55 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Thermal decomposition of PMC for fiber recovery
This paper describes efforts by Argonne National Laboratory to develop a process to recover carbon fibers from polymer matrix composite (PMC) materials. The polymer material in the matrix maybe a thermoplastic or a thermoset. Samples of panels containing PMC fibers were obtained and used in the bench-scale testing program. The authors tested three different methods for recovering these PMC fibers: thermal treatment, chemical degradation, and cryogenic methods (thermal shock treatment). The first two methods were effective in separating the carbon fibers from the polymeric substrate; the third method was not satisfactory. Carbon fibers separated from the polymer substrate using the thermal treatment method were submitted to Oak Ridge National Laboratory for analysis and evaluation. The results indicated that the carbon fibers had been cleanly separated from the polymer matrix. Their intrinsic density was 1.8473 g/cm{sup 3} and their electrical resistivity was 0.001847 ohm-cm, compared to an intrinsic density of 1.75--1.9 gm/cm{sup 3} and an electrical resistivity of 0.0002--0.002 ohm-cm for virgin fibers produced from polyacrylonitrile (PAN). Although they were not sure that the samples they processed were originally produced from PAN, they used the PAN fibers for comparison. It was also demonstrated that the surface of the recovered fibers could be reactivated to energy levels equivalent to those of reactivated virgin fibers from PAN. A comparison of the mechanical properties of the recovered fibers (without surface treatment) with those of surface-treated virgin fibers from PAN revealed that the ultimate tensile strength and the elongation at brake values are about 1/3 the values for the virgin fibers. The modulus for the recycled fibers (31.4 million pounds per square inch [psi]) was about the same as that for the virgin PAN fibers (31.2 million psi). The reason for the lower tensile strength and elongation is not clear; the authors plan to investigate it further as part of the process improvement study that is now underway. Process economics appear very promising, and a payback of less than two years is likely
Recommended from our members
Progress in recycling of automobile shredder residue
At Argonne National Laboratory, we have been developing a potentially economical process to recycle automobile shredder residue (ASR). We identified three potentially marketable materials that can be recovered from ASR and developed technologies to recover and upgrade these materials. We build and tested a field-demonstration plant for recycling polyurethane foam and produced about 2000 lb of recycled foam. Several 300-lb samples were sent for evaluation and were found to be of marketable quality. We are also preparing for a large-scale test in which about 200 tons of ASR-derived fines will be used as a raw material in cement making. A major cement company has evaluated small samples of fines prepared in the laboratory and found that they meet its requirements as a substitute for iron ore or mill scale. We also produced about 50 lb of recycled acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) from obsolete automobiles and found that it has properties that could be readily upgraded to meet the specifications of the automotive industry. In this paper, we briefly discuss the process as a whole and summarize the results obtained from the field work on foam and fines recycling
End-of-life vehicle recycling : state of the art of resource recovery from shredder residue.
Each year, more than 25 million vehicles reach the end of their service life throughout the world, and this number is rising rapidly because the number of vehicles on the roads is rapidly increasing. In the United States, more than 95% of the 10-15 million scrapped vehicles annually enter a comprehensive recycling infrastructure that includes auto parts recyclers/dismantlers, remanufacturers, and material recyclers (shredders). Today, over 75% of automotive materials, primarily the metals, are profitably recycled via (1) parts reuse and parts and components remanufacturing and (2) ultimately by the scrap processing (shredding) industry. The process by which the scrap processors recover metal scrap from automobiles involves shredding the obsolete automobile hulks, along with other obsolete metal-containing products (such as white goods, industrial scrap, and demolition debris), and recovering the metals from the shredded material. The single largest source of recycled ferrous scrap for the iron and steel industry is obsolete automobiles. The non-metallic fraction that remains after the metals are recovered from the shredded materials - commonly called shredder residue - constitutes about 25% of the weight of the vehicle, and it is disposed of in landfills. This practice is not environmentally friendly, wastes valuable resources, and may become uneconomical. Therefore, it is not sustainable. Over the past 15-20 years, a significant amount of research and development has been undertaken to enhance the recycle rate of end-of-life vehicles, including enhancing dismantling techniques and improving remanufacturing operations. However, most of the effort has been focused on developing technology to separate and recover non-metallic materials, such as polymers, from shredder residue. To make future vehicles more energy efficient, more lightweighting materials - primarily polymers, polymer composites, high-strength steels, and aluminum - will be used in manufacturing these vehicles. Many of these materials increase the percentage of shredder residue that must be disposed of, compared with the percentage of metals that are recovered. In addition, the number of hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles on the road is rapidly increasing. This trend will also introduce new materials for disposal at the end of their useful lives, including batteries. Therefore, as the complexity of automotive materials and systems increases, new technologies will be required to sustain and maximize the ultimate recycling of these materials and systems. Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne), the Vehicle Recycling Partnership, LLC. (VRP) of the United States Council for Automotive Research, LLC. (USCAR), and the American Chemistry Council-Plastics Division (ACC-PD) are working to develop technology for recovering materials from end-of-life vehicles, including separating and recovering polymers and residual metals from shredder residue. Several other organizations worldwide are also working on developing technology for recycling materials from shredder residue. Without a commercially viable shredder industry, our nation and the world will most likely face greater environmental challenges and a decreased supply of quality scrap, and thereby be forced to turn to primary ores for the production of finished metals. This will result in increased energy consumption and increased damage to the environment, including increased greenhouse gas emissions. The recycling of polymers, other organics, and residual metals in shredder residue saves the equivalent of over 23 million barrels of oil annually. This results in a 12-million-ton reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. This document presents a review of the state-of-the-art in the recycling of automotive materials
DNA methylation and expression of LINE-1 and HERV-K provirus sequences in urothelial and renal cell carcinomas
Recommended from our members
The interactive effects of pH, surface tension, and solution density for flotation systems for separation of equivalent-density materials: separation of ABS from HIPS
This paper presents the results of research being conducted at Argonne National Laboratory, to develop a cost-effective and environmentally acceptable process for the separation of high-value plastics from discarded household appliances. The process under development has separated high-purity (greater than 99.5%) acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) from commingled plastics generated by appliance-shredding and metal recovery operations. Plastics of similar densities, such as ABS and HIPS are further separated by using a chemical solution. By controlling the surface tension, the density and the temperature of the chemical solution, we are able to selectively float/separate plastics that have equivalent densities. In laboratory-scale tests, this technique has proven highly effective in recovering high-purity plastics materials from discarded household appliances and other obsolete durable goods. A pilot plant is under construction to demonstrate and assess the technical and economic performance of this process. In this paper, we examine the technical and economic issues that affect the recovery and separation of plastics and provide an update on Argonne`s plastics separation research and development activities
Recommended from our members
Recycling end-of-life vehicles of the future. Final CRADA report.
Argonne National Laboratory (the Contractor) entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the following Participants: Vehicle Recycling Partnership, LLC (VRP, which consists of General Motors [GM], Ford, and Chrysler), and the American Chemistry Council - Plastics Division (ACC-PD). The purpose of this CRADA is to provide for the effective recycling of automotive materials. The long-term goals are to (1) enable the optimum recycling of automotive materials, thereby obviating the need for legislative mandates or directives; (2) enable the recovery of automotive materials in a cost-competitive manner while meeting the performance requirements of the applications and markets for the materials; and (3) remove recycling barriers/reasons, real or perceived, to the use of advanced lightweighting materials or systems in future vehicles. The issues, technical requirements, and cost and institutional considerations in achieving that goal are complex and will require a concerted, focused, and systematic analysis, together with a technology development program. The scope and tasks of this program are derived from 'A Roadmap for Recycling End-of-Life Vehicles of the Future,' prepared in May 2001 for the DOE Office of Energy, Efficiency, and Renewable Energy (EERE)-Vehicle Technologies Program. The objective of this research program is to enable the maximum recycling of automotive materials and obsolete vehicles through the development and commercialization of technologies for the separation and recovery of materials from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs). The long-term goals are to (1) enable the optimum recycling of automotive materials, thereby obviating the need for legislative mandates or directives; (2) enable the recovery of automotive materials in a cost-competitive manner while meeting the performance requirements of the applications and markets for the materials; and (3) remove recycling barriers/reasons, real or perceived, to the use of advanced lightweighting materials or systems in future vehicles
- …