Treatment processes for the valorisation of End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) residues

End of Life Vehicles (ELVs) dismantling in Italy currently allows the recovery of about 75% of a ELV total weight, consisting of metallic materials, and leaves behind an heterogeneous material defined Automobile Shredder Residue (ASR). Actually ASR is almost completely landfilled, but European regulations state that 85% of a ELV total weight must be recovered by 2015, thus technical solutions enhancing ELVs’ recovered fractions are necessary. This work describes some treatment processes tested on the products of an industrial test involving more than 250 t of ELVs. The authors performed a careful characterization of the ASR material and some treatment processes, aimed to separate a valorizable fraction characterized by a higher heating value. The obtained samples underwent some leaching tests according to EN 12457/2 procedure. On the grounds of the performed treatment processes, the fractions having the higher heating value (above 18000 kJ/kg) may be thermically valorized, and the remaining of the ASR material may be landfilled as non-hazardous wastes, thus reducing the landfilled ELVs fraction from 25% by weight to about 14%.