PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Landfill space in Europe is extremely limited and, in many locales, virtually non-existent. In order to combat this growing problem, the European Economic Community (EEC) has proposed a major reduction in the percentage of a car's weight allowed to enter a landfill. From the perspective of the project proposal application time in 1998 it was assumed that by the year 2002, EEC may allow only 15 percent of a car's weight to be landfilled and by 2015 that number could decrease to 5 percent. In the United States, similar landfill restrictions are likely to appear in the near future. In 1998 about 70 to 80 percent of a junked vehicle's weight is recovered and recycled, leaving future recycling efforts to focus on the more difficult-to-recycle items. For example Sweden's Volvo formed the Environmental Car Recycling in Scandinavia (ECRIS) project in order to develop advanced recycling methods for dismantling and sorting recyclable and nonrecyclable materials. Aside from junked vehicles, ECRIS will work on recycling production waste from Volvo's Swedish plants and used-parts from its Swedish-dealer repair shops. Non-recyclable materials will be used as an energy source. In Gothenburg, Sweden these waste materials are to be used in a heating plant.
OBJECTIVES
The aim of the project is to re-use more effectively, components from decommissioned vehicles and thereby reduce consumption of virgin resources and energy. Reconditioning processes use considerably less energy than the production of new components from virgin or recycled resources.The hypothesis is that 80% less energy and 85% less raw material are needed for the concerned range of components. The target is to offer the products with a 25% lower retail price. The project needs to collect data on the consumption of energy and virgin resources and the production of new parts versus re-using old parts. The innovative feature of the project is to view the car fleet as a potential spare parts store and thereby reduce the need to tie up capital and material in producing new parts. The project also wants to show that to promote collaboration between the vehicle and dismantling industries is preferable to viewing each other as rivals. The project was carried out during the years 1999-2001. Firstly, the project identified the components or parts of components, which showed potential for increasing the level of re-use. The project then had to develop environmentally-correct dismantling, reconditioning and remanufacturing processes. Before each component could be approved as a product in the system, the environmental effect had to be evaluated. Secondly, the project aimed to ensure an similar level of quality for all new components. To ensure this quality level, a system was developed for quality assurance. Finally, the project aimed to secure a financially sound business and an economically and environmentally efficient distribution system.
RESULTS
With its high-tech and extremely environmentally compatible equipment, the ECRIS environmental station is a model for the industry. The technology used enables practically all types of hazardous waste to be processed for destruction and/or recycling under controlled conditions. On arrival, a car is washed and inspected to determine which components are working. The air conditioning unit is drained of CFC or HFC , at the same time as the battery and mercury switches are removed and placed in special containers. The car is then raised, using one of the facility’s three platform lifts,and the oils, petrol,brake fluid, coolant, and so on, are drained off. This operation is made highly efficient by the use of vacuum suction equipment. The liquid pumps are designed to pump class 1 liquids, which are discharged to three collection tanks in a subterranean pit outside the building . The pit is provided with a canopy roof on which a petrol pump is mounted for fuelling plant vehicles. A waste oil sump is located at the eastern end of the building. In addition to ventilation facilities, the tanks are equipped with level alarms and the pit with a petrol vapour alarm. All alarms are connected to the office. The ventilation unit is provided with fire dampers to isolate the two areas in the event of a fire. Manual fire extinguishers are provided in the building and under the canopy roof. The facility is operated in accordance with SÄI-INFO 1993:3 (waste oil) and SÄIFS 1990-3 (petrol stations) regulations. The balance between recycling materials and energy recovery is of major significance given the price conditions which have been assumed. As a result, the choice of recovery rate and materials to be recycled is important. The dismantling time and the costs associated with the separation of plastics for recycling are the most cost-intensive factors. Consequently, careful assessment is necessary before deciding to dismantle and recycle materials which do not repay their own costs.The ongoing development of tools and methods should be maintained. The establishment of current plastic material flows is also important. Although the cost of landfill disposal has not been crucial to overall profitability until now, this situation may change with increases in taxes and charges. Further development of shredding technology and post-shredding sorting methods is desirable to increase the proportion of metals recovered, to reduce the need for dismantling material and to improve the feasibility of energy recovery. The transport requirement should be examined and transport movements well planned to ensure that this activity does not impose an unnecessary burden in economic or ecological terms. The price scenario may well change in the not-too-distant future to favour more an ecologically oriented society and stimulate recycling efforts. Higher material volumes and improved quality assurance will also yield direct, positive effects while stimulating demand from environmentally committed companies. Neither is it impossible that an energy recovery fraction may come to be regarded as a marketable resource in the future. Various activities currently under way at both national and international level, including the Environmentally Compatible Car Recycling project, will provide better information on many of the aspects which are unclear at present.It will then only remain to evaluate the economic conditions required to achieve 95% recovery by the year 2015.