Jaguar aims to upcycle aluminum, cut carbon footprint

New York — Automaker Jaguar Land Rover has committed to research that could lead to up-cycling of aluminium waste from drinks cans, bottle tops and end-of-life vehicles into new vehicles, potentially cutting C02 emissions by 26%, the company said August 21.

The REALITY aluminum project is a key part of Jaguar's "Destination Zero" mission to its carbon footprint. Engineers were able to use the recycled aluminum parts and mix it with a lower amount of primary aluminum to form a new and tested prototype alloy, comparable to the existing Jaguar Land Rover grade and quality, it said in a statement to the market.

Analysis of the recycling and manufacturing process revealed it has the potential to reduce alloy production CO2 emissions by up to 26% compared with the current automotive grade, helping Jaguar further close the loop on its manufacturing and use of raw materials.

Aluminum is one of the most widely recycled materials in the world and can be melted down and reformed repeatedly without losing quality. Nearly 75% of all aluminum produced in the US and EU is still in use today while the creation of recycled aluminum uses around 90% less energy than raw material production, according to the automaker's research.

Lead project manager for REALITY Gaelle Guillaume said: "This project has allowed us, for the first time, to recover premium automotive-grade aluminium from scrapped vehicles and re-use its unique properties."

Guillaume added that, "as we move into an autonomous, connected and electrified future, with the potential of shared fleets being de-commissioned en masse, it could allow Jaguar Land Rover to engineer this closed loop recycling alloy into tight production schedules to further improve efficiency and environmental benefits."

The GBP2-million ($2.6-million) project was co-funded by Innovate UK and in partnership with Brunel University.

Jaguar said that it has already reduced its global operating CO2 emissions per vehicle by 50.7% since 2007 and remains committed to an ongoing decarbonization process. Between September 2013 and March 2020, around 360,000 mt of closed-loop scrap have been processed back into the brand's lightweight, aluminum-intensive architecture, across all vehicle lines including the Jaguar XE, the statement added.