J Mater Cycles Waste Manag (2014) 16:187–200
DOI 10.1007/s10163-013-0180-3
REVIEW
Current recycling regulations and technologies for the typical
plastic components of end-of-life passenger vehicles: a meaningful
lesson for China
Hongshen Zhang • Ming Chen
Received: 6 January 2013 / Accepted: 17 July 2013 / Published online: 16 August 2013
Ó Springer Japan 2013
Abstract China became the largest automotive producer
and the biggest automobile market in the world in 2009,
but the scrap vehicle recycling industry is still in its
beginning stage. Especially, the scrapped plastic parts
recycling technology lags behind developed countries.
Therefore, in-depth studies on the recycling of automotive
plastics are significant and beneficial for environmental
protection, energy conservation and the sustainable devel-
opment of the Chinese automotive plastic industry. In this
article, automotive plastic components recycling-related
rules and regulations about developed countries and China
are discussed first. According to the passenger vehicle
plastic part types, the recycling technologies for typical
plastic components of end-of-life passenger vehicle are
analyzed comprehensively. Based on the combination of
contemporary domestic and foreign plastic recycling
technology and the result of the current research, the
problems and future development for the ELVs plastic
recycling industry in China are deliberated, at the same
time, some constructive ideas and suggestions for the
industry are provided.
Keywords End-of-life passenger vehicles
Plastic
components
Recycling rules and regulations

