Shinkansen Operator Recycles Retired Cars To Extract Aluminium Alloys

NAGOYA, Jan 12 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- A Japanese shinkansen bullet train operator has stepped up efforts to recycle retired train cars using a patented method to remove coatings and other residues and extract high-purity aluminium alloys, Kyodo News Agency reported.

Central Japan Railway Co., which operates the Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka, now uses the material for purposes ranging from building new train cars to making baseball bats.

The Nagoya-based company, also known as JR Central, said the initiative can significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions compared with producing new aluminium, helping to mitigate the impact on the environment.

Retired shinkansen cars were previously used as deoxidizers in steelmaking, as stripping off the paint, thermal insulation and adhesives was deemed difficult.

JR Central's real estate subsidiary in Tokyo attempted to remove those deposits starting in 2018, but it failed to resolve the issues, including the high cost.

In 2020, however, the unit obtained a patent for a method to efficiently extract aluminium free of impurities by using shredders and other equipment to process retired cars into chips.

Recycling aluminium can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 97 per cent compared with producing new material, equivalent to about 9 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of aluminium, the company said.

The material has since been used in new shinkansen cars, train stations, hotels and apartments, and other products such as spoons.

"We aim to contribute to environmental protection by accelerating our efforts toward carbon neutrality and resource circulation," Naoya Nobayashi, an employee at JR Central, said.

-- BERNAMA-KYODO