An Economic Model and Experiments to Understand Aluminum-Cerium Alloy Recycling

• Published in: JOM (1989) Vol. 70; no. 4; pp. 547 - 552
• Main Authors: Iyer, Ananth V., Lim, Heejong, Rios, Orlando, Sims, Zachary, Weiss, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-04-2018; Springer Nature B.V; Springer
• Subjects: Alloys; Aluminum alloys; Aluminum base alloys; Automobile industry; Automotive engines; Cerium; Chemistry/Food Science; Earth Sciences; Economic models; Economics; Engine blocks; Engineering; Environment; Experiments; Impact analysis; Incentives; Laboratories; Manufacturers; Market penetration; MATERIALS SCIENCE; Mechanical properties; Physics; Pricing; Product returns; Recycling; Scrap; Supply chains; Toward Resources and Processes Sustainability: Part II; Yield stress; United States > US
• ISSN: 1047-4838; 1543-1851
• DOI: 10.1007/s11837-018-2764-9

We provide an economic model to understand the impact of adoption, sorting and pricing of scrap on the recycling of a new aluminum-cerium (AlCe) alloy for use in engine blocks in the automobile industry. The goal of the laboratory portion of this study is to investigate possible effects of cerium contamination on well-established aluminum recycling streams. Our methodology includes three components: (1) focused data gathering from industry supply chain participants, (2) experimental data through laboratory experiments to understand the impact of cerium on existing alloys and (3) an economic model to understand pricing incentives on a recycler’s separation of AlCe engine blocks.