There was much information to absorb at the recent 21st International Automotive Recycling Congress, held on the 5th and 7th of July in Basel, Switzerland. The two-day event focused on the many aspects of the vehicle recycling industry and attracted speakers and delegates from around the world. It provided an environment for the exchange of views plus the opportunity to get up to date with the latest developments in the industry.
Day one began with Oliver Ganser from BMW Group Germany providing a keynote speech focusing on the Catena-X project – a proposed multi-vendor ecosystem. He shared information for all those involved in a vehicle’s value chain. Following Oliver was another keynote speaker, Frank Schluter from Scania, who presented the potential consequences for HDV manufacturers and dismantlers if such vehicles were incorporated into the upcoming amended ELV directive.
The topic of the ELV directive continued with a panel discussion including Jaco Huisman, Policy Officer for ELVs, European Commission. Before the discussion began, Jaco provided a short presentation to bring the audience up to date with the directive indicating it would most probably be in a regulation format similar to the battery directive. However, he did state that all measures were still on the table with no proposal expected this year for various reasons and the first quarter of 2023 being a more realistic date.
The afternoon focused on the circular economy and the new technologies to make it feasible. Presentations included research on the next generation of floatation systems, and the strategic importance ferrous scrap will play in the decarbonisation efforts of the steel sector. Christian Mlinar from Bernegger GmbH concluded the session by looking at how they process a briquette from shredder residue and how their products can be used in various industries, including heating households.
The day concluded with another panel discussion, focussing on integrating battery metals into a profitable business model. When asked, a large majority of the audience disagreed that the proposed ban on producing fossil fuel vehicles by 2035 would be a reality. However, those on the panel representing companies such as LKQ, Li-Cycle, Batterybox and Glencore highlighted the preparations and investments they were making for how EV batteries will be recovered and recycled when they reach their predicted volumes.
Source: Auto Recycling World, July 14, 2022
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