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U.S. Automakers Maximize Recycling through USCAR and CRADANearly all discarded automobiles in the U.S. are recycled. They're simply too valuable to be left to rust in junkyards. Even cars in the very worst of shape may still contain valuable working parts that can be reused in other vehicles. The recycling process usually starts at an auto dismantler, which removes a vehicle's battery, gas tank, fluids, and refrigerant gases from the air conditioner. After these have been removed, the hulk of the car can be flattened and delivered to a ferrous scrap dealer. More than 95 percent of all vehicles in the United States go through a market-driven recycling process, with no added cost or tax to consumers. More than 75 percent, by weight, of each end-of-life vehicle (ELV) is recycled. Most of this weight is recovered iron and steel. In fact, among all U.S. products that use steel, automobiles have the highest rate of recycling. Much of the credit for this effort goes to the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) Vehicle Recycling Partnership (VRP). USCAR's VRP, which includes DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation, is now in its third year of its third Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Argonne National Laboratory and the American Plastics Council. Since their first CRADA in 1991, the group has been working to maximize vehicle recycling in the United States. "The U.S. automakers have long taken a proactive stance in vehicle recycling. They continue to work side-by-side with government and private industry to optimally recycle all vehicles, regardless of age, content or origin," said Bill Gouse, executive director of USCAR. "If it's driven and disposed of here, the vehicle becomes part of the mix – along with a lot of other big disposables, like appliances and building demolition or commercial and industrial waste materials." "The USCAR Vehicle Recycling Partnership, Argonne and the American Plastics Council really are taking a national leadership role, addressing the entire lot of shredder residue, regardless of its source," Gouse added. "They are working to implement sustainable recycling solutions that keep waste out of landfills, save energy and put materials into reuse." The team also is working to anticipate and meet the recycling needs for components and parts in future and emerging vehicles such as hybrids and fuel cell vehicles. "With energy issues at the forefront, lightweighting and the use of composite materials are becoming more commonplace in vehicle content," said Jim Kolb, head of the Automotive Learning Center, American Plastics Council. "As a result, solving the issues surrounding end-of-life for present and future materials becomes all that more important." Thus far, the CRADA team impact has been broad and diverse and includes:
"While the CRADA team is benchmarking and evaluating a range of technology options for sustainable recycling of ELV, the facility at Argonne serves as a focal point for the team's work," said Ed Daniels, director, Energy Systems Division at Argonne and head of the vehicle recycling research effort at the Lab. The VRP is part of the United States Council for Automotive Research, under which DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation cooperatively address shared technological and environmental concerns. By weight, the typical passenger car consists of nearly 66 percent steel and iron. The steel used in car bodies is made with a minimum of 25 percent recycled steel. Iron and steel account for about two-thirds of the weight of a typical passenger car, and new cars are made with a minimum of 25 percent recycled steel. |
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