Shredder Residue Research Articles

Recycling Polyurethane Materials to Improve Properties of Wood Composite Panels

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using polyurethane (PU) foam wastes obtained from automobile shredder residue (ASR) in wood composite panel (fiberboard) production. PU foam wastes from ASR were picked by hand, cleaned by water and acetone, grounded into powders of two sizes (60 mesh and 120 mesh), and dried to remove moisture. The PU powders were characterized by stereomicroscope and then partially replaced pMDI resin at percentages of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% (based on the weight of pMDI resin). The PU powders were mixed with wood fibers to make fiberboards. The results showed that the addition of PU powders increased both the physical and mechanical properties of fiberboards. At replacing percentages from 5% to 30%, the properties of fiberboards increased. However, further increase of replacing percentages (from 30% to 50%) resulted in lower properties of fiberboard. When observed at a magnification of 125 times by a stereomicroscope, PU powders of 60 mesh had more foam features while PU powders of 120 mesh had more particle features. The fiberboards bonded by pMDI resin and PU powders of 120 mesh had better water resistance and mechanical properties than those bonded by pMDI and PU powders of 60 mesh. The use of PU powders in fiberboard production provided a new possible way of recycling PU foam wastes. The fiberboard has advantages of formaldehyde-free, better water resistance, higher mechanical properties, and lower material cost.

Thermal destruction of HFC-134a in pilot-, and full-scale gasification systems

There is much interest in reducing hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions due to their high global-warming potential. Many treatment technologies have been developed, including the plasma, catalytic, and thermal destruction of waste HFCs. From an economic perspective, existing facilities should be capable of ensuring their destruction, without the addition of more energy or after-treatment systems. Here, a high-temperature thermal destruction method for HFC-134a from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) is presented at the pilot and full operating scales. The method involves reductive conditions in a laboratory-scale reactor and a gasification melting system. The destruction removal efficiency (DRE) increased as the reaction temperature and the normal stoichiometric ratio (NSR) increased in a laboratory-scale reactor. HFC-134a was completely destroyed at 950 °C, a residence time of 4 s, and NSR of 1.0–2.0. The optimum NSR was found to be 1.5 for this system. Based on FT-IR and GC-MS analysis, a removal efficiency of more than 99.99% was obtained in pilot and full-scale systems. HFC-134a was completely destroyed at the feed rates of 0.15, 0.375, 0.75, and 1.5 kg/h in a pilot-scale system. The atmospheric emissions, including dioxin, were shown to satisfy regulatory levels for the pilot and full-scale systems. This suggests that gasification-melting system can be useful tools for decomposition of HFCs and has the potential to be a practical process for the treatment of wastes from ELVs including not only the automobile shredder residue and but also refrigerants.

The role of CaO and its influence on chlorine during the thermochemical conversion of shredder residue

Different wastes are generated by the steel industry, among them the shredder residue (SR). The main source of chlorine in SR is the polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which makes the use of this residue in a thermochemical process a great challenge. In this context, the addition of CaO in the pyrolysis process can decrease the release of acid gases, especially HCl. The objective of this work was to evaluate the role of CaO and its influence on Chlorine during the thermochemical conversion of SR. A fixed-bed pyrolysis reactor was used and the following variables were evaluated using a 2k factorial design: temperature, heating rate, inert gas flow (N2) and CaO/SR ratio. The chlorine retention in char was higher in the experiments conducted in the presence of CaO. A decrease of the metals retention in char was verified in the experiments conducted with CaO for the following metals: Co, Cu, Cr, Fe, Ni and Zn. Through the removal of chlorine, it would be possible to conduct the pyrolysis process at higher temperatures, increasing its energy efficiency (EE). Therefore, the necessity to remove chlorine from SR before the pyrolysis process is evidenced, since from this the use of CaO would contribute to the EE increase and the metals retention in char, and consequently with the global desirability increase.

