Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the automobile industry are increasingly incorporating recycled content into car parts as a response to both environmental demands and economic incentives. Post-industrial recycled (PIR) and post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials are major contributors to this shift in resource utilization. On the other hand, incorporating these materials creates several issues, notably preserving the durability and longevity of automobile components. SI Group, a global pioneer in performance additives, offers crucial solutions to improve the performance of recycled materials in automotive applications.
Major automotive OEMs are leading the way in adopting recycled content. Companies such as Ford, General Motors, BMW, and Toyota have set ambitious targets for incorporating PIR and PCR materials in their vehicles.
Ford: Ford has been a pioneer in using recycled materials, with notable examples including soy-based foam in seat cushions and recycled plastics in underbody shields. Ford aims to increase the use of recycled plastics in its vehicles to 20 percent by 2025. Recently, Ford announced that the Bronco Sport was the first vehicle in their portfolio to be made of 100% recycled ocean plastic.
General Motors: GM is dedicated to utilizing environmentally friendly resources, including recycled and renewable content. The company utilizes PCR plastics to produce various components, including air deflectors, radiator shrouds, and engine covers.
BMW: BMW has set a goal to raise the amount of recycled material used in its automobiles to 50 percent by 2030. When it comes to the inner and external components of their products, the company uses recycled plastics, natural fabrics, and other environmentally friendly materials.
Toyota: Toyota is committed to lowering the negative impact that its automobiles have on the environment by utilizing recycled materials in their production process. The company uses recycled plastics in many components, including floor mats, seat textiles, and underfloor covers, among other things.
Volvo: Volvo's goal is to have 25 percent of the plastics in its automobiles made from recycled materials by 2025, with a particular emphasis on high-grade recycled plastics.
Post-Industrial Recycled (PIR) Materials
PIR materials are obtained from industrial scrap that has been recycled into an alternative form. It is often easier to include them in the manufacturing processes of automobiles since they are cleaner and more consistent than materials that have been recycled after they have been used. Original equipment manufacturers use PIR materials for a variety of applications, including interior panels, components found under the hood, and nonvisible elements. PIR materials are created by reprocessing industrial scrap into new materials. When it comes to automotive applications, the requirements for adopting PIR materials include the following:
Quality and Consistency
- To guarantee the performance of PIR materials is consistent, they must meet high quality criteria.
- A low amount of contamination should be present, and PIR materials should maintain mechanical qualities comparable to those of virgin materials.
- The certification of the material requires that the suppliers provide certification and paperwork that verifies the recycled content and the origin of the material.
Compliance with laws
- Materials must be in accordance with the rules and laws that govern the automotive industry, such as ISO 14021 for environmental labeling and declarations from manufacturers.
PIR materials are required to go through meticulous testing to guarantee that they can fulfill the necessary performance criteria, which include the following:
- The tensile strength, impact resistance, and durability of the material are all mechanical properties.
- Thermal stability is the capacity to endure the temperature range in which the components of the vehicle are operating.
- Chemical resistance refers to the ability to withstand exposure to weather conditions and vehicle fluids.
Integration with Virgin Materials
To guarantee a smooth integration in the manufacturing process, PIR materials must be compatible with virgin materials. This involves ensuring that the processing parameters, such as melting points and flow properties, are compatible.
Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) Materials
PCR materials are derived from goods that have reached the end of their life cycle and are gathered for the purpose of recycling. Processing these materials is more difficult because of their unpredictability and the possibility of contamination. Nevertheless, they provide substantial ecological advantages by diminishing landfill waste and preserving natural resources. PCR materials are becoming more commonly utilized in visible automobile components, such as external trimmings and seating textiles, due to their sustainable characteristics, which provide a marketing benefit. The prerequisites for using PCR materials in car manufacturing encompass the following:
Material Purity: PCR materials frequently carry a greater risk of contamination. To guarantee material purity, it is necessary to thoroughly clean and sift them to eliminate contaminants.
Advanced Sorting Technologies
- The application of technologies like near-infrared (NIR) sorting to segregate various types of polymers and eliminate impurities.
- Traceability and Documentation
- OEMs necessitate comprehensive documentation of the recycled content, encompassing its origin, processing chronology, and material characteristics.
