Development of Recycling Guidelines for PEM Fuel Cell Systems 2003-01-1141

In 1999, the Society of Automotive Engineers established a Committee for Fuel Cell Standards. The Committee is organized in subcommittees that address issues such as Emissions and Fuel Consumption, Safety, Performance, Terminology and Recycling. The mission of the Recycling Subcommittee was to develop a preferred practice document, SAE J2594, that incorporates existing information on recycling practices and infrastructure, and identifies technical, economic, and environmental sustainability issues and applies them to proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell (FC) systems. Recyclability should be considered early in the product engineering design/development process in order to enhance its potential for reuse or recycling at the end of the vehicle's useful life.

The purpose of this technical report is to provide an overview of the recommendations of the SAE J2594 recommended practice document. The boundary of the system studied includes: Fuel Supply and Storage, Fuel Processor, the PEM Fuel Cell Stack, and Balance of Plant. J2594 does not address material preparation, component fabrication or other in-use applications. Another important limitation is that the recommended practice does not provide a methodology for calculating the recyclability of a FC, an entire vehicle or its other components.