ELV DEPOLLUTION AND PRE-TREATMENT PROTOCOL
Before mechanical size reduction, each end-of-life vehicle undergoes a mandatory depollution sequence per EU Directive 2000/53/EC: battery removal, fuel/tank drainage, oil and coolant extraction, airbag deployment or safe removal, and LPG tank detachment. The depollution phase yields approximately EUR 45 per vehicle in recoverable fluids (engine oil, transmission fluid, coolant, brake fluid) and catalytic converter precious metals.
After depollution, the vehicle hulk is reduced to a manageable size using hydraulic shears or the integrated ARJES pre-crushing module. The reduced hulk is then fed directly into the Impaktor 350 EVO II twin-shaft shredder equipped with grab-tooth reinforced cassettes designed for automotive sheet metal and cast components.
The ARJES asynchronous shaft kinematics provide a self-cleaning action that prevents engine block and axle wrapping — a critical failure mode in single-shaft ELV shredders. Shaft differential speed creates a torsional shearing effect that liberates cast aluminum engine blocks from steel connecting rods without manual intervention.
5-STREAM SEPARATION CHAIN ENGINEERING
Stream 1 — Size Reduction: The ARJES Impaktor 350 EVO II with reinforced metal shafts processes vehicle hulks at 15 vehicles/hour (approximately 1,400 kg/vehicle average). Output fraction: mixed shredded fraction <200 mm, suitable for downstream mechanical separation.
Stream 2 — Ferrous Separation: An overbelt electromagnetic separator (1,200 mm belt width, 0.8 T magnetic field) captures ferrous scrap at 98% recovery efficiency. The ferrous stream represents approximately 65% of the input mass by weight, yielding clean steel scrap at EUR 180-220/t market value.
Stream 3 — Non-Ferrous Recovery: An eddy current separator downstream of the ferrous belt recovers aluminum, copper, and mixed non-ferrous metals. Aluminum castings (wheels, cylinder heads, intake manifolds) represent the highest-value fraction at EUR 1,850/t (2026 regional average). Copper wiring harnesses yield EUR 6,200-7,500/t. Combined non-ferrous fraction: approximately 10% of input mass.
Stream 4 — Light Fraction Extraction: Air classification separates light materials (plastics, foam, textiles, rubber) from the heavy mineral fraction. The light fraction (approximately 15% of input mass) is routed to RDF (Refuse-Derived Fuel) bunkers for energy recovery in cement kilns at EUR 35-50/t.
Stream 5 — Residual Shredding: The remaining automotive shredder residue (ASR), approximately 10% of input mass, undergoes secondary fine shredding for volume reduction and additional metal recovery from embedded electronic components (ECU housings, wiring harness fragments, sensor assemblies).
REVENUE MODEL AND FLEET CONFIGURATION
Revenue per vehicle (based on 2026 Central European market averages):
- Ferrous scrap (910 kg at EUR 200/t): EUR 182
- Aluminum castings (140 kg at EUR 1,850/t): EUR 259
- Copper/brass recovery (25 kg at EUR 6,800/t): EUR 170
- Depollution fluids: EUR 45
- RDF light fraction (210 kg at EUR 40/t): EUR 8.40
- Total estimated revenue per vehicle: EUR 664.40
The ARJES Impaktor 350 EVO II with reinforced metal shafts (grab-tooth cassette, 200,000 Nm system torque) provides the necessary primary size reduction to feed all 5 downstream streams without bottleneck. The machine processes 15 vehicles/hour at 8 operating hours/day = 120 vehicles/day.
Daily revenue potential: 120 vehicles x EUR 664.40 = EUR 79,728/day.
Annual revenue (250 operating days): EUR 19,932,000.
Recommended fleet configuration for ELV processing facility:
- Primary: Impaktor 350 EVO II with reinforced metal shafts
- Secondary: Impaktor 850 for residual ASR fine shredding
- Conveyor system: 1,200 mm overbelt magnetic + eddy current separator
- Air classifier: 2-stage density separation for light fraction extraction
