Car fluff (Automotive Shredder Residue – ASR) is a non-homogenous mix of both plastic and rubber wastes recovered from car recycling facilities, which varies in composition from batch to batch – therefore it is not possible to define an exact specification for the acceptable materials.
However, the TDR cracking process is so flexible, it can still cope with and process this mix. The acceptable materials are therefore a mix of the plastic materials which are detailed below, and the acceptable rubber materials which can be found on the waste tyre tab.
| Target Parameters | Tolerances | ||
| Acceptable Feedstocks | Plastics with recycling numbers 1 – 2 , 4 - 7 Natural rubber Synthetic rubber Organic matter Paper Cardboard A fuller list of acceptable plastics is appended | The feedstock may contain any of these materials in any percentage order. The materials should be clean and as free of other foreign matter as possible within the limits set out below in the ‘undesirable’ section. | Minimum of 98% of material (by dry matter) must be hydrocarbon based |
| The material should be shredded to the following target parameters: 0 to 10mm – 10% <25mm - 100% | 25mm maximum shred size 3cm3 maximum cube size | ||
| The material should be as dry as possible, target moisture level 0% | Maximum 2% moisture. The cracker will cope with greater moisture % but performance will be greatly reduced | ||
| Sulphur Content (e.g. from Vulcanisation of rubber materials) should ideally be less than 1% | Maximum 2% , higher levels of sulphur may need desulphurisation plant as a part of the project | ||
| Undesirable Feedstocks | P.V.C. and other chlorine containing plastics | Ideally all chlorinated plastics should be excluded i.e. Target = 0 %. | 1% inclusion limit should be acceptable up to a maximum of 7kg per hour total of all chlorinated plastics Excess chlorinated plastic inclusion will cause generation of chlorine which reduces the life of the plant and leads to increased maintenance. |
| Non Hydrocarbon Materials with an MoH > 4 (i.e. hard materials) – such as stones, glass, metals, ceramics, grit | 100% of these materials should be removed, as they will damage the cracking machine leading to reduction in machine performance and an increase in maintenance costs | 1% material allowed within the following parameters : < 1mm diameter – 100% | |
| Non Hydrocarbon Materials with an MoH < 4 (i.e. soft materials) - such as talcum powder, aluminium foil etc. | 100% of these materials should be removed , as they will eventually damage the cracking machine leading to reduction in machine performance and an increase in maintenance costs | 2% material allowed within the following parameters: < 1mm diameter – 50% 1 – 2mm diameter – 50% >2mm diameter – 0% Please note that this tolerance is not in addition to the % allowable hard materials. Therefore if you have 1% hard material only 1% soft material is allowed. The maximum non-hydrocarbon content is 2% |
List of plastics that can be used in the Thermodynamic Cracking process:
| Permitted | Maximum Percentage (%) | |
| LDPE Low Density Polyethylene e.g. garbage bags, packaging film, shopping bag etc. | Yes | 100 |
| HDPE High Density Polyethylene e.g. household container, safety cap, industrial packaging film etc. | Yes | 100 |
| CA Celluloze Acetate e.g. glasses frames, sign boards, transparent glass etc. | Yes | 10 |
| CPE Chlorinated Polyethylene e.g. frozen food packaging, cable insulation, conveying belt etc. | Limited | 1 |
| EVA Ethylene-vinyl Acetate e.g. shoe sole, shrinking film, paper coating etc. | Yes | 15 |
| EEA Ethylene-Ethylacrylate e.g. chemical pipes, surgical bags, surgical gloves etc. | Yes | 30 |
| EEAA (EMA) Ethylene-Methylacrylic Acid e.g. mucilage for glass/metal/plastic, safety glass etc. | Yes (with no glass) | 20/30 |
| PP Polypropylene e.g. battery box, auto parts, medical equipment, fuse box etc. | Yes | 100 |
| PA-6 Polyamide 6 e.g. bearing, gear wheel, screws, textile etc. | Yes | 30/40 |
| PA-66 Polyamide 66 e.g. gadgets for mechanical, auto, chemical, electrical parts etc. | Yes | 20/30 |
| POM polyoxymethylene e.g. lighters, zip, bearing, gear wheel etc. | Yes | 30 |
| GPPS General Purpose Polystyrene e.g. lampshades, optical equipment, electrical appliance parts etc. | Yes | 60/80 |
| HIPS High Impact Polystyrene e.g. phone case, radio case, electrical appliance parts etc. | Yes | 60 |
| EPS Expandable Polystyrene e.g. thermal box, protective packaging etc. | Yes | 60 |
| SAN Styrene-Acrylo-Nitrile e.g. lighters, Transparent glass, transparent tableware, optical lens etc. | Yes | 40/50 |
| ABS Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene e.g. handles, TV case, electric-plated plastic products etc. | Yes | 60 |
| MBS Methylmethacrylate-butadiene-styrene e.g. transparent pipe, equipment cover etc. | Yes | 80 |
| SB Styrene-butadiene e.g. paper coating, fabric coating, metal coating etc. | Yes | 60/80 |
| PMMA Polymethyl Methacrylate e.g. windshield, optical lens, sign board etc. | Yes | 30/40 |
| PC Polycarbonate e.g. mechnical parts, compact disc sound proof insulator etc. | Yes | 40 |
| PVC Polyvinyl Chloride e.g. window/door frame, artificial leather, wallpaper etc. | Limited | 1 |
| PVFL (PVLF) Polyvinyl Formal e.g. sponge, bath sponge, Photo film etc. | Yes | 20 |
| PVB Polyvinyl Butyral e.g. safety glass mezzanine, antitrust paint, paints, glue etc. | Yes | 60/80 |
| PF Phenol-Formaldehyde e.g. bakelite products, brake disc, gear wheel etc. | Limited | 4 |
| UF Urea-Formaldehyde e.g. lighting parts, phone parts, celotex board, button etc. | Yes | 20 |
| MF Melanine-Formaldehyde e.g. calculator exterior, calculator board, adhesive etc. | Yes | 10/20 |
| PET Polyethylene Terephthalate e.g. video tape, chain, bearing, beverage bottle etc. | Yes | 80 |
| PBT Polybutylene Terephthalate e.g. mechanical parts, screws, exterior of electrical appliances etc. | Yes | 20/30 |
| EP Epoxy Resin e.g. adhesive, paints etc. | Limited | 2 |
| PTFE Fluoreod Plastics e.g. oil-free mechanical parts, piping wrap, non-stick pan etc. | No | 0 |
| PPS Polyphenylene Sul e.g. bearing, bearing frame, electric socket etc. | No | 0 |
| PPO (MPPO) Polyphenylene Oxide e.g. petrochemical pipe, TV parts, electronic parts etc. | No | 0 |
| BR Butadiene Rubber e.g. tyres, shoe sole etc. | Yes | 100 |
| SBS Styrene-Butadiene-styrene e.g. shoe sole, cable protector and insulator etc. | Yes | 80 |