As part of the THINKTANK Industrial Resource Strategies, researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have been working with Audi for a good six months on the pilot project “Chemical Recycling of plastics from automotive manufacturing.” Now that the project has been completed, it is clear that the Chemical Recycling of mixed plastic waste is both technically feasible and environmentally and financially promising. The plastic waste from automotive manufacturing can be processed into pyrolysis oil and could replace petroleum as a raw material for the production of high-quality plastic components in Audi models.
Scientists from the KIT Institute of Industrial Management and Industrial Production (IIP) investigated the technical feasibility of the process as well as its cost-effectiveness and its impact on the environment. The results show that Chemical Recycling can be used to process the mixed plastic waste from automotive manufacturing into pyrolysis oil, which can replace petroleum as a chemical raw material.
The aim of the “Chemical Recycling of plastics from the automotive industry” pilot project was to test intelligent cycles for plastics by means of Chemical Recycling and to evaluate this method as a supplement to mechanical recycling and as a substitute for energy recovery. Now that the research has proven its technical feasibility, Audi intends to scale up the process together with its partners.
Read more at https://www.audi-mediacenter.com/en/press-releases/a-new-lease-on-life-recycling-automotive-plastics-14024