What are processing alternatives and market opportunities for mixed plastic

fractions?

L.Tange (Eurobrom DSBG) D.Drohmann (GLCC)

Representing European Flame Retardant Association (EFRA)

Presentation to workshop Where are “WEEE”going?October 2004 Antwerp

2

EFRA Aims and Objectives

• EFRA is a Sector Group within CEFIC which:– represents all the major manufacturers of FRs– covers all flame retardant chemistries– promotes the safe use of FRs to achieve fire

safety– recognises the perceived environmental

issues and encourages debate on a scientific basis

• FR Industry sponsors studies into key issues– Tests in support of EU Risk Assessments– Life Cycle Assessments– Consumer exposure– End of Life studies, incineration and recycling– Monitoring of certain FRs in the environment

3

EFRA Members 2004

Full Members

Akzo Nobel, Albemarle, Bayer, Borax, Budenheim, Ciba, Clariant, DSBG/Eurobrom, DSM, Ferro, Great Lakes, Italmatch, Joseph Storey, Nabaltec, Rhodia

Associate Members

Noveon, Tegewa, Schill & Seilacher

Observers Plastics Europe, CIA, FRCA, FRCJ, GTFI

4

Operation and Cooperation Between FR Industry Groups

Representing the unified Flame Retardants industry in Europe - The ‘One Stop Shop’ for the outside world

Funding research and international coordination of product related issues

Dealing with product related issues in Europe

European Br FR Industry Panel

Phosphorus

GroupMinerals

Group

PefrcPhosphate

Ester Flame Retardants Consortium

5

PLASTIC WASTE FROM E & E EQUIPMENT Plastic content waste in total E & E (West Europe, 2000)

Total waste (all materials): 4,395,000 tonnes

Source: TN SOFRES Consulting

82.3% : other waste :• ferrous metals• non-ferrous metals• wood• glass• elastomers• concrete• oil• optic fibres• ...

Plastic waste : 17.7%

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PLASTIC WASTE FROM E & E EQUIPMENT

Total plastic consumption compared with total plastic waste, by sub-sector(Western Europe, 2000)

Plastic consumption in 2000:1,483,000 tonnes

Source: TN SOFRES Consulting, based on data provided by plastic and product manufacturers

Plastic waste generated in 2000:777,000 tonnes

Automatic dispensers:

1%

E & E tools:1%

Medical equipment:

0.5%

Toys: 0.5%

Lighting equipment:

0%

Monitoringand control

instruments:0%

Large household appliances:

41%

IT & Telecommunications:

34%

Consumerequipment:14%

Small household

appliances:9%

Automaticdispensers:

1%

E & E tools:1%

Others: 0%

Large household appliances:32.5%

Consumer equipment:14.5%

Small householdappliances:

10%

IT & Telecommunications: 40%• Telecommunications: 5%• Office equipment: 6%• Data processing: 29%

7

Variety of Flame Retardantsuse of FRs, worldwide, of total tonnage (1.2 mill/tons/y)

source SRI Consulting http://www.sriconsulting.com

In many cases, several different types of flame retardants are combined to achieve optimal material performance

and product safety (synergy)

8

Use of flame retarded plastics in E&E equipment – 2000 data

Non Flame Retarded

Plastics - 70%

(1,030,000 tonnes)

Flame Retarded

Plastics - 30%

(450,000 tonnes)

Source: TN SOFRES Consulting for APME

Plastics with non -halogenated

flame retardants – 59%

(264,000 tonnes)

Plastics with halogenated

flame retardants – 41%

(186,000 tonnes)All E&E plastics

FR E&E plastics

Non Flame Retarded

Plastics - 70%

(1,030,000 tonnes)

Flame Retarded

Plastics - 30%

(450,000 tonnes)

Source: TN SOFRES Consulting for APME

Plastics with non -halogenated

flame retardants – 59%

(264,000 tonnes)

Plastics with halogenated

flame retardants – 41%

(186,000 tonnes)All E&E plastics

FR E&E plastics

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EU Directives: Restrictions on Marketing & Use

• Directive 2003/11/EC amending for the 24th time Council Directive 76/769/EEC relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations

• PentaBDE and OctaBDE may not be placed on the market or used as a substance or as a constituent of substances or of preparations in concentrations higher than 0.1% by mass.

• Articles may not be placed on the market if they, or FR-parts thereof, contain these substances in concentrations higher than 0.1% by mass.

• Ban to be effective from 15.08.2004

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EU Directives: RoHS - 2002/95/EC

• The European Commission launched a Stakeholder Consultation in May 2004 to evaluate exemption for DecaBDE

– 90 inputs from stakeholders (not only for DecaBDE but also for other applications included in the consultation)

– 20th July: first evaluation of the European Commission & Member States on input

– August / September: proposal from Commission– 22 October: “vote” by Member States

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WEEE EU Directive consequences for FRs

•As a minimum, plastics containing brominated flame

retardants, printed circuit boards (greater than 10 cm2),

and other components have to be removed from any

separately collected WEEE.

•WEEE plastics containing BFRs need to be separately

treated like: e.q. directly in a smelter or via co-

combustion into incineration or cement kilns

•Within the WEEE directive there are NO restrictions

related to other FRs

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Process-installation Definition: Energy Recovery/material recycling or disposal

Cost Euro/ ton

Issues

Mechanical recycling Material recycling ? Sorting, quality, economics, end market

Feedstock recycling (FS) Material recycling /Energy Rec 150-400 Economics, reliability new technique

       

FS: Dehalogenation Material recycling ? Economics, new technique

FS: Haloclean Material recycling ? Pilot scale

Solvolyse process Material recycling High  

Super Critical Water Oxidation

Material recycling High Economics, pilot scale

Metal smelter Energy recovery with material recycling (metals)

Low? Definition of energy recovery/ type of smelter

Cement kiln-fuel replacement

Energy recovery or after EU hearing material recycling as option

Low? Corrosion / energy recovery

Plastics with BFR’s as additive

Energy recovery or after EU hearing material recycling as option

Low? Definition of energy recovery?

