorine, accounting for over 50% of the char. The content of inorganic chlorine (InO-Cl) was low in the raw sample but significantly increased in the char. Through the distinction between organic and inorganic chlorine content in char, it was confirmed that Org-Cl could be converted to InO-Cl due to complex secondary reactions with metallic compounds. The conversion was favored by increasing the Org-Cl content and the temperature. Our findings clarified the evolution mechanism of chlorine and the transformation from Org-Cl to InO-Cl, thus providing guidance for chlorine regulation and the efficient recycling of metal resources.

Enhancing pyrolysis of automobile shredder residue through torrefaction: Impact on heavy components formation in oil

Torrefaction of biomass is a well-known pretreatment method that can remarkably influence evolution of property of pyrolytic products in subsequent pyrolysis. Automobile shredder residue (ASR) is an important product in car recycling and it needs to be pretreated before recycling via pyrolysis. Nevertheless, how torrefaction impacts the composition and pyrolysis behaviours of ASR is still unknown, as ASR has a distinct composition from biomass. Thus, this study investigates the effect of torrefaction on the formation of heavy components in pyrolysis oil. ASR samples were torrefied from 240 °C to 330 °C and subsequently pyrolyzed from 600 °C to 800 °C with varied heating rates (ca. 80 °C /s and 0.17 °C /s). Results indicate that compared to raw ASR pyrolysis oil, torrefaction enhances the interaction between the volatile and semi-char, promoting the polymerization to form precursors of heavy components, thus the relative content of heavy components increases by >50% and heavy components containing heteroatoms decrease by >30% in the torrefied ASR pyrolysis oil, with the release of volatile heteroatom-containing compounds during torrefaction. More aliphatic heavy components are generated, reducing the overall aromaticity and degree of unsaturation of heavy components in the pyrolysis oil.

Hydrogen production and pollutants emission characteristics by co-gasified of paper-mill sludge and automobile shredder residues in a commercial scale fluidized bed gasifier

This research investigated the hydrogen production and energy conversion from automobile shredder residues (ASRs) and paper mill sludge (PMS) co-gasified in a full-scale fluidized bed gasification plant. The results obtained from full-scale tests provided important information on the feasible assessment of ASRs-to-energy and the selection of alternative technologies for ASRs. Based on the analysis results of produced gas composition, H2, CO, and CH4 composition produced from paper-mill sludge gasified were 4.17%–6.01%, 3.08%–4.32%, 1.71%–2.4%, respectively. Another C2 gas composition ranged from 2.9% to 3.59%. The heating value of produced gas ranged between 1.64 MJ/Nm3 and 2.18 MJ/Nm3. In the case of 10% ASR addition, the heating value of produced gas was slightly increased to 1.84 MJ/Nm3-2.34 MJ/Nm3. The dioxin emission concentration of flue gas was approximately 0.064 ng I-TEQ/Nm3. It can comply with Taiwan regulation thresholds. The dioxin leaching concentrations of residues derived from gasification were also in compliance with regulation limits by the TCLP test. Meanwhile, in the case of 10% ASRs addition, the dioxin equivalence concentration of gasified residue was nearly 0.002 ng I-TEQ/Nm3. It was far below the current regulation standard limit. In summary, the results of this research have proved the performance of ASRs-to-energy by co-gasified with paper mill sludge using a full-scale gasification plant. The results obtained from this research also provided the information for selecting ASRs alternative technologies and operating full-scale gasifiers in the future.

