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2011-Sustainable Industrial Processing Summit
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| Editors: | Florian K |
| Publisher: | Flogen Star OUTREACH |
| Publication Year: | 2012 |
| Pages: | 754 pages |
| ISBN: | 978-0-9879917-3-7 |
| ISSN: | 2291-1227 (Metals and Materials Processing in a Clean Environment Series) |
Sustainable Use Of Waste Plastics In Metallurgy And Materials Processing
Norbert Fraunholcz1;1RECYCLING AVENUE BV, Delft, Netherlands;
Type of Paper: Invite
Id Paper: 403
Topic: 12
Abstract:
With a current global production of approx. 260 Mton/a and an average annual growth rate of around 10 %, plastics belong to the largest and fastest growing raw material streams. Due to the low density of plastics, global production has even surpassed steel making in terms of metric volume. The high level of plastics consumption results in corresponding amounts of waste plastics, a substantial part of which is currently used as a secondary fuel or reduction agent in materials processing, such as cement production, steel making and non-ferrous metallurgy.The current secondary fuel market relying on plastics waste is rather immature and is dominated by short-term goals. Suppliers and users in this market have limited insight in each others true requirements and synergy opportunities. Impurities in secondary fuels, such as heavy metals and halogens, are often used for price negotiations, while synergy or true environmental benefits are rarely considered. For example, zinc-containing car tyres are often sold to cement kilns, where the zinc content is lost into the cement, instead of recovering it via a suitable metallurgical route.The widely recognized need for sustainability calls for a more structured use of waste plastics as well as a closer and long-term co-operation between suppliers and end users of secondary fuels. This paper attempts to give an overview of major plastics waste streams categorized by their suitability for use as a secondary fuel or reduction agent. It is pointed out that at least from a sustainability point of view, recycling is preferred for waste streams with a fair potential for material recovery. On the other hand, numerous arguments advocate for the use of mixed waste streams of glass fibre reinforced and mineral filled plastics as a secondary fuel or reducing agent. The role of metals, halogens and other elements used as an additive in plastics are dealt with in this context. Opportunities to arrive at a more sustainable use of waste plastics in metallurgy and materials processing are discussed.