ISRI and the Vehicle Recycling Partnership (VRP) have been studying how shredder residue can contribute to the sustainability of automotive recycling, Dr. Claudia Duranceau, of the VRP, explained during her shredding presentation at the 2005 ISRI National Convention, held April 13-16 at the Ernest J. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
Duranceau said ISRI and the VRP have established a joint shredder research strategy council to discuss the most effective ways to extract valuable secondary materials from shredder residue and decrease the overall environmental impact of automotive recycling. Recoverable resources include metals, polymers, polyurethane foam, oils, dirt, iron oxides and other fines, Duranceau said.
She discussed the VRP’s trial of a pilot project called Changing World Technologies (CWT), where a thermal conversion process was performed on shredder residue to convert organic materials into a fuel oil product. CWT was originally used with turkey offal and grease to produce a bio-derived fuel product. The organization hopes to expand the study into a full demonstration in shredder residue applications in the future, Duranceau said.
The VRP is also examining ways to process PU foam directly from shredder residue to create polymers suitable for manufacturing new foam products, she said.
For future research possibilities, Duranceau said the VRP’s next goal is to initiate a shredder study to characterize shredder residue and determine what mix of material produces the most concentrated polymers suitable for reuse and recycling.