Audi needs to make cycles an integral a part of the automotive worth chain. The firm is launching pilot reprocessing initiatives for a rising variety of supplies and elements. The goal is to realize expertise with as many processing methods as attainable and produce derivatives for future software of explicit uncooked supplies. Material cycles have a number of benefits: on the one hand, they scale back demand for renewable and uncooked nonrenewable supplies. On the opposite hand, supplies primarily based on materials cycles have a extra favorable vitality footprint. The firm with the 4 rings can also be retaining an in depth eye on the vitality required for recycling – something that doesn’t make sense from an ecological viewpoint won’t be pursued after the pilot section. In addition, ever extra environment friendly recycling strategies are rising the corporate’s sustainability as a complete.
Different Recycling Methods for Different Types of Plastic
Since not all varieties of plastic could be sorted and recycled with the identical high quality and even in the identical manner, Audi is completely different applied sciences on the identical time: mechanical, chemical and, most not too long ago, bodily recycling. Audi’s imaginative and prescient is to qualify increasingly more supplies for various and demanding functions in automobiles and to determine optimum processing and recycling methods so as to have the ability to shut cycles. “Our focus is always on getting as many plastic contents as possible out of the car at the end of its life in order to be able to recycle them again,” says Mike Herbig of Audi’s polymer staff.
Today’s autos sometimes include greater than 200 kilograms (440 lbs.) of assorted plastics and plastic composites. Bumpers, radiator grilles, varied inside components, in addition to elements within the drive system and air-con are all made out of it. This generally blended plastic waste is first mechanically crushed and separated from different supplies. It can then be processed once more into plastic granules in a subsequent course of.
Same Requirements for Components Made from Recycled Materials and Virgin Materials
The high quality calls for positioned on the plastics are excessive. The identical standards apply to recycled elements as to virgin supplies. These embody crash security, warmth resistance, and media resistance, e.g., in opposition to natural solvents, oil, or hydraulic fluids. In addition, there’s dimensional stability and high quality, really feel, look, and odor all through the car’s total service life. Environmental necessities additionally should more and more be taken into consideration. Mike Herbig says, “We only use a recycled material if the components made from it also meet the requirements, which is to say if the quality of the parts remains the same over their entire useful life.”
Mechanical recycling of plastics reaches its limits the place completely different plastics are processed as a composite and varied adhesives, coatings, and fillers corresponding to glass fibers are used. An added drawback is that the standard of the plastics decreases with every mechanical processing step. As a rule, plastics recycled on this manner are now not appropriate to be used in car development, particularly not for safety-related elements.
Together with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and trade companions, Audi has additionally developed on a chemical recycling technique. Mixed plastic waste is processed into pyrolysis oil. Pyrolysis oil can substitute crude oil as a uncooked materials within the manufacturing of high-quality plastics. The elements produced on this manner are simply as priceless and protected as when they’re made out of virgin materials.
Physical Recycling Feasibility Study
In addition to analysis initiatives specializing in mechanical and chemical recycling, Audi can also be conducting a feasibility examine in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV to research the probabilities of the bodily recycling of automotive plastic waste and its reuse in autos. This technique makes it attainable to work with plastics with considerably greater ranges of contamination, which means that easy and incomplete pre-sorting from on outdated car is enough.
Unlike chemical recycling, plastic will not be destroyed by bodily recycling. Instead, it’s dissolved with solvents. This implies that no chemical degradation response takes place and the polymer chains stay undamaged. “Only substances that are absolutely harmless are used as solvents,” explains Dr. Martin Schlummer of Fraunhofer IVV. “Other solids that could interfere with the new end product are separated”. Dissolved substances corresponding to flame retardants will also be dissolved from the plastic resolution if vital. The solvents used are then evaporated and in addition fed into the cycle. After drying, this leads to a really pure plastic granulate that matches the standard of virgin materials.
The goal is now to supply bigger portions of this granulate in an effort to guarantee its technical feasibility and to check its cost-effectiveness. In additional testing, the “plastic with a past” shall be remodeled into add-on components, such because the seat top adjuster. It is a small element, but it surely has to fulfill excessive requirements when it comes to emissions and odor. In the long run, Audi plans to make use of the assorted recycling applied sciences to enhance one another in an effort to recuperate plastics from outdated autos for high-quality reuse.
Further Increase within the Proportion of Recycled Materials within the Vehicle
In the long run, Audi needs to extend the proportion of recycled materials in autos additional. There are already as many as 27 elements made with recyclates in an Audi This autumn e-tron. The exterior consists of elements such because the mounting bracket, a element that has to fulfill significantly excessive calls for when it comes to its mechanical properties. What’s extra, giant proportions of the headlight mounts, wheel arch liners, fender covers, ground trim, and wheel spoilers are made out of secondary uncooked supplies.
In the inside of the Audi This autumn e-tron, recyclates are used within the insulation and damping supplies. Moreover, lots of the seen surfaces include recycled supplies. These embody the ground masking and components of the baggage compartment trim. In the S line inside, the upholstery for the game seats is made from Dinamica microfiber materials, together with synthetic leather-based. Polyester fibers make up 45 % of the Dinamica materials, which nonetheless seems to be and seems like suede. The fibers used are derived from recycled PET bottles, outdated textiles, or residual fibers.
Audi Environmental Week Promotes Interdisciplinary Exchange
Audi is internet hosting Environmental Week for the second time: the interactive format promotes the switch of data and is meant to encourage folks to problem their very own conduct. This Environmental Week will function greater than 50 displays by staff for workers and skilled discussions on environmental safety, recycling, CO2 discount, water conservation, and vitamin, mixed with playful challenges and actions to hitch. Rüdiger Recknagel, Head of Environmental Protection, says that “the motto of Environmental Week is ‘Make it your mission – always.’ Sustainability is our priority.”