Recycling technology
Prospects
H. Zhang
M. Chen (&)
School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong
University, 800 Dongchuan RD, Minhang District,
Shanghai, China
e-mail: mingchen@sjtu.edu.cn
Introduction
In 2012, the output and sales of China’s passenger vehicle
were 15.52 million vehicles and 15.49 million vehicles,
respectively, an increase of 7.2 and 7.1 % compared with
those of the previous year [1]. Figure 1 shows the output
and sales of China’s passenger cars for the last 5 years [2].
From Fig. 1, it can be seen that the output and sales of
passenger cars in China rapidly increased, especially after
2008, when the trend rose linearly. The continuous increase
in passenger car consumption will consequently result in an
increase in the number of scrapped vehicles in the future.
At present, the number of passenger vehicles in China is
over 65 million [1, 3]. Considering a scrap rate of 6 %, the
number of scrapped annual passenger vehicles in China is
about 3.9 million. According to an estimation of Zhou
Yibing [4], a branch chairman of the China Association of
Automobile Manufactures, the average plastic dosage in a
middle-class car is about 130 kg/vehicles. By calculation,
the total amount of passenger vehicle plastic waste will
reach 507,000 tons. These plastics will negatively affect
the environment if not dealt with effectively.
Plastic components in vehicles have changed from
ordinary decorative pieces to structural and functional
parts. Moreover, materials have evolved from ordinary
plastics to plastic alloys, composite materials with greater
strength and better impact resistance. Main plastic mate-
rials include polypropylene (PP), polyurethane (PU),
polyethylene (PE), polycarbonate (PC), polyvinylchloride
(PVC), polyphenylene oxide (PPO), polyformaldehyde
(POM), polyamide (PA), acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene
(ABS), thermoset composites, thermoplastic polyester
[polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and polyethylene tere-
phthalate (PET)] and others, the proportions of them are
shown in Fig. 2 [5]. The primary plastic components in a
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188
vehicle include the bumper, grilles, lights, instrument panel
(including the sub-dashboard), seats, inner door panels,
roof, glove compartment, fuel tank and so on.
As the increase in the number of end-of-life vehicles
(ELVs) occurs, automotive plastic recycling has become
one of the most important issues in the world today.
Studying automotive plastic recycling technology is sig-
nificant to energy conservation and to the promotion of the
sustainable development in the Chinese automotive
industry [6, 7]. In the following sections, automotive
plastics recycling-related rules and regulations about
developed countries and China are the first ones to be
discussed. Then, the recycling technologies for typical
plastic components of end-of-life passenger vehicles are
analyzed comprehensively according to the part types.
Based on the results of analysis, the problems and future
development for the ELVs plastic recycling industry in
18
Output and sales/(million vehicles)
16
14
12
10
8
6 manufactures more explicit [11, 12].
4 In September 2002, the International Trade and Industry
2
0 This bill proposed a long-term goal of increasing the ELV
2008 2009 2010
Date/(year)
Fig. 1 China passenger vehicle output and sales from 2006 to 2010
Fig. 2 Varieties and
proportions of the plastics used
in automobile
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J Mater Cycles Waste Manag (2014) 16:187–200
China are deliberated, at the same time, some constructive
ideas and suggestions for the industry are provided.
Importance of automotive plastic recycling
from the viewpoint of law
After several years of automotive industry development,
the United States (US), European Union (EU), Japan,
Korea, and China—top countries in automotive production
and consumption—have been fully aware that the disposal
of scrapped vehicles cannot be ignored, and that recycling
must be enforced. Therefore, these countries have gradu-
ally enacted relevant laws and regulations on dealing with
abandoned vehicles and have established a number of
requirements for vehicle recycling.
The EU proclaimed an act for ELV recycling numbered
2000/53/EC on September 18, 2000. This act was amended
in 2002, 2005, 2008 and 2010. The act had a number of
objectives for scrapped vehicle recycling, estimating that
the actual reuse and recovery rate will increase to 95 % by
2015 [8, 9]. The reuse and recovery rates of most EU
members are over 85 % in 2009 [10]. This regulation also
highlighted several targets, including the production of
reusable and recyclable cars, and establishment of the
management for the recyclable certification of new vehi-
Sales cles, which made the responsibility and obligation of auto
Output
Ministry of Japan formulated the ‘‘Auto Recycling Law’’,
which was officially implemented in January 1, 2005 [13].
2011 2012
recycling rate to 88 % by 2005, 92 % by 2010(the recy-
cling rate has already reached 95 % in 2010 [14]), and
95 % by 2015. On the other hand, the auto residue
Thermoplastic
Thermoset polyester, 1.5% Other,
composites, 7.1% PP, 21.1%
10.4%
ABS, 8.0%
PA, 7.8% PU, 19.6%
PVC, 12.2% PE, 6.0%
POM, 1.8%
PPO, 1.9% PC, 2.6%
J Mater Cycles Waste Manag (2014) 16:187–200
(obtained through the removal of metal, plastics, and other
useful substances after grinding) recycling rate should have
increased to 30 % in 2005, 50 % in 2010 (actual recycling
rate in 2010 is 70.5 % [14]), and must exceed 70 % after
2015 [15].
The Korean government promulgated the ‘‘Act for
Resource Recycling of Electrical/Electronic Products and
Automobiles’’ on April 27, 2007, which was officially
implemented on January 1, 2008 [16]. This legislation
aimed to improve the ELV recycling rate to 85 % in 2008,
and to more than 95 % by January 1, 2015 [17, 18]. More
than 85 % of the vehicle is recycled in Hyundai [19].
Moreover, the new law indicated that all related industries
must comply with its requirements.
China promulgated the ‘‘Act for Recycling Technology
of Automotive Products’’ on February 6, 2006. This law
targets three phases in China’s ELV recycling [20, 21]. The
first stage requires that all domestic and imported vehicles
in the M21 and M3 and in the N2 and N3 categories must
achieve a recycling rate of approximately 85 % by 2010
with a material re-utilization rate of\80 % [22]. Similarly,
the recycling rate for all domestic and imported M1 and
N12 vehicles should increase to 80 %, with a material
recovery rate of \75 % (Up till the present moment, the
recycling rates have not been reached).The second stage
requires that the recovery rate for all domestic and
imported cars should increase to 90 % by 2012, with a
material re-utilization rate of \80 %. The third stage
requires that the recovery rate for all domestic and
imported vehicles should increase to 95 % by 2017, with a
material re-utilization rate that must not be \85 %.
The US has no national rule for ELVs recycling, but the
related laws on the joint and multiple liability of production,
along with a sound environmental regulation system,
strictly limited waste landfill activities and minimized the
environmental contamination attributable to ELVs. As early
as 1991, three large American automobile firms—General
Motors, Ford, Daimler Chrysler—have set up a vehicle
recycling alliance (VRP) aiming to regulate the ELV
recycling process, to establish a joint venture for research
on ELV recycling technology, and to share technologies in a
non-competitive field [23]. With the leadership of these
large companies, the US ‘‘Guidelines for Future
1
Category M: Motor vehicles with at least four wheels designed and
constructed for the carriage of passengers. M1 is comprised by no
more than eight seats in addition to the driver’s seat, M2 and M3 are
comprised by more than eight seats in addition to the driver’s seat.
M2 has a maximum mass not exceeding 5 tons and M3 is exceeding 5
tons.
2
Category N: Motor vehicles with at least four wheels designed and
constructed for the carriage of goods. N1 has a maximum mass not
exceeding 3, 5 tons, N2 exceeding 3, 5 tons but not exceeding 12 tons,
and N3 exceeding 12 tons.
189
Automotive Recycling’’ was enacted into law in 2001. This
law outlined a 95 % ELV recovery target for 2015 [24]. In
the United States today, more than 95% of vehicles are
recycled in a process that is market-driven rather than
government-mandated. Of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs),
more than 75% of material, by weight, is recycled [25].
It can be seen that most countries have very high ELV
recovery requirements from the above mentioned regula-
tions. The US, EU, Japan and Korea have set the ELV
recycling rate to be 95 % by 2015, and that in China should
increase to 95 % by 2017. However, automotive plastic
components account for 10–15 % of the whole vehicle
weight. In order to reach the recycling rates in the future,
every country must devote much more energy to automotive
plastic recycling, and develop more advanced technologies
for ELV plastic recycling. Therefore, enhancing the effec-
tiveness of ELV plastic recycling to meet the requirements
of these regulations and to promote the development of the
automotive industry is urgently necessary [26, 27].
Current local and international status of the passenger
vehicles plastic recycling
The environmentally friendly and financially feasible
methods used in the automotive plastic recycling industry
are usually reuse, remanufacturing, physical recycling, and
chemical recycling. Reuse refers to the direct installation of
a number of recycling components into a new vehicle. This
recycling method is considered the most environmentally
friendly among the four approaches. Plastic part remanu-
facturing is also an environmentally friendly recycling
method wherein recyclable plastic parts are remanufac-
tured by adopting some plastic manufacturing methods,
such as repairing and mending rather than destroying the
parts. This method can not only reduce resource waste, but
also maintain or restore the appearance and performance of
products. If an automotive plastic part is made of a single
plastic component with no paint on its surface, it can be
recycled using the physical method. Chemical recycling
refers to the breaking down of waste plastics into mono-
mers through chemical decomposition. These monomers
are then used as raw materials for polymer synthesis. This
method is particularly suitable for mixed plastics. How-
ever, this approach requires an excessive amount of energy
during the decomposition process. The energy recovery
method utilizes combustion or other processes to recover
energy and is considered the last acceptable method for
automotive plastic recycling [28, 29]. The often-used and
basic automotive plastic recycling methods include melt
processing, direct forming, dissolve recovery, modification,
gasification, chemical depolymerization, oil generation by
pyrolysis, catalytic cracking, hydrogenation, etc. [30].
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Collecting and dismantling most problematic processes in the management system of

