Coventry University research is exploring whether selected ELV steel can bypass shredding and melting and instead be cleaned, flattened and machined into high-value products such as surgical blades, tools and industrial components. Repurposing could cut energy use and carbon emissions, reduce material losses, and create new revenue streams for UK dismantlers and recyclers.
Rethinking the route for ELV steel
Every year in the UK, around 1.8 million vehicles reach the end of their life. For most of that metal, the route is familiar and well established: dismantle, shred, melt, recycle. It is a proven system that keeps material flowing, but it is also energy-intensive, carbon-heavy, and may not fully capture the value locked inside end-of-life vehicles. A doctoral research project at Coventry University is now asking whether a different approach could sit alongside conventional recycling and open up new opportunities for the auto recycling sector: repurposing ELV steel directly into high-value products without melting it down.
Ebilayefa Pleasure Gbakena, a doctoral student at the Institute of Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering, Coventry University, is leading the work. Her research focuses on how high-quality steel recovered from ELVs can be removed from the traditional scrap stream and processed to preserve much of its existing structure and performance. Instead of moving straight to the furnace, selected ELV steel can be cleaned, flattened, and machined to become feedstock for new products. Early application areas being explored include surgical blades, signage sheets, agricultural tools and a range of industrial components where consistent performance and reliability are critical. By bypassing the smelting stage, repurposing has the potential to significantly reduce energy use and associated carbon emissions, while minimising material losses and creating outlets that deliver greater value than bulk scrap.
Technical potential and commercial realities
On the technical side, the project involves detailed material testing, microstructural analysis and sustainability assessment to understand how repurposed ELV steel behaves and where it can be used with confidence. However, as anyone in the industry knows, technology is only part of the picture. The success of a new pathway for ELV steel will depend just as much on commercial realities, operational readiness, regulatory context, and market perception as on tensile strength or microstructure.
For dismantlers and recyclers, practical questions arise immediately. Can suitable steel fractions be identified, segregated and supplied in a way that fits with existing business models and infrastructure? Is there a credible margin to justify the extra handling and processing required for repurposing compared with conventional shredding and sale as mixed scrap? For manufacturers and downstream users, the issue is confidence: will they be willing to specify repurposed ELV steel in their products, particularly for applications that are highly regulated or safety-critical applications? Meanwhile, policymakers and standard setters have to consider whether current regulations on ELVs, waste and materials actively support higher-value reuse routes or, unintentionally, favour the status quo of shred-and-melt. Public perception also plays a role, especially in sectors such as medical devices, where end users may have questions about products made from ELV-derived material, regardless of its quality.
Why industry input matters
These are the real-world issues that Gbakena’s study aims to illuminate. To do that, she is running an online survey as part of her doctoral research at Coventry University, which will be open for around 30 to 60 days. The survey provides a brief overview of the research aims, includes the ethics approval reference number, supervisor contact details and a consent section explaining how responses will be used. Participants are asked to indicate the category they fall into, such as manufacturer, dismantler, recycler, policymaker or member of the general public, and then to share their views on the opportunities, barriers and concerns around repurposing ELV steel.
For businesses active in auto recycling, this is an opportunity to have a direct voice in research that could influence the future of ELV management in the UK. The findings will feed into wider discussions on the circular economy and the country’s Net Zero commitments. They will be used to inform policymakers about the need to diversify approaches to ELV waste beyond a single dominant route. For operators on the ground, it may help identify where new value streams could emerge, how processes might evolve to accommodate higher-value reuse and what kinds of standards and support would be needed to make repurposed steel a practical reality.
Those involved in ELV dismantling and recycling, steel and component manufacturing, automotive supply chains, regulation or policy are especially encouraged to participate.
By contributing just a few minutes of your time, you can help shape realistic, industry-informed pathways for turning ELV steel into high-value circular products, aligning commercial opportunity with the UK’s broader journey towards Net Zero.
The survey can be accessed here: Perceptions and Policy Support for Repurposing ELV Steel or by using the QR link below:
Further reading on ATF Professional
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Driving Circularity Forward: Why the automotive industry needs strategic recycling partners now more than ever
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Driving Decarbonisation: Tata Steel UK’s Vision for the Future of Steel
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Circular economy: new EU rules to make the automotive sector more sustainable
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Reimagining the ELV: The Salvage Sector’s Role in a Circular Tomorrow
