Global automaker Nissan launched its new Rogue SUV model that was built using a closed loop recycling method for aluminum parts.
Nissan has teamed up with Kobe Steel and aluminum producer UACJ in Japan; along with aluminum producers Arconic and Novelis in the US, the carmaker said in a news release. The SUV will be assembled in both Kyushu and Tennessee.
The procedure will help lower carbon dioxide emissions compared with cars using parts that were made with primary alloys. The method also encourages less waste from plants and utilizing scrap materials. During the recycling process, material is shredded and aluminum grades are separated, increasing the carmakers’ ability to return quality scrap to providers. Suppliers can then use the scrap metal to make aluminum alloy sheet that Nissan will reuse in production.
Nissan plans to replace 30pc of raw materials used to make cars with material less dependent on newly mined reserves as part of its Green Program 2022. Recycled aluminum scrap can achieve over 90pc savings compared with the energy required to produce similar amounts from raw materials, Nissan noted.