plastic waste [37].
Recycling costs are closely related to dismantling methods, According to whether there is the need to add water or
through the four main stages of identification, cleaning, other liquid medium in the separation process, the tradi-
separation, and pelletizing. In developed countries, auto- tional plastic separation methods can be divided into two
motive plastics are collected by dismantlers along with the categories, wet separation and dry separation. Wet separa-
whole car. Only some relatively new parts will be dis- tion techniques include gravity separation, heavy medium
mantled by hand and sold in the second-hand market. Most separation and the froth flotation method; and dry separa-
of the other plastic components are shredded with car tion methods including air classifier, melting separation,
bodies [31]. Along with the whole car, automotive plastics mechanical separation, electronic sorting and artificial
in China are collected by dismantlers stipulated by the separation [38]. In addition to the traditional methods,
government. For lower labor costs, the plastic parts are plastic electrostatic separation technology with its simple
dismantled by workers rather than shredded with the car equipment structure, easy operation, no pollution and high
body, which makes scrap automotive plastics easier to separation efficiency, obtained fast development. In recent
recycle and lowers recycling costs. years, the researchers developed some combinatorial sepa-
ration technology, by means of the combination of various
Labeling the traditional sorting methods and the electrostatic sepa-
ration method, such as electrostatic separation of the
The labels on scrapped automotive plastic components shredded plastic mixtures using a tribo-cyclone [39], flota-
directly influence their recycling. Both the SAE J1344 and tion with ozone treatment [40] and using air tabling and
the ISO 1043 labeling standards outline the necessary triboelectric separation for separating a plastic mixture [41].
information that manufacturers are required to mark on In order to explain the passenger vehicle plastic parts
plastic components [32, 33]. The information should include recycling technology according to the China’s actual
hazardous materials, weight, type, flame retardants and so plastic recycling conditions, the following section will
on. However, in spite of the standards, the current marking discuss the current status of typical passenger vehicle
scheme is not conducive to plastics identification for the plastics recycling by part types: interior, exterior, and
ELV plastics recycling process. Having labels and markings functional parts.
that are easy to interpret serves to dramatically improve the
ability to identify plastic type and further enables opportu- Recycling technologies for passenger vehicles typical
nities to sort and, therefore, recycle ELV plastics. plastic components
In the EU, the Extended Producer Responsibility
Directive requires all automotive manufacturers to take Exterior trim parts
necessary measures to facilitate downstream identification
of automotive sub-components for the purposes of reuse, The typical exterior parts of a passenger vehicle include
recovery, and recycling [34]. Incorporating this holistic bumpers, radiator grilles, headlights, and so on. Table 2
way of thinking in the North American market serves to shows the primary components, characteristics, and
shift the paradigm from the practice of automotive sup-
pliers labeling plastics as needed for their own activities, to
Table 1 Plastics used in a typical car
a practice where parts are labeled following a format that
can be leveraged by all supply chain partners [35]. China Component Main types of plastics
also should do that to make the identification of plastic Bumpers PP, PC, PS, ABS
materials easier for dismantlers and recyclers. Seating PUR, PVC
Dashboard PP, ABS, SMA, PC/ABS
Separation Fuel systems HDPE, POM, PA, PP, PBT
Body (incl. panels) PP, PPE, PU
There are more than ten different polymers that may be Under-bonnet components PA, PP, PBT
used in a single car, Table 1 lists the main types of pas- Interior trim PP, ABS, PET, POM, PVC
senger vehicle plastics [36]. As the passenger vehicle Exterior trim ABS, PA, PBT, POM, PP
plastic mixture usually includes various kinds of waste
Lighting PP, ABS, PC, PMMA
plastics, this makes the separation an important process that
Liquid reservoirs PP, PE, PA
should be carried out prior to recycling. However, sepa-
Electrical components PP, PE, PA, PVC
ration of mixed plastics encounters many problems (due to
Upholstery PVC, PUR, PP, PE
the characteristics of plastics) and represents one of the

