Physical and chemical characterization of automotive shredder residues

Abstract

Car manufacturers recycle many of the materials from wrecked vehicles, but the disposal of the lighter components is increasingly difficult. The high cost of landfill is making the option of incineration more attractive, as it reduces the mass and the volume of the waste. Energy recovery is also possible. This paper examines those properties of automotive shredder residues (ASR) which are relevant to the formation of pollutants during incineration. The higher specific energy of ASR was found to be 19,000 kJ kg-1 and the ash content 38%, which indicate that it is a suitable fuel for municipal incinerators or cement kilns. However, it is very heterogeneous, as the low density fraction is mainly composed of plastics, with smaller amounts of metallic pieces, rubber, glass and wood. The macroscopic composition of a representative sample of ASR was determined. The metal and the chlorine contents were analysed by special techniques and were found to be 22% and 3.5%, respectively of the fraction. Laboratory-scale incineration trials of ASR are now planned.