As recycling plays a crucial role in environmental sustainability, we investigated the properties of polyamide (PA) 6 composites derived from end-of-life vehicles (ELV) and evaluated the effects of various cleaning agents and conditions. The primary objective of this work is to evaluate washing conditions that can effectively remove organic contaminants that adhere to ELV-derived PA6 composites during vehicle use. Prior to washing, the chemical composition and surface contaminants of the recycled ELV PA 6 composites were characterized using a range of analytical techniques. Following the cleaning process, total organic carbon (TOC) content was measured, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was also employed to assess the removal efficiency of volatile organic compounds under different cleaning conditions. The results indicate that cleaning with dishwasher detergent at 70°C under sonication is the most effective method. Furthermore, GC–MS analysis revealed a significant reduction in the concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) after washing. These findings suggest that appropriate cleaning treatments enhance material purity and contribute to improved recycling efficiency.

본 연구에서는 폐차(end-of-life vehicle, ELV)로부터 회수된 폴리아미드(PA) 6 복합재의 특성을 조사하고, 다양한 세정제와 조건의 영향을 평가하였다. 세정 전, 재활용 ELV PA 6 복합재의 화학 조성과 표면 오염물을 분석하였으며, 세정 후에는 총유기탄소(TOC) 함량 측정 및 기체 크로마토그래피–질량분석법(GC–MS)을 이용하여 세정 조건별 휘발성유기화합물(VOC) 제거 효율을 평가하였다. 그 결과, 70 °C에서 초음파 세정과 함께 식기세척기용 세제를 사용하는 방법이 가장 효과적인 것으로 나타났다. 또한, GC–MS 분석 결과 세정 후 휘발성유기화합물의 농도가 크게 감소하였다. 이러한 결과는 적절한 세정 처리가 재질의 순도를 향상시키고 재활용 효율 개선에 기여함을 시사한다.

Keywords: end-of-life vehicles, recycling, polyamide 6, washing.

This work was supported by Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT) grant funded by the Korea government (MOTIE) (No. RS-2024-00421052).

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.