(International Dismantling Information System ... - Volkswagen AG

IDIS
(International Dismantling Information System)
Together with a large number of international car manufacturers,
Volkswagen has established the IDIS database system
("International Dismantling Information System") in order to
simplify the recycling of end-of-life vehicles and optimise
efficiency. IDIS is available in 34 countries and in 30 languages,
covering 696 models and 1,460 versions from the associated
manufacturers (as of February 2010).
The IDIS database contains comprehensive information for each
vehicle model relating to the removal of fluids such as fuel, oil and
coolant, as well as the triggering of airbags and seat belt tensioners.
There are also descriptions of the dismantling/removal of selected
subassemblies and components, in particular for components
containing hazardous substances, such as batteries. In addition to
which, information about necessary tools and essential aspects of
health and safety at work is also provided. All recovery and
recycling companies have the opportunity to register, and can gain
online access and download the software from the IDIS
Consortium.
Fig. 14: Example from IDIS: Menu view for the selection of the
treatment areas
As a result of the marked increase in the number of airbags and
seat belt tensioners in new vehicles and associated the safety
aspect, the treatment of these pyrotechnic components is becoming
ever more important in the recycling of end-of-life vehicles. In
addition to the appropriate technical knowledge, the right tools are
also an essential requirement for the safe and hazard-free handling

of pyrotechnic components. For that reason the car industry has
developed a standard ignition unit for pyrotechnic components.
With this ignition unit, all electronic pyrotechnic components can
be safely and reliably triggered in the course of recovery, thus
excluding the possibility of uncontrolled ignitions.
Fig. 15: Airbag system in the Polo V
End-of-life vehicle recovery
The recovery of end-of-life vehicles is carried out in three stages:
Dismantling, shredding and the treatment of shredder residues, e.g.
by means of the VW SiCon process.
Stage 1: Dismantling
The recovery process starts with the handover of the end-of-life
vehicle at a certified dismantler's facility. There the vehicle details
are recorded, the certificate of destruction is issued for the vehicle's
last owner, the battery is removed and all pyrotechnic components
such as airbags, seat belt tensioners, battery safety terminal are
triggered and thus made harmless. Then all the fluids (petrol,
engine, gearbox and shock absorber oil, brake fluid, coolant, air
conditioning system fluid) are drained off or sucked out. These are
collected in separate containers and stored securely until
subsequent recycling.
Fig. 16: Removal of fuel, lubricants and other fluids using modern
technology (photo: MAS Fahrzeugrecycling GmbH, Etzin)
The dismantling process includes numerous components and
subassemblies that are directly sold as used spares by the vehicle
dismantler. Tyres and catalytic converters, glass and plastic parts
are also removed. The removal of plastic parts for materials
recycling is dependent on the basic economic conditions and the
demand for recycled materials on the market.
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Fig. 17: Used spares / starter motors (photo: MAS
Fahrzeugrecycling GmbH, Etzin)
Stage 2: Shredder
On conclusion of the dismantling work the remaining body is
crushed so that it can be transported in a compact and costeffective
form to the shredder facility. Shredding is a process that
has been established for more than 50 years – shredders were
developed for the recycling of metallic materials, particularly
ferrous materials. In the shredder the crushed body is broken up
with the aid of rotating hammers into pieces no bigger than a fist
within a few seconds. These are then fed into to a subsequent
multi-stage sorting process.
The first stage of separation is airstream sorting (vacuum
extraction). This is a mechanical process in which the light
shredded parts are separated from the heavy ones in an artificially
generated airstream. The light parts form the shredder light fraction
(SLF) and are primarily comprised of light plastics, but they also
include glass, wood, paint particles and textiles.
The heavy fractions are then taken to the magnetic separator, which
extracts a fraction of ferrous and steel materials from the mass
throughput on the basis of their strong magnetic properties. This
fraction is used as a raw material in the steel industry without any
further treatment.
The remaining heavy components, which are also called the
shredder heavy fraction (SHF), are made up of a mixture of nonferrous
(NF) metals (aluminum, copper, zinc,…) and
predominantly organic materials (rubber and other heavy plastics).
The SHF is the most valuable shredder fraction because of the high
proportion of non-ferrous metals.
In order to recover the NF metals in subsequent process stages, the
shredder heavy fraction is further processed at the shredder facility
itself or at other plants. Common techniques used for this purpose
include the eddy current separator and sink-float systems. Sensorbased
sorting systems are now being used to an increasing extent.
The non-metallic materials remaining after the shredder heavy
fraction has been processed are designated along with the shredder
light fraction as shredder residues, which were in the past sent
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unused to landfill as a result of their non-homogeneous
composition. However, new advances in treatment technology such
as the VW-SiCon process now make it possible to separate
shredder residues into various fractions and to use them as a new
source of raw materials.
Stage 3: VW-SiCon process
The VW-SiCon process is an innovative mechanical treatment
process for shredder residues, which was developed in the context
of a cooperative venture between Volkswagen AG and SiCon
GmbH. It is comprised of several treatment steps, which have been
recombined and optimised. This combination makes it possible to
make further use of the majority of the otherwise unused shredder
residues.
In the VW-SiCon process the shredder residues are first of all
further broken up, in order then to separate out a raw sand fraction
and a raw fibre fraction from the raw granulate fraction by means
of screening and airstream sorting.
Fig. 18: The three main fractions of the VW-SiCon process
These three raw fractions are refined in further processing stages
by means of the selective removal of impurities and the adjustment
of optimum physical parameters, and adapted to the requirements
of the subsequent systems. The aim of the refinement stages is to
create raw materials which are needed in industrial plants.
The refined shredder granulate is a low-chlorine and low-metal
fraction made up of hard plastics, which can be used for steel
production. In the blast furnace it serves as a reducing agent for the
iron ore, replacing heavy oil and hence reducing sulphur emissions.
Shredder fibres come from textile fibres and foam seat cushions,
and they represent an effective dewatering agent for sewage sludge.
They can be used as a substitute for fine-ground, high-quality coal
dust, which is otherwise used in the dewatering and recovery of
sewage sludge.
Shredder sand represents a mixture of glass, fine-grained iron, rust,
thin copper cables, dust containing lead and zinc and paint
residues, which is used for backfilling of mines. Volkswagen is
involved in a research project with the aim of completing this
materials cycle and recycling the residual metals contained in the
shredder sand, and then using the metal-free sand as a building
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material.
Fig. 19: The three-stage recovery process
From end-of-life vehicle to raw-material source
To illustrate the recovery process there is a computer animation
available, which explains "The Principle" in graphic terms.
From end-of-life vehicle to raw-material source – "The Principle"
The practical implementation of the recovery process is shown by
"The Practice", a film produced in various locations.
From end-of-life vehicle to raw-material source – "The Practice"
The innovative three-stage recovery process including VW-SiCon
process enables 95 % of an end-of-life vehicle to be economically
recovered. This process is also preferable from an environmental
point of view to the extensive manual dismantling of end-of-life
vehicles, as the process technology treats all the shredder residues
and hence recovers virtually all the materials.
A comparative ecobalance, produced according to DIN EN ISO
14040, confirms the ecological advantages of the VW-SiCon
process. As a result of these advantages over conventional
processes, it has already been awarded three prestigious
environmental prizes.
Fig. 20: Environmental prizes for the VW-SiCon process
© Volkswagen 2012
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