Auto industry targets fluff for recycling
Automobiles have been one of the great recycling success stories. With car shredding operations routinely reaching recovery rates of up to 75% for decades--mostly through scrap metal reclamation--automobiles outpace most other commodities in terms of recyclability and stability of end uses. Not content to rest on its laurels, however, the automotive industry is now revving up to deal with the part of a car that is not yet easily recycled. This remaining 25%, known as automotive shredder residue (ASR) or ''fluff,'' presents a wide range of recycling challenges. Automobile fluff is the small and low-density material left over after the more easily recycled parts are taken away. Traditionally, fluff has been disposed of in municipal landfills. Today, as cars lose weight to gain fuel economy, plastic use has increased. There are now about 200 automotive shredders in the US, the largest of which produce more than 50,000 tons of fluff per year. Almost half of this fluff is made up of fabrics, fibers, and resilient foam cushioning. Just about one fourth is plastic and about 17% is fluids.
- OSTI ID:
- 6679364
- Journal Information:
- Waste Age; (United States), Vol. 26:1; ISSN 0043-1001
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
WASTE MANAGEMENT
PLASTICS
RECYCLING
RUBBERS
TEXTILES
ELASTOMERS
INDUSTRY
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC POLYMERS
PETROCHEMICALS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
POLYMERS
SYNTHETIC MATERIALS
320305* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Industrial & Agricultural Processes- Industrial Waste Management