Recycling 1

References1. Richard Porter, “Economics of Recycling,” Ch. 9, in The

Economics of Waste, 2002. (handout)

2. Craighill et al, “Lifecycle assessment and economic evaluation

of recycling: a case study” Resources, Conservation and

Recycling, 17 (1996 pp 75 – 96).

3. Thomas, “Demand and dematerialization impacts of second

hand markets”, J. Ind. Ecology, Vol 7, No. 2, (2003) pp 65 – 76.

4. Dahmus, J. and T. Gutowski. “Material Recycling at Product

End-of-Life," IEEE International Symposium on Electronics and

the Environment, San Francisco, California, USA, May 8-11, 2006.

5. Isaacs and Gupta, Economic Consequences of increasing

polymer content for the U.S. automobile recycling

infrastructure, J. Industrial Ecology, Vol 1, No 4, pp 19-33, 1998

Outline

1. What gets recycled and why

2. Recycling visits

3. Separation technologies

4. The Economics of Recycling

1. What gets recycled?

• Metals

• Paper

• Tires

• Auto Batteries

• beverage containers

• PET

• HDPE

Wernick et al

Plastic bottle recycling rates

Aluminum Can Recycling RatesAluminum Can Recycling RatesAluminum Can Recycling RatesAluminum Can Recycling Rates

Why?

• Economics

• Mandates

• Landfill Bans

• Extended Producer Responsibility

• Risk Avoidance

Landfill Bans

Purchasing preference laws

Where does it go?

• Metals (autos to “IIII” beams, casting)• Paper (high grade to lower)

• Tires (tires to fuel, crumb rubber)

• Auto Batteries (to lead smelter)

• Aluminum cans (with primary to cans)

• HDPE (to bottles, pipe, “plastic wood”)

Markets for HDPE from bottles

Recycling Rate = % of retired products that enter the recycling system

Productrecycling

rateΣΣΣΣmiki ($)

H

(bits)

automobile battery 96% 8.030$ 1.296automobile 95% 378.398$ 2.215catalytic converter 95% 96.637$ 0.699

refrigerator 90% 41.019$ 1.674newspaper 70% 0.022$ 0.095

automobile tire 66% 1.756$ 0.593steel can 63% 0.004$ 0.060

aluminum can 45% 0.018$ 0.001HDPE bottle (#2) 26% 0.022$ 0.163PET bottle (#1) 22% 0.012$ 0.476

glass bottle 20% 0.002$ 0.003desktop computer 11% 18.239$ 2.467

television 11% 9.554$ 2.089laptop computer 11% 5.204$ 3.161

aseptic container 6% 0.007$ 1.099cell phone 1% 0.830$ 2.912

work chair 0% 13.186$ 2.272fax machine 0% 8.396$ 2.086coffee maker 0% 0.904$ 1.928

cordless screwdriver (w/o battery) 0% 0.162$ 1.795

Ref. Dahmus & Gutowski

2. Recycling visits

• Wheelabrator

trash to ash

• FCR

curbside

• Chaparral Steelautos

• Onyx

fluorescent bulbs

• Metech

electronics

• HP/Noranda

computers

• DEER2

computers/plastics

• RRT

system designers

Wheelabrator – Trash to AshWorcester, MA

Hand Sort Burn MagneticEddy Current

TestingConsumer Trash

Toxics Emissions

Heat

Electricity

Ferrous Metals

Non-ferrous Metals

Ash

LandfillHazardous Landfill

Revenues

Costs

Wheelabrator – Trash to Ash

Wheelabrator

• 70% reduction in weight to landfill

• 500,000 tons processed per year

• 45 MW (produced) – 5 MW (used)

= 40 MW to grid

• 2.8 MJ/kg (coal ~29 MJ/kg)

• dioxin issue / emissions

Curbside Recycling (FCR, Charlestown, MA)

