REDUCTION OF CARBON EMISSIONS AND ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION IN SET-UP, USING DROP-IN PLASTIC IN COMMERCIAL VEHICLE TANKS

Abstract

The increase in demand for the production of components following global assumptions, such as Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG), reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the raw material production process and in the component production process, should be implemented in accordance with the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in 2021 and ratified in 2024. The ESG agenda is used to minimize the environmental impact of businesses in order to build a better world with responsibility around the management process, investments, and sustainability criteria. With this motivation, the present research presents the use of green high-density polyethylene (Green HDPE) for use in the production of ARLA 32 tanks and fuel, as a replacement material for fossil-based high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The biomass used as a biological basis for the production of Green HDPE are the leaves and/or stem of sugarcane. Polymers, despite having similar characteristics, some properties are different and with that, some parameters of the equipment need to be modified, so that the component maintains the same geometry and thickness and appearance characteristic of the original. To try this, a series of analyses and tests were carried out to adjust the parameters of the extrusion and blow molding process and ensure the feasibility in the desired application. The extrusion blow molding machine has electrical resistors used during production, so that the process maintains the correct temperature throughout the production process. When comparing the two materials, the main aspects of rheometry such as shear stress and shear rate result in a distinct flow velocity within the extrusion process of the machine, especially due to the Melt Flow Index (IF) being totally distinct and having a great influence on the process and the visual characteristic of the product. The manufacturer carries out its set-up process four times a week, which is 72 hours per week, and the total set-up time is 3744 hours per year. To validate the Green HDPE tanks, before being assembled into vehicles, they are required to undergo a battery of mechanical tests/trials, following international, Brazilian and internal standards of the companies, such as pressure, impact, sled and flammability. The results need to be approved, in a mandatory way so that the Green HDPE raw material can be used as raw material. The proposed material can reduce about 180 thousand tons of CO2/year in the Latin American market, considering only the tanks of commercial vehicles (fuel and ARLA 32). The proposal also helps to increase the use of this material for reprocessing, bringing an increase in the circular economy process. Fuel tanks and ARLA 32 tanks produced with Green HDPE, after approval in the functional tests described in the standards for development and validation tests, also need to pass the durability tests, which represent the application of the product from the perspective of the end user. Green HDPE is an existing material used in applications that do not receive mechanical stress, such as shampoo bottles and cleaning products. Polymers are usually are commodities and produced by company that owns the patent. The volume needed to produce a given raw material is directly linked to its value. In this way, the greater the production at scale, the better the final cost of the product with Green HDPE. The replacement of fossil-based material for renewable base material promotes the reduction of carbon emissions linked to the proposed material, the reduction of electricity consumption in machine set up and reflects on the increase in productivity, which can bring the offset of the cost of the part. The configuration of the carbon credit and the relationship for the commercialization of this credit or tax benefits resulting from the reduction of carbon emissions into the atmosphere, promoted by the proposed material, need to be evaluated.