Evaluating Solutions For Post-Industrial TPO Bumper Fascia Recycling 980092

With the need to decrease solid waste generation in the United States, efforts continue to find economical ways to increase post-consumer and post-industrial plastics recycling. Today, post-industrial painted plastic parts are normally downgraded to lower-end applications or potentially sent to landfills for disposal. The automotive and plastics industries need to find more economical recycling solutions to better utilize this material.

This paper will provide an overview of some of the key recycling issues facing the automotive and plastics industry and why TPO bumpers offer a significant opportunity for enhanced post-industrial and post-consumer plastics recycling in the future. In addition, Montell Polyolefins and Saturn Corporation partnered to conduct a technical study to investigate and evaluate 5 different processes for recycling post-industrial painted TPO bumper fascias. This paper summarizes the results of this study including an analysis of these processes in terms of their ability to remove paint particles from the painted TPO bumper regrind without significant deterioration in the fascias original material properties. The analysis includes a comparison of the reprocessed painted bumper regrind to specified virgin TPO material with regard to physical properties and efficiencies as well as their performance and aesthetics in molded bumper fascias.