BASF PA6 recycling pilots receive two awards

BASF has received two awards for pilot projects examining advanced recycling routes for engineering plastics. The polyamide 6 recycling projects presented at K 2025, covering depolymerisation and solvent-based recycling, won the Materialica Award 2026 in the CO2 Efficiency category and took second place in the sustainability category of the Fakuma Innovation Award 2026. The awards recognise the technological progress achieved at pilot scale and the potential of both processes to support closed material loops for demanding automotive applications. BASF demonstrated the technologies under pilot conditions with Mercedes-Benz, ZF and Pöppelmann K-TECH. The partners produced near-production components intended to reflect actual series applications rather than purely demonstrative parts. Further development and scale-up would be necessary before either process could be implemented at industrial scale.

Through the two complementary advanced recycling approaches, BASF and its consortium partners are investigating possible routes for processing different automotive waste streams. The projects aim to demonstrate the technical feasibility of recovering high-quality PA6 from end-of-life vehicles and reusing it in engineering applications with demanding performance requirements. If successfully developed and scaled to industrial operation, the processes could contribute to meeting future requirements of the European End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation, which is driving greater use of recycled materials in vehicles.

Depolymerisation recovers caprolactam

In the depolymerisation pilot, used PA6 components, including heavily contaminated transmission oil pans from end-of-life vehicles, were chemically broken down into their original monomer, caprolactam. Following purification and repolymerisation, the recovered material was converted into PA6 with properties comparable to virgin material.

BASF and ZF processed the resulting glass fibre-reinforced PA6 compound into a stabiliser link for Mercedes-Benz. Under the applied conditions, the components met all mechanical requirements and showed processing behaviour comparable to virgin material. According to BASF, the results confirm the fundamental technical feasibility of the approach. Further work would be required to determine its viability at industrial scale.

Solvent-based recycling addresses complex waste

The solvent-based process was demonstrated at pilot scale using complex waste fractions such as automotive shredder residue. PA6 and PA66 were separated from the mixed shredder fraction and cleaned, while PA6 was selectively recovered through solvent extraction.

Together with Pöppelmann K-TECH, BASF processed the recycled material into a chain guide rail for Mercedes-Benz. This highly stressed engine component has demanding requirements for wear, temperature and media resistance. The results indicate that the approach can technically recover high-quality engineering plastics from complex waste streams that were previously difficult to recycle.

Further development and scale-up would be needed to assess the potential for industrial implementation. BASF noted that any eventual commercial implementation could be pursued by other market participants rather than by the company itself.

Potential for closed PA6 loops

The two pilot projects show the technical potential of closed PA6 loops, including the use of waste streams that have previously been difficult or impossible to recycle and the incorporation of recycled materials into highly stressed automotive components. Initial life cycle analyses at pilot-project level also indicate the potential for a significantly lower product carbon footprint than virgin material. However, these findings do not yet demonstrate performance at industrial scale.

"Being awarded second place at the Fakuma Innovation Award 2026 and winning the MATERIALICA Award 2026 confirms the potential of our advanced recycling technologies. Together with our partners, we have demonstrated at pilot scale that PA6 from end-of-life vehicles can be recovered and used in demanding automotive components. This is an important proof of technical feasibility on the path towards a truly circular economy," says Oliver Geiger, Senior Manager Sustainability Performance Materials at BASF.

Cooperation across the value chain

Recovering high-quality materials from end-of-life vehicles requires both suitable technology and cooperation across the value chain. BASF, Mercedes-Benz, ZF and Pöppelmann K-TECH produced automotive components from recycled PA6 originating from end-of-life vehicles and validated them under pilot conditions. The cooperation provides a basis for the additional technical, economic and operational work required before any potential implementation at industrial scale.