Tracking effective measures for closed-loop recycling of automobile steel in China

Abstract Closed-loop recycling of steel in automobiles is particularly difficult because of the low tolerance for impurities and the use of composites of various types of steel products. Technologies that reduce impurities or increase impurity tolerance must be developed and introduced to the steel recycling system at the appropriate time. This study evaluated the feasibility of closed-loop recycling in the automobile industry in China. Material pinch analysis combined with dynamic modeling of the life cycle of steel sheets used in the manufacture of automobiles was employed to estimate the amount of steel sheet scrap available for closed-loop recycling and the amount of copper contamination in the scrap. The results indicate that by 2050, more than half of the old steel sheet scrap generated annually will have to be down-cycled because of its high copper contamination. However, scenario analyses of three types of technologies for mitigating the problem of copper contamination showed the potential for increasing the amount of old scrap used in closed-loop recycling. In particular, improving copper tolerance in the steel production process could be effective both now and in 2050.

[1]  Yoshihiro Adachi,et al.  Estimation of the Change in Quality of Domestic Steel Production Affected by Steel Scrap Exports , 2007 .

[2]  Shinichiro Nakamura,et al.  Thermodynamic analysis of contamination by alloying elements in aluminum recycling. , 2010, Environmental science & technology.

[3]  Daniel B. Müller,et al.  Stock dynamics for forecasting material flows—Case study for housing in The Netherlands , 2006 .

[4]  T. Gutowski,et al.  Material efficiency: providing material services with less material production , 2013, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.

[5]  Mitsugu Takeuchi,et al.  Necessity of Scrap Reclamation Technologies and Present Conditions of Technical Development , 1997 .

[6]  Daniel B Müller,et al.  The role of automobiles for the future of aluminum recycling. , 2012, Environmental science & technology.

[7]  Mohan Yellishetty,et al.  Life cycle assessment in the minerals and metals sector: a critical review of selected issues and challenges , 2009 .

[8]  W. S. Miller,et al.  Recent development in aluminium alloys for the automotive industry , 2000 .

[9]  Koji Shibata,et al.  Effects of 0.4 % Si and 0.02 % P Additions on Surface Hot Shortness in 0.1%C-0.5%Mn Steels Containing 0.5 % Cu , 1997 .

[10]  Yoshihiro Adachi,et al.  Evolution of aluminum recycling initiated by the introduction of next-generation vehicles and scrap sorting technology , 2012 .

[11]  J. Dargay,et al.  Vehicle Ownership and Income Growth, Worldwide: 1960-2030 , 2007 .

[12]  Yoshihiro Adachi,et al.  Development of a Dynamic Model for Assessing Environmental Impact Associated with Cyclic Use of Steel , 2005 .

[13]  Adam J. Gesing,et al.  Assuring the continued recycling of light metals in end-of-life vehicles: A global perspective , 2004 .

[14]  Julian M. Allwood,et al.  The steel scrap age. , 2013, Environmental science & technology.

[15]  大庭 清嗣.  Wiring harnesses for Next Generation Automobiles , 2012 .

[16]  Shinichiro Nakamura,et al.  Quality- and dilution losses in the recycling of ferrous materials from end-of-life passenger cars: input-output analysis under explicit consideration of scrap quality. , 2012, Environmental science & technology.

[17]  I. Daigo,et al.  Outlook of the world steel cycle based on the stock and flow dynamics. , 2010, Environmental science & technology.

[18]  Pilar Swart,et al.  Quantifying the impacts of primary metal resource use in life cycle assessment based on recent mining data , 2013 .