End-of-life Vehicles Research Articles

Modelling production processes in a vehicle recycling plant

The European Directive on end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) fundamentally changed the business philosophy of the European vehicle recycling system, which was exclusively profit-oriented. As the dominant participants of this system, vehicle recycling plants (VRPs) are especially affected by its implementation. For VRPs to successfully respond to the prescribed eco-efficiency quotas, investment will be needed to procure modern sorting equipment as well as to achieve full transformation of their production process. However, before VRPs decide to make this very important investment decision, it is necessary to determine the adequacy of such a decision in detail. Consequently, the following questions become unavoidable: Can modernly equipped VRPs conduct profitable business? Are eco-efficiency quotas actually attainable? How will the new changes in vehicle design influence VRPs? To provide answers to these essential questions, a production planning model of a modernly equipped VRP was first developed and then tested extensively using real data. Based on the answers provided by the proposed model testing analysis it was concluded that VRP transformation is not only necessary but completely justified and that the final success of the ELV Directive is realistic.

중국(中國)의 도시광산(都市鑛山) 재자원화산업(再資源化産業)

중국의 도시광산 재자원화산업을 파악 검토하기 위하여 ELV(사용후자동차), E-waste(Waste Electric Electronic Equipment) 및 비철금속의 리싸이클링을 조사하였다. 중국의 자동차 판매대수가 1,000만대를 넘어서고, 폐차대수도 증가하고 있으나 리싸이클링은 원활하지 못하다. 중국 도시의 가전 보유량은 선진국 수준으로 농촌과의 격차가 크다. 세계 E-waste의 많은 량이 중국으로 유입되어 세계의 E-waste 리싸이클링센터를 형성하고 있다. 비철금속의 소비량은 계속 증가하고 있지만 리싸이클링 수준은 낮다. In order to review the recycling status of urban mine resources in China, recycling of ELV(End of Life Vehicles), E-waste(WEEE) and nonferrous metals were surveyed. Number of the sales volume of the new vehicles were over more than ten million and number of discharge vehicles are increasing now. However, recycling system has not been managed smoothly in China. Though usage of home appliances in urban is similar with advanced countries, there are significant differences in rural community. In the other hand, China is the country with the largest E-waste import in the world. Production and consumption of the nonferrous metals are increasing year by year in China, but recycling of metals is not enough.

Operational characteristics and performance evaluation of the ELV recycling industry in Taiwan

In order to realize a circulative society, enhancement on resource productivity has been sought in many ways to upgrade the recycling industry, such as implementing governmental regulations, building up control and management schemes, and improving treatment technologies. While some positive progresses have been achieved, the information on operational conditions of recycling business is seldom addressed. This study tries to examine the operational characteristics of recycling and treatment industry for end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) in Taiwan and its relationship to recycling performance. Geographical relationship between dismantlers and shredding plants are discussed to demonstrate the influence of market size on a self-sustained recycling system. Information on 22 out of the 245 registered dismantlers and five shredding plants were retrieved from official database and on-site visits were conducted to confirm the data regarding basic setup, facility capacity, and operational conditions of the selected business. Indicators representing production capacity and power efficiency were postulated for performance analysis. Monthly production capacities of the dismantlers surveyed in this study ranged 0.17–73.14units/worker and that of the shredding plants was 67.87units/worker in average. Power efficiencies of the shredding plants were found in the range of 42.82–56.61kg of ELV processed/kWh, or 17.66–23.36kWh/ton. For shredding plants, power efficiency decreased with increase of power consumption and lower recycling rate likely happened at lower production rates. This study introduces a preliminary approach to examine the operational characteristics of ELV recycling business which can be useful in planning of ELV recycling strategy. It is suggested that existing shredding plants and dismantlers need to enhance their competitiveness by improving the operational performance. Energy management in the ELV shredding plants deserves more attentions for future improvement.

Disassembly Material Analysis through Time Estimation

This paper examines the problem of assessing disassembly performance for reuse and recycling End-of-life vehicles (ELVs). The disassembly time evaluation method outlined here is shown to provide one of evidence for use during disassembly process. Moreover, in ELV recycling cases controlling performance measurement were demonstrated the elementary components of time metric. Therefore, the performance evaluation associated with disassembly performance is discussed.

The Recycling of Plastics from ELVs - Background, Practices and Potentials

The proportion of plastic components in automobiles has increased over past few decades. With the pressure of legislation on treatment of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) and economical and environmental concerns, the management of plastic scrap in ELVs is becoming an important issue. This paper reviewed utilization of plastics in automobile production and traditional management of components from ELVs, with introduction of new legislation problems have been identified in the recycling of plastic from ELVs. Some examples of closed-loop recycling of plastic automobile parts are presented, and the potentials of using recycled plastics in automobile production are also discussed.

