newstodate.aero

Sep 08, 2021 (newstodate): There IS life after death, now again demonstrated by Finnair in dismantling an Airbus A319 aircraft.
   Earlier this year, Finnair and recycling partner Kuusakoski dismantled and recycled a 21-year old Airbus A319 aircraft that had reached the end of its life cycle.
   Finnair completed its own disassembly work first, and next the wings and tail were removed at Helsinki Airport by Kuusakoski. The aircraft was then transported to Kuusakoskis facility.
   The processing began with the removal of materials such as composites and cables, after which the aircraft was crushed to pieces.  
   An airflow separator, magnet and eddy current separator were used to split the crushed pieces into different fractions: non-ferrous metals; ferrous metals such as steel; and light fraction as residual waste.  
   Some 15 tonnes of aluminum were thus recovered to find a new life in not least the automobile industry.
   In addition, significant volumes of steel, stainless steel, titanium and copper were also saved for future industrial use.
   In the end, only 290 kilograms of waste, or 0.8 percent of the weight of the aircraft, was classified as landfill waste unsuitable for reuse or recycling – roughly equivalent to one electric car battery.
   Finnair's original estimate - and hope - was to be able to reuse and recycle about 90-95 percent of the aircraft.