Applied research, practice based research: case studies / 1

Recycling of plastic
material in design
world: examples from
automotive industry
Ceyda Vatan

Abstract
In this study, plastic materials recycling, which has the environmental and economic values, discussion with studies
and design applications especially automotive industry are included. Pollution of sources and recycling of scrap
materials are the two strong reasons for recycling concept.

The designers, consumers, producers and governments are constrained to comprehend recycling subject because
of the fact of increasing on consumption raw materials and environmental pollution.

Automotive recycling applications are included by the examples from different firms. Using of plastic materials in
automobile and its advantage on design applications and usage field of recycled plastics for automobile parts
production are analyzed. The usage of recycled plastics in the production of automobile parts is determined.
Recycling applications of car companies and their future expectations are analyzed. Variety of automotive waste
plastics and the use of these in automobile parts after recycling are classified. Recycling applications and its future
expectations are given by the examples from sector. The automotive industry provides enough plastics for the
recycling. In addition providing materials is the most important subject for the recycling industry. It shows that it
won’t be a problem for the automotive industry’s recycling program. Recycled plastics can be used to produce
new parts as raw materials. These are stated in the diagnosis of analyzes. The study of recycled plastics
applications in automotive industry is guided for the sector which plastics consumption is high.

I. INTRODUCTION TO THE PLASTIC WASTE

Plastic Material
Plastic is defined as “Plastic is a kind of oil product that is produced by heating or shaped by the way of
polymerization and it also defined as “ Plastic is a polymer of which shape changes when it is heated once more
( Such as PVC, PET, PS, PP, PA, PC, etc. )” (Akkurt, 1991).

Today plastic is used in many area because its features that are easy shaping, flexibility, lightness and hygienic.
When the increasing cost of the energy and the decreasing natural resources are considered, it is natural the
plastics are preferred in the world today. The most important features of the plastics that make it preferred in the
world are “it is economic, convenience in production and durable” (Eröztürk, 1997).

The most important plastic types that are used in design are ABS, PE, HDPE, LDPE, PS, PP, OPP, PVC, PA and
NYLON etc.

As it is in the World, more than 70 % of the plastics that are used in Turkey are thermoplastics (Plastic Commission
Report, 1990). Thermoplastics are recycled materials while thermosets are not (Rhyner, C.R. and others, 1998).
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II. THE DEMOLITION OF PLASTIC WASTES

When the plastic wastes are demolished by the way of chemical decomposition or the way of burning, these methods
create hazardous gases. Since these methods are hazardous for environment and not economical they are not preferred.

Although the method of burning the waste is a waste demolition method, this method causes corrosion and air
pollution in the process of burning. Thus this method is not applied generally. The governmental institutions
generally apply the method to put the plastic waste under the ground.

The most economical way of the plastic waste recycling is the method of paralyze. During the process of Paralyze
we need fuel to have suitable heating. However, this process may cause the hazardous gases to be created. With
this method organic liquid and coal which have the economic values are produced (Pavoni and others, 1975).
The most satisfactory way among these methods is the recycling of the plastics. The hazardous wastes of the
demolishing process would be eliminated, and economic profit would be gained with this way.

III. GENERAL APPROACH TO RECYCLING OF THE MATERIALS

Acquiring raw materials with the help of recycling means that leaving the solid waste and reusing. The most
important aims of the recycling programs are to decrease the volumes of the wastes and to protect the natural
resources. To increase the level of recycling, many kinds of technologies and programs are developed for every
party from the consumer to the heavy industry. Recycling of the materials program is generally consisting of these
processes: the classifying of the materials (both in the first using place and in the garbage that the materials are
collected), purifying, marketing and the sales of the recycling materials and manufacturing of the new products
from the recycled materials (Peer Consultants, 1991).

Recycling Methods
The Recycling methods that can be applied by the municipality is given and summarized below.
Raw materials recycling methods:

1 Recycling programs of sorting the materials in the first using places.

Recycling in the settlement places
Recycling in the apartments (many families)
Recycling in the street ( one family )
Commercial/industrial recycling
Collecting boxes
Purchasing centers of the used material
Special campaigns

2 Recycling Institutions

3. Processing of the mixed wastes (Peer Consultants, 1991)

IV. RECYCLING ECONOMY

Recycling process is important not only for the environment but also for economical issues. In the developed
western countries, Recycling sector is developing and institutionalizing day by day. Plastic consumptions of some
countries are seen in table 1.
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Table 1. The plastic consumption per person in some countries (kg/person) (Wright, 1993)

LDPE HDPE PVC PP PS D??ER TOPLAM

West Europe 17.1 10.9 14.4 16.8 5.7 4.1 69
Rumania 1.8 0.9 1.4 0.8 1.2 0.0 6.1
China 2.6 1.5 2.1 2.4 1.3 1.2 11.1
Malaysia 9.3 6.9 5.5 8.4 4.8 4.7 39.6
India 0.4 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.2 0.1 2.7
U.S.A 24.0 21.0 20.5 19.9 9.1 3.6 98.1
Turkey 5.60 2.26 6.34 7.10 2.16 6.94 30.4

In the last five years the plastic consumption in Turkey is increased from 1.230.324 ton to 1.933.471 ton ( % 57
increase ).In the seventh plan period, plastic production between the years of 1995-1999 is increased from
1.358.629ton/year to 2.350.001ton/year ( %72 increase) (DPT Comission Report of Plastic, 1990).

Plastic material is being used in many daily appliances like in automobile sector, in kitchen tools, in the parks and
the gardens, as being construction materials, as foodstuffs package, in cosmetics, as cleaning materials, in citrus
fruits and agricultural products, in textile sector, as packaging in the ready-made clothing and in the heath sector.
It would not be thought that the demand of the recycled materials be constant in that market. It is seen from the
experience of other developed countries that the demand of these materials would increase, if the supply of
recycled materials increases in safety manner.

V. Plastic examples that are used in the automotive Industry

When the old automobiles are compared with today’s automobile, it is seen that more plastics and less metals are
used in new ones. Every year 10 million automobile are completely worn out and are pulled to pieces. Metal
materials are put into recycling process for reusing. The other materials that are not metal, Automobile Shredder
Residue (ASR), are called as automobile waste materials. Even these materials have some recyclable materials; they
are generally eliminated by burying into the ground (plastics-car, 2002). Today in United Kingdom there are 27
million automobile. Every year while two million new automobile added to this number, less than two million
automobile are decreased from this number because of being worn out (CARE, 2001). In 1998 1.8 million
automobile are completely worn out because of an accident or being old (MVDA, 2002) .The increase in the
number of the automobile makes us try to have the recycling of “End of Life of Vehicle” (ELV) for every car to
be maximized. This would help to minimize the automobile waste material. Again in United Kingdom 3-5 million
ton ASR is produced. 1 million ton of these numbers are Polyurethane and 750 thousand are thermoplastics
(Scharff and Caruso, 1990) (BWSF, 2001). Automotive Consortium on Recycling and Disposal (ACORD) 1998
report shows that in United Kingdom % 74 of the worn out automobiles(% 64 of the worn out materials could
be recycled and 10% are reused.) are improved (DELV, 2001). Plastic materials types and usage are seen below
(figure 1).

Figure 1. Plastic materials usage areas in an automobile (Scharff and

Caruso, 1990)

Many scientist and engineer in the automotive and plastic sector are working on the subjects of increasing in the
usage of plastic materials in the automobiles production, recycling of the automobiles and ELV of the
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automobiles. Automobiles are the most valuable product in the subject of recycling in American Industry. Every
Year this Industry usually recycle 18 million ton worn out material from the broke down automobiles (Brenton
and others, 1996). Plastic materials that are used in automobiles are seen (figure 2).

Figure 2. Types of plastic materials that are used in an

automobile and appliance areas of these materials in
the car (Scharff and Caruso, 1990).

In the late 1980’s and in the early 1990’s European Commission started the “Priority Waste Streams Program”.
With the name of this program, reusing of ELV and recycling programs are supported. Moreover In 1995 this was
admitted as absolutely necessary by the European Commission. Instructions, demand the below from European
Union.

With the date of 1 January 2007 Minimum 85 % of the weight of every car has to be reused or improved,
for 2015 it is 95 %, While it is 80 % for 2006

With the date of 1 January 2006 minimum 75% of the automobiles that are produced before1980’s have
to be recycled in the way of reusing or improving (Brenton and others, 1996).

According to the article of “Society of the Plastic Industry” that is published in UK in 1998 called The Truths and
The Values, the amount of plastic material is seen in table 2 (SMMT, 2001).

Table 2. The amount of plastic materials that is used for automobile market (kg) (SMMT, 2001).

Main Market 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997

Transportation 3221 3795 3916 3964 4102
Total 63636 70799 71194 78748 82715
% 5.1 5.4 5.5 5.0 5.0

Since plastic material is lighter than metal material, plastic materials are preferred in automobile industry for fuel
saving, in the program of decreasing the weight of the automobile. Every new development shows that plastic
main bodies would be used more often with new appliances.

VI. Plastic Types in Automobiles

Today in two types of plastics are used in automobile production.

Thermoplastics: These kinds of plastics have the capability to soften and harden quickly by the way of heating
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and cooling without any change in its chemical structure. When these materials are heated they soften and melt,
this feature helps to apply plastic weld.

Thermosets: The chemical features of these kinds of plastics are changed when heating and ultraviolet applied.
When these materials shaped as long lasting they are fairly tough. Plastic weld can not be applied in thermosets,
they can only be glued.

Scharff and Caruso in the article of “Complete Automotive Welding Metals and Plastics” that is published in 1980
say that there are 79 types of plastics that are used in the automotive industry of General Motors (Scharff and
Caruso, 1990). Using of so many types of plastics is very important to determine the recycling processes that
would be applied for automobile recycling. It is impossible to apply the same methods for every kind of plastics
and get the same result. The plastic parts of automobiles recycling and end of life of vehicle statements are seen

Figure 3. Recycling of dashboard and its life cycle

Figure 4. Recycling of bumpers and its life cycle

VII. Recycling Appliances

When the long life of the automobile considered for recycling, quality and the non-corrodibility are the most
important features. In this life span, Thermoplastics materials are firstly subjected to the chemical impressions of
the environment and moreover, gluing, dying, ray of ultraviolet, temperature changes, dusts and etc.

Production methods of the materials and the plastics do change in the process of the automobile according to
which position the automobile takes place in the market. Distribution of the material responsibility is belonging
the provider of material. This situation helps low investing cost for thermoplastics and the disassembling people
who will have the future recycling sector of automobiles.

The design for disassembling the automobile components is being important as the design of mechanics
mounting. Repairing systems are the important level of this process. Generally the plastic and other material
modules are put on the automobile mechanically. This helps to separate the entire modules to pieces easily and
quickly (GE, 1998). Table 3 and 4 show Usage of plastic material in automobile components and Recycling
Approach Analysis of Automobiles Companies.
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Table 3. Usage of plastic material in automobile components, Impacts of usage of this material to automobile
design and Appliance areas of plastics after the process of recycling (Vatan, 2002).

Appliance Areas The Types of the Impacts of usage of Appliance areas

Plastic Material Plastic Material to after the process
automobile design of recycling
Bumper and Panel Polycarbonat, Polyester, cheap, help the designers Producing Panel
systems,
Systems Polypropilen, Polyuretan, in their free creativity new bumper, structure
Polyamid table of bumper,
battery groove, half
structural
components, clamps
Surface’s Panel SMC ( Sheet Molding Cause decreasing the
Compound) , thermoset total heaviness of automobiles,
polyester compound, living long and having
RIM-urethane (reaction- ecologic approach..
injection molding) and
thermoplastic system
(including thermoplastic
olefins )
Lighting System Polycarbonat Durability to high temperature, Indicator housing,
not to be pulled to peaces lighting parts housing
when it’s broken, and could
be designed in many forms.
Trim Nylon, Polystyrene, Saving time and money Door handle,
Polycarbonate, at exterior trim and interior trims, exterior
Poly-vynilclorure, saving on painting costs. trims
Polypropylene,
Polyester and Urethane
Upholstery Urethane foams Recyclability, combined with Carpet padding
their ability to fulfill design
and economic demands.
Instrument Panels ABS, ABS/ Polycarbonate Giving an opportunity Instrument panels, i
alloys, Polycarbonate, to complex design, nstrument panel’s
Polypropylene, reducing costs and table, components
Polypropylene modified total heaviness. housing, structural
with Polypropylene -Ether components, vent.
and Styrene-Maleic-
Anhydride
Steering Wheel Vinyl Helping modern interior Electricity wiring
steering columns made harnesses
from a variety of in-mold
thermoplastics and metal
components.
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Air Ducts ABS and Polypropylene The air ducts themselves are Air ducts, grid
complex and add-shaped, yet systems, air ducts
at the same time light weight components housing
and durable. They would be
difficult to reproduce using
other family of materials.
Components Nylon, Styrene, Plastic provides with a strong, Component housing,
Housing Polypropylene and consistent, durable and trims
Polyester lightweight housing material
whose interference with
magnetic fields is negligible.
Switches and Nylon, Polyester and Low friction, high strength, Electricity housing,
Sockets Acetyl and a natural smooth finished. components housing,
grids
Connectors Polybutylene Good insulator, both strong Air and heating
Terephthalate and stiff, and holding system’s ducts,
up well against the high components housing
temperature.
Circuit Boards and Acrylic fiber optic cable Reducing heaviness,
Wiring Harnesses increasing systems productivity,
and safety and easiness in
setting up the systems.
Other Interior Seat bases, headliners and Noise insulation, vibration
load floors of Glass Mat insulation and suitable
Thermoplastics GMT for aesthetic interior design
composite, door trim panels with softness, comfort,
and rear package shelves of durability. Plastic’s design
Akrila nitryl-Bütadien_ flexibility helps manufacturer
Styrene ABS and Glass Mat create innovative integral,
Thermoplastics GMT. single-piece light weight
components, while cutting costs,
saving time, and helping lessen
the problems associated with
vehicle redesign.
Transmission Phenolic resins with glass It has been used successfully
fiber reinforcement to manufacture stationary
transmission parts with
attached revolving rotors in
revolutionary one-piece design.
Heat and chemical resistance,
high strength, impact strength
and molding ease.
Drive Shaft Producing single-piece Reduction in noise, vibration and Component housing
plastic harshness. Less stress on
connecting components.
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Bearings Nylon Low friction over a high Component housing,

temperature. grids, duct systems
C.V. and ‘U’ Joints Acetyl Low friction coefficient and Joints, clamps
inherent strength.
Fuel Tanks High Density Polyethylene Strong, light weight material Fuel tanks
that has allowed manufacturers
to substantially reduce the
overall weight of vehicles. Plastic
use in design of complex fuel
systems that fit into the
ever-constrained chassis
environment.
This unique ability of plastic
fuel tanks to be fit into the most
optimal spaces in a vehicle chassis
allows for the additional room
that can be used to accommodate
other components, provide
passengers with a larger interior,
or expand the size of car trunk
or truck bed.
Fuel Lines Nylon Flexibility, light weight, Fuel lines,
low cost, and low component housing
permeability. Resisting corrosion,
crushing, abrasion, and cracking.
Vapor Recovery Glass-reinforced Nylon
Systems or Polypropylene
Fuel Filler Pipes Nylon Flexible fuel filler system allows Yakıt boruları,
for increased safety in the event parça yuvaları
of a crash since, unlike metal
full-filler pipees, many can bend
and flatten, rather than tearing
and rupturing and spilling gasoline,
there by safety eliminating fuel
leakage as the cause of a fire or
explosion. It also provides fuel
performance.
Fuel pumps Weight savings, space savings,
cost savings, and in a reduction of
the number of components used.
Plastic allows an integrated design
that fits together tightly, thereby
avoiding any fuel leaks into the
circuitry or other parts of the pump.
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Fuel Modules The plastic modules that With a plastic module, the fuel is
house the pump, filter housed in a self-contained
and fuel level sender. area that ensures a constant
delivery of fuel to the system,
without enduring pressure loss
due to the unavailability of fuel
while cornering or in inclined
park positions.
Fuel Rails Composite Plastic fuel rails are cost-effective
and are easily integrated in
the air fuel induction modules.
Air-intake Systems Nylon or Polypropylene Determining the longevity of an Components housing,
engine, as well as engine’s power air ducts, trims
and smoothness when running.
Fuel-intake Systems Nylon Plastic allows for a smooth
surface, while reducing noise,
vibration and harshness (NVH)
levels and weight, and giving
designers more flexibility when
trying to maximize a car’s
performance.
Engine Components Using plastic in engine rocker
arm covers in a tremendous
advantage to manufacturers
seeking to save tooling time,
assembly time and material costs.
Plastic’s typical light weight
Structure Carbon Fibers Light weight is a tremendous
advantage to manufacturers,
since weight savings makes
parts easier to transport. It also
provides consumers better fuel
economy, and with the fuel
savings that light weight brings,
helps preserve resources and
protect the environment.
Support Nylon Many different types of ribbing Bumper, grids, air
can be designed for a single and heating systems
piece, all with different ducts,fuel-intake
important structural advantages. system
Suspension Nylon and Polypropylene Plastics’ light weight helps Component housing
are used to produce complete a suspension system
suspension tubing and that is strong and rigid,
links connecting the yet light in weight and
suspension system to fully functional.
support structures
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Brakes Plastic-based brake pads Plastic makes today’s

are made from a tough braking systems possible.
Aramid Fiber. Automatic Braking System (ABS)
housings are molded from
plastics.
Cooling Systems Nylon, Nylon and Plastic’s ability to be formedinto Air and cooling
Polyphenylene Sulfide complex shape helps make more systems ducts,
are use in water pumps. space-efficient and designer- component housing,
system friendly. Plastic’s high fuel-intake
resistance to corrosion helps
prevent leaks occurring in plastic
based radiator end tanks.

People pay more attention to the recycling of the materials especially the plastics than before for protecting the
environment. Not to cause pollution and recycling of the worn out materials do become two important reason
of the recycling for environmental behavior.

Every year 50 million plastic resins are produced all over the world, but to determine the amount of recycling of
this material is very difficult.

The recycling process of the plastic materials applied in the automotive industry is very important for this industry
in which the huge amounts of plastic materials are used. 160 kg plastic material is used only for a car. This shows
how the recycling of plastic materials is so important for automobile industry for economical and also
environmental behavior. The most important problem of the recycling centers is usually how to find the sufficient
recycling material (waste). However, the amounts of plastics that are used in the automobile industry shows that
this industry would help to bring about the sufficient material. In addition the usage of the recycled materials in
the automobile industry would solve another problem of the recycling centers which is the marketing of the
recycled materials. In this way, the automotive industry is both give the raw materials to this industry’s recycling
market and also get the recycled products from this market.

Plastic materials help to the development of the design of the automobiles. The usage of the plastic materials
gives new chances to the designers in their concepts with the shaping easiness of the plastic material. Fuel,
aeration, and the heating systems could be produced with the plastic material. This helps to widen the inside of
the automobile and passengers to have more comfort. Other advantages of the plastic materials in the
automotive industry are recyclables, it is economical, to have the low weight in the automobiles, insulation of the
volume and the vibration, durability and non-corrodibility. Table 4 shows Recycling Approach Analysis of
Automobiles Companies.

In the recycling approaches of automotive companies’ analysis we see same recycling approaches between the
companies such as Volkswagen, Ford, BMW and Toyota. The recycling aim of these companies is to be able to
recycle the %95 of the automobile that European commission determined for 2015. Every of this companies
which are the leaders of the automotive industry has environmental appliances reports. The design approaches
of these companies are mainly recyclables reusing of the materials, increasing in the usage of plastic materials and
researches for increasing the life of the automobile. General aims of these companies are recycling, material
preferences, using of the recycled materials and increasing the life of the products. Using of plastics in BMW
automobiles (figure 5).
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Environmental Recycling Aims Design Approach General Aims Recycling Applications

Application Plans
Volkswagen Environmental % 85 Recycling Emission aims, Material, Production All plastics of Transporter
Report 2002 in Material selecting methods and process, Van are recycled,
2002, %95 process, Recycling, Fuel Automobile Life Cycle
Recycling in Recyclability consumption, Exhaust Analysis is used in Golf
2015 emission, Earth/water A3 and Lupo.
pollution, Noise
Ford Environmental % 75 recycling Reducing Designing Easiness in In Ford factory, they are
Report 2001-2002 in 2002 Materials, Reusing, disassembling for using 4 billion pound
Recycling recycling, Position of recycled materials. Every
recycled materials in year 360,000 tires
automobile design, recycled and with these
economical car design, materials producing
using recyclable heating and air systems.
materials in automotive, Recycled telephone and
Providing long life-span computers are used to
for products. make truck’s
case.Recycled nylon from
industrial carpets in
amount of % 25 are
used to produce air
cleaning systems’ parts.
Recycled materials are
used in Focus, Fiesta, Ka
and Escord. All plastics of
Ford Th!nk are recycled.
BMW Sustainable Value Using amount of Increasing using of Design for recycling, Approximately 162 kg of
Report 2001-2002 % 75 recyclable plastics, separating Economical and plastics are used in BMW
plastics instead parts analysis, environmental recycling, 3 series.Approximately 90
of metal. Design approaches recycling in product kg of them are recycled
for economical and developing process, with the BMW recycling
environmental increasing in using standards. Using plastics
recycling of recycled. of one BMW automobile
automobiles parts. is % 12. % 14-15 of
these plastics are
recycled.
Toyota E n v i r o n m e n t a l Recycling %95 of End of Life of Improvement in recycling Approximately 546.000
Report 2002 a car in 2015 Vehicle Study, technology and systems. bumpers (%59 of total
Reusing of producing) are collected
materials. back and recycled. With
these recycled materials
producing annex baggage
parts. In new Celsior
model they are using new
plastic type which has
been developed by Toyota
for reusing.

Table 4. Recycling Approach Analysis of Automobiles Companies (Vatan, 2002).

12 / Applied research, practice based research: case studies

This diagnosis shows that recycling processes could be

easily applied in the automotive industry. The subject of
recycling is considered in every level of this industry
from designing level to finding and reusing of the best
material for the product. Recycling approaches are
important for two reasons in the automotive industry:
for economical and environmental % 60 of the plastic
materials that are used in the automobiles could be
recycled. This is advantage s both for this industry and
also for environment. Ford is using recycled plastics in
Figure 5. BMW automobiles plastic parts Think car (figure 6,7 and 8).

Figure 6,7,8. Ford Think Car

VIII. WHAT CAN WE DO?

Every people in the world especially the designers are responsible to protect the environment. Between the design
methods the subject of the materials preferences, production methods and recycling is becoming important day
by day. With LCA, the future of the products, in this way recycling is becoming more important in the design
world. Along with the sustainability concept, the recycling concern increases. In addition, the environmental and
economical issues are sufficient to support the recycling approaches.

As it is seen form the examples in the world, the subject of recycling takes its place in design world. The designers
should consider recycling matter in the level of designing and impose the recycling conscious to the public.
 Applied research, practice based research: case studies / 13

Bibliography
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Ceyda Vatan
Architect
PhD Student-Research Assistant/ I.T.U. Industrial Product Design Department

Biography
Ceyda Vatan was born in 1975 in Istanbul. She was graduated from Yildiz Technical University as Architect,
Department of Architecture. She has a Master degree of Industrial Design from Istanbul Technical University
Department of Industrial Product Design. Master thesis subject is “Recycling Plastics: Examples from Automotive
Industry”. She is still PhD student and research assistant at I.T.U. Department of Industrial Product Design.