Material Recycling for Manufacturing Aggregates Using Melting Slag of Automobile Shredder Residues

The quantity of waste from end-of-life vehicles is increasing with an increase in the number of scrapped internal combustion engine vehicles owing to international trends such as carbon neutrality and particulate matter reduction. The recycling rate must be ≥95%; however, the average recycling rate remains at approximately 89%. Therefore, the improvement of the recycling of automobile shredder residues (ASR) is gaining attention. In this study, four types of products (interlocking, clay, and lightweight swelled ceramic (LSC) bricks, and asphalt paving aggregate (APA)) were manufactured using ASR melting slag (ASRMS). Environmental performance, quality standards, and technology were evaluated to assess the recyclability of the manufactured bricks. The interlocking brick substituted melting slag for sand and stone powder as an aggregate. As melting slag content increased, absorption decreased and bending strength increased. Clay brick was manufactured by replacing kaolin and feldspar with melting slag that substituted for 20%. The quality of clay bricks mixed with over 15% melting slag was not better than standard. Asphalt paving aggregate was used to investigate the optimum condition of slag content in mixed asphalt; the mixture ratio showed that 61% broken stone of 13 mm, 6% screenings, 10% melting slag, 15% sand and 8% filler was most effective. A lightweight swelled ceramic brick was manufactured by using melting slag, front glass, and so on. Specific gravity and compressive strength ranged from 0.38 to 0.51 and from 339.7 to 373.6 N/cm2. ASRMS exhibited an environmental performance suitable for recycling and the manufactured bricks satisfied the quality standards. The recyclability of ASR was also assessed in terms of waste usage, conformance to quality standards, market size, and demand prediction. APA showed the best results followed by interlocking, clay, and LSC bricks.

Practicality of physical recycling method for waste polymer composites exampled via high density polyethylene/automobile shredder residue composites

AbstractWith the booming of automobiles industry, the recycling of automobile shredder residue (ASR) with complicated constitutes gradually become an urgent issues owing to its difficulty for traditional recycling. Herein, solid‐state shear milling (S3M) technology which can control the domain size of the various polymers in blend was applied to overcome the mismatch of viscosity and poor compatibility of ASR and thus modify the processability to match practical manufacturing. Resultantly, the melt processing of ASR was achieved and a high‐density polyethylene (HDPE)/ASR composite was also prepared with more optimal mechanical properties (tensile strength: 53.2 MPa, impact strength: 36.9 kJ/m2), compared with commercially available recycled PE. This work not only provided a feasible application route for the recycling of ASR material, but also demonstrated the optional methodology for recycling polymer waste with complicated component via physical recycling way.

Enhanced flotation of high density polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride mixtures based on clean corona modification

The dramatic increase in waste plastics has caused harm to both human health and the environment. Due to the variety of plastic products and their complex components, it is a technical challenge to effectively separate them. High density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) both have a high detection frequency in the common solid waste streams like automobile shredder residue (ASR), and due to the similar properties of different plastics, their mixtures lack reliable separation methods. Specifically for this kind of mixtures, this work provided a novel separation strategy with prepositive corona modification and postpositive flotation units. To obtain the optimal separation parameters, flotation performance of HDPE and PVC were investigated under different modification conditions controlled by the corona polarity, discharge power and exposure time. Besides, the modification mechanism was revealed through multi-characterization tests on surface morphology, molecular weight, contact angle, and spectrums. The results showed that corona discharge can generate non-thermal plasma to activate the surfaces of HDPE and PVC, thereby increasing their floatability difference. Under the optimal conditions of 300 W positive discharge power and 8000 ms exposure time, HDPE turned into the sinking tail while PVC still accumulated in the floating product, leading to the maximum separation recovery and purity of 96.36% and 97.01%, respectively. Amorphous low-molecular weight oxidic substances emerged on the upper layer of polymers was verified by the multi-characterization, representing in varying degrees of oxidation and chain scission (HDPE > PVC). Since the corona modification is reagent-free-addition and rapid in-line process, this work showed great advantages in the total cost of separation (only 450.03 USD/t) and potential environmental benefits, which also paves a clean way for the recycling of HDPE and PVC.

