BASF has received two awards for pilot-scale technologies designed to recover polyamide 6 (PA6) from automotive waste and return it to high-performance applications. The company won the MATERIALICA Award 2026 in the CO₂ Efficiency category for its depolymerization project and secured second place in the Sustainability category at the Fakuma Innovation Award 2026 for its solvent-based recycling approach.
Developed with Mercedes-Benz AG, ZF Group and Pöppelmann K-TECH, the projects demonstrated the use of recovered engineering plastics in components designed to reflect production applications. The technologies were presented at K 2025 and are intended to address waste streams that are difficult to recycle through conventional methods.
In the depolymerization project, used PA6 components, including heavily contaminated transmission oil pans recovered from end-of-life vehicles, were chemically broken down into caprolactam, the original monomer. Following purification and repolymerization, the material was converted into PA6 with properties comparable to virgin material. BASF and ZF then processed the recycled polymer into a glass fiber-reinforced PA6 compound for a Mercedes-Benz stabilizer link.
The resulting components met the required mechanical specifications and showed processing behaviour comparable to parts made from virgin material under the pilot conditions. The demonstration indicates that chemically recycled PA6 can be used in demanding automotive applications, although industrial-scale feasibility remains to be established.
The second project used solvent-based recycling to recover engineering plastics from automotive shredder residue, a mixed waste fraction generated during vehicle dismantling and shredding. The process separated PA6 and PA66 from the waste stream, with PA6 selectively recovered through solvent extraction. BASF and Pöppelmann K-TECH used the resulting recycled material to manufacture a chain guide rail for Mercedes-Benz, an engine component requiring resistance to wear, temperature and operating fluids.
Initial life-cycle assessments conducted at pilot-project level also indicated the potential for a lower product carbon footprint compared with virgin material. However, BASF noted that both technologies require further development and scale-up before industrial implementation can be assessed. The company also indicated that solvent-based recycling could ultimately be pursued by other market participants.
The projects demonstrate two complementary routes for recovering PA6 from end-of-life vehicles: chemical depolymerization to return the polymer to its monomer building block, and solvent-based separation to recover usable polymer from mixed waste. Their application to glass fiber-reinforced compounds and stressed automotive components highlights the potential to retain engineering plastics in higher-value uses rather than sending them to disposal or energy recovery.
Source: BASF | News
