When people think of innovative green companies, they may not immediately think of the automotive industry, but auto manufacturers have been designing with end-of-life in mind for decades.
“Cars have been recycled for a very long time,” notes Dan Adsit, manager of vehicle environmental engineering for Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Mich. “We are very aware of what materials we use and how to bring them back at the end of a vehicle's life.”
Ford has strict requirements for recyclability in vehicle designs that starts at the drawing board and cascades across the development process. From using recycled materials in new vehicles and minimizing the use of restricted substances, to establishing processes and networks to dismantle, sort and repurpose up to 95 percent of any vehicle at the end of life, the auto industry has gotten end-of-life strategies down to a science.
And a big part of its success is industry members' willingness to collaborate with the competition.
“We believe that collaboration is the way to get things done,” says Claudia Duranceau senior research recycling engineer at Ford. “It allows us to be proactive, to work together to phase out materials, and to make sure we don't duplicate our efforts.”
Even in such a competitive market, all of the players in this industry agree that when it comes to end-of-life processes, there is more money to be made working together rather than apart. And the auto manufacturers benefit from being able to reclaim those materials for use in future vehicles.
“When we recycle cars, you can't tell where the material came from,” says Duranceau.
Ford works with the other major automotive players and regulators to help develop networks of dismantlers and to define processes for removing fluids, collecting and redistributing all of valuable materials, and shredding what remains for use as landfill covers to reduce dust and vermin.
Adsit notes that end-of-life dismantling services are privately-owned, not by auto manufacturers, but by independent entrepreneurs. Ford encourages these entrepreneurs and helps get them off the ground in order to build a stronger network and improve the efficiency of the material collection process.
“There is inherent value in any material, but you have to have enough quality in the same place to run an efficient recycling process,” Adsit points out. “In the automotive industry, we all have the same end-of-life issues with our products. When we all get together and pool our resources to deal with those materials, we get the biggest bang for our buck.”
Monday, December 15, 2008
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
China to establish auto recycling policy
In April 2008, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited an automobile recycling facility in Nagoya, Japan, and was surprised when he saw the highly developed industry of automotive recycling which is far ahead of that in China. On July 24, he announced that China will undertake reform of its existing auto recycling industry to build a modern recycling economy in the automotive industry.
In August, the Chinese Commercial Department held a meeting to consider measures for the development of the automobile (end-of-life-vehicle) recycling industry. Participants in the meeting were the National Development and Reform Commissions, Environment Protection Department, Industry and Commerce Department, Tax Office, China National Resources Recycling Association, major carmakers, and waste collection companies. Under this background, the China Nonferrous Metal News interviewed Mr. Jian Min Liu, Chairman of the China National Resources Recycling Association. He analyzed the issues for the existing auto recycling industry as follows:
"One of the barriers for the development of the industry is a lack of management capability on the part of the authorities," he said.
“Under the planned economy in the past in China, ELV recycling has been supervised and managed by two sectors. One is the resources collecting companies and the other is the sales cooperation system under the auspices of the Commercial Department. In the past, resources collecting companies had the right to distribute used steel and nonferrous materials and thus the two sectors have been opposed to each other. That disunity of management was still seen even after the country entered the market-driven economy. At present, the Construction Bureau of the Commercial Department manages the collection of ELVs, while the Environment and Resources Bureau of the Development and Reform Commissions monitors the remanufacture of auto-parts. And the Environment Protection Bureau joins the administrative work for that matter. In addition, the Information and Industrial Department and General Utilization Bureau were newly appointed as the management arms of ELVs. Will the disunity of management help development?"
Moreover, the Construction Bureau of the Commercial Department, which manages the collection of ELVs, is also responsible for the management of the new and used vehicle market. Today, a huge number of vehicles are already used across the country and 4 million ELVs are generated every year. It is necessary to build a strong and unified management to cover such a wide market. In order to develop the automobile recycling industry, we need to resolve the lack of management capability."
--China Nonferrous Metal News October 18 issue
In August, the Chinese Commercial Department held a meeting to consider measures for the development of the automobile (end-of-life-vehicle) recycling industry. Participants in the meeting were the National Development and Reform Commissions, Environment Protection Department, Industry and Commerce Department, Tax Office, China National Resources Recycling Association, major carmakers, and waste collection companies. Under this background, the China Nonferrous Metal News interviewed Mr. Jian Min Liu, Chairman of the China National Resources Recycling Association. He analyzed the issues for the existing auto recycling industry as follows:
"One of the barriers for the development of the industry is a lack of management capability on the part of the authorities," he said.