Research of Value Analysis Oriented End of Life Vehicle Dismantling and Recycling Process

With rapid increasing of the vehicle population of China, The treatment of End-of-life Vehicle (ELV) becomes a serious social problem. Because the situation of ELV, labor cost and the condition of facilities of China are different from the developed countries, the technologies and the recycling process used by the developed countries can not be simply imported to China without any change. In this paper, the recycling processes of the developed counties are analyzed firstly. And then, the shortage and the advantage of the Chinese recycling factories are discussed. According to it, a scheme of ELV recycling process is presented. And three value analyzing models are illustrated which include: (1) model of ELV to raw materials; (2) model of intermediate scrap to product; (3) model of remanufacturing. In the end, the facilities used for EVL recycling factories based on this process are discussed too.

도시광산(都市鑛山) 재자원화기술(再資源化技術)의 진보(進步)와 과제(課題) - 일본(日本)과 한국(韓國)의 비교(比較) -

In order to review the recent technological progress and issues on the urban mine resources recycling in Japan and Korea, recycling process of the ELV(End of Life Vehicles) and E-waste(WEEE) were studied. Although technological level for processing of the ELV and E-waste is almost similar in both countries, the treatment of hazadous materials of ELV such as freon, air bag and ASR is unsufficient in Korea. In the E-waste recycling, the technological level is deeply different according to the enterprise size in Korea. Finally, the big R&D project on recycling of urban mine resources sponsored by government in both countries were discussed.

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 250–300t 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.

Polymer Recovery from Auto Shredder Residue by Projectile Separation Method

The number of vehicles on the road has been increasing at an enormous rate over the last decade. By 2015, the number of vehicles that reach the end of their life will be close to a million per year in Australia. Most metallic parts of the vehicle can be recycled but the plastic components and components of other materials are normally shredded and disposed in landfills. As more vehicles are using composite materials, the percentage of materials sent to landfill is alarming. This paper reviews existing polymer recycling techniques for End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) and proposes a more efficient electrostatic based projectile separation method. The test rig is at the preliminary stage of development and initial outcomes are promising.

Design for End-of-Life Value Framework for Vehicles Design and Development Process

Nowadays, with growing public concern over environmental issues, companies are under pressure from government and society to reduce the impact of their activities. Based on that, in the early 1990’s the European Union identified End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) as a priority waste stream and a directive was introduced to protect the environment. Automotive companies are being pushed by environmental awareness and legislation to recycle, remanufacture and reuse the components at the end of life and also to reduce the quantity of manufacturing waste generated. Within this scenario, a design tool is needed for automotive design processes to fulfil the requirement of the European Union Directive on End-of-Life Vehicles. Besides that, the role of design in modern manufacturing is becoming even more important with companies adopting design tools as profit generating business elements especially for the automotive recycling or dismantling companies. Hence, this paper discusses a Design for End-of-Life (DFEL) Value framework for the vehicle design and development process. The framework described in this paper consists of 4 main steps: investigation of the current situation, Recycling Function Deployment (RFD) analysis for value and cost, characteristics selection and lastly decision for detail design. RFD is a new idea based on the concept of Quality Function Deployment (QFD). It is believed that the adoption of DFEL Value concept can help the designer to design the products to fulfil the end-of-life requirements. This paper concludes with a discussion and further direction for this research.

Recycled carbon fibre for high performance energy absorption

This paper compares the mechanical properties of virgin and recycled woven carbon fibre prepreg and goes on to assess the potential for recycled carbon fibre reinforced plastic (rCFRP) to be used in high performance energy absorption structures. Three sets of material were examined: fresh containing virgin fibres and resin, aged which was an out of life but otherwise identical roll and recycled which contained recycled fibre and new resin. The compressive strength and modulus of rCFRP were approximately 94% of the values for fresh material. This correlated directly with the results from impact testing where rCFRP conical impact structures were found to have a specific energy absorption of 32.7kJ/kg versus 34.8kJ/kg for fresh material. The tensile and flexural strength of rCFRP were 65% of the value for fresh material. Tensile and flexural moduli of rCFRP were within 90% of fresh material and ILSS of rCFRP was 75% that of fresh.Overall rCFRP has been proved to remain a highly satisfactory engineering material. This is a significant finding as it proves that carbon fibre can be recycled and reused in high performance applications. This has significant implications for use of carbon fibre in the automotive industry where End of Life Vehicle (ELV) legislation requires 85% of materials to be recyclable. This work opens the door to significantly expanded use of carbon fibre in the automotive industry. Of equal significance is the finding that the mechanical properties of fresh and aged carbon fibre were all within ±6% of one another. This highlights an opportunity to understand resin system life in more detail in order to prevent the creation of composite waste at source.