Feasibility study on co-processing of automobile shredder residue in coal-fired power plants via pyrolysis

Facing the challenges of organic industrial solid waste (OISW) disposal, co-processing of OISW by power plants has become a developing trend. In order to avoid feeding problems of OISW and enhance the combustion adaptability of the furnace, pyrolysis coupled with incineration technology is proposed as a potential method. Among various OISW, automobile shredder residue (ASR) is regarded as a promising fuel due to its high heating value. In view of engineering application, the researches focused on the products’ properties and economic evaluation under a wide range of heating rates which are insufficient. In this study, regarding the rapid pyrolysis by conducting the high-temperature flue gas as heating source in power plants, the pyrolysis behavior of ASR was correspondingly studied under a wide range of heating rates. The formation of volatiles and property’s improvement were further investigated for generating high-valued oil. Results showed that the high heating rate is not only beneficial to the homogenization of pyrolytic products but also the aromatization in oil and radical generation in gases. Importantly, it also contributed to the cleavage of the single bond connected to the benzene ring and carbon-oxygen single bond for esters. By conducting the enhanced cracking of volatiles, the wax-like fraction was significantly reduced. In addition, the deoxygenation in oil (oxygen content decreased by 20 wt%) and high heating value of gases (increased by 73%) were improved. Our findings demonstrated the feasibility and economic efficiency for the co-processing of ASR in coal-fired power plants via pyrolysis and thus provide guidance for future commercial application.

Evaluation of the Melting Gasification Process for Recovery of Energy and Resources from Automobile Shredder Residues

In this study, we investigated the applicability of an automobile shredder residue (ASR) as an energy and recycling resource. First, ASR gasification was conducted in a fixed-bed reactor (throughput = 1 kg/h) at different temperatures (800, 1000, and 1200 °C) and an equivalence ratio of 0.1–0.5. Clay bricks were prepared with the solid residue obtained from the gasification process to address the issue of solid-residue production in pyrolysis. The syngas (H2 + CO) from ASR gasification had maximum and minimum yields of approximately 86 and 40 vol.%, respectively. Furthermore, the yield of syngas increased with the temperature and equivalence ratio (ER); therefore, the optimum conditions for the ASR gasification were determined to be a temperature of 1200 °C and an ER of 0.5. In addition, solid residues, such as char and ash, began to melt due to thermal heating in the range of 1300–1400 °C and were converted into melting slag, which was subsequently used to manufacture clay bricks. The absorption ratios and compressive strengths of the clay bricks were compared to those set by Korean Industrial Standards to evaluate the quality of the clay bricks. As a result, the manufactured clay bricks were estimated to have a compressive strength of over 22.54 N/mm2 and an absorption ratio of less than 10%. Additionally, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the melting–gasification process were estimated and compared with those from ASR incineration, calculated using the greenhouse gas equations provided by the Korean Ministry of Environment. As a result, it was revealed that the GHG emissions from the combined melting–gasification process (gasification, melting system, and clay-brick manufacturing) were approximately ten times higher than those from the ASR-incineration process. Thus, in terms of operation cost on the carbon capture process for GHG reduction, the combined melting–gasification process would be a more efficient process than that of incineration.

Copper and zinc extraction from automobile shredder residues via an integrated electrodeposition and crystallization process

Automobile shredder residues (ASR) are produced during recycling processes from used cars and contain valuable metals such as copper and zinc. They constitute the fastest-growing industrial waste around the globe. Most of the produced ASR is thermally converted or ends up landfilled. With the increasing demand for valuable metals, the recovery of metals from ASR may serve as an alternative source for primary mining. Here we introduce an integrated metal recovery system combining leaching of metals from the target ASR waste using an ammonia lixiviant with electrodeposition, ammonia stripping, and crystallization to selectively recover copper and zinc as well as ammonia from ASR waste. The metals were first leached from the target ASR waste with an ammonia lixiviant. The obtained alkaline leachate (pH 9.6) was subsequently treated by electrodeposition, reaching a removal efficiency of 95.2 % for copper at a coulombic efficiency of 19.2 % and energy input of 12.4 kWh kg−1 Cu over 183 h. The further alkalization allowed for ammonia stripping, recovering 66.1 % of the ammonium as lixiviant at a temperature of 60°C. Final crystallization of zinc from the stripper effluent by continuous flushing of CO2 resulted in the recovery of 43.2 % as solid ZnCO3 at a neutral pH. Lixiviation was also performed using the treated effluent and recovered ammonia, and the same amount of copper was leached out from the residues showing full circularity of the lixiviant. This integrated system combining lixiviation, electrodeposition, ammonium stripping, and crystallization units is driven by electricity, with minimal input of chemicals and water.