“Under the planned economy in the past in China, ELV recycling has been supervised and managed by two sectors. One is the resources collecting companies and the other is the sales cooperation system under the auspices of the Commercial Department. In the past, resources collecting companies had the right to distribute used steel and nonferrous materials and thus the two sectors have been opposed to each other. That disunity of management was still seen even after the country entered the market-driven economy. At present, the Construction Bureau of the Commercial Department manages the collection of ELVs, while the Environment and Resources Bureau of the Development and Reform Commissions monitors the remanufacture of auto-parts. And the Environment Protection Bureau joins the administrative work for that matter. In addition, the Information and Industrial Department and General Utilization Bureau were newly appointed as the management arms of ELVs. Will the disunity of management help development?"
Moreover, the Construction Bureau of the Commercial Department, which manages the collection of ELVs, is also responsible for the management of the new and used vehicle market. Today, a huge number of vehicles are already used across the country and 4 million ELVs are generated every year. It is necessary to build a strong and unified management to cover such a wide market. In order to develop the automobile recycling industry, we need to resolve the lack of management capability."
--China Nonferrous Metal News October 18 issue
The 1st Asian Automotive Environmental Forum held in Korea
The 1st Asian Automotive Environmental Forum was successfully held in Seoul, Korea, attended by about 15 representatives of carmakers, government organizations responsible for the environment, universities and automobile recyclers in China, Korea and Japan. The international forum ended with fruitful results through in-depth discussions, while it showed greater differences among the three countries, the Daily Automotive News Shinichi Aoyama reported.
Korea to raise recycling rate to 95% in 2015
Korea is currently seeing about 500,000 end-of-life-vehicles (ELVs) annually. That figure is expected to increase to 740,000 units in 2010. Under the automobile recycling law, the Korean authorities will raise the recycling rate from its original target of 85% for 2015 to 95%.
China eyes competitiveness in the global market
China has also been preparing for the launch of its automobile recycling law. Chinese representatives seem to have much interest in how strict automotive regulations which developed countries promote have an impact on the Chinese automotive industry, rather than tackling issues for processing ELVs in China. At present, China is focusing heavily on how to raise the competitiveness of its domestic industry in the world market. This is a similar situation to the move that Japan took in the early 1970s, when Japan made much effort to respond to the U.S. air pollution act so as to secure export business, at the same time it began to see issues for ELV processing at home.
China, Korea watch EU’s move in regard to environmental regulations
Both China and Korea are cautiously focusing on the environmental regulations taken by the EU. Japanese representatives made a report on the framework and current status of the Automobile Recycling Law which was introduced in 2005. The law, which focuses in a limited way on the processing of airbags, Freon gas and shredder dust (ASR), does not represent the standard rule in the world market.
Meanwhile, Japanese recycling technology has been developing. In recent years, many persons from China and Korea have visited Japan to see dismantling facilities and auto-parts recycling firms in Japan.
China questions about Japan and Korea about used car exports
In a panel discussion held on the first day, a Chinese representative asked if Japan and Korea aim to place responsibility for ELV processing on third countries by exporting used vehicles. A Korean representative answered, “It is a difficult issue but we need to resolve it by talking about it together.”
Everyone encounters the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in discussing issues for the environment.
The automotive recycling industry in Asia is coming to the point where they think about auto recycling on a global basis. Amid growing concerns of the environmental conser-
vation in the world, the three countries need to join forces as the center of the Asian market. The next forum is scheduled to take place in Japan in 2009.
--Daily Automotive News November 12, 2008
Korea to raise recycling rate to 95% in 2015
Korea is currently seeing about 500,000 end-of-life-vehicles (ELVs) annually. That figure is expected to increase to 740,000 units in 2010. Under the automobile recycling law, the Korean authorities will raise the recycling rate from its original target of 85% for 2015 to 95%.
China eyes competitiveness in the global market
China has also been preparing for the launch of its automobile recycling law. Chinese representatives seem to have much interest in how strict automotive regulations which developed countries promote have an impact on the Chinese automotive industry, rather than tackling issues for processing ELVs in China. At present, China is focusing heavily on how to raise the competitiveness of its domestic industry in the world market. This is a similar situation to the move that Japan took in the early 1970s, when Japan made much effort to respond to the U.S. air pollution act so as to secure export business, at the same time it began to see issues for ELV processing at home.