Applicability of the Energy Recovery in Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR) Recycling Facilities

Applicability of the Energy Recovery in Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR) Recycling Facilities

Valorization of Automobile Shredder Residue Using Indirect Gasification

Dual fluidized bed (DFB) gasification offers the possibility to convert solid fuels into a valuable gas, comprised of syngas, and hydrocarbons that can be readily handled in petrochemical units. DFB gasifiers are especially suitable for nonhomogeneous fuels, such as waste fractions. In this work, the possibility to use DFB gasification as a recycling/valorization method of automobile shredder residue is investigated. The gasification tests were carried out in the Chalmers 2–4 MWth gasifier over 4 days. The effects of ash on the gas and tar compositions, as well as on the activity of the bed inventory, were evaluated. The results show that 60% of the total carbon in the fuel can be recovered in the form of a permanent gas, whereby the produced gas contains 12%mol of C2–3 hydrocarbons. The tar levels measured in the produced gas were high, although it was clear that decomposition into monomer-like compounds occurred in the reactor, which resulted in the production of valuable petrochemical compounds, corresponding to 8–9% of the carbon in the feed. Using a higher operating temperature was found to be beneficial in terms of obtaining a higher gas yield, regardless of the level of ash enrichment in the system. The high ash levels in the fuel feed did not negatively affect the technical operation of the fluidized bed. Possible routes of carbon recovery are discussed.

Electrostatic Separation of Copper and Glass Particles in Pretreated Automobile Shredder Residue

There is increasing demand for an efficient technique for separating automobile shredder residue (ASR) obtained from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs). A particular challenge is the physical separation of conductive materials from glass. In this study, the performance of pretreatment and induction electrostatic separation process was evaluated. The results show that a sieving/washing (combination of sieving and washing) pretreatment was the most effective for removing conductive material compared to electrostatic separation alone. The optimum separation efficiency of copper products was achieved with an applied voltage of 20 kV, a relative humidity of less than 35%, and a splitter position of 8 cm. Although the separation efficiency was slightly reduced when some small glass particles remained attached to the conductive materials, the separation efficiency of copper from the pretreated ASR dramatically increased to 83.1% grade and 90.4% recovery, compared to that of raw ASR (34.3% grade and 58.6% recovery). Based on these results, it was demonstrated that the proposed sieving/washing pretreatment was proficient at removing conductive materials from glass; thus, it has the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of electrostatic separation for ASR.

Preparation of composites based on recycled polypropylene and automotive shredder residue

AbstractIn past research, mechanical recycling of automotive shredder residue (ASR) has led to serious deterioration of material performance, and real‐scale application in this way still remains a challenge. Here, we report a sustainable approach called solid‐state shear milling (SSSM) for the production of high‐performance polypropylene (PP)/ASR composites with robust mechanical performance on a commercial scale. After the SSSM process, the obtained 50/50 wt% PP/ASR composite exhibited a 41.3% increase in tensile strength, 32.9% increase in flexural strength and 55.0% increase in impact toughness when compared with corresponding composites made by traditional direct melt blending. In particular, the toughness of the material can be improved by further addition of PP grafted with maleic anhydride with toughness comparable to that of recycled PP, and a 325% increase in toughness can be obtained with addition of styrene–butadiene–styrene block copolymer grafted with maleic anhydride. This PP/ASR composite shows good processability and high thermal stability, and meets the requirements of many applications for nonstructural products. The approach presented in this paper highlights a novel technique for ASR recycling. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry

Feasibility Study on S-Band Microwave Radiation and 3D-Thermal Infrared Imaging Sensor-Aided Recognition of Polymer Materials from End-of-Life Vehicles.

With the increase the worldwide consumption of vehicles, end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) have kept rapidly increasing in the last two decades. Metallic parts and materials of ELVs can be easily reused and recycled, but the automobile shredder residues (ASRs), of which elastomer and plastic materials make up the vast majority, are difficult to recycle. ASRs are classified as hazardous materials in the main industrial countries, and are required to be materially recycled up to 85–95% by mass until 2020. However, there is neither sufficient theoretical nor practical experience for sorting ASR polymers. In this research, we provide a novel method by using S-Band microwave irradiation together with 3D scanning as well as infrared thermal imaging sensors for the recognition and sorting of typical plastics and elastomers from the ASR mixture. In this study, an industrial magnetron array with 2.45 GHz irradiation was utilized as the microwave source. Seven kinds of ELV polymer (PVC, ABS, PP, EPDM, NBR, CR, and SBR) crushed scrap residues were tested. After specific power microwave irradiation for a certain time, the tested polymer materials were heated up to different extents corresponding to their respective sensitivities to microwave irradiation. Due to the variations in polymer chemical structure and additive agents, polymers have different sensitivities to microwave radiation, which leads to differences in temperature rises. The differences of temperature increase were obtained by a thermal infrared sensor, and the position and geometrical features of the tested scraps were acquired by a 3D imaging sensor. With this information, the scrap material could be recognized and then sorted. The results showed that this method was effective when the tested polymer materials were heated up to more than 30 °C. For full recognition of the tested polymer scraps, the minimum temperature variations of 5 °C and 10.5 °C for plastics and elastomers were needed, respectively. The sorting efficiency was independent of particle sizes but depended on the power and time of the microwave irradiation. Generally, more than 75% (mass) of the tested polymer materials could be successfully recognized and sorted under an irradiation power of 3 kW. Plastics were much more insensitive to microwave irradiation than elastomers. With this method, the tested mixture of the plastic group (PVC, ABS, PP) and the mixture of elastomer group (EPDM, NBR, CR, and SBR) could be fully separated with an efficiency of 100%.