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Table 2 Information for typical
Vehicle Part Materials
passenger vehicle exterior parts
recycling
Bumper PP, PC
Radiator grille ABS
Headlight ABS, PMMA
principal development aspects in recycling of these typical
exterior parts.
Bumper Figure 3 shows an ELV bumper dismantled from
a scrapped passenger vehicle. As a result of the dismantling
process, the bumper was dismantled. Hence, the dismantled
bumper cannot be used on a new car and must be processed
using others recycling methods. Figure 4 shows the bum-
per recycling process under general conditions. A large
proportion of the domestic ELV recycling enterprises
recycle bumpers using the melt method. Soaking the
bumper in a chemical solvent removes the coating on the
bumper surface. The obtained polypropylene (PP) or
polycarbonates (PC) then undergo a simple or complex
regeneration process, and are utilized to produce compo-
nents that do not require good appearance or performance.
This method has a low capacity for coating removal, and
the resulting waste liquid is extremely harmful to the
environment. A number of local companies recycle bum-
pers using the pyrolysis method, in which bumpers are used
to refine oil or gas. The scrap materials produced after
pyrolysis are difficult to handle, and the recycling process
easily produces secondary pollution [42].
Fig. 3 Bumper of scrapped passenger vehicle
Fig. 4 Bumper recycling
process under general
conditions
Bumper Separation
191
Weight percentage Recycling developmental highlights
of total vehicle
About 0.8% Removing the surface coating
About 0.1% Removing the surface coating
About 0.2% Separating the lens, housing and wire, etc.
Aside from chemical methods, foreign automotive
bumper recycling enterprises adopt the physical recovery
method to separate different plastic materials, based on
translucency, density, or solubility. The efficient removal
of the coatings on bumper surfaces presents a technical
difficulty in the bumper recycling procedure. Numerous
foreign institutions are engaged in related research on this
issue. The use of a modifier allows the ether linkage in the
paint film to be stripped from the bumper surface [43].
Plastic recycling firms are attempting to employ a number
of chemicals in the pyrolysis process to alter the material
properties of the bumper so that they can be used in bumper
remanufacturing or other industries [44]. In order to
remove the coatings, Hyundai Motor Company uses water-
jets to generate a strong impact on bumper surfaces [45].
After paint removal, the adoption of twin-screw extruder
processing on recycled bumper materials yields new plastic
granules that meet the manufacturing requirements of a
new bumper [46]. Scrapped bumpers are crushed into
0.8 mm thick piles [47], and then a high-speed shot peeling
method is applied to the plastic surface to peel the paint off.
In other studies, an apparatus employing the differential
roller velocity method is used to remove the coatings
during the ELV bumpers recycling process [48]. The
comparison of different bumper coating removal technol-
ogies is shown in Table 3 [49].
Besides, pyrolysis can be used in the bumper recycling
progress. Pyrolysis refers to a form of treatment that
chemically decomposes organic materials by heat to pro-
duce fuel oil, gas or raw materials for chemicals.
In our current study, a high pressure abrasive water jet is
used to remove paint from scrapped passenger vehicle
bumpers. To use the recycled bumper materials in the new
bumper manufacturing process and to achieve the high
Simple regeneration
Remove paint Melt
Compound recovery
Produce chemical
raw materials
Pyrolysis
Produce fuel
and gas
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Table 3 Comparison of different bumper coating removal technologies

Technical Name Mechanism Technical characteristics
classification
Effecta Capacityb Toxicity Environmental
pollution

Mechanical File grinding method Friction/wear A X No No

method High pressure water jet Impact C–B X No No
Sandblasting method Impact/friction B–A X No No
Dry classification method Air separation/flotation C–B D No No
Wet classification method Density difference B D–O No No
Filtration method Melted filtration C–B D No No
Physical Organic solvent method (using aromatic, Dissolved, interfacial C–B X Yes Yes
method halogenated, ketone and ester solvents) saturation
Chemical Alkali boiling method, acid boiling method Chemical decomposition C–B X Yes Yes
method Organic salt method (using organic salt/ Chemical decomposition, B–A O No No
alcohol/water mixed solution) dissolved, interfacial
saturation
a
Removal effect: A removal coating/priming paint; B removal coating; C no effect
b
Processing capacity (kg/h), O high ([50); D ordinary (20–50); X low (\20)

