Feasibility study of a circular business model for tyre pressure sensors

该项目是对轮胎压力监测系统(TPMS)传感器循环商业模式的可行性研究。目前，每年约有2000万个TPMS传感器报废，到2030年将增加到约4000万个。每个传感器包含锂电池、金属阀杆和塑料外壳，2022年代表着总共60万公斤的电子垃圾，到2030年上升到1200,000公斤。这些传感器目前被送往垃圾填埋场，对环境造成重大、有害的影响。传感器主要在中央车辆经销商更换，这为开发循环商业模式提供了独特的机会，涉及TPMS传感器的销售、收集和有针对性的回收，回收关键的电子材料，并从垃圾填埋场转移大量电子垃圾。该项目将研究从经销商那里回收TPMS传感器的过程，并设计一种新的有针对性的回收工艺来从传感器中回收关键材料。现有的电子回收方案通常是粉碎混合的电子垃圾。这一过程效率很低，只产生了一部分材料回收，但混合回收的内容使设计出更有针对性的过程变得困难。拟议的创新将改变这一过程，因为只收集TPMS传感器就可以实现高效、有针对性的回收过程。作为该过程的一部分，RL Automotive将调查市场领先的TPMS制造商Schrader在新的传感器制造中使用回收的传感器材料的潜力：材料的重复使用将代表着圆形方面的突破性改进。RL Automotive还将调查将可回收性数据反馈给Shrader并使设计能够回收的过程。RL Automotive由于其开发和商业化创新的丰富经验而处于独特的地位，其中包括TyreWatch远程TPMS监控平台

The project is a feasibility study on a circular business model for the tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensors.Currently around 20 million TPMS sensors reach end of life each year, rising to around 40 million sensors by 2030\. Each sensor contains a lithium battery, metal valve stem and plastic casing and in 2022 represented a combined 600,000kg of electronics waste, rising to 1,200,000kg in 2030\. These sensors are currently sent to landfill with significant, harmful environmental impacts.Sensors are primarily replaced at central vehicle dealerships presenting a unique opportunity for developing a circular business model involving the sale, collection, and targeted recycling of TPMS sensors, recovering key electronics materials and diverting significant quantities of electronics waste from landfill. The project will investigate a process to recover TPMS sensors from dealerships and design a novel targeted recycling process to recover key materials from sensors.Existing options for electronics recycling typically shred mixed electronics waste. This process is highly inefficient and results in only a portion of material recovery, however the contents of mixed recycling make it difficult to design a more targeted process.The proposed innovation would transform this process as collecting only TPMS sensors allows for an efficient, targeted recycling process. As part of the process RL Automotive will investigate the potential for Schrader, the market leading TPMS manufacturer, to use recovered sensor material in new sensor manufacturing: a re-use of material that would represent a ground-breaking improvement in circularity. RL Automotive will also investigate the process to feed recyclability data back to Shrader and enable design for recycling. RL Automotive is uniquely positioned due to its extensive experience developing and commercialising innovations including the TyreWatch remote TPMS monitoring platform