Material Recycling After Use : - a review of the recyclability of materials in rail vehicles

Abstract: The aim of this project is to investigate the recyclability as well as the recoverability of materials in the French commuter train NAT. The focus lies in identifying and tracking 57, or 98 % by mass, of the most frequently occurring materials through the end of life treatment process in order to obtain a clear image of the recyclability as well as recoverability of the materials used. The remaining 2% represents many different materials used in limited amount. The information is gathered through study visits, interviews and a literature reviews. Four definitions of recoverability and recyclability are used; 1) the ratio of materials considered recoverable or recyclable , 2) how much of the materials are recycled or recovered in practice today, 3) how much of the material is recyclable or recoverable using the best available technology and 4) how much of the materials are recycled and recovered according to the ELV standard of calculation ISO22628 . The applicability of this standard will be evaluated during the project. The gathering and analysis of data on 98% by mass of the NAT commuter train shows that 98,8 % of the materials used are considered recoverable (1), but about 96 % is recovered in practice today (2). Using best available technology while taking loss streams during sorting, cleaning and melting into consideration about 97 % could potentially be recovered (3). Calculations according to the ELV standard gives a recoverability rate just over 98 %. (4) Materials that can not be recycled or recovered are landfilled. The landfilled material mainly consists of glass fiber from composites, metal oxides and shredder sand consisting of a mixture of materials that have failed to be sorted in the automated sorting processes. The findings show that the difficulty in calculating recoverability lies in getting access to material data from suppliers and designers, as well as interpreting, motivating and defining the approach and results accurately.