In this paper an optimization method for metal recycling flow has been developed. The method adopts a linear programming to optimize the recycling of material, in which the concentrations of two or more tramp elements in the scraps are considered.
The method was applied to analyze the aluminum recycle flow in Japan in 2003. It was found that the 65% of virgin material could be substituted by recycled material.
When the use of casting from end-of-life vehicles (ELV) is expanded, Cu included in the aluminum casting will be predominant restriction for the reduction of virgin material. The other side, when the use of aluminum scrap from construction is expanded, the maximum recyclable amount of aluminum scrap is dominated by Mn concentration in the scrap.
