Bottles recycled to make heavy truck parts

[[ via Design News]]

Recycled resin used to make Volvo truck parts

Although many other recycled plastics typically lose performance after undergoing successive melt histories, the upcycled Valox iQ resins have comparable or better performance than conventionally manufactured materials, including excellent resistance to impact, chemicals, and stress fatigue.

"Upcycling costs more and is harder to do technically," Kenneth Miller, sustainability general manager for technology and innovation at SABIC Innovative Plastics, told us, at the NPE2012 show in Orlando, Fla. "The need to improve fuel efficiency and dramatically reduce weight is pushing truck manufacturers to find lightweighting solutions. For example, some heavy truck manufacturers are trying to reduce their models' weights from six tons to five tons." Volvo's action is the first time an upcycled material made from post-consumer recycled content has been used in a North American heavy truck.

Read the entire Design News article here.
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