Scrapped pas-
application of recycled radiator grille and lamp materials
senger vehicle depend on whether the films on the grille surface can be
bumper effectively removed and whether the lamp materials can
Remove paint by be separated well.
New bumper high pressure
At present, no special reports on the recycling technol-
abrasive water jet
ogy for radiator grilles and lamps in China have been
published. In addition to direct landfill disposal and
Separate PP incineration, most of the materials are used to produce low-
Bumper recycling Preliminary
and PC by level plastic products or are modified for other areas. For
process crushing
density method
example, PMMA can be added to an acetone
(CH2COCH2) solution after cleaning, drying, and grind-
Separate em- ing. This mixture can also be used as an adhesive for glass,
Fine crushing bedded metal ceramics, stone, and other materials.
parts
A large number of international studies on radiator grille
Cleaning and and lamp recycling problems are being conducted. The
drying difficulty within the radiator grilles recycling process is
how to remove coatings from the grille surface. Foma
Fig. 5 End-of-life passenger vehicle bumper recycling process Engineering Company [50] developed a centrifugal sepa-
ration system for the separation of PMMA and ABS, which
value-added recycling of bumper materials, a preliminary is also capable of yielding fine separated plastics. This
bumper recycling technology has been developed, as system lays a good foundation for high value-added radi-
shown in Fig. 5, and further related experiments are under ator grille and lamp recycling. The mechanical, thermal
study. and chemical properties of ABS products are evaluated
after two types of recycling process; a recycling process
Radiator grilles and lamps Figure 6 shows a photo- involving grinding and extrusion is compared to a chemical
graph of a radiator grille and lamp. An automotive recycling process that uses a solvent [51]. The fluidized bed
radiator grille is made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene thermal decomposition method can decompose PMMA to
(ABS) and is difficult to recycle because of its complex methyl methacrylate (MMA), increasing the recovery rate
shape and surface coating. The primary ingredients of PMMA up to 90–98 % [52]. After the lamps are crushed
comprising lamps are ABS and polymethylmethacrylate and after the metal ingredients in the crushed materials are
(PMMA). The lamp housing is made of ABS, and the separated, GARAMTECH utilizes the recycled and the
lamp mask is made of PMMA. Moreover, glass and new ABS materials to manufacture new lamp housings
metals are also utilized in lamps. The quality and [53].

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Fig. 6 The radiator grille and lamp of an end-of-life passenger vehicle
ELVs Cleaning Remove Magnetic Electrostatic
radiator grille and
and lamp drying coating separation separation
Remove Remove
ferrous nonferrous
metal metal
Fig. 7 End-of-life passenger vehicle radiator grille and lamp recycling process
The authors are working with recycling companies to
conduct related research work on the high value-added
recycling of automotive radiator grilles and lamps. Figure 7
shows the developed preliminary road map for the recycling
of radiator grilles and lamps. Experiments on the recycling
procedure have been performed, and the details of the
recovery process will be described in subsequent articles.
Interior trim parts
The typical interior parts in a passenger vehicle includes:
instrument panel, seat, inner door panel, roof headliner, and
the trunk. Their main components, characteristics and
principal aspects under development in recycling typical
interior trim parts are shown in Table 4.
Instrument panel Most soft dashboards consist of three
parts: the surface, the buffer layer and the skeleton. Most
surfaces are made of polyvinylchloride (PVC), the buffer
layers are made of polyurethane (PU) foam by reaction
injection molding, and the skeletons are composed of ABS
or PC. The automotive dashboard is an important func-
tional and trim part, as shown in Fig. 8, and the composi-
tion and shape of a dashboard is extremely complex,
making it difficult to recycle. In China, most dashboards
are recycled through energy recovery and thermal decom-
position methods, which are also employed for fuel tanks.
193
Pure ABS
ABS Air
Drying
(not pure) separation
PMMA
Grinding Flotation
Pure PMMA
PMMA Air
Drying
(not pure) separation
ABS
Significant effort has been made in the study of instru-
ment recycling by scholars from abroad. PP-type dash-
boards are crushed and mixed with an additive comprising
70–92 % wax polymer and 8–30 % of an inorganic filler
mixture. The mixture is then melted and milled to produce
synthetic resin, which is composed of 45–65 % PP,
10–20 % ethylene rubber, and 20–40 % inorganic filler.
The obtained resin materials are used to produce a new
dashboard matrix [54]. A recycling technology for a multi-
layer hydrocarbon poly-vinyl dashboard was also devel-
oped. In this method, the ethylene-propylene copolymer
and PP are added into the recycling materials during the
remanufacturing process to improve its performance. The
remanufactured plastics can be used to produce a new
dashboard or similar plastic parts [55].The instrument
panel components and all-polyurethane instrument panels
can be recycled by the glycolysis method (a metabolic
process that breaks down carbohydrates and sugars through
a series of chemical reactions) [56]. Several design-for-
recycling rules(for example, removal of usable parts as
used parts, rebuilding used parts, shredding the remaining
hulk and separating steel and other high-value materials,
and discarding the residue to an incinerator or landfill) are
presented in the paper and integrated with the cost-benefit
analysis model (obtain the maximum economic benefits in
recycling), which can reduce the cost of recycling of
dashboards and other plastics [57]. Using a life cycle
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Table 4 Information for typical passenger vehicle interior trim parts recycling
Vehicle Part Materials
Dashboard PU, PP, ABS/PVC alloy
(including sub-dashboard)
Seat PU, PVC
Inner door panel ABS, PP
Roof headliner PP, PU, ABS/PVC
(Including the rear window trim plate)
Trunk PP, soft PVC, rubber
(Including luggage compartment
mat and floor mats)
Fig. 8 The dashboard of a passenger vehicle
assessment (LCA) approach (an important tool for assess-
ing the environmental impact of products and services from
cradle-to-grave); it was found that the greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions from conventional instrument panels
(IPs) made out of steel, plastic and bio-plastic are,
respectively, 15, 29 and 37 % lower than magnesium [58].
In addition, many enterprises use incineration or com-
bustion to recycle energy from the plastic parts that are
difficult to recycle, such as the dashboard. However, a
number of environmental concerns will be produced in the
incineration of scrapped plastic parts, mainly emission of
certain air pollutants such as CO2, NOx and SOx. The
combustion of plastic is also known to generate volatile
organic compounds (VOCs), smoke (particulate matter),
particulate-bound heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans
(PCDFs) and dioxins. Besides, carcinogenic substances
(PAHs, nitro-PAHs, dioxins, etc.) have been identified in
airborne particles from incineration or combustion of
synthetic polymers such as PVC, PET, PS and PE [59].
Inner door panels Figure 9 shows an inner door panel of a
passenger vehicle. Such panels are generally composed of
three layers, namely, the epidermis, middle layer, and
skeleton. The epidermis is primarily comprised of thermo-
plastic olefin (TPO) and PVC materials, the middle layer is
made of either PP or PU foam, and the skeleton is made of
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Weight percentage Recycling developmental highlights
of total vehicle
About 0.5% Separating different plastics
About 0.5% Removing external dirt, cutting and sorting
About 0.35 % Crushing and sorting
About 0.6% Separating different plastics
About 0.45 % Separating different plastic, cleaning
Fig. 9 The inner door panel of an end-of-life passenger vehicle
ABS or reinforced PP. A number of composite textiles are
also present in the inner door panel of the intermediate and
lower class vehicles. The crushed fabric will be filtered out,
and a single component of the PP, PVC, ABS, and TPO
plastic can be obtained using the floatation method and
electrostatic separation, which is performed several times.
Only a limited number of local and international studies
on the recycling of inner door panels have been conducted.
In most developed countries, inner door panels are shredded
with the body and then processed as automotive shredder
residue (ASR). However, related recycling technologies for
inner door panels have not been reported in China.
The current research examines the recycling issues for
dashboards and inner door panels confronting an automo-
tive recovery company. A preliminary recovery process
route (shown in Fig. 10) was obtained based on the present
work, and the relevant experimental work is still in
progress.
Seats The plastic parts in seats are comprised of the skin,
skeleton, and cushioning pad. Scrapped passenger seats are
shown in Fig. 11. Skin materials are typically comprised of
PVC leather, chemical fiber textiles, leather and artificial
J Mater Cycles Waste Manag (2014) 16:187–200 195

