New Delhi: Earlier, after a plane had ferried its passengers and made a final touch-down at the end of its 25-year life, only about 40% of the body parts were recycled. Now, though, they're being dismantled in such