Advances in Direct Recycling of Lithium-Ion Electrode Materials

This paper describes performance capabilities of nickel-rich LiNixMnyCozO2 lithium-ion chemistries after Direct Recycling, which is a method to reinstate structure/property relationships in worn/failed electrodes. It includes comparative analyses of treated NMCs (T-NMCs) and pristine NMCs after Direct Recycling. The vertical integration of Direct Recycling into battery manufacturing will significantly reduce material costs and address long term economic sustainability for the battery industry. Current lithium-ion cathode production exceeds $2B. Market projections indicate this will top $7.3B by 2025 [1]. Recycling does not significantly contribute to cathode production; but a modest use of 5% recycled cathode by 2025 has a potential value in excess of $370M. Challenges for lithium-ion recycling include: (1) Fees for end-of-life recycling or disposition. (2) Loss of critical material in low recycling yields. (3) Low grade material from recycling. Hydrometallurgic or pyrometallurgic refining technologies are the main approaches for recycling; these aim for cobalt and nickel recovery. The energy investment in original manufacturing of cathode structures is lost with these processes. On the other hand, Direct Recycling offers a feasible way to conserve that energy-input independently of cobalt/nickel content [2-3]. Other workers have developed Direct Recycling using painstaking stoichiometric methods to reinstate lithium-metal-oxide ratios [4]. OnTo’s processes refurbish the cathode materials, using simple methods without extensive elemental analyses; examples include reintroduction of lithium into spent electrode materials taught in US patents referenced below [5-6]. These methods also remove trace metals from >75ppm to 12ppm. Such high purity has the potential to improve performance of reclaimed material over original (i.e. longer cycle life). Direct Recycled, EV grade NMC electrodes (R-NMC) demonstrate 2,500 cycles, low self-discharge and performance equal to original NMC; with a cost of 1/3rd of the original manufacture. Processing spent batteries includes production of shredder residue (sometime referred to as black-mass in the recycling industry). Separation of solid oxide electrode materials from binders, carbon black and graphite is a feature that is a simultaneous part of Direct Recycling. Aqueous methods can be used in these process. One challenge is the dissolution of metals from the oxide particles. This paper demonstrates the control/minimization of dissolution while improving the lithium capacity in the (used) lattice system. This paper outlines Direct Recycle feasibility on a suite of lithium-ion chemistries including nickel rich NMC, spinel lithium manganese oxide (LMO) mixed with NMC, lithium-iron phosphate (LFP), and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) from early prototypical formulations to the modern, high capacity versions. This work investigates Direct Recycling on NMC and T-NMCs. New samples of each electrode were allowed to stand in air to degrade capacity. As a result of Direct Recycle processing, the specific capacity of T-NMC rebounded from 140 to 175mAh/g; while similarly processed uncoated NMC rebounded from 90 to 140 mAh/g. These processes are designed to address failure mechanisms exhibited during life cycling and storage of NMC chemistries, such as the Ni2+ accumulation in the surface regions of electrodes. One feature is they oxidize surface nickel ions as shown in the comparison (below) of used and treated electrode particles with XPS. Specifically, the Ni 3p signal diminishes indicating the drop in concentration of Ni2+ at the particle surface after processing. References Pillot, C. Proceedings of The International Battery Seminar and Exhibit IBSE 2015 Ft. Lauderdale, FL March 16, 2015.Dunn, J.B.; Gaines, L. ; Sullivan, J.; Wang, M.Q. Environ. Sci. Technol. “Impact of recycling on cradle-to-gate energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of automotive lithium-ion batteries” 46 (22), 12704-12710, (2012)Gaines, L. Sloop, S.; “EV Battery Recycling Technology: Challenges and Opportunities” IBSE 2016 Ft. Lauderdale, FL, March 21, 2016.Mathew, S.; Menon, K.; Scordilis-Kelly, C.; Saidi M.Y. “Method for Recovering Particulate Material from Electrical Components” U. S. Patent # 6,150,050.Sloop, S. “Reintroduction of lithium into recycled battery materials” U. S. Patent # 8,846,225.Sloop, S. “Reintroduction of lithium into recycled battery materials” U.S. Patent # 9,287,552 Keywords: lithium-ion manufacture; recycle; critical materials; direct recycling; atomic layer deposition; failure modes. Figure 1