TPO

PP foam
Float Floating Electrostatic
Floatation
materials material drying separation
Inner PU foam
door Crushing Filtering Flotation
panels
PP
Submerged Magnetic Electrostatic Electrostatic
Remove material drying separation separation separation
fabrics ABS
Interior Remove
PVC
trim parts metallic
materials

ABS/PC

Cleaning Magnetic Electrostatic Air separa- Electrostatic

Dashboard Crushing Grinding
and drying separation separation tion separation

Remove Remove PVC

PU
ferrous nonferrous
metal metal

Fig. 10 The recycling route for a scrapped passenger vehicle dashboard and inner door panel

Fig. 11 Seat of scrapped passenger vehicle Fig. 12 Roof headliner of a passenger vehicle

leather. The skeleton is mostly made of thermoplastic
reinforced PP materials. Cushioning pads are usually made
of soft flexible PU materials. Recycled seat cushioning pad
materials can be used in energy absorbance applications,
such as vibration and sound damping, sports ground sur-
facing, and carpet underlay. The granulated polyester PU
foam and foam/fabric laminates are made into new foam by
adding diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) in the gran-
ulation process [60]. Some researchers have presented a
novel design for recycling (DFR) strategy-extended pro-
ducer responsibility—these were incorporated in a new
software tool, combining the use of emerging technologies
dedicated to automobile shredder residue recycling, toge-
ther with a design for dismantling strategies [61]. The
recovery costs in various recycle stages and the values of
the finished products are analyzed in the study, showing
that the recovery of waste PU seat has a high economic
value.
Roof headliner The roof headliner of the vehicle is an
important part of the vehicle interior, functioning not only
as decoration, but is also for heat insulation, noise reduc-
tion, and comfort and safety enhancement. Figure 12
shows the roof headliner of a vehicle.
The roof headliner is produced by bonding different
composites, such as PU, PP, and ABS/PVC. The roof mate-
rials are complicated, so separating the different layers is very
difficult. No specific recycling technology for roof headliner
has been proposed locally and abroad. Most roofs are made
into fuel and gas through pyrolysis, similar to other plastic
materials that are difficult to reuse. In addition, some roof
materials that cannot be recycled are processed by landfill.

