Are scarce metals in cars functionally recycled?
Abstract
Improved recycling of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) may serve as an important strategy to address resource security risks related to increased global demand for scarce metals. However, in-depth knowledge of the magnitude and fate of such metals entering ELV recycling is lacking. This paper quantifies input of 25 scarce metals to Swedish ELV recycling, and estimates the extent to which they are recycled to material streams where their metal properties are utilised, i.e. are functionally recycled. Methodologically, scarce metals are mapped to main types of applications within newly produced Swedish car models and subsequently, material flow analysis of ELV waste streams is used as basis for identifying pathways of these applications and assessing whether contained metals are functionally recycled. Results indicate that, of the scarce metals, only platinum may be functionally recycled in its main application. Cobalt, gold, manganese, molybdenum, palladium, rhodium and silver may be functionally recycled depending on application and pathways taken. For remaining 17 metals, functional recycling is absent. Consequently, despite high overall ELV recycling rates of materials in general, there is considerable risk of losing ELV scarce metals to carrier metals, construction materials, backfilling materials and landfills. Given differences in the application of metals and identified pathways, prospects for increasing functional recycling are discussed.
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Seventeen of 25 identified specialty metals used in vehicles for their particular properties are currently not functionally recycled.
“Seventeen of 25 identified specialty metals used in vehicles for their particular properties are currently not functionally recycled [175,176].”
From Material efficiency strategies to reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with buildings, vehicles, and electronics—a review (2019) · cites this paper as [175]
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- Authors
- Andersson, M., Ljunggren Söderman, M., & Sandén, B. A.
- Affiliations
- Chalmers University of Technology (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Andersson, Magnus
- ORCID
- Sandén, Björn A.
- Venue
- Waste Management
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-02
- Volume
- 60
- Pages
- 407-416
- ISSN
- 0956-053X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2467637305
- Cited by
- 101
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 8
- FWCI
- 14.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Waste Management (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Chalmers Publication Library (Chalmers University of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Chalmers Research (Chalmers University of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research, Mistra
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Recycling and Waste Management Techniques
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Extraction and Separation Processes
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Recycling and utilization of industrial and municipal waste in materials production
- Keywords
- end-of-life vehicles, vehicle recycling, metal recovery, platinum, cobalt, gold, palladium, rhodium, silver, molybdenum, manganese, backfill material, landfilling, resource security
- MeSH terms
- Automobiles, Metals, Sweden, Waste Management, Recycling, Waste Disposal Facilities
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