Research into new sales channels for raw materials

RESEARCH INTO NEW SALES CHANNELS FOR THE RAW MATERIALS Based on European legislation, since 1 January 2015, EU countries have been required to recycle end-of-life vehicles in accordance with the EU Directive.

This demands at least 85 percent recycling, supplemented by 10 percent energy recovery. By opening the PST plant in Tiel, ARN has created the possibility of fulfilling this requirement, on behalf of the Netherlands. This legally-imposed target has already been reached, partly thanks to a Life+ grant awarded to ARN in 2011. How was the funding spent? And what exactly have been the results, so far?

To meet the 95 percent target for the processing of endof-life vehicles imposed by the EU, ARN opened the PST (Post Shredder Technology) plant in Tiel in 2011. The plant houses a separator installation that separates shredder waste from end-of-life vehicles into different fractions, in a series of stages. In this way, ARN is able to recover valuable raw materials from waste, including plastic, fibres, minerals and metals such as iron, aluminium and copper.

Since 2013, the Netherlands has officially complied with the EU standard of 95 percent recycling and energy recovery. Although this percentage was already reached in 2011 and 2012, the legally-imposed division into 85 percentage recycling and 10 percent energy recovery was first fully achieved in 2013 (see box on page 2).

ARN CONTINUES TO STRIVE FOR IMPROVEMENT

95% TARGET ALREADY Recycling in Figures Year Recycling Energy recovery Total

% % % 2011 83,1 13,1 96,2 2012 83,7 12,4 96,1 2013 86,0 9,9 95,9 2014 not yet known not yet known not yet known

Year

2011 2012 2013 2014

Dismantled vehicles 195.052 196.573 196.763 not yet known

Processed material 12.000 tonnes 25.000 tonnes 36.000 tonnes

MORE EFFICIENT OPERATION

This performance is partly due to the PST plant. Since the plant was opened, numerous improvements have been introduced on the processing line so that it now operates more efficiently and achieves a higher recycling performance. This optimisation has partly been made possible by € 1 million grant received by ARN in 2011 from the European Life+ programme. At present, the plant processes 850,000 kg of shredder waste every week, operating in 3 shifts. In 2014, ARN Recycling processed 36,000 tonnes of material - all the shredder waste generated by end-of-life vehicles in the Netherlands. Thanks to process improvements, the waste is now more carefully separated, a fact that has also increased the purity of the end fractions and as a consequence the resultant income and possible applications.

Better separation and new sales channels ARN used part of the Life+ grant for research into new sales channels for the raw materials recovered by the PST plant from the shredder waste. ARN also investigated how material flows – in particular plastics – could be better separated from one another. In the production of cars, manufacturers use many different types of plastic, such a polypropylene, polyethylene, PVC and ABS. There is a huge demand for recycled plastics,

but they must be as clean and pure as possible. That is why it is so important, in post separation, to remove the highest possible proportion of contaminants like wood and rubber from the plastic fractions. That is why over the past few years, ARN has carried out innumerable tests at recycling companies and suppliers throughout Europe, to investigate which of them can make the best contribution to this aim.

Other improvements implemented in the PST plant within the Life+ project • Optimised input process for more constant supply of • Harmonisation of process flow across the various modules. shredder waste.

• Optimisation of water management in plastic separation • Improved measuring systems for more stable processsing. for uninterrupted processing.

DY ACHIEVED

New machines purchased On the basis of the material trials and tests, ARN purchased a number of new machines last year. The necessary investments are beyond the scope of the Life+ grant. Following a series of tests, ARN opted for a combination of a screw sieve and a bouncing machine. Both machines have been operational since week 36 of 2014. During the first separation stage, the screw sieve removes up to 20 percent of the wood and rubber contaminants from the plastics. After passing through the next stage in the plastic module that uses the principle of float/sink baths for separation purposes, the result is an even purer plastic fraction. Partly as a consequence, ARN found a highly promising application for one of the plastic fractions, in the form of new, sustainable panel material. The precondition for this application was however a rubber content of less than 5 percent. To achieve that degree of purity, ARN will soon be carrying out a new trial to remove even more rubber from the fraction.

In the plastic fraction with a density of less than 1.1 kg/litre, a shaker-separator was added to the processing line. This shakerseparator further lowers the rubber content from 10-12 percent to just 3 percent. As a consequence, this fraction now has a purity of 97 percent. This means that ARN can consider a far broader market for the reuse of these raw materials, while the materials themselves represent a considerably higher value than in the past. Another advantage of the new machines is the huge increase in the number of plastics suitable for material recycling.

Metal recovery During the first quarter of 2015, ARN will be installing a new metal recovery line in the PST plant. This line will be used for processing the heavier plastic fraction, that still contains many valuable metals including copper, stainless steel and aluminium.

At present, this fraction is processed by an external party. The line includes a pre-shredder and a centrifuge for drying the material following the float/sink bath. Subsequently, as far as necessary, the plastic sheath is removed from the metal in

a so-called balling mill. This creates tiny metal balls, that are separated from the plastic, on air tables. To also separate out the stainless steel, a powerful magnet is employed. What is left behind is a plastic with a relatively high PVC and chlorine content. In the course of 2015, ARN will target its search for market parties who have a useful application for these particular raw materials.

Acquiring and sharing knowledge

ARN is using part of the Life+ grant to acquire new knowledge and to share the knowledge it has acquired and the results it has achieved with other players in the sector. Within that framework, over the past few years, representatives from ARN have visited recycling conferences in Europe, Asia and elsewhere. ARN also provided presentations at a number of these events. ARN is regularly visited by car manufacturers, universities and government bodies. On average, ARN receives visitors and tour groups 2 to 3 times every month, who visit the plant and are informed about the work it does. Finally, ARN informs all stakeholders of the latest developments, in a series of (online) publications.

EVENTS ATTENDED IN 2012 – 2014 • February 2012 – installation of information sign at PST plant • 31 July 2012 – publication of recycling performance for 2012 • 19 March 2013 – participation in the multiday IARC (International Automotive Recycling Congress) in Brussels. ARN provided a presentation about the latest developments at the PST plant. The 200 conference visitors received a copy of the presentation on a USB stick. On the final day of the conference, 35 of them visited the PST plant.

• May 2013 – presentation during the EuPC conference in Bruges. ARN provided a presentation that included information about new recycling methods. Attention was also focused on the way in which car manufacturers approach recycling.

• 12-15 November 2013 – Visit to ESA (Electronics Recycling Asia) conference in Singapore.

The conference was focused on information exchange between governments, exporters, manufacturers and experts in the field of recycling.

• March 2014 – Attended IARC (International Automotive Recycling Congress) in Brussels. Here, ARN provided a presentation about the R&D activities undertaken, once again followed by an invitation to conference visitors to take a tour of the PST plant.

• 10 April 2014 – Launch of ARN’s new corporate website containing a lot of information on developments at the PST plant.

• 17 June 2014 – Visit to Plastics Recycling Conference in Düsseldorf • 10 November 2014 – Visit to the ESA (Electronics Recycling Asia) conference in Singapore.

ARN Publications • Digital newsletters • News flashes on www.arn.nl

• Sustainability report • Business (relations) magazine 95

Contact ARN www.arn.nl t. +31 (0)20 661 31 81 - e. info@arn.nl

PST plant t. +31 (0)34 463 68 50