Recycling of automotive plastics

If we put a “Beetle” produced in the 1930s in front of us, we will find that almost all of its body is made of steel; and for a “Benz” produced in the 1990s, nearly 10% of its weight is plastic products. So many plastic parts, how to deal with after the car is scrapped, is indeed a very important matter. At the national auto plastics application and development seminar recently held, experts at the conference pointed out that the problem of environmental protection of automotive plastics has become increasingly prominent in China. The relevant national and government agencies should promptly take measures and issue relevant policies to solve this problem.
The increasing use of automotive plastics is a trend

The data records provided by experts show that with the development requirements of lightweight vehicles and the expansion of automotive plastic technology, the composition of automotive materials has changed significantly in recent years. At present, the use of plastics accounts for an average of 5%-10 of the vehicle's weight. %, and according to forecasts, the amount of bicycles used in automotive plastics will increase further in the future.

In modern vehicles, whether it is exterior decoration parts, interior decoration parts, or functional and structural parts, the shadow of plastic parts can be seen everywhere. The application of exterior decorative parts is characterized by the use of plastic steel to reduce the weight of the car. The main components include bumpers, fenders, wheel covers, deflectors, etc. The main components of the interior trim include instrument panel, door inner panel, and sub-instrument panel. , Dumper box covers, seats, rear guards, etc.; function and structural parts are mainly fuel tank, radiator water room, air filter cover, fan blades and so on.

At present, the use of automotive plastics in industrial developed countries accounts for 5%-8% of total plastic consumption. In the early 1980s, the United States used plastics to account for 6.1% of the weight of cars, and in the early 1990s, it doubled. In Japan, the average use of plastic was 100 kilograms each, which accounted for 12% of the weight of cars; About 10% of the vehicle weight. In 1999, the average single-vehicle usage of plastic cars in North America reached 116.5 kilograms, and in 2000 it increased to 142 kilograms. The PP (polypropylene) with the largest amount of car use grew at a rate of 2.2%-2.8% per year. .

The application of automotive plastics in China has continued to grow with the introduction of imported products and the introduction of domestic technologies. The amount of automotive plastics has increased year by year. According to statistics, in 1995, China’s automobile production was 1.1 million, the amount of automotive plastics was 64,000 tons, and in 2000, the automobile output was more than 2 million, and the automotive plastics amounted to 1.38 million tons. The amount of bicycles used increased by about 20% from 1995. . At present, China’s economy cars have 50-60 kilograms of plastic per vehicle; 60-80 kilograms of mid-to-high-class cars, some even 100 kilograms; 40-50 kilograms of plastics for light and medium-duty trucks; heavy trucks. Up to 80 kg. The average plastic consumption of each vehicle accounts for 5% -10% of the vehicle's weight, which is equivalent to the level of foreign countries in the early and mid-80s.

From the perspective of automotive plastics applications at home and abroad, the use of automotive plastics has become one of the indicators of the level of automotive production technology. At the same time, due to the characteristics of plastic products, it has become another important source of pollution that cannot be ignored.

The recycling and recycling of automotive plastics have been industrialized in foreign countries.

The greatest benefit of using plastic to make automotive parts is to reduce the weight of the car. In addition, due to the characteristics of plastics, the performance of certain parts can be improved. But it is also these unique characteristics of plastic parts that have brought some difficult practical problems to our lives. One of the biggest problems is that they are prone to environmental pollution.

We all know that plastic is a material that is difficult to decompose naturally, and some modified plastic materials have a longer life. If it is burned to incinerate it, it will cause serious air pollution, and the car will have years of scrap. With the increase of car ownership worldwide, the number of plastics dismantled from cars each year can be imagined. Therefore, how to deal with these plastic parts has become a difficult problem for many countries.

The best solution is naturally to recycle and reuse, but this is far from simple. Plastic is a chemical product, and its recycling process is very complicated. Even in some countries where recycling technology is advanced, the recycling and recycling of plastic parts are still under study. According to reports, it is mainly used in foreign countries to use the method of burning heat energy to dispose of used plastic parts, and through a certain cleaning device, the waste gas and waste residue that cannot be used are cleaned and treated. However, in Japan and European countries, the requirements for the use of automotive scrap materials were proposed in previous years, and the specific years were set. As the government of the developed countries in the automobile industry attaches great importance to promoting the use of waste materials including plastics and rubber, the actual utilization rate of the expected product is now approaching 85% in 2000 and is expected to reach 95% in 2015. At present, the recycling, regeneration and utilization technologies of waste plastics have become a hot spot in foreign countries and gradually form a new industry.

Establishing the environmental protection concept of automotive plastics application technology, government emphasis is the key

In China, due to the deviation of the concept of environmental protection, coupled with the lack of awareness and attention to environmental protection, the current research on the recycling, recycling and utilization of used plastic parts has not yet been mentioned on the agenda. Some people in the industry believe that from the perspective of protecting the environment, focusing on air pollution at the same time. Contamination caused by materials such as plastics for vehicles and rubber for vehicles should also be given sufficient attention.

In fact, the integration of technologies for the application of materials and the scientific selection of materials for automotive parts, especially the selection of new products, are the basis for the recycling and recycling of plastics. The selected plastic varieties tend to be centralized and unified, which facilitates future classification and recycling and overall recycling. At present, foreign countries have begun to advocate the concept of material integration and application, fully improve the utilization of materials, and apply them to material design and production practices. However, our country’s work in this area is still almost blank.

To this end, experts suggest. The relevant national and government agencies should formulate relevant policies in a timely manner and consider laws and regulations on energy conservation and material conservation as well as regulations for the recycling and disposal of used metals, rubber and plastics as soon as possible, and adopt certain incentive policies to support the recycling and recycling of automotive waste materials. The use of easily polluting products such as plastics for vehicles is limited to more scientific and more reasonable scope. In addition, during the “10th Five-Year Plan” period, the enterprises and research departments of China’s auto industry and related industries should endeavor to carry out research on the recycling and recycling technologies of used materials, especially waste plastics, and strive to make vehicles in a relatively short period of time. Plastics are no longer a problem that bothers people.