The role of automotive remanufacturing in the Circular Economy

Industrial sustainability has become a core focus of government and the business community, as part of a national pledge to become carbon neutral in the UK by 2050.  The automotive industry plays a key role in this drive thanks to a thriving remanufacturing and reconditioning sector, which is a prime example of sustainability.

Economies throughout the developed world are being urged to embrace a ‘Circular Economy’, as part of a global bid to reduce carbon emissions and control the consumption of resources and pollution.  This concept embraces a number of activities including re-use, sharing, pay-per-use, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing and product recycling. Collectively these processes preserve natural resources, minimise energy consumption and avoid landfilling.  At the same time, economic benefits such as job creation from related innovation allows an economy to grow without increasing its environmental damage.

Remanufacturing is a fundamental part of a Circular Economy, as it’s a cost-effective alternative to manufacturing brand new products, whilst also saving on raw materials and energy.  With UK manufacturers consuming over 550 million tonnes of material each year, remanufacturing has become essential as there are simply not enough raw materials available to sustain traditional manufacturing methods.

While automotive remanufacturing has historically been centred on returning major units, such as engines and transmissions, to as new condition, it also includes the expert cleaning and remanufacturing of Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs).  Designed to remove particulate matter such as soot and ash from the exhaust systems of diesel engines, DPF-equipped vehicles such as trucks and buses require the DPF to be periodically removed, deep cleaned and refurbished to ensure optimum emission control system performance.

As the international market leader in DPF cleaning and remanufacturing, Ceramex provides truck and bus OEMs with cleaning services, as well as to logistics fleets operating across the UK and beyond.  To help meet customer demand and ensure their vehicle emissions are minimised, Ceramex has doubled its operating capacity with the opening of a new facility in Reading, which is able to process over 2,500 DPFs per week.

DPFs are cleaned and remanufactured to as new performance using Ceramex’s patented Xpurge process.  Xpurge involves a combination of pressurised water and air treatments that efficiently remove the blocking deposits.  Because the removed soot and ash deposits are suspended in water, there is no risk of them becoming airborne.  The water and solids are then separated and carefully disposed of, under controlled conditions.

The remanufacturing process has additional benefits in terms of substantially reducing energy usage, which is high on the agenda in Whitehall in terms of how the UK powers the next generation.  In fact, remanufacturing typically consumes 85 per cent less energy than manufacturing and, at the other end of the cycle, reduces the quantity of landfill and the associated energy needed for disposal.

With scientific research showing a significant reduction in air pollutants since the first COVID-19 lockdown was imposed in March 2020, there has been a welcome emphasis on improving air quality.  Ceramex continues to ensure that its customer trucks and buses remain emission compliant as they continue to provide essential transport services.