Selective Thermal Transformation of Automotive Shredder Residues into High-Value Nano Silicon Carbide

Abstract

Automotive waste represents both a global waste challenge and the loss of valuable embedded resources. This study provides a sustainable solution to utilise the mixed plastics of automotive waste residue (ASR) as a resource that will curtail the landfilling of hazardous waste and its adverse consequences to the environment. In this research, the selective thermal transformation has been utilised to produce nano silicon carbide (SiC) using mixed plastics and glass from automotive waste as raw materials. The composition and formation mechanisms of SiC nanoparticles have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray-Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The as synthesised SiC nanoparticles at 1500 °C has uniform spherical shapes with the diameters of the fixed edges of about 50–100 nm with a porous structure. This facile way of synthesising SiC nanomaterials would lay the foundations for transforming complex wastes into value-added, high-performing materials, delivering significant economic and environmental benefits.