Hand Sort

Non-recyclables –to landfill

Magnetic

Ferrous Metals

Separated Containers and Bottles

Air Classification

Glass – to landfill

Eddy Current

Aluminum

Milk Cartons, Aseptic

Containers, Other Plastics –

to landfill

HDPE

Hand SortPET

FCR Recycling – Paper

Hand Sort

Paper Bags

Separated Paper

Products

Non-recyclables

Newspaper

Office Paper

FCR Recycling

• Recycle ferrous, non-ferrous, paper,

HDPE, and PET

• Landfill glass, all other plastics, aseptic

containers, and material contaminated by

food products

• Hand and automatic sorting

Automobile Recycling

Disassembly Crush MagneticEddy CurrentAutomobiles

Hazardous Components

Revenues

Costs

Valuable Components

ResaleableComponents

Shred

Non-ferrous metals

Ferrous metals

ASR (to landfill)

Auto Shredder

Automobile Recycling

• Over 94% of cars are recycled

• Over 75% of each car is recycled

• European Union automobile take-back legislation

– by 2006,

• 80% reuse/recycling by weight

• 85% reuse/recovery by weight

– By 2012,

• 85% reuse/recycling by weight

• 95% reuse/recovery by weight

Onyx Electronics Recyling

Onyx Fluorescent Bulb Recyling

Onyx

• Customers pay to dispose of items

– 15-25¢/ lb for electronic scrap

• Certificate of destruction

• Fluorescent Bulb Recyling

– 6¢/ linear foot for fluorescent bulbs

Mercury Relays

Metech Computer Recycling

DisassemblyHammer Mill

Roasting (2400° F)

Ball MillElectronics

Hazardous Components

PWBs

Fines

Revenues

Costs

ResaleableComponents

Frames and Housings

Ring Mill

Emissions

Ash

Ash with metal (to smelter)

Metech

• Customers pay to dispose of computers

– 20¢/ lb without CRT

– 35¢/ lb with CRT

• Certificate of destruction

HP/Noranda, Roseville, CA

hazardous components (including CRT glass) and resalable components

reusableresalable

residue

dust

small metal

particles

ferrous

non-ferrous

aluminum

Test

Disassemble

Shred

Granulate

Shake Table

Magnetic

Eddy Current

Gravity

other

plastics

PCPlastic Separation

…

ABS

Done offsite

HP/Noranda

• Customers pay to return HP products

– Monitor $29

– PC (without monitor) $21

– Ink printer $17

• 1.6 million lbs processed per month

• 400 hp shredder motor

• $4-5 million capital investment in plant

• No water used in process

DEER2 (Tampa, FL)

ShreddingManual Disassembly

GranulationElutriation

Dust, debris

Plastics

Non-ferrous metals

Eddy Current

Ferrous metals

MagneticShredding

Printed Circuit Boards

Computer Housings

Manual Disassembly

Granulation

DEER2 – Plastics Module

Hydrocyclone

Lights

Heavies

Hydrocyclone

Polyolefins

Hydrocyclone Heavies

Lights

Heavies

Hydrocyclone

Lights

Heavies

Hydrocyclone

Hydrocyclone

HIPS

Sink/Float

PVC, nylon

PC, PC/ABS

PC

ElectrostaticPC/ABS

PC, PC/ABS

ABS, HIPS

Lights

Heavies

Lights

Heavies

ABS, HIPS

ElectrostaticABS

Plastics

Hydrocyclone Sink/Float Electrostatic

DEER2

• Funded by the DOD

• Technology demonstration

• $1.2 million for plastic separation module

• Max throughput = 1000 lb/hr

• Wash/Rinse most expensive step

• Metal contaminants cause problems in electrostatic separation

• Shape factors cause problems in hydrocyclone and electrostatic separation

• 15-17¢ / lb for plastics shred and separate

CRT recycling

•Envirocycle (largest CRT tube recycler in US)

•Techniglass (one of few US CRT manufacturing, produces high quality

tubes for military, hospitals)

•Doe-Run (primary Pb smelter in US, uses Pb-glass as flux)

RRT Design and Construction

• RRT has designed and built systems to crush 300

tubes/hr at capital cost of $250,000 for automated system. Compare to manual 500 monitors/day by 4 people

3. Separation Technologies

• Magnetic

• Eddy Current

• Sink-Float

• Hydro-cyclone

• Electrostatic

Magnetic Separation

Eddy Current Separation

Float / Sink Demonstration

pink1.38PVC

Light blue1.20PC

Light grayPC/ABS

Tan/purple1.05ABS

1.05PS

Black1.05HIPS

0.9P.P.

White0.95P.E.

ColorDensityPolymer