1. Fridge recycling: Can it be done without endangering the environment?
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

2. Fridge recycling: Can it be done without endangering the environment?
Who or what is RAL?
The RAL quality mark for fridge recycling
The environmental relevance of waste refrigeration equipment
Life cycle assessment study by the independent Öko-Institut: Evaluation of the environmental impact of the various fridge processing options
Implications for the fridge recycling sector
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

3. The RAL Institute – Independent and objective
The RAL Institute is an expert body with the authority to create quality assurance marks. A RAL quality mark verifies that a product or service is manufactured or marketed in accordance with stringent quality assurance specifications. The RAL quality assurance associations are organizations recognized by the RAL Institute that conduct and monitor compliance with their quality assurance specifications for a specific product or service.
There are currently over 160 different RAL quality marks covering thousands of products and services. The quality marks are awarded by over 130 RAL quality assurance associations who represent around ten thousand member companies from all areas of the economy both in Germany and abroad.
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4. The RAL Institute – Independent and objective
There are more than 160 RAL quality marks …
Pure new wool
Foodstuffs
Compost
Sewer construction work
Road traffic signs
Wallpaper
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

5. The RAL Institute – Independent and objective
Other areas in which RAL is active:
RAL/UBA The Blue Angel
RAL Colours
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

6. The RAL Institute – Independent and objective
The RAL quality mark for fridge recycling was established in 1998
State of the art fridge recycling
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

7. Why is every gram of CFC recovered so important?
Environmental relevance of fridge recycling
Why is every gram of CFC recovered so important?
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

8. CFCs and the Earth’s climate (1) CFCs are still the no. 1 ozone killer
Ozone layer hole ‘bigger than North America’
THE hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica has grown to the biggest recorded size – larger than the North American continent – say NASA scientists, who yesterday released dramatic images documenting its changes.
The hole is a region where there is severe depletion of the layer of ozone – a form of oxygen – in the upper atmosphere that protects life by blocking ultraviolet rays from the sun. Scientists say made-man gases such as bromine and chlorine cause the hole by damaging the layer. […]
Alex Massie in Washington (Article in The SCOTSMAN, 21 October 2006)
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

9. CFCs and the Earth’s climate (1) CFCs are still the no. 1 ozone killer
Climate protection will fail without the systematic reduction in CFC levels in the atmosphere
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

10. 1 fridge = approx. 2800 kg CO2 ! CFCs and the Earth’s climate (2)
Huge influence on the greenhouse effect
CFC R12: 10,720 kg CO2-equivalents
CFC R11: 4,680 kg CO2-equivalents
1 fridge = approx kg CO2 !
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

11. 14.4 million fridges = 40.3 million tonnes of CO2
CFCs and the Earth’s climate (3)
Current situation in the EU:
In the EU around 18 million waste fridges and freezers and returned to the manufacturing companies or to consortia of manufacturers for treatment every year.
80 % of these waste appliances (i.e million units) containing CFCs
14.4 million fridges = 40.3 million tonnes of CO2
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

12. 200 million fridges = 560 million tonnes of CO2
CFCs and the Earth’s climate (3)
CFCs still to be recovered from refrigeration equipment in the EU:
We estimate that there are still about 200 million fridges containing CFCs currently in use in the EU
200 million fridges = 560 million tonnes of CO2
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

13. 200 million fridges = 560 million tonnes of CO2
CFCs and the Earth’s climate (4)
200 million fridges = 560 million tonnes of CO2
Traffic in Germany = 160 million tonnes of CO2 per year !!!
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

14. CFCs and the Earth’s climate (5)
The no. 1 ozone killer
Massive contributor to the greenhouse effect
The numbers demonstrate just how important it is to recover every gram of CFC when recycling waste refrigeration equipment.
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

15. Evaluating the different options for processing CFC-containing and hydrocarbon-containing fridges and freezers
What is the best way ????
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

16. Evaluating the different options for processing CFC-containing and hydrocarbon-containing fridges and freezers
Recovery and safe destruction of CFCs + HCs
Variant 1
Joint processing
HCs released into the environment!!
Variant 2
Parallel processing
Local waste collection centres or manufacturers’ take-back schemes
Variant 3
Only CFC appliances treated
Variant 4
HC appliances in
auto shredder
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