Investigation on the low-temperature pyrolysis of automotive shredder residue (ASR) for energy recovery and metal recycling

The automotive shredder residue (ASR) or shredder light fraction (SLF) is the remaining fraction from the metal recovery of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs). While processes for metal recovery from ELVs are well developed, the similar process for ASR remains a challenge. In this work, low-temperature pyrolysis of the ASR fraction was investigated under the assumption that a low temperature and inert environment would enhance the metal recovery, i.e. the metals would not be further oxidised from their original state and the organic material could be separated from the metals in the form of volatiles and char. Pyrolysis experiments were performed in a tube reactor operating at 300, 400 and 500 °C. The gas and oil obtained by pyrolysis were analysed by micro-GC (micro-Gas Chromatography) and GC/MS (Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry), respectively. It was found that the gas produced contained a high amount of CO2, limiting the energy recovery from this fraction. The oil consisted of a high concentration of phenolic and aromatic compounds. The solid residue was crushed and fractionated into different particle sizes for further characterization. The pyrolysis temperature of 300 °C was found to be insufficient for metal liberation, while the char was easier to crush at tested temperature of 400 and 500 °C. The intermediate temperature of 400 °C is then suggested for the process to keep the energy consumption low.

Factorial design application to evaluate thermochemical conversion of shredder residues

Abstract Among the different wastes generated by steel industry, there is the shredder residue (SR). SR is a highly heterogeneous mixture, which is most commonly destined to a landfill of industrial waste by the Brazilian steel industry. Considering the high variation of its composition, the use of statistical tools is recommended to obtain consistent data. Pyrolysis can be considered a solution to dispose of this residue. This work aimed at evaluating the SR pyrolysis process using a 2k factorial design. The following variables were investigated: temperature, heating rate, inert gas (N2) flow rate, and CaO/SR ratio. Lower heating rate resulted in higher non-condensable gas yields (>50% w/w). CaO was efficient for CO2 capture in non-condensable gas, thus increasing calorific value. Higher heating rate resulted in higher condensable vapor yields, and the main compound found in this stream was styrene. The thermochemical conversion process, through pyrolysis, presented high potential for SR reuse rather than the disposal in landfills.

Sustainable recovery of precious metals from end-of-life vehicles shredder residue by a novel hybrid ball-milling and nanoparticles enabled froth flotation process

It is hereby reported a simple, effective and sustainable method for the recovery of precious metals from end-of-life vehicle shredder residue and/or automobile shredder residue based on a hybrid ball-milling and microbubble froth flotation process. A ball-milling treatment of automobile shredder residue along a mixture of Fe/Ca/CaO nanoparticles had as main result the entrapment of precious metals and in subsidiary an improvement of the floatability of the various size fraction particles (1.0, 0.425, and 0.25 mm, respectively). Therefore, a separation of the settled fraction (poor in precious metals) and the floating fraction yielded a recovery of approximately 83–89% precious metals in the latter. Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy maps of gold (Au), silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), Iridium (Ir), and copper (Cu) confirmed that result.