House hold waste incinerators co-combustion

Energy recovery 50-130 Political acceptance, max 3% WEEE plastics

Landfill Disposal 50-130 Politically not accepted

Available technical solutions for WEEE Plastics

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Mechanical Recycling and Separation

On the ladder of Lansing the most preferred solution is re-use in same applicationThe issues are mostly related to the quality of aged plastics, variety of and changes in additive contents, and economy of scale

• Mechanical recycling requires separation• Evolution of separation techniques & equipment is

crucial• Existing methods for sorting are ;density difference

(wet floating system), dry (windsifting), tribo-electric, heated drum method and jigging system

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Mechanical Recycling

• FR plastics recycling is happening (including for closed loop) resulting in valuable types of recyclate (e.g. Ricoh and Fuji Xerox)

• Examples of mechanical recycling are possible once the plastics can be seperated:– Polyamides (PA6) using Exolit OP 1312 (tested by

Clariant)– HIPS with DecaBDE (tested by GFA-EBFRIP)– HIPS with EBP and EBTBP (tested by Albemarle)– PC/ABS containing PFRs (BPADP is tested by

Albemarle)– ABS with BEOs (tested by Technopolymer Japan)

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FRs and Mechanical Recycling

• Main conclusion of all these extrusion and injection molding test: Majority of the mechanical properties were maintained during 3 or 5 recycle steps and also full filling the German chemical banning ordinance

• These plastics can be recycled for same applications due to maintenance of physical properties of polymer and flame retardant

• Recyclate maintains flame retardancy to levels in excess of UL tests V-0 and 5VB

• Main issue is historical plastics containing Penta- and OctaBDE plus PBBs which needs to be sorted out. Also for these old plastics the issue of dioxin/furans related to the German chemical banning ordinance can be difficult to meet

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Management of E&E plastic waste(current trends and possible options)

Beside Mechanical Recycling:• Metal smelters (mainly PWBoards)• Incineration co-combustion: Tamara and Norway study• Landfill• Cement kilns – fuel replacementNew possible options• Feedstock recycling : Haloclean etc• Dehalogination with blast furnaces• Creosolv, solvolysis, super critical CO2 extraction• Smelter (copper and precious) as reducing agent as

during the Umicore trial with 250 ton WEEE plastic

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Metal smelter recycling in Europe

Plants Recycling capacity

(per year)

Boliden, Norway 35,000 tons of E E scrap(25% plastic)

Umicore, Belgium Could treat >10.000 tons per year (mainly PWB’s)

Norddeutsche Affinerie AG, Germany

Treats 10.000 tons of PWB plus an other 15000 tons of E&E plastics and more is possible in the future

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Energy & Material Recovery by Co-combustion of WEEE and MSW by APME-FZK-EBFRIP

J. Vehlow, B. Bergfeldt, H. Hunsinger, K. Jay, H. SeifertForschungszentrum Karlsruhe

Institut für Technische Chemie / Bereich Thermische Abfallbehandlung

3 4O

O O

Br

Cl

Br

BrBr Cl

ClCl

19

WEEE materials in the program

MIX TV/BP PWB

constant heating value of 10 MJ/kg

20

German Pilot Plant FZK Tamara Co-combustion trials together with APM E

• A pilot plant as copy of a modern MSW incinerator

• Trial in cooperation with APME and FZK

• Capacity 250 kg/h containing 50 kg WEEE plastics

• Bromine content up to 10 g/kg MSW

• After combustion the HBr is transferred into the flue gas

• The HBr is absorbed in a scrubber with water or NaOH

• Samples were collected & tested by Bromine producers

21

Mixed halogenated dioxins and furans vs. Br2

22

rotary drum 450 °C

Br recovery

gas / oil (containing Br)

HBr/Br2

gas (process energy)

oil (chemical industry)

coke

Cu

no

ble

met

als

Cu smelter

rotary drum 350 °C

feed

Haloclean Process

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Future Trends for thermal processes

Main criteria:1. Political acceptance2. Economical solution (eco-efficiency)3. “Zero” emission (eco-efficiency)4. Outlet for the produced products!!By these criteria it is most likely that feed stock recyling will

become a favourite solution but only if the economics improve

Metal smelters and “clean” processes like Haloclean are able to play an important role !

For metal smelters a “full scale trial” has run with positive results

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Overall conclusion (1)

• Flame retardants are needed in a world with plastics.

• If plastics with FR’s are produced we need to deal

with these products during their whole life cycle

including all End of Life options

• For new plastics with FR’s produced today

mechanical recycling can be an option

• Historical WEEE plastics do have several issues for

direct mechanical recycling.

• Today thermal processes do have the advantage of

large scale of economy plus are able to handle the

different FRs

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Overall conclusions (2)

• Energy recovery and feedstock recycling can play an

important role in a waste management

• Up to to 3 % plastics from WEEE can be mixed and

co-fired with Municipal Solid Waste Incineration without

increasing PBDD/F formation

• Smelters are able to use large amount of plastics as

reducing agent. Depending of the definition of recycling

it can be part of this quota or could count as energy

recovery

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For Further Information:

www.cefic-efra.org

www.bsef.orgwww.iaoia.orgwww.ebfrip.org