BMW's research project demonstrates the possibility of metal recycling
The use of high-quality materials in the automotive industry is technically possible, and the content of copper-containing impurities in steel scrap can be significantly reduced, according to the results of the Car2Car research project conducted by BMW together with partners.
The main focus of the project was on steel, aluminum, and copper, but other materials such as glass were also considered. BMW's consortium of partners included Scholz Recycling, thyssenkrupp Steel Europe, Salzgitter Mannesmann Forschung, as well as academies such as TU Bergakademie in Freiberg.
BMW reports that the results of the study show that additional processing and sorting steps can significantly enhance the potential of high-quality contours made of materials.
The main conclusions of the project are illustrated by the example of steel. Until now, copper-containing impurities in cables, connectors, and other components have prevented the processing of end-of-life automotive scrap into high-quality automotive steel. The project has demonstrated that an additional recycling step can significantly improve the quality of scrap, BMW says. Copper contamination has been purposefully reduced by sorting steel scrap.
. This ensures the production of high-quality steel scrap as the starting material for the production of new flat rolled products that meet the requirements of the modern automotive industry. Callanish learns that a patent application has been filed for this process.
Steel coils made using this method have been introduced into industrial production after successful testing of materials and quality. "During field tests at the BMW Group plant in Leipzig, more than 100,000 serial parts were manufactured using this steel and installed in cars, which made the results of the project tangible," says Hilke Schaer, Car2Car project manager at BMW Group
. Nevertheless, for large-scale industrial implementation, scalable technological chains, additional infrastructure, and BMW note that viable business models are still needed.
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, ,, Author: Christian Kel Germany
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