Foams

Foams

The polyurethane foams, from which the seats are made, are compressed in special presses which reduce their volume by around ten times and make the product suitable for reuse. During the recycling stage the foams are firstly ground into fine pieces, then a resin which acts as a bonding material is added, then the material is transformed into a tape which is wound up. From these tapes, mattings of various thickness are obtained which can be used as carpet underlays.

This and other similar applications allows the material recovered to be put to a wide range of uses and gives considerable energy savings.

Glass

The glass (including the windscreen) is collected in special containers, which are periodically collected by an organization specialized in recycling; the glass is separated from the sheets of plastic material contained in the windscreen and then finely ground with the granuals being reused later.

The material prepared in this way is sent to the glass industry where it is transformed into bottles and various containers.

Bodyshells

The bodyshells stripped on the elements which can be recycled are sent to the steel works crushing department. The remaining organic material (Fluff) which stays on the bodyshell has a high calorific power, similar to that of conventional fuels. The energy which the fluff produces by combustion is used to heat the scrap metal for the electric ovens, reaching temperatures in excess of 400 °C.

The overall energy consumption is therefore considerably lower than compared with conventional technology.

This last action means that the aim of 100% recycling of motor vehicles at the end of their life, in terms of raw materials and energy, is achieved.

Bodyshell with recyclable materials