China, Korea watch EU’s move in regard to environmental regulations
Both China and Korea are cautiously focusing on the environmental regulations taken by the EU. Japanese representatives made a report on the framework and current status of the Automobile Recycling Law which was introduced in 2005. The law, which focuses in a limited way on the processing of airbags, Freon gas and shredder dust (ASR), does not represent the standard rule in the world market.
Meanwhile, Japanese recycling technology has been developing. In recent years, many persons from China and Korea have visited Japan to see dismantling facilities and auto-parts recycling firms in Japan.
China questions about Japan and Korea about used car exports
In a panel discussion held on the first day, a Chinese representative asked if Japan and Korea aim to place responsibility for ELV processing on third countries by exporting used vehicles. A Korean representative answered, “It is a difficult issue but we need to resolve it by talking about it together.”
Everyone encounters the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in discussing issues for the environment.
The automotive recycling industry in Asia is coming to the point where they think about auto recycling on a global basis. Amid growing concerns of the environmental conser-
vation in the world, the three countries need to join forces as the center of the Asian market. The next forum is scheduled to take place in Japan in 2009.
--Daily Automotive News November 12, 2008
Monday, December 01, 2008
Setting the Standard: Certification and standards programs will identify vehicle recyclers that consistently act in a responsible manner
The National Scrappage Program, announced in the 2007 budget and slowly coming to fruition, offers the recycling industry an opportunity to define the practices and procedures of a professional auto recycler.
As an element of the scrappage program, Environment Canada wants a Code of Practice to ensure that recyclers participating in the program meet a certain minimum standard.
The national industry association, Automotive Recyclers of Canada, has been instrumental in developing the Code of Practice. Executive director Steve Fletcher says it has been a challenge to develop a national code because most regulation of auto parts recyclers happens at a provincial or even municipal level. As such, the Code of Practice will focus on proper stewardship of waste by-products of the auto recycling process.
The Code will likely contain stipulations for handling and disposal of items such as antifreeze, batteries, fuel, oil, and CFCs. Fletcher also believes the Code will contain suggested best practices and educational material.
"This is an opportunity for the industry to gain something tangible and structural, that will last beyond the scrappage program," he says. "The Code of Practice helps us to quantify what we do."
Too few staff, vehicles
Of more day-to-day concern to the recycling industry is the shortage of available vehicles for parts inventory, and the difficulty of finding qualified employees. "Staffing is an enormous issue out west," says Fletcher. "They can't find enough competent staff."
Access to cars from which recyclers can salvage parts is also difficult right now. "Too much of the vehicle supply is leaking out through unlicensed buyers and the underground economy," he explains. "We try to get vehicles to come through the recycler stream, but...."
With the current high price of steel, recyclers are turning more toward selling scrap metal. "[Scrap] is much more of a business in our industry than it used to be. It's filling in the gap left by decreasing parts sales."
Fletcher is concerned, however, that a sustained drop in the price offered for scrap metal will cause a shakeout in the industry.
At the same time, recyclers are adapting to of selling on the internet. Car-Part.com, an online resource for finding recycled auto parts, now lists 100 million parts from 3100 recyclers in North America. About half of these body parts are graded with standard ARA part grading.
"We're thrilled that so many recyclers are now including part grading information with the inventory they upload. This will make it easier and faster for their customers to find the parts they need with accurate descriptions and clear information," says Jeff Schroder, president of Car-Part.com.
Likewise, the Code of Practice will make it easier to find a qualified recycler. However, the federal election could throw a wrench into the development of the Code by slowing down interactions between ARC and Environment Canada. Prior to the election call, the goal was to have the national scrappage program and the Code of Practice operating by Jan. 1, 2009.
http://www.bodyshopbiz.com/Issues/ISarticle.asp?id=204277&story_id=818660140726&issue=10012008&PC=
As an element of the scrappage program, Environment Canada wants a Code of Practice to ensure that recyclers participating in the program meet a certain minimum standard.
The national industry association, Automotive Recyclers of Canada, has been instrumental in developing the Code of Practice. Executive director Steve Fletcher says it has been a challenge to develop a national code because most regulation of auto parts recyclers happens at a provincial or even municipal level. As such, the Code of Practice will focus on proper stewardship of waste by-products of the auto recycling process.
The Code will likely contain stipulations for handling and disposal of items such as antifreeze, batteries, fuel, oil, and CFCs. Fletcher also believes the Code will contain suggested best practices and educational material.
"This is an opportunity for the industry to gain something tangible and structural, that will last beyond the scrappage program," he says. "The Code of Practice helps us to quantify what we do."
