[Mecacontrol Holding Desarrollo, Plásticos Alser and the Lurederra technology centre are making effective progress in the development of a new family of recycled polypropylene, incorporating mineral nanoparticles (nanoclays), for the injection of lightweight parts for the automotive sector.
Lightweighting in the automotive sector is not just about reducing the weight of a car, but is a holistic design approach to improving the autonomy, energy efficiency, performance and safety of vehicles, while at the same time reducing atmospheric pollution.
Polypropylene is present in bumpers, bonnets, wings, struts, etc., representing up to 17 per cent of their total weight, hence the importance of the lightness of their components to contribute to the development of electric vehicles.
This research, funded by the Government of Navarre in the 2023-2026 call for strategic R&D projects, carried out the following tasks during this second year, from January to December 2024, to ensure the correct progress of the project.
Specifically, Mecacontrol Holding Desarrollo, which is acting as the project coordinator, redesigned the moulds used in the injection of automotive parts in order to minimise the material required for injection while maintaining their mechanical performance. It also carried out the first injection tests of the new recycled polypropylene formulated with recovered bentonites, thus achieving a reduction of more than 6 per cent in the weight of the reference part.
As a specialist in the treatment and recovery of polymers,Plásticos Alser has carried out the process of obtaining recycled polypropylene by replacing part of the reinforcing mineral filler with lower density nanostructured additives, such as nano-clays, which lighten the final material, obtaining a final pellet that can be processed by injection moulding.
Lurederra, for its part, worked on recovering and packaging the nano-clays and incorporating them, with the appropriate compatibilisers, through concentrates (25% masterbaches) for subsequent formulation with Alser’s recycled polypropylene.
In short, this research opens up a new way of working to obtain recycled products that fulfil mechanical requirements and make it possible to lighten the parts injected from them. It will also contribute to the introduction of the circular economy in the automotive industry, promoting the use of recycled material and the eco-design of all its elements.
