Ford develops new tech to recycle old engines

Ford Motor Company is using an innovative new process to give a new lease of life to old engines that would otherwise be scrapped. The process involves the use of a special Ford-patented plasma coating technology. The process delivers a 50 percent reduction in CO₂ emissions compared with producing a new engine.

Commenting on the new technology, Juergen Wesemann, manager, vehicle technologies and materials, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering said, “We have taken a process that was originally developed to enhance performance models such as the all-new Ford Mustang Shelby GT 350R and used it to remanufacture engines that might otherwise be scrapped. It is just one example of how Ford is looking to reduce its environmental footprint through a range of innovative measures.”

Furthermore, the research work includes the use of renewable materials such as tomato fibres that are a by-product of Heinz Ketchup, bioplastics, and shrubs.

Engines that can be used again

Engines today are designed to operate for many years and several hundred thousand miles in all conditions. However, in instances when an engine does fail, it is common that faulty units are simply replaced with a new engine.

Plasma Transferred Wire Arc coating technology applies a spray to the inside of the engine block that helps restore it to its original factory condition.

“Traditional engine remanufacturing techniques can be prohibitively expensive, and energy intensive, requiring iron-cast parts and intricate machining processes. The Plasma Transferred Wire Arc coating technology removes the need for additional heavy parts and the processed engine block has a new life as the base of a replacement engine,” said Mark Silk, supervisor, powertrain Products, Ford Customer Services Division Europe.

Lightweight materials

The US-based carmaker is pushing for the use of new manufacturing techniques for high-strength aluminium enabling light-weighting, without sacrificing vehicle body strength. 

Ford’s F-150 truck is an example of the same as it uses Repreve fiber for the cloth’s seats, made from recycled plastic bottles. The company claims that using this recycled material will divert more than 5 million plastic bottles from landfills this year. Other eco-conscious materials employed include rice hulls to reinforce plastic used in an electrical harness, fuel lines made from castor bean oil, seats made of soybeans and post-industrial recycled cotton.

The body shells for the F-150 are made using giant aluminium alloy sheets. Previously, those parts that remained after the body panels had been stamped would be reused, but downgraded to lower value “secondary aluminium”. Now the automaker is recycling those parts into the body-stamping process, avoiding any requirement to downgrade.

Wesemann said, “This opportunity builds upon Ford’s current joint development agreement with Dow Chemical and accelerates our timeline to introduce carbon fibre composites into high-volume applications. This collaboration helps us accelerate our efforts to create lighter automotive-grade composite materials that benefit customers by enabling improved fuel economy without sacrificing strength.”

Renewable materials – from shrubs to ketchup

In exploring how cars could be more environmentally friendly, Ford also is investigating the use of a wide range of renewable resources. Among them is a shrub called Guayule, found in Arizona, in the US, which is being investigated for its potential to reduce the amount of rubber that is imported for use in auto production. Further, the company is looking into plant-based rubber alternatives including dandelions, sunflowers, and sugarcane.

However, Ford is not the first company to explore the use of rubber alternatives. Autocar Professional had reported in August about Sumitomo Rubber researching the possibility of dandelions as a source of natural rubber.

Working with HJ Heinz Company, Ford is also investigating the use of the dried tomato skins that are a by-product of ketchup production. These tomato skins could become the wiring brackets in a Ford vehicle, or the storage bins used to hold coins and other small objects.