Too few staff, vehicles
Of more day-to-day concern to the recycling industry is the shortage of available vehicles for parts inventory, and the difficulty of finding qualified employees. "Staffing is an enormous issue out west," says Fletcher. "They can't find enough competent staff."
Access to cars from which recyclers can salvage parts is also difficult right now. "Too much of the vehicle supply is leaking out through unlicensed buyers and the underground economy," he explains. "We try to get vehicles to come through the recycler stream, but...."
With the current high price of steel, recyclers are turning more toward selling scrap metal. "[Scrap] is much more of a business in our industry than it used to be. It's filling in the gap left by decreasing parts sales."
Fletcher is concerned, however, that a sustained drop in the price offered for scrap metal will cause a shakeout in the industry.
At the same time, recyclers are adapting to of selling on the internet. Car-Part.com, an online resource for finding recycled auto parts, now lists 100 million parts from 3100 recyclers in North America. About half of these body parts are graded with standard ARA part grading.
"We're thrilled that so many recyclers are now including part grading information with the inventory they upload. This will make it easier and faster for their customers to find the parts they need with accurate descriptions and clear information," says Jeff Schroder, president of Car-Part.com.
Likewise, the Code of Practice will make it easier to find a qualified recycler. However, the federal election could throw a wrench into the development of the Code by slowing down interactions between ARC and Environment Canada. Prior to the election call, the goal was to have the national scrappage program and the Code of Practice operating by Jan. 1, 2009.
http://www.bodyshopbiz.com/Issues/ISarticle.asp?id=204277&story_id=818660140726&issue=10012008&PC=
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Auto shredder residue recycling researched
Automobile recyclers have long wondered what to do with shredder residue, the leftover material that remains after shredding vehicles and recovering the metals.
If research that is underway at Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, Illinois is commercialized, two potential options for the nation’s shredder residue would include turning foam into carpet padding and transforming the plastics into battery trays.
“Up to 60 percent of the residue can be recovered as usable materials,” said Bassam Jody, group leader of the energy systems division at the research lab.
With most of the shredder residue currently sent to landfills, the United States generates around 5 million tons of the leftover material annually, Jody estimates. About 30 percent of the material, by weight, is polymers and 10 percent is residual metals.
Argonne, funded by the United States Department of Energy, has spent around $5 million to develop the process to recycle the residue, Jody estimates. Although the basic concept was developed more than 15 years ago, the last 5 years have been used to develop a pilot plant to demonstrate that the recycling system works, Jody said.
“Based on this work, we are now preparing a full-scale process design and cost estimate as a possible next step in achieving commercialization of the technology.”
The separation system is a continuous dry process that separates the shredder residue – a mixture of polymers, wood, glass, residual metals, rocks, sand and dirt.
After removing any oversized material to protect the equipment, the residue is conveyed to a shredder to further reduce the size. The residue is then conveyed to a trommel to separate the bits and pieces. A magnetic separation chamber recovers the ferrous metals and an eddy current separator recovers the non-ferrous metals.
The resulting material contains more than 90 percent of the recycled polymers originally present in the shredder residue, Jody said. By weight, about 80 percent of this fraction is polymers and contains more than two dozen different types of polymers.
Since most of these polymers are not compatible with each other, the second part of the process uses a wet flotation system that separates the polymers by selectively floating or sinking the polymers.
Recycling the polymers and residual metals in the 5 million tons of shredder residue produced annually would save the equivalent of 24 million barrels of oil a year and would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 12 million tons, Jody estimates.
Some of the shredder residue still ends up in a landfill, however. After all the recyclables are recovered from the shredder residue during the process, the remaining material – including dirt, glass, sand and other in-organics – is sent to a landfill.
“Shredder residue is one of the leading problematic materials resulting from the recycling process,” said Charles Ossenkop, chair of the technical advisory committee for the Automotive Recyclers Association. The committee monitors recycling issues related to automotive design, material usage and recycling techniques for the trade group.
Ossenkop said the trade group’s committee plans to discuss the economics behind recovering shredder residue with researchers at Argonne within the next year.
The biggest hurdle for recycling shredder residue is the cost, Ossenkop said, noting it is often more expensive to recycle, transport and remanufacture recycled material. “Virgin material is cheap enough that it often doesn’t justify the cost,” he said.
Shredder residue goes beyond automotive recycling. David Wagger, director of environmental management at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc., estimates that 40 percent of shredder residue derives from end-of-life appliances, with the remaining 60 percent of residue coming from old vehicles.