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Trunk and mats Most trunks of passenger vehicles are
mostly made of PP, and their recovery process is relatively
simple compared to that of other parts. Cleaned trunks are
recycled with other PP materials or are used to refine oil
and gas through pyrolysis.
Trunk cushions and floor mats are mostly made of rubber
and soft PVC. The recycling methods for rubber are already
well developed. Cushions and mats are not processed sep-
arately because of the low density and light weight of soft
PVC materials, but are rather reused with other refractory
materials through pyrolysis and combustion.
Functional parts
The typical functional parts in a passenger vehicle include
the fuel tank, water radiator room, some pipes, and so on.
Their main components, characteristics and principal
development aspect for recycling typical functional parts
are shown in Table 5.
Fuel tank The main material of a fuel tank is high-density
polyethylene (HDPE). The recycling methods currently
used for a scrapped fuel tank are main energy recovery and
thermal decomposition. Figure 13 shows a scrapped pas-
senger car fuel tank. The energy recovery method refers to
the utilization of heat during the incineration process of a
waste fuel tank mixed with coal in cement kilns. Thermal
decomposition refers to the generation of fuel and gas
using some processing methods, such as pre-processing,
thermal cracking, pyrolysis, cooling, and other processes.
The recovery efficiency of the two methods is low, and the
recycling process produces secondary pollution.
Table 5 Information for typical passenger vehicle functional parts recycling
Vehicle part Materials Weight percentage of total vehicle
Fuel tank HDPE About 0.1%
Radiator room PA66-GF About 0.1
Fig. 13 End-of-life passenger vehicle fuel tank
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J Mater Cycles Waste Manag (2014) 16:187–200
New recycling technologies for fuel tanks have been
recently discovered in foreign countries. In the US, a scrap
fuel tank recovery system has been established [62]. The
recycled HDPE material was found to have good perfor-
mance and can be used for the reproduction of fuel tanks.
The steam explosion method is also used for HDPE fuel
tank recovery [63]. In this method, the HDPE post-con-
sumer automotive fuel tanks are combined with wood fibers
to create a new material suitable as an automotive substrate.
The scrap fuel tanks and other plastics are made into
hydrocarbons, which can be used as raw material by
numerous industries [64], through thermal decomposition, a
series of catalytic reactions, and a distillation process.
BASF uses distillation to remove oil and highly explosive
materials from the tank surface. The company adopts the
method of extending the heating time to prevent plastic
performance degradation [65]. The possibility of mechani-
cal recycling of the polyethylene (PE) from post-use auto-
motive fuel tanks is performed by some extrusion tests [66].
Special methods for processing the fuel tank are consid-
ered in the crushing process because of the remaining gas-
oline in the tank. Relevant businesses cooperated with our
laboratory to develop a recycling route for HDPE fuel tanks.
Figure 14 shows the initially developed route. The detailed
research results will be reported in subsequent papers.
Radiator recycling technology The radiator tank is usu-
ally made of glass fiber-reinforced nylon 66 (PA66-GF).
The water radiator room will be disposed by landfill when
scrapped because polyamide tanks continuously age with
usage (long-term molecular decline in a working environ-
ment at 90 °C with cooling fluid).
Recycling developmental highlights
Removing oil pollution and metal impurities
Removing impurities
J Mater Cycles Waste Manag (2014) 16:187–200
Retired fuel Cleaning Magnetic Electrostatic
Crushing
tank and drying separation separation
Remove Remove
ferrous nonferrous
metal metal
Fig. 14 The recycling route for a retired passenger vehicle fuel tank
The technology called ‘‘Nylon Composite Recycle’’ was
developed in 2003, providing a new recycling technology for
polyamide using one of the largest automotive applications,
the radiator, and the tank, which has been previously viewed
as degraded material because of hydrolysis and was deemed
as shredder residue. The process of the technology includes
the collection of post-consumer radiator end tanks that are
then reground, dissolved, filtered for glass fiber removal,
precipitated, recovered, and compounded into a usable resin
[67]. According to the research, the physical and mechanical
properties of the recycled radiator tanks made of PA66-GF
equivalent to the new PA66-GF can be obtained using this
method. Satisfactory physical–mechanical properties of
recycled glass fiber reinforced polyamide composites are
attained after they are dried for 3, 6 and 9 h before repro-
cessing [68], because polyamides in equilibrium with the
environment contain a small amount of moisture and the
probability of hydrolysis occurring in these materials will
change their properties. The recycling technology for the
radiator tanks has not been reported in China.
Problems and future development for the ELVs plastic
recycling system in China
Europe, the US, Japan, and other developed countries have
established several comprehensive laws and regulations
relating to ELV plastics recycling, and a more effective
recovery and reuse system have been established in these
countries. The relevant laws and regulations on the auto-
motive plastic recycling industry are imperfect in China,
and the comprehensive recovery system has not yet been
built. The reason for the slow development of China’s ELV
plastics recycling industry is very complicated, and the
fundamental reasons are the following:
1. China’s relevant government agencies have slowly
supervised the ELV plastics recycling, and there is a
lack of awareness of automotive recycling in the public
view. At present, the dismantling enterprises just
recycle some single material parts for selling, such as
bumpers; other ingredient complicated components are
usually treated as waste for landfill, such as the
multilayer dashboard, which brings the waste of
197
Air separa-
Grinding Flotation Drying Deoiling Drying Granulation
tion
resources and serious environmental problems. There-
fore, no matter from the point of view of resource
consumption or the environmental pollution, the
government agencies should strengthen the supervision
for automotive plastics recycling. In addition, almost
everyone is polluting the environment, but do not want
to clean the earth voluntarily. Too many people only
consider their own economic interests, irrespective of
environmental protection. Even a considerable number
of local leaders only care about their political career