TG–MS study of the thermo-oxidative behavior of plastic automobile shredder residues

Automobile shredder residues (ASR) are materials that are rejected in the metal recovery process for end-of-life vehicles (ELV). These residues are composed of such materials as plastics, foams, glasses, rubbers, textiles, remaining metals and soils. ASR disposal is a difficult task, due to increasingly restrictive re-use policies. The pyrolytic reuse of ASR is one important option for energy recovery. The gas release behavior of pyrolyzed ASR was measured using a TG–MS apparatus, and this thermo-oxidative process was observed under different N2/O2 volume ratios. The final weight/initial residue weight ratio for pyrolyzed ASR decreased from 43.4% to 10.1% with increasing oxygen concentrations. The production rates of hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide also varied with different N2/O2 volume ratios. The maximum emission of hydrogen and methane occurred when the thermo-oxidative atmosphere was entirely N2. Temperature had a positive impact on hydrogen production, and the methane emission ratio reached a peak at the second shoulder of the devolatilization stage during which stage organic polymers were emitted. A peculiar characteristic of ASR is its content of nitrogen. The effects of ASR nitrogen content on N2O and NOX emissions were investigated in detail. NH3 was the dominant nitrogen species that was released during ASR pyrolysis. N2O is highly temperature-sensitive and decomposes to N2 at temperatures greater than 900°C.

Production planning for vehicle recycling factories in the EU legislative and global business environments

End-of-life vehicles (ELVs) are a priority in the EU waste flow, and data show that as many as 6.34 million vehicles were processed in 2008. This paper focuses on the production process in a vehicle recycling factory. It presents a tactical production planning problem for vehicle recycling factories in the EU legislative and global business environments. The problem is formulated as a linear program, which provides optimal storage, processing and recovery, recycling and landfill disposal route decisions. The proposed model can not only help vehicle recycling factories improve their eco-efficiency and profitability but also answer many important questions. The present paper deals with questions regarding which costs should be set in EU member states for landfill disposal, combustion in municipal solid waste incinerators and processing in advanced thermal treatment plants so that the ELV Directive can have the most positive eco-effect on the vehicle recycling factory business. The cost increase for landfill disposal will not always reduce the quantity of disposed automobile shredder residue (ASR). The influence of the ELV Directive on the vehicle recycling factory business is analysed. Future quotas will not endanger their profitability. Comprehensive testing of the proposed model showed that the control of the recycling system efficiency should be done at the system level because it will in no way jeopardise the ELV Directive objectives.

Upgrading of recycled polypropylene by preparing flame retarded layered composite

Upgrading of polypropylene waste was performed by different composite technologies, in order to improve the flame retardancy combined with preserved or improved mechanical properties. The polymer waste of density below 900 kg/m 3 is originated from end-of-life vehicles (ELV) after comminution, density separation and comprehensive analy- sis. Intumescent flame retardant system was used for reducing the flammability; while chopped glass fibre reinforcement was used to compensate the deterioration of mechanical properties caused by flame retardant additives. In mixed composite beside of flame retardants, the reinforcement effect of glass fibre can not be realized; therefore with modification of com- posite structure (but maintaining the composition) a multilayer composite was developed, which contains 65.5% of recy- cled polymer, where the core is reinforced with glass fibre covered by flame retarded shell layers. Enhanced flame retardancy (4 min longer time to escape) was achieved by using this layered composite compared to the mixed composite, thus the time to escape could be extended only with modification of composite structure.

한국(韓國)의 도시광산(都市鑛山)(사용후제품) 자원(資源)과 금속재자원화(金屬再資源化)

우리나라의 도시광산 재자원화실태와 전망을 파악하기 위하여 금속소비량을 산출하였다. 년간 금속소비량으로부터 금속 축적량을 추정할 수 있고, 도시광산자원을 전망할 수 있다. 금속소비량을 산출함에 있어 다양한 자료 즉 비철협회, 철강협회, 관세청 HS 코드, 연구용역 보고서, 학술회의자료 및 생산회사 탐문자료 등을 인용하였다. 도시광산개발의 요건(key point)을 설명하기 위하여 T.E.Graedel에 의해서 작성된 표(Principle Uses and Recycling Potential of Metals in the Periodic Table)를 인용하였다. In order to review the recycling status of urban mine resources in Korea, metal consumption, metal stock reserves and metal scraps and wastes such as iron scrap, end of life vehicles(ELV), E-waste were surveyed. In making up the list of the metal consumption, the statistical data from the Korea Non-Ferrous Association, the Korea Iron and Steel Association, the HS code of Korea Custom Service, the symposium and the related companies were collected. Finally, "Principle uses and recycling potential of metals in the periodic table" by T.E.Graedel was introduced. This paper suggested the key point for development of urban mine resources.