While most of the shredder residue ends up in landfills, Wagger expects to see more uses for shredder residue in the future. He said it would provide additional value to shredder operations by reducing waste-disposal costs and increasing product sales.
The economics behind recycling shredder residue are more favorable in today’s market than in the past, said Paul Johansen, a technology marketing consultant with Johansen Marketing Consulting Ltd., in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Transportation costs have gone up, tipping fees at landfills have increased, and shredder operations do not have enough land to store the shredder residue, Johansen said. But he said the viability of any solution for shredder residue will vary by region.
“There are significant differences in distances to landfills, trucking costs and environmental regulations,” Johansen said, adding that there are often marketing challenges involved with introducing new technologies. “A good new technology can languish for years unless there is a good plan on how to commercialize it.”
by Brian R. Hook, http://www.americanrecycler.com/1008/auto.shtml#cover
If research that is underway at Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, Illinois is commercialized, two potential options for the nation’s shredder residue would include turning foam into carpet padding and transforming the plastics into battery trays.
“Up to 60 percent of the residue can be recovered as usable materials,” said Bassam Jody, group leader of the energy systems division at the research lab.
With most of the shredder residue currently sent to landfills, the United States generates around 5 million tons of the leftover material annually, Jody estimates. About 30 percent of the material, by weight, is polymers and 10 percent is residual metals.
Argonne, funded by the United States Department of Energy, has spent around $5 million to develop the process to recycle the residue, Jody estimates. Although the basic concept was developed more than 15 years ago, the last 5 years have been used to develop a pilot plant to demonstrate that the recycling system works, Jody said.
“Based on this work, we are now preparing a full-scale process design and cost estimate as a possible next step in achieving commercialization of the technology.”
The separation system is a continuous dry process that separates the shredder residue – a mixture of polymers, wood, glass, residual metals, rocks, sand and dirt.
After removing any oversized material to protect the equipment, the residue is conveyed to a shredder to further reduce the size. The residue is then conveyed to a trommel to separate the bits and pieces. A magnetic separation chamber recovers the ferrous metals and an eddy current separator recovers the non-ferrous metals.
The resulting material contains more than 90 percent of the recycled polymers originally present in the shredder residue, Jody said. By weight, about 80 percent of this fraction is polymers and contains more than two dozen different types of polymers.
Since most of these polymers are not compatible with each other, the second part of the process uses a wet flotation system that separates the polymers by selectively floating or sinking the polymers.
Recycling the polymers and residual metals in the 5 million tons of shredder residue produced annually would save the equivalent of 24 million barrels of oil a year and would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 12 million tons, Jody estimates.
Some of the shredder residue still ends up in a landfill, however. After all the recyclables are recovered from the shredder residue during the process, the remaining material – including dirt, glass, sand and other in-organics – is sent to a landfill.
“Shredder residue is one of the leading problematic materials resulting from the recycling process,” said Charles Ossenkop, chair of the technical advisory committee for the Automotive Recyclers Association. The committee monitors recycling issues related to automotive design, material usage and recycling techniques for the trade group.
Ossenkop said the trade group’s committee plans to discuss the economics behind recovering shredder residue with researchers at Argonne within the next year.
The biggest hurdle for recycling shredder residue is the cost, Ossenkop said, noting it is often more expensive to recycle, transport and remanufacture recycled material. “Virgin material is cheap enough that it often doesn’t justify the cost,” he said.
Shredder residue goes beyond automotive recycling. David Wagger, director of environmental management at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc., estimates that 40 percent of shredder residue derives from end-of-life appliances, with the remaining 60 percent of residue coming from old vehicles.
While most of the shredder residue ends up in landfills, Wagger expects to see more uses for shredder residue in the future. He said it would provide additional value to shredder operations by reducing waste-disposal costs and increasing product sales.
The economics behind recycling shredder residue are more favorable in today’s market than in the past, said Paul Johansen, a technology marketing consultant with Johansen Marketing Consulting Ltd., in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Transportation costs have gone up, tipping fees at landfills have increased, and shredder operations do not have enough land to store the shredder residue, Johansen said. But he said the viability of any solution for shredder residue will vary by region.
“There are significant differences in distances to landfills, trucking costs and environmental regulations,” Johansen said, adding that there are often marketing challenges involved with introducing new technologies. “A good new technology can languish for years unless there is a good plan on how to commercialize it.”
by Brian R. Hook, http://www.americanrecycler.com/1008/auto.shtml#cover
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