- Closed-loop systems involve the use of recycling systems that recover, treat, and reuse materials from end-of-life cars to produce new automotive components.
Sustainability and Environmental Impact
- The utilization of PCR materials is expected to greatly diminish the environmental consequences, such as reducing carbon emissions and energy usage during the manufacturing process.
- Life cycle assessment (LCA) quantifies the environmental advantages of using PCR materials compared to virgin materials.
Adherence to requirements and Regulations
PCR materials are required to conform to automotive industry requirements, including the following:
- REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals) aims to guarantee that recycled materials are free from harmful compounds.
- The end-of-life vehicle (ELV) directive mandates compliance with European Union standards that stipulate that 95 percent of a vehicle's weight must be recyclable.
Mechanical and Aesthetic Properties
PCR materials must satisfy the mechanical and aesthetic criteria necessary for automotive applications, including the following:
- Color consistency refers to the consistency of the color and look of both visible inner and exterior portions.
- Surface finish concerns attaining superior surface quality equivalent to the original materials.
The Role of SI Group Additives
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are necessary to prevent the oxidative breakdown of polymers. In the automobile industry, where components are subjected to severe temperatures and climatic conditions, antioxidants serve an essential role in preserving the integrity of materials and ensuring that they continue to perform properly. Antioxidants manufactured by SI Group are intended to improve the thermal and oxidative stability of polymers. This helps to ensure that automobile components keep their mechanical qualities and attractiveness over time.
In the case of polyolefins used in under-the-hood components, antioxidants like
ULTRANOX™ 626 and
LOWINOX™ CA22 provide the necessary thermal and oxidative stability to prevent premature degradation.
ULTRANOX™ 626
This phosphite antioxidant is widely used to improve the color and process stability of polyolefins, including recycled polypropylene and polyethylene. It offers excellent protection against degradation and discoloration from processing and environmental factors.
EVERCYCLE™ PET-103D
This product is designed to enhance the performance of PET recycled streams by managing the development of yellowing and acetaldehyde (AA).
EVERCYCLE™ PET-102D
This blended phenolic and phosphite antioxidant improves recycled PET during mechanical recycling by preventing color formation and yellowing.
EVERCYCLE™ PP-101S
This grade offers mechanical recyclers the opportunity to enhance processing and ensure long-term stability for downstream products, serving as a restabilizer for postconsumer LDPE/LLDPE flexible film recycle streams.
UV stabilizers are utilized to shield automobile components from the potentially damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation. Discoloration, loss of mechanical strength, and surface degradation can result from prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation. A variety of UV stabilizers are available from SI Group. These UV stabilizers are designed to absorb and diffuse ultraviolet light, thereby increasing the lifespan of plastic components and preserving their physical appearance. This is of utmost importance regarding exterior components, such as bumpers, dashboards, and trim, which are subjected to direct sunlight.
LOWILITE™ 19
This hindered amine UV stabilizer offers excellent performance benefits in thick- and thin-section fiber for PP, PE, and blended applications.
When combining recycled content with virgin polymers, it is vital to use coupling agents because they improve the compatibility and adhesion between the various materials. These agents are responsible for enhancing the mechanical properties of composites to improve the dispersion and interfacial bonding of composites. SI Group's coupling agents help ensure the performance of recycled materials meets the demanding criteria of original equipment manufacturers in the automotive industry.
POLYBOND™ maleic anhydride–grafted polypropylene improves the computability and adhesion between recycled polypropylene and various fillers or reinforcements. In PCR polypropylene composites, POLYBOND™ can enhance mechanical properties, improve moisture resistance, and form strong interfacial bonds.
POLYBOND™ maleic anhydride–grafted polyethylene offers PIR and PCR polyethylene to be better integrated and blended for improved mechanical efficiency
ROYALTUF™ polypropylene coupling agents are semicrystalline EPDM that offer recycled nylon compatibility and impact strength and allow the integration of reinforcement fillers.
Conclusion
SI Group's antioxidants, UV stabilizers, and coupling agents play a crucial role in improving the strength, reliability, and adaptability of recycled materials in automotive applications. As OEMs continue to expand their utilization of recycled materials, the importance of performance additives cannot be overstated in producing durable and eco-friendly automotive components.