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.

Auto shredder residue LCA: implications of ASR composition evolution

In this study, Life Cycle Assessment is applied to estimate potential implications of waste composition evolution in end-of-life treatments. The aim is to understand the environmental effects of treating Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR), which is the residual waste after shredding End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs), when its composition will change as it is expected to happen in the coming years. Thus, for modeling it, two features have been mainly considered: (i) an increase in light material content such as polymers and nonferrous metals (especially aluminum) in new vehicle production, and (ii) an improved polymer separation and recycling by reducing the different kinds of plastics used in cars, according to an ecodesign-oriented strategy. Landfill, incineration, mechanical recycling, and chemical recycling scenarios have been considered as possible waste treatments for LCA analysis, and the expectations regarding the potential benefits from the recycling of aluminum and polyolefins from ELVs, for the Italian situation, have been discussed. Results confirm that innovative but still small-scale recycling plants, modeling mechanical and chemical recycling options, achieve the lowest impacts today due to the combination of material and energy recovery, with a consequent decrease in the residual amount of waste disposed of in landfill. As seen in these estimates, in terms of impact reducing benefits related to nonrenewable energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, ASR waste may represent an important input for secondary material production in the coming years. Also, a sustainable design of future vehicles, characterized by a reduction in the number of different materials employed and a growth of nonferrous metal use, will lead to greater economic and technical advantages for the mechanical separation activities followed by recycling processes. Lastly, the outcomes point to the need to consider both a LCA and ecodesign approaches for decision makers in waste management strategies, in order to properly handle factors which may affect future development or help organize a suitable exploitation of different treatment practices.

A novel covering approach to positioning ELV collection points

This paper presents modelling approach that could be used to establish one important part of reverse logistics networks for end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) by defining optimum locations for collection points. Determining location of collection points in ELV network usually includes existence of one or more allowable service distances between last owners and collection facilities, as well necessity of serving each of them. Namely, each vehicle owner can be considered as potential demand point in accordance to some predefined standards. Fact that the number of residents in urban areas is usually very large makes the location problem difficult to solve. To avoid such a large number of demand points, it is a common practice to aggregate them. This would mean to represent all vehicle owners from certain area as one demand location, which in turn may cause errors while configuring collection network. Also, existence of more than one allowable service distances creates additional service zones around collection facilities, which increases problem complexity. Therefore, to minimise aggregation errors, this research proposes approach to partition service zones into sub zones, i.e., subsets of demand locations. Sub zones are covered by one or more collection facilities and demand of each sub zone is proportional to the covered zone area. All of these modifications are incorporated into the novel formulation of maximal covering location problem. The proposed modelling approach is illustrated on Belgrade city area and obtained results confirmed that it can be used very efficiently to position ELV's collection facilities.

Design of Sustainable End-of-life Vehicle recovery network in Egypt

This paper presents the design of a sustainable recovery network for End-of-life Vehicles (ELVs) in Egypt. A lexicographic mixed integer goal programming approach is proposed for modelling the problem. The deliverables of the proposed mathematical model include: locations for the different facilities and the amount to be allocated to the different End of Life (EOL) options. LINGO® is used for solving the proposed model. The obtained results have been analyzed to elicit information about the design of the recovery network and the corresponding product-oriented legislation.

대만(臺灣)의 도시광산(都市鑛山) 재자원화산업(再資源化産業)

대만의 도시광산 재자원화산업을 파악, 검토하기 위하여 대만의 도시광산 재자원화산업의 배경과 역사, 자원회수기금관리위원회 제도를 논하고 구리를 위주로하는 비철금속의 재자원화산업, 자동차의 리싸이클링 및 전기로제강분진(EAF Dust) 분야를 중점적으로 조사하였다. 대만은 국토면적과 인구에 비해서 구리를 위시히여 전반적인 금속소비량이 많다. 따라서 도시광산지원이 많고, 도시광산재자원화산업이 활발하다. In order to review the recycling status of urban mine resources in Taiwan, background and history of recycling industries, system of the recovery fund management committee(RFMC), copper recycling with non-ferrous metals, recycling of ELV(end of life vehicles) and recycling of EAF dust were surveyed. Taiwan is a leading country of the world in the metal consumption per capita. Therefore, a lot of waste metals were generated. In other words, urban mine resources are abundant in Taiwan and have some advantages in recycling. There are more than thou-sand recycling plants in Taiwan. Half of them are non-ferrous metal recyclers.