Audi's "MaterialLoop" cooperation project aims to improve the recycling of end-of-life vehicles, Euwid reports.

 

The automotive manufacturer Audi wants to recover more valuable materials from end-of-life vehicles and return them to the material cycle. To this end, Audi had launched the "MaterialLoop" project together with 15 partner companies from research, the recycling sector and the supplier industry, according to Euwid. As many recyclable materials as possible, such as steel, aluminum, plastic or glass, are to be recovered through targeted dismantling and returned to automotive production as secondary materials. As Audi had explained, only a few materials from end-of-life vehicles have so far been used in the production of new vehicles. The new "MaterialLoop" cooperation project is part of Audi's circular economy strategy and is now intended to provide insights into how material cycles can be closed within the automotive industry in the future. In addition to a smaller ecological footprint for its products, the carmaker also expects improved supply security in the future through direct access to secondary materials. According to Audi, 100 vehicles were dismantled as part of the project in October last year. Larger plastic parts are said to have been secured as high-quality secondary materials for further recycling through the targeted dismantling of individual components. After dismantling, the remaining vehicle bodies were shredded and, together with the partner companies involved, separated into different material groups such as steel, aluminum and plastic. Audi is said to be now defining and piloting the further recycling process together with project partners from the recycling industry such as Remondis, the Audi supply chain and the scientific community. In addition to the technical feasibility of returning material to the Audi supply chain, the focus was also on improving the recyclability of new generations of vehicles. Audi says, it is already working intensively on the recycling of plastics. For example, Audi had established a process together with plastics manufacturer LyondellBasell in the "PlasticLoop" project, in which chemical recycling for mixed automotive plastic waste was used for the first time in series production of the Audi Q8 e-tron.

 

Sources:

• Euwid Recycling und Entsorgung 10/2023 (March 7, 2023)
• Photo: © Audi AG