Py-FTIR-GC/MS Analysis of Volatile Products of Automobile Shredder Residue Pyrolysis.

Automobile shredder residue (ASR) pyrolysis produces solid, liquid, and gaseous products, particularly pyrolysis oil and gas, which could be used as renewable alternative energy resources. Due to the primary pyrolysis reaction not being complete, the yield of gaseous product is low. The pyrolysis tar comprises chemically unstable volatiles before condensing into liquid. Understanding the characteristics of volatile products will aid the design and improvement of subsequent processes. In order to accurately analyze the chemical characteristics and yields of volatile products of ASR primary pyrolysis, TG–FTIR–GC/MS analysis technology was used. According to the analysis results of the Gram–Schmidt profiles, the 3D stack plots, and GC/MS chromatograms of MixASR, ASR, and its main components, the major pyrolytic products of ASR included alkanes, olefins, and alcohols, and both had dense and indistinguishable weak peaks in the wavenumber range of 1900–1400 cm−1. Many of these products have unstable or weaker chemical bonds, such as =CH–, =CH2, –C=C–, and –C=CH2. Hence, more syngas with higher heating values can be obtained with further catalytic pyrolysis gasification, steam gasification, or higher temperature pyrolysis.

Influence of Interactions among Polymeric Components of Automobile Shredder Residue on the Pyrolysis Temperature and Characterization of Pyrolytic Products

Pyrolysis and gasification have gradually become the main means to dispose of automobile shredder residue (ASR), since these methods can reduce the volume and quality of landfill with lower cost and energy recovery can be conducted simultaneously. As the ASR pyrolysis process is integrated, the results of pyrolysis reactions of organic components and the interaction among polymeric components can be clarified by co-pyrolysis thermogravimetric experiments. The results show that the decomposition mechanisms of textiles and foam are markedly changed by plastic in the co-pyrolysis process, but the effect is not large for rubber and leather. This effect is mainly reflected in the pyrolysis temperature and pyrolysis rate. The pyrolytic trend and conversion curve shape of the studied ASR can be predicted by the main polymeric components with a parallel superposition model. The pyrolytic product yields and characterizations of gaseous products were analyzed in laboratory-scale non-isothermal pyrolysis experiments at finished temperatures of 500 °C, 600 °C, and 700 °C. The results prove that the yields of pyrolytic gas products are determined by the thermal decomposition of organic substances in the ASR and final temperature.

Practical dehalogenation of automobile shredder residue in NaOH/ethylene glycol with an up-scale ball mill reactor

Effective and efficient dehalogenation for automobile shredder residue (ASR) was successfully carried out in an NaOH/ethylene glycol solvent at 190 °C with an up-scale ball mill reactor. The element content and plastic in different fractions of ASR samples were analyzed. 1.2 ± 0.4 wt% Cl and 0.1 ± 0.1 wt% Br were measured in the fine mixture of ASR; consequently, dehalogenation was essential to mitigate the formation of hazardous compounds during thermal treatment. Sufficiently high dechlorination and debromination capacities were obtained by adjusting ball numbers and NaOH content, and the effectiveness of the treatment for throughput scale-up was confirmed. Dehalogenated ASR achieved lower than 0.1 wt% of Cl and negligible Br content, making the product suitable for feedstock recycling to recover metals and petrochemicals. We performed a life cycle assessment on the up-scale dehalogenation process and identified two beneficial impacts in comparison with the landfilling of ASR: reductions in carcinogenic effects and ecotoxicity. To mitigate impacts on climate change and resource depletion, improving dehalogenation efficiency by scaling up the throughput, enhancing the heat insulation system, and including a process for ethylene glycol recycling need to be considered.

