Recycled Plastic Makes the Grade

A 100% recycled thermoplastic makes a pretty good automotive part, according to recent feasibility tests. The plastic, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), was recovered from mixed appliance scrap by an Argonne-patented froth-flotation separation process. The material was used to produce headlamp back-cans, "a complicated component because of its shape," according to Jim Karvelas, a developer of the recycling technology.

Two critical criteria for injection molding are high purity and processing consistency. "Argonne's separation process is the only technology that has been able to produce recycled ABS with a purity greater than 99.5%," says Ed Daniels, another member of the development team. However, the material may not be useful in all applications because of processing limitations. "This type of recycled ABS will be a viable substitute for virgin 'mid-grade' materials," according to Daniels.

Evaluation of the back-cans is nearly complete, and tests on other, smaller automotive parts are under way. The froth-floation separation process is also being extended to separate usable plastics from other mixed waste materials, such as automotive shredder residue.