POLYMERIC COMPOSITES AND END-OF-LIFE VEHICLES: RECYCLING AND SUSTAIN ABILITY ISSUES

摘要

The lifecycle impact of automobiles is often focused on the production and use phases of a vehicle's lifecycle, with little consideration of the impact of the end-of-life phase. However, as the efficiency of vehicle manufacturing and operation improves, the end-of-life impacts become more significant. This paper provides an overview of the end-of-life phase for automobiles, with particular focus on the dismantling and shredding processes and the recovery of materials. New materials, such as composites (petroleum-based and bio-based), are increasingly being introduced into vehicles. These materials offer improved environmental performance during the in-use phase due to vehicle weight reduction. At the same time, it is necessary to understand the effect of these materials at the end-of-life phase, and how to efficiently recover these materials at the end of a vehicle's useful life. This paper examines composite material recovery from end-of-life vehicles and concludes that there are no simple solutions. Instead, it will likely involve a combination of targeted unit operations such as dismantling of components from vehicles and/or pretreatment prior to shredding, along with design-for-environment principles to enable the efficient recovery of materials at the end-of-life phase.