17. Evaluating the different options for processing CFC-containing and hydrocarbon-containing fridges and freezers
Legal situation
The WEEE directive is absolutely clear on this point:
Annex 2: Removal of CFC and HC (hydrocarbons) and subsequent disposal or recovery
Statement issued by EU Commissioner Dimas
Expert legal opinion of the law firm Prof. Versteyl
Most EU member states have adopted the formulation specified in the WEEE directive
Variant 1 is the only means of processing that meets these legal requirements
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

18. Life cycle assessment of the treatment and recycling of refrigeration equipment containing CFCs and hydrocarbons
Doris Schüler
Günter Dehoust
Ina Rüdenauer
on behalf of
RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment
March 2007

19. Objective
Comparison of the environmental impact of the different disposal channels for waste domestic refrigeration appliances containing CFCs and hydrocarbons:
Joint processing of waste appliances containing CFCs and those containing HCs in a single recycling plant to a high environmental standard (variant 1)
Parallel processing of CFC-containing appliances to a high environmental standard (variant 2)
Step 2 processing of HC-appliances in an auto shredder (variant 3)
HC-containing appliances treated entirely in an auto shredder (variant 4)
Fraction of HC-appliances: 20% (sensitivity: 50%)

20. Schema Mischbetrieb (Variante 1) Kühlgeräte- Recycler: Stufe 1 + 2 im
LKW-Transport 100 km
Kunststoffe zur energetischen
Verwertung und zur MVA
Kühlgeräte-
Recycler:
Stufe 1 + 2 im
Mischbetrieb
PUR als Aufsaugmaterial
Polystyrol zum stofflichen
Recycling
Metalle zum Metallrecycling
Isobutan in HTV Cyclopentan in HTV
Glas in Glasschmelze
Öle in thermische Verwertung
FCKW in HTV

21. Schema Parallelbetrieb
(Variante 2)
Kühlgeräte
LKW-Transport 100 km
PUR als Aufsaugmaterial bzw. MVA
Kunststoffe zur energetischen
Verwertung und zur MVA
Kühlgeräte-
Recycler:
Stufe 1 + 2 im
Parallelbetrieb
in 2 getrennten
Anlagen
Fehlsortierung 1%
Polystyrol in stoffl Verwertung bzw. Zementwerk
Metalle zum Metallrecycling
Isobutan in Fackel. Freisetzung von Cyclo-pentan und FCKW aus fehlsortierten K.
Glas in Glasschmelze
Öle in thermische Verwertung
FCKW in HTV und HTS

22. (Variante 3) Schema: VOC-Geräte Stufe 2 im Shredder Shredder
Kühlgeräte
(Variante 3)
LKW-Transport 100 km
Freisetzung von Cyclopentan und
FCKW aus
fehlsortierten K.
PUR als
Aufsaugmaterial
Kühlgeräte-
Recycler:
Stufe 1 + 2 im
Mischbetrieb
Fehlsortierung 1%
Shredder
Stufe 2 für
KW-Geräte
Polystyrol zum
stofflichen Recycling
100 km
Metalle zum
Metallrecycling
Isobutan in HTV
SLF zur MVA
FCKW in HTV
Metalle zum
Metallrecycling
SLF zum Postshredder
Outputfraktionen:
Abfälle zur Deponierung
Kunststoffe zur energetischen
Verwertung
Metalle zum Metallrecycling
Glas in Glasschmelze
Öle in thermische Verwertung

23. (Variante 4) FCKW-Geräte Kühlgeräte- Recycler:
Schema: VOC-Geräte komplett im Shredder I
(Variante 4)
FCKW-Geräte
LKW-Transport 100 km
Metalle zum Metallrecycling
Kühlgeräte-
Recycler:
Nur FCKW-Geräte
Stufe 1 + 2
PUR als Aufsaugmaterial
Polystyrol zum stofflichen
Recycling
Glas in Glasschmelze
FCKW in HTV
Öle in thermische Verwertung
Kunststoffe zur energetischen
Verwertung und zur MVA