A Circular Approach for Recovery and Recycling of Automobile Shredder Residues (ASRs): Material and Thermal Valorization

The transition of the automotive industry towards a circular economy requires viable solutions for end-of-life vehicle (ELV) reuse, recycling and recovery. This study tested the feasibility of two recycling processes intended, the first, to produce recycled plastic composite goods from selected plastic fractions extracted from ASRs, through a conventional mechanical process; the second, to use the remaining ASRs as a solid recovered fuel (SRF) to saturate the residual treatment capacity of the local (Turin, NW Italy) municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration plant. Samples of light (CER code 191004) and heavy (CER code 191204) ASRs were collected from an ELV authorized treatment facility, subjected to a complete characterization and tested for the two recycling options. The results demonstrated that selected fractions of thermoplastic polymers could be employed in a molding process for the production of recycled plastic composite goods. This fraction, equal to 2660 t/a, was more than 2% b.w. of the original ELV and 7.6% of the whole ASR waste product. The remaining ASR, after plastic extraction and recycling, had lower heating values (LHVs, 24 or 31 MJ/kg, depending on the original product) and chlorine content (< 50 mg/kg) that made it suitable to assume the status of SRF. In the present operating conditions, the Turin MSW incineration plant has a residual treatment capacity of at least 45,000 t/y, for waste with a LHV of 30 MJ/kg, that is approximately 30% more than the annual amount of ASRs produced in the Turin area. The application of mass and energy balances to the thermal process demonstrated that the addition of ASRs as an extra fuel to the incineration plant did not worse the quality of flue gases in terms of acid compound (HCl, SO2) concentration and allowed the annual net electrical energy production to be increased from 31 to 38 MW.

Thermogravimetric Kinetic Study of Automobile Shredder Residue (ASR) Pyrolysis

The separated and sorted combustibles from automobile shredder residue (ASR) can be pyrolyzed and used as a heat source or liquefied to produce materials with added value. In this study, the thermal decomposition properties of ASR were determined and thermal kinetic studies were performed. Four types of raw materials were separated from ASR and mixed at a constant ratio: 38.5 wt.% of plastic; 31.6 wt.% of fiber; 17.3 wt.% of sponge; and 12.3 wt.% of rubber. Pyrolysis kinetics analysis was carried out using the Thermogravimetric analysis-derivative thermogravimetry (TGA-DTG) technique and activation energy were calculated by differential and integral isoconversional model methods, Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS), and Friedman. Thermogravimetric analysis was performed under nitrogen with four temperature rate conditions from room temperature to 800 °C. In the thermal degradation profile, peaks representing mass loss rates were observed for each sample at different temperature ranges. It was observed that the final mass reduction temperature in the mixed samples was lower than in the individual samples. The activation energies of plastics and rubbers were 105.39 kJ/mol and 115.20 kJ/mol respectively. The sponge foams and fibers were 172.59 kJ/mol and 160.30 kJ/mol respectively. The mixed sample had an activation energy value of 159.56 kJ/mol. The basic physicochemical and pyrolysis characteristics of ASR were examined to be used as basic data for the recycling of ASR for future pyrolysis.

