Aluminium Show |Japan Achieves the World's First Case of Horizontal Recycling of High-speed Train Aluminum Alloy and Discloses its Key Technology

Japan's new generation high-speed train, the N700S, has integrated a novel attempt, that is, "horizontal (lateral) recycling of aluminum alloy."

According to Aluminium Show, in today's railway vehicles, many aluminum alloys are used to achieve weight reduction and rigidity. Traditionally, the body material (aluminum alloy) of scrapped vehicles is sold as aluminum scrap and then stage recycled as casting and die-casting materials, which contain many additives.

Horizontal recycling refers to the process of recycling waste products into raw materials of the same quality, whereas stage recycling involves degradation and is used for different products. Thus, transitioning from a linear economy to a circular economy necessitates the establishment of a circular economic system. The horizontal recycling system has become indispensable. Research on aluminum horizontal recycling has also been conducted through demonstration experiments by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and demonstration projects by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). Against this backdrop and based on the developed technology, the Japan Aluminium Association established the "Aluminum Vehicle Horizontal Recycling Promotion Committee," and the "Aluminum Horizontal Recycling" project has been advancing with the participation of JR Central.

Aluminum alloys come in various types depending on the added substances and their applications, with the 6000 series and 7000 series being primarily used in Shinkansen trains. In this aluminum lateral recycling project, the 6000 series aluminum alloy was refined and used for the storage racks of the N700S. Specifically, the recycling company Harita Metal sorted the aluminum scrap from JR Central's discarded vehicles and used it as raw material, while Sankyo Tateyama cast and extruded the recycled aluminum into luggage racks. The vehicle's manufacturer, Japan Automobile Manufacturing Company, and Hitachi Ltd. will assemble the vehicle using the same parts.

High-precision sorting is crucial for the horizontal recycling of waste containing various types of aluminum alloys. Harita Metal's developed "LIBS sorting" (patented) uses lasers to sort aluminum alloys and is key to horizontal recycling.

A representative from JR Central stated that as a company that uses a large amount of aluminum alloys in Japan, it has a responsibility to participate in establishing such a sustainable plan, and it will continue to horizontally recycle all our vehicles as much as possible in cooperation with them.