Aimplas studies the quality of recycled plastics from automotive waste

In the automotive industry, the use of plastic materials for the exterior and interior of vehicles is gradually increasing with the replacement of traditional materials such as metal. Plastic parts help reduce vehicle weight and, therefore, CO2 emissions. Moreover, as one of the world’s greatest consumers of plastics, the automotive industry is steadily increasing the percentage of recycled plastic to produce more sustainable vehicles and reduce their environmental impact.

With the aim of facilitating the use of recycled and renewable materials in the automotive sector, AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, has launched the SURFTOP Project, with funding from the Valencian Institute of Competitiveness and Innovation (IVACE+i) and the ERDF. The project focuses on studying the effects of using recycled material to manufacture parts for the interior and exterior of vehicles and aims to establish and develop technologies that make it possible to comply with vehicle interior air quality (VIAQ) requirements while maintaining the surface properties established by manufacturers.

The surface properties of plastics refer to the material’s surface characteristics, which can affect its appearance (gloss, colour, roughness), bonding capacity (especially for parts that will be painted) and resistance to wear, impact, scratching and chemical agents. Furthermore, inside the vehicle, it is necessary to guarantee low emissions of volatile organic compounds and odours from recycled plastic materials to comply with the requirements of manufacturers.

This project also involves Prisma Soporte Industrial, a company that handles injection moulding and painting of automotive parts, and which will help validate the process and functionality of the recycled materials so they comply with the quality and emission requirements of the final parts and will also help transfer the results. The recycling company GBP Metal Group will provide post-consumer recycled materials from specific car parts.