Improvement of Separation Efficiency of Automobile Shredder Residue by Pre-treatment and Electrostatic Separation

Improvement of Separation Efficiency of Automobile Shredder Residue by Pre-treatment and Electrostatic Separation

Recycling of automotive shredder residue by solid state shear milling technology

The main compositions in automotive shredder residue (ASR) were polymers, up to about 70wt%, which is difficult to be separated and classified. In this work, ultrafine ASR powders was prepared through a mechanochemical technology called solid state shear milling (S3M) and the melt blending process was further applied to produce value-added polypropylene (PP) composites. Both optical and electron microscopy revealed the excellent dispersion and in-situ compatibilization of ASR were achieved in the PP/ASR composites. After S3M treatment the tensile strength, elongation at break and charpy notched impact strength of PP/ASR composites were increased by 39%, 285% and 50%, respectively. Moreover, the mechanical properties of the composites were even superior to those with addition of PP-g-MAH (a commercial compatibilizer). The ASR recycling strategy proposed here is simple, low cost, efficient and green, exhibiting great potential for fabricating non-structural products used in the realms of container for waste, plastic garbage bags and the road stone.

Thiomer solidification of an ASR bottom ash: Optimization based on compressive strength and the characterization of heavy metal leaching

This study examines the function of Thiomer solidification as a novel environment friendly construction material and its immobilization capacity over heavy metals in the automotive shredder residue (ASR) bottom ash. The morphology of the mixture using a field emission-scanning electron microscopy consistently illustrated the effective bonding between Thiomer and sand towards ASR bottom ash due to acting as fillers to reduce the gaps in its surface during Thiomer solidification. A D-optimal mixture design was further utilized in order to evaluate and optimize the parameters of Thiomer (25–35 wt%), ASR bottom ash (30–45 wt%) and sand (30–40 wt%) on the response of compressive strength. Result showed that optimum compressive strength of 55.9 MPa can be attained at 33.6, 36.4 and 30.0 wt% of Thiomer, ASR bottom ash and sand, respectively. The solidified Thiomer specimen showed superior structural strength over ordinary Portland cement concrete at curing time of 1 and 7 days. Furthermore, a mean heavy metal concentrations of 0.055 ppm Cu2+, 0.105 ppm Zn2+, 0.045 ppm Pb2+, 0.078 ppm Cr6+ and 0.002 ppm Cd2+ were achieved at various mixture designs in the heavy metal immobilization which satisfies stringent environmental standards. Thus, the application of Thiomer proves to be a promising construction material that can pose as an alternative over common cement due to promoting high durability and being eco-friendly.

Potential degradation of hazardous dye Congo red by nano-metallic particles synthesized from the automobile shredder residue

This study was carried out on the degradation of Congo red (CR) in an aqueous solution by nano-metallic particles (NMPs). The NMPs were synthesized from the leachate of automobile shredder residue. Scanning electron microscopy was performed to analyze the morphology of particles. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was also done to demonstrate the possibility and changes of various functional groups before and after the reaction of NMPs. The effect of the dosages of NMPs, pH values of solution, concentrations of CR and H2O2 on CR degradation was studied. The results of the present study confirm that the CR degradation rate was improved by increasing the dosages of NMPs and H2O2 up to certain limit and then reduced gradually. However, degradation rate was reduced by raising the pH values and concentration of CR. The pseudo-second-order kinetics was found to be suitable for the degradation of CR by NMPs under Fenton-like process.

Characterization and Production of Fuel Briquettes Made from Biomass and Plastic Wastes

In this study, the physical properties of briquettes produced from two different biomass feedstocks (sawdust and date palm trunk) and different plastic wastes, without using any external binding agent, were investigated. The biomass feedstocks were blended with different ratios of two waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) plastics (halogen-free wire and printed circuit boards (PCBs)) and automotive shredder residues (ASR). The briquettes production is studied at different waste proportions (10–30%), pressures (22–67 MPa) and temperatures (room–130 °C). Physical properties as density and durability rating were measured, usually increasing with temperature. Palm trunk gave better results than sawdust in most cases, due to its moisture content and the extremely fine particles that are easily obtained.

Study on Impact Acoustic-Visual Sensor-Based Sorting of ELV Plastic Materials.

