Toyota to employ DuPont recycling technology

Toyota to employ DuPont recycling technology

Toyota has endorsed DuPont Composite Recycle Technology as a means to reclaim and re-use nylon-6 from automotive air intake manifolds. The Japanese automotive group plans to employ the system to help it achieve its aim of increasing its use of plastic from recycled or renewable materials to 20% by 2015, according to Yasushi Miyamoto, who heads organic materials within Toyota’s Material Engineering Division.

Results of a feasibility study covering sustainability, life cycle analysis and economic scenarios, were released at this week’s International Automotive Recycling Conference in Geneva. Toyota and DuPont tested two air intake manifolds, one made from virgin compound and the other from compounded resin containing 100% recycled nylon-6.

They found that parts from the recycled materials were inside the specification for leaks, bursting and breaking strength. In addition, energy usage and carbon dioxide emissions analysis showed the environmental footprint of the technology was lower than virgin processes.

DuPont Composite Recycle Technology is a closed loop recycling process that converts parts made of glass or mineral filled nylon-6 or 66 into resin. The technology involves dissolving used nylon and then filtering away contaminants and fillers.