Recycling of automotive aluminum

Abstract

With the global warming of concern, the secondary aluminum stream is becoming an even more important component of aluminum production and is attractive because of its economic and environmental benefits. In this work, recycling of automotive aluminum is reviewed to highlight environmental benefits of aluminum recycling, use of aluminum alloys in automotive applications, automotive recycling process, and new technologies in aluminum scrap process. Literature survey shows that newly developed techniques such as laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and solid state recycling provide promising alternatives in aluminum scrap process. Compared with conventional remelting and subsequent refinement, solid state recycling utilizing compression and extrusion at room or moderate temperature can result in significant energy savings and higher metal yield.