Recyclability of Fuel Cell Power Trains

This paper presents an analysis of the recyclability of fuel cell power trains based on material flows for three PEM fuel cell stack designs. The analysis considers the compatibility of materials in recycling, the separability of recyclable materials, and the fraction of material that can be recycled cost effectively. The fuel cells are designed with graphite, stainless steel, and composite bipolar plates and the stacks, batteries, transmission, and supporting equipment are sized to replace an example IC power train. Recyclable material flows are estimated on the basis of material intensities for the fuel cell power trains and are compared to the flows for the IC vehicle.