The components are not recycled for several reasons, including a lack of a cost-effective technology for recovering plastics, potential contamination of the plastics with other materials from the ASR stream, and the absence of a strong market. Argonne is testing a potentially economical process to recycle polymers and other constitutents from automotive shredder residue. The solvent used in the process is regenerated and continuously recycled. Results A demonstration plant at a shredder site is now processing polyurethane foam. At the same time, four different plastics are being recovered in a batch-process unit, in quantities of 1 to 5 pounds each.
Plans are also under way to run a large-scale test using fines in cement.
Some 20,000 pounds of polyurethane foam are being accumulated for an Argonne techno-economic evaluation in early 1995. Argonne engineers are designing a continuous-process demonstration plant that could produce 3,000 tons of foam per year. Commercialization of the polyurethane foam process could come as early as the beginning of 1996.