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Economic Consequences of Increasing Polymer Content for the U.S. Automobile Recycling Infrastructure
Author(s) -
Isaacs Jacqueline A.,
Gupta Surendra M.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of industrial ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.377
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1530-9290
pISSN - 1088-1980
DOI - 10.1162/jiec.1997.1.4.19
Subject(s) - reuse , scrap , remanufacturing , profitability index , business , hazardous waste , resource (disambiguation) , waste management , circular economy , resource depletion , automotive industry , environmental economics , natural resource economics , environmental science , engineering , computer science , manufacturing engineering , finance , economics , mechanical engineering , computer network , ecology , biology , aerospace engineering
Summary Environmental awareness regarding resource use and emissions over the life cycle of the automobile has heightened the concerns for end‐of‐life (EOL) vehicle disposal. With increasing use of lighter materials to enhance fuel economythe steel dominated content of automobiles is changing to include a greater fraction of polymers. In light of impending regulations for vehicle disposal, various alternatives for remanufacturing and reuse of components and material disposal are under investigation. For example, if shredder operations are used to reclaim metallic materials, then the extent of disassembly will significantly affect proftability as well as the environment. Using goal programming, we explore changes to the current US. vehicle recycling infrastructure for their effects on dismantler and shredder proftabilities. To investigate the effect of lightweighting on the profrtabilrty of the recycling infrastructure, two specific vehicle designs are compared: a steel unibody and a polymer‐intensive vehicle. Other scenarios examine the outcomes for mandating removal of polymer materials during disassembly and for increasing the disposal cost of scrap polymer to that of hazardous waste. The results indicate that, if properly controlled, the current automobile recycling infrastructure in the United States can remain economically viable while it improves with respect to environmental considerations. Alternatively, implementation of certain policies that reduce profitability could cause disastrous consequences, resulting in the economic collapse of the infrastructure.