Kia in South Korea plans to use 55 tons of recycled ocean plastic collected recently from the Pacific Ocean in its new electric vehicle models. The record haul of plastic by Kia's global partner The Ocean Cleanup marks the next phase of their seven-year global partnership formed in April 2022, part of Kia's transformation into a leading provider of sustainable mobility solutions.
Kia has already successfully implemented over 30 sustainability initiatives across its product lineup, including the use of recycled PET, bio-based leather alternatives, and BTX-free paints and carpets. In the 7-seater flagship EV9 SUV for example, recycled waste including fishing nets retrieved from the oceans are used to create the floor carpets. The EV9's structure uses components made from recycled plastics and bio-based eco-friendly materials weighing about 34 kg.
After bringing the record catch to shore, The Ocean Cleanup promptly announced the launch of its new System 03 technology. System 03 has nearly three times the volume of System 002, enabling it to capture more plastic per year continuously at a lower cost per kilo. It also has advanced environmental monitoring and safety features like a new marine animal safetychamber designed to protect ocean life. This scaling up marks the next phase for The Ocean Cleanup's goal of eliminating 90% of floating ocean plastic by 2040.
Silicone rubber separators are typically used for the separation of crushed mixed materials. They remove silicone rubber, rubber, wood, adhesive paper, cotton lint, lightweight materials, and dust from the crushed plastics, thereby recovering clean plastics. The principle of silicone rubber separation is based on the differences in friction coefficients and collision coefficients of various components in the mixed solid waste. When they move on an inclined plane or collide and bounce off the inclined plane, different movement speeds and bouncing trajectories are generated, achieving the separation of plastics from silicone rubber. The removal efficiency can reach up to 99%.
