Oil-soaked plastic boom material used to soak up oil in the Gulf of Mexico is finding new life as auto parts in the Chevrolet Volt.
General Motors converted an estimated 100 miles of the material off the Alabama and Louisiana coasts. Thereby keeping it out of the nation’s landfills.
The ongoing project is expected to create enough plastic under hood parts. All to furthermore supply the first year production of the extended-range GM Volt.
Recycling the booms will also result in the production of more than 100,000 pounds of plastic resin. All more over for the vehicle components. Thereby eliminating an equal amount of waste. Waste that would have consequently been incinerated or sent to landfills.
So for example, the parts deflect air around the vehicle’s radiator. They comprise of 25 percent boom material and also 25 percent recycled tires. All from GM’s Milford Proving Ground vehicle test facility. Finally. the remaining is a mixture of post-consumer recycled plastics and other polymers.
GM worked with several partners throughout the recovery and development processes. Heritage Environmental managed the collection of boom material along the Louisiana coast. Mobile Fluid Recovery stepped in next, using a massive high-speed drum that spun the booms until dry and eliminated all the absorbed oil and wastewater. Lucent Polymers used its process to then manipulate the material into the physical state necessary for plastic die-mold production. Tier-one supplier, GDC Inc., used its patented EndurapreneTM material process to combine the resin with other plastic compounds to produce the components.
The work in the Gulf is expected to last at least two more months and GM will continue to assist suppliers in collecting booms until the need no longer exists. The automaker anticipates enough material will be gathered that it can be used as components in other Chevrolet models.
The world’s first electric vehicle with extended range, the Chevy Volt was recently awarded Green Car of the Year by Green Car Journal.
GM is dedicated to reducing its waste and pollutants. It recycles materials at every state of the product lifecycle. It also uses recycled and renewable materials in its cars and trucks. That’s which are at least 85 percent recyclable. They also use used tires and old plastic bottles. Finally the use denim and nylon carpet. Because they are all redirected from landfills and reused in select GM vehicles.
In conclusion, GM facilities worldwide recycle 90 percent of the waste they generate. The automaker recently announced more than half of its worldwide facilities are now landfill-free. Finally, all manufacturing waste is recycled or used to create energy.
Source: PR Newswire