and GDP (gross domestic product) growth and rarely
consider how to reduce waste generation, waste
recycling and processing, resulting in China‘s very
serious environmental problems. If not as soon as
possible, something must be done to enhance environ-
mental education, wake up the Chinese people to
environmental awareness, or Chinese people will
breathe polluted air and drink contaminated water in
the near future, resulting in many diseases.
2. The information flow in China’s ELVs recycling
process is blocked, which further complicates the
current situation in the automotive recycling industry.
Especially, the information exchanges in the recycling
process of automotive plastics are not effective
enough. For example, according to our research,
Shanghai East China Vehicle Dismantling Co., Ltd.
has no idea how to identify the different plastic parts
because the parts manufacturers are unwilling to share
their information with them. At the same time,
dismantlers don’t know how to deal with the disman-
tled plastic parts and who will take over the plastics.
As a result, most plastic parts are landfilled with other
wastes. Therefore, the national information exchange
platform for automotive plastic recycling should be
established and the sub-centers in each provincial area
should be developed as well. It should have a lot of
interfaces that connect plastic parts manufacturers,
distributors, scrap car collection points, vehicle dis-
mantlers and plastic material processing units. Plastic
parts manufacturers upload manufacturing information
and dismantling technologies. Distributors upload
sales information. Scrap car collection points upload
collecting information. Dismantlers upload disman-
tling information, including the collection information
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198
of plastic materials. Plastic material processing units
receive and deal with the plastics from dismantlers in a
timely manner. If the platform were to be built, the
information exchange in different departments for
plastic components recycling could be unimpeded and
the plastic parts could be recycled by the greatest
extent.
3. The recycling technology and equipment for ELV
plastic parts are still backward, and the costs in the
recycling process are very high. For example, there are
no advanced technologies for plastic parts paint
removal in the recycling process. Current methods
have their flaws. The traditional chemical coating-
removal method has a low processing capacity, and the
generated liquid waste seriously harms the environ-
ment. The conventional mechanical method is ineffi-
cient, expensive and unsuitable for large-scale
production. Hence, new, clean, and efficient methods
for removing the paint or coating of automotive plastic
parts must be developed. Among the challenges the
plastic parts dismantling industry must overcome
include lack of professional equipment and manage-
ment specifications, small production scales, low
dismantling efficiency, low recycling rates, and envi-
ronmental pollution. In addition, effective separation
technology for different plastic materials is still in the
rough. Some plastic separation technologies have been
researched, such as flotation, gravity separation, tribo-
electrostatic separation, and so on. However, more
specific techniques concerning polymer properties are
not well developed, particularly the technique related
to the concentration of plastic fractions included in a
product as well as the technique concerning plastics
sorting. China should strengthen its support for the
research and development of new technologies in the
automotive plastic recycling industry. Moreover,
China should ensure that such an advanced, reliable,
and environmentally friendly plastic recycling tech-
nology can be used in the actual recovery process to
ensure that plastic parts can be recycled efficiently.
To sum up, only by the united action of the relevant
government agencies’ supervision, effective information
exchange in different departments and the development of
recycling technology for typical plastic parts in scrapped
passenger vehicles can promote the development of auto-
motive plastic parts recycling, which have an important
practical significance to conserve resources, protect the
environment, and promote the foundation of resource-
preservation for an environmentally friendly society. The
government department, research institutes, and the auto-
motive recycling companies should join together and
devote themselves to the ELVs plastic recycling industry.
123
J Mater Cycles Waste Manag (2014) 16:187–200
Conclusions
Since 2009, China has become first in the world of auto-
motive producers and has had the biggest automobile mar-
kets for four consecutive years, but the scrap vehicle
recycling industry is at its infancy. Especially, the scrapped
plastic parts recycling technology lags behind developed
countries, such as Japan, America and the EU. Therefore, to
research the plastic parts recycling technology is very
important for the sound development of China’s automotive
plastic components industry. In this article, automotive
plastics recycling-related rules and regulations about
developed countries and China are discussed. Besides, the
recycling technologies for typical plastic components of end-
of-life passenger vehicles were analyzed comprehensively
according to the part types, include collecting and disman-
tling, labeling and different recycling technologies for typ-
ical passenger vehicle plastic parts. It can be seen from the
analyses, developed countries have been studying end-of-
life vehicle plastic parts for years, and have developed seri-
ous relative recycling technologies; by contrast, plastic
components recycling technologies in China is just begin-
ning now. Based on the analyses, the problems and future
development for the ELVs plastic recycling system in China
are deliberated. The results show that only by the united
action of the relevant government agencies’ supervision,
effective information exchange in different departments
and the development of recycling technology for typical
plastic parts in scrapped passenger vehicles, can promote
the development of China’s automotive plastic parts
recycling.
Acknowledgments The author expresses sincere thanks to the
Ministry of Science and Technology, P.R. China for financing this
research within the project ‘‘The Key Technique Investigation and
Equipment Development of ELV Green Dismantling and Recycling’’
under the label 2011BAF11B05, and sincere thanks to the National
Natural Science Foundation of China for financing this research
within the project ‘‘Fundamental Research on Automobile Shredder
Residues (ASR) Pyrolysis/Gasification Mechanism and Its Recovery
in China’’ under the label 51175342.
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