24. fehlsortierte FCKW-Geräte
Schema: VOC-Geräte komplett im Shredder II
(Variante 4)
VOC-Kühlgeräte
und
fehlsortierte FCKW-Geräte
LKW-Transport 50 km
Shredder
Stufe 1+2 für
VOC-Geräte
FCKW-Emissionen
VOC-Emissionen
Freisetzung von Cyclopentan und
FCKW aus
fehlsortierten K.
Metalle zum
Metallrecycling
Öle in thermische Verwertung
SLF zur MVA
SLF zum Postshredder
Outputfraktionen:
Abfälle zur Deponierung
Kunststoffe zur energetischen
Verwertung
Metalle zum Metallrecycling

25. Results I: CFC emissions
10 000
9000
8000
R12
R11
7000
6000
kg per year
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
Joint processing at fridge recycling company
Parallel processing at fridge recycling company
HC-appliances: Step 2 in auto shredder
HC-appliances: Treated entirely in auto shredder

26. Results II
Negative values indicate favourable environmental impact. The best variant from an environmental point of view is shown against the dark grey background.

27. HC-appliances: Step 2 in shredder HC-appliances: Steps 1+2 in shredder
Sensitivity analysis 50% HC-appliances 1 2 3 4
Variant
Joint processing
Parallel processing
HC-appliances: Step 2 in shredder
HC-appliances: Steps 1+2 in shredder
Greenhouse effect
1000 t CO2-eq per year
-195
-162
-156
-141
-(193)
-(169)
-(155)
-(128)
Ozone depletion potential
kg R11-eq per year
755
2.573
4.118
5.391
(1.207)
(4.116)
(6.573)
(8.609)
Photochemical oxidants
kg ethylene-eq per year
32.179
92.666
-(15.032)
(3.828)
(28.221)
(38.035)
Acidification
t SO2-eq / year
-968
-943
-936
-944
-(967)
-(959)
-(947)
-(948)
Eutrophication
t PO4-eq / year
-62
-60
-59
-(62)
-(60)
-(61)
Particulate matter
t PM10-eq / year
-1.035
-1.012
-1.000
-1.008
-(1.035)
-(1.027)
-(1.013)
-(1.015)
Cumulative energy expenditure (CEE) PJ
-2,64
-2,58
-2,67
-2,69
-(2,64)
-(2,63)
-(2,60)
Cyclopentan; komplette Freisetzung?
Polystyrol: ins Zementwerk oder stoffliche Verwertung?
HTS aktuell?
(Values in parentheses refer to a 20% fraction of HC-appliances)

28. Sensitivity analysis − Sorting error rates
Results for ozone depletion potential

29. Greenhouse effect for sorting error rate of 0.1 − 5 %

30. The Öko-Institut concludes that:
For all environmental criteria examined in the study, variant 1 is significantly better than the other three methods of processing waste refrigeration appliances.
The benefits of variant 1 are robust.
Missorting is the most important factor. Even conservative estimates of sorting errors yield significant differences with respect to greenhouse potential, ODP and the formation of photochemical oxidants.

31. Implications for fridge recycling practice in EU member states
Attempts to pre-sort fridges according to whether they contain CFCs or HCs is environmentally irresponsible − irrespective of whether this is done at the local waste collection centre or at the recycling company’s premises
Joint processing (variant 1) must be used to a far greater degree than has been the case in EU member states up until now
Regulatory authorities must ensure that systematic and rigorous checks on compliance are conducted
Any revision to the WEEE directive must continue to include the stipulation that hydrocarbons are to be recovered and then safely disposed of or reused.
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

32. Essential requirements to ensure environmentally safe recycling of waste refrigeration equipment in the EU
Binding specifications regarding the amounts of CFCs to be recovered (as implemented in Austria)
Effective testing and controls by regulatory authorities
Systematic monitoring of material flow streams
Transparent implementation of the EU’s WEEE directive
Revision of licensing procedures to reflect state-of-the-art recycling technology
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment

33. For a better climate and a better environment
Copyright 2007 © RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment