Participation in "National Composites Center Japan, Plastic Recycling Technology R&D Consortium" ～ Aiming to realize sustainable resource recycling in automobiles
Jun. 20, 2024
This document is an independent translation of a portion of the Japanese original text by ADEKA CORPORATION.
ADEKA is pleased to announce our participation in the "National Composites Center and Plastic Recycling Technology R&D Consortium" established under the leadership of the Nagoya University National Composites Center (Nagoya Univ. NCC), which is part of the Tokai National Higher and Research System.
Participating Companies ADEKA CORP., UCHIHAMAKASEI CORP., Kurimoto, Ltd., SUZUKI MOTOR CORP., TOYOBO Co., Ltd., TOYOTA MOTOR CORP., Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Nippon Gasket Co., Ltd., The Japan Steel Works, Ltd., Honda Motor Co., Ltd., MITSUBISHI MOTORS CORP., Yachiyo Industry Co., Ltd.
The consortium, organized by Nagoya University NCC and 12 companies including our company, aims to realize sustainable resource recycling through the promotion of research and development of technologies for recycling plastics and utilizing recycled carbon fiber, which are derived from end-of-life automobile.
Background of R&D
The automotive industry is striving to achieve a decarbonized and recycling-oriented society.
Efforts to reduce environmental impact are progressing worldwide, and the proposed ELV (End-of-Life Vehicles) Directive announced by the European Commission in July 2023 is discussing the regulation that "at least 25% of the plastic in new vehicles shall be recycled plastic, of which 25% shall come from end-of-life vehicles. Although the discussion are still underway, the development of horizontal recycling technology for plastics derived from end-of-life vehicles become more and more important issue from the perspective of maximizing resource recycling. In addition, there is a need to utilize recycled carbon fiber, which is expected to reduce the weight and environmental impact of car bodies.
Our Challenge
The Consortium is engaging in the following R&D themes with the goal of significantly increasing the material recycling rate of used plastics, mainly ASR (end-of-life automobile shredder residue), and developing low LCA (life cycle assessment) technology using recycled carbon fiber.
(1) Recycling technology for used plastics, mainly ASR
(2) Low-CO2 molding and standardization technology for recycled carbon fiber
This consortium will contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society through research and development of advanced technologies related to resource recycling and weight reduction for mobility, based on industry-government-academia collaboration.