Hydrogen gas yield and trace pollutant emission evaluation in automotive shredder residue (ASR) gasification using prepared oyster shell catalyst

This work examines the hydrogen gas yield and trace pollutants partitioning in automobile shredder residue (ASR) catalytic gasification by fixed bed and fluidized bed gasifier with controlling at equilibrium ratio (ER) 0.2, temperature 900 °C, and 5%–15% prepared catalyst addition. Oyster shell (OS) is a valuable resource due to its higher calcium content that it could prepare as a catalyst for enhancing the hydrogen production in ASR gasification. In the case of the fixed bed gasifier experiments, the highest lower heating value (LHV) and syngas production were found at 900 °C and 10% OS catalyst addition. The maximum H2 and CO composition were 6.57% and 5.97%, respectively. The LHV of syngas was approximately 4.43 MJ/Nm3. The fluidized bed gasifier could provide a good ASR decomposition and heat transfer behavior. The syngas yield results indicated the maximum H2 and CO composition were 12.12% and 10.59%, respectively. It was obviously showed that the syngas production and energy conversion efficiency were enhanced by applying fluidized bed gasifier. The maximum produced gas LHV was 10.77 MJ/Nm3 as well as the cold gas efficiency (CGE) of produced gas was 71.62%. On the other hand, the volatile sulfur and chlorine speciation formed in ASR gasification were mainly partitioned in the solid and/or liquid phase. It implied that tested OS catalysts could inhibit the volatile sulfur and chlorine speciation emission in the produced gas as well as enhance the produced gas quality. In summary, this research could provide basic insight into enhanced syngas production and quality in ASR catalytic gasification using the prepared OS catalyst.

Addition of Polyurethane Foam Waste to Polymeric Diphenyl Methane Diisocyanate to Improve Plywood Binder Performance

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using polyurethane (PU) foam waste obtained from automobile shredder residue (ASR) in plywood production. The PU foam waste from ASR was cleaned by water and acetone, ground into powder, dried, and mixed with polymeric diphenyl methane diisocyanate (pMDI) resin at various ratios (2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%, based on the weight of pMDI). The mixed adhesives were examined with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, and evaluated as plywood binders (measured in accordance with Chinese National Standard GB/T 17657-2013). The results indicated that the addition of PU powder into pMDI resin increased adhesive viscosity and efficiency, and also helped solve the problem of deficiency of pMDI on the veneer surface. FTIR results showed various reactions between pMDI and PU powder. This potential cross-linking might contribute to the cohesive strength of the cured adhesive. TG analysis results showed the possible increased thermal stability of the cured mixed adhesive at a temperature range of 150°C to 300°C. The best PU addition ratio was 7.5 percent of the pMDI weight, considering both the bond strength and production practice of plywood. Plywood testing showed that both the dry and wet bond strength reached the peak value at the optimal mixing ratio. The use of PU powder in plywood manufacturing provided a possible way of recycling PU foam waste while improving or maintaining the performance of plywood.

Potential applications of ASR fly ash in photo-Fenton like process for the degradation of tetracycline at neutral pH: Fixed-bed approach

The current research work investigated the effective utilization of automobile shredder residue (ASR) fly ash as an alternative iron source to degrade recalcitrant organic pollutants like tetracycline (TC) via a visible-light-driven photo-Fenton-like process at neutral pH. The whole photodegradation process was carried out in a fixed mode by using highly durable ASR fly ash beads as the catalyst in the photo-Fenton reaction. As confirmed through several characterization techniques, these beads contained hematite, goethite, magnetite, pyrite and wustite forms of iron oxides. Moreover, iron cations (Fe2+ and Fe3+) had leached out from the ASR fly ash beads during the reaction, which further promoted the photo-Fenton process. The detailed mechanism for the photodegradation of TC using ASR fly ash beads was studied. The high photodegradation efficiency of TC after 3 h of natural solar irradiation further confirmed the real-time applications of ASR fly ash in wastewater treatment. The ASR fly ash beads remained active and stable even after 10 recycling tests, as cross confirmed through characterization tests. Therefore, the obtained results clearly indicated that the use of ASR fly ash in wastewater treatment can add value to waste while providing a low cost and sustainable solution to various industries.