Old airplanes find an afterlife as recycled rare earth metal resource

Aircraft makers are increasingly turning to retired airplanes as a source of metals and other materials that can be recycled, possibly to fly again in new generations of aircraft.

Rare Earth Metal Investment News

With 12,000 passenger planes due to be retired over the next 20 years, rising prices for metals and other components are giving manufacturers an incentive to recapture materials from old hulks, thousands of which are already parked in deserts, left to decay near landing strips or cannibalised for parts.

Aircraft do not fall under EU disposal rules as cars and ships do. But by stepping up recycling and reuse efforts, the industry appears to be delivering on the EU’s resource-efficient Europe 2020 strategy to reduce the environmental footprint of manufacturing and dependence on imports of raw materials – including cobalt, titanium, aluminium and nickel used in planes.

European giant Airbus and its American competitor Boeing eventually hope to reclaim 85% to 95% of aircraft parts, metals and other materials from retired models, and several producers of regional jets – such as Europe’s Fokker, Brazil’s Embraer and Canada’s Bombardier – have committed to do the same.
“A few years ago when the industry was in a depressed economic condition and most of the scrapping yards were full of waste … and the value of materials were very low,” said Olivier Malavallon, who is in charge of end-of-life aircraft management for Airbus.

“Now there are quite increased and there is a strong interest in reusing as much as possible wastes, such as aluminium, by the industry into new aircraft manufacturing,” Malavallon told EurActiv by telephone.
Some industry efforts are not new: Airlines and manufacturers have long stripped reusable parts and components – like landing gear, tyres and electronics – from retired planes. Metals have been broken up and sold for scrap for use in other industries.

What is more novel is an industry-wide effort to improve standards and safety, while constructing tomorrow’s aircraft using more recycled and recyclable materials.

Source: EurAvtiv.com

Rare Earth Metal Investments with London Commodity Markets

London Commodity Markets deliver first class rare earth metal investments advice for rare earth metals and precious metals.

Visit our website to for your Free trading report and for all the latest rare earth metal trading prices http://londoncommoditymarkets.com

London Commodity Markets