This paper concentrates on a study of a novel multi-sensor aided method by using acoustic and visual sensors for detection, recognition and separation of End-of Life vehicles’ (ELVs) plastic materials, in order to optimize the recycling rate of automotive shredder residues (ASRs). Sensor-based sorting technologies have been utilized for material recycling for the last two decades. One of the problems still remaining results from black and dark dyed plastics which are very difficult to recognize using visual sensors. In this paper a new multi-sensor technology for black plastic recognition and sorting by using impact resonant acoustic emissions (AEs) and laser triangulation scanning was introduced. A pilot sorting system which consists of a 3-dimensional visual sensor and an acoustic sensor was also established; two kinds commonly used vehicle plastics, polypropylene (PP) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and two kinds of modified vehicle plastics, polypropylene/ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer (PP-EPDM) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene/polycarbonate (ABS-PC) were tested. In this study the geometrical features of tested plastic scraps were measured by the visual sensor, and their corresponding impact acoustic emission (AE) signals were acquired by the acoustic sensor. The signal processing and feature extraction of visual data as well as acoustic signals were realized by virtual instruments. Impact acoustic features were recognized by using FFT based power spectral density analysis. The results shows that the characteristics of the tested PP and ABS plastics were totally different, but similar to their respective modified materials. The probability of scrap material recognition rate, i.e., the theoretical sorting efficiency between PP and PP-EPDM, could reach about 50%, and between ABS and ABS-PC it could reach about 75% with diameters ranging from 14 mm to 23 mm, and with exclusion of abnormal impacts, the actual separation rates were 39.2% for PP, 41.4% for PP/EPDM scraps as well as 62.4% for ABS, and 70.8% for ABS/PC scraps. Within the diameter range of 8-13 mm, only 25% of PP and 27% of PP/EPDM scraps, as well as 43% of ABS, and 47% of ABS/PC scraps were finally separated. This research proposes a new approach for sensor-aided automatic recognition and sorting of black plastic materials, it is an effective method for ASR reduction and recycling.

Thermocatalytic Conversion of Automotive Shredder Waste and Formation of Nanocarbons as a Process Byproduct

Thermocatalytic conversion of plastic wastes using titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a novel and promising approach for waste management and sustainable production of materials. In this approach, the heat-treatment of a mixture of plastic waste and TiO2 at elevated temperatures helps to achieve fast and complete decomposition and offers several advanced byproducts. In this study, the different physicochemical interactions between TiO2 and an industrial plastic waste (i.e., automotive shredder residue, ASR) at elevated temperatures were investigated. The nonisothermal degradation kinetics of ASR, with and without TiO2, were calculated from the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and results confirmed that the TiO2 influences and catalyzes the degradation of ASR. The analysis of the resulting gas showed that the TiO2 limits the formation of CO2 gas, which is considered an unfavorable product of thermal processes, without changing the quality of the hydrocarbons (i.e., oils) generated during the heat treatment of ASR. While ASR decomposes, TiO2 transforms into value-added Ti-based ceramics; this transformation generates a high yield of CO that can be collected for commercial purposes. In addition, TiO2 led to the formation of considerable quantities of onion-like carbon nanoparticles (OLC-NPs) from the gas phase; this product was characterized and its formation mechanism was discussed.

Challenges around automotive shredder residue production and disposal

The challenge for the automotive industry is how to ensure they adopt the circular economy when it comes to the disposal of end-of-life vehicles (ELV). According to the European Commission the UK achieved a total reuse and recovery rate of 88%. This is short of the revised ELV directive target of 95% materials recovery, which requires a minimum of 85% of materials to be recycled or reused. A significant component of the recycling process is the production of automotive shredder residue (ASR). This is currently landfilled across Europe. The additional 10% could be met by processing ASR through either waste-to-energy facilities or Post shredder technology (PST) to recover materials. The UK auto and recycling sectors claimed there would need to be a massive investment by their members in both new capacity and new technology for PST to recover additional recycle materials. It has been shown that 50% of the ASR contains valuable recoverable materials which could be used to meet the Directive target. It is expected in the next 5years that technological innovation in car design will change the composition from easily recoverable metal to difficult polymers. This change in composition will impact on the current drive to integrate the European Circular Economy Package. A positive factor is that main driver for using ASR is coming from the metals recycling industry itself. They are looking to develop the infrastructure for energy generation from ASR and subsequent material recovery. This is driven by the economics of the process rather than meeting the Directive targets. The study undertaken has identified potential pathways and barriers for commercial thermal treatment of ASR. The results of ASR characterisation were used to assess commercial plants from around the world. Whilst there were many claiming that processing of ASR was possible none have so far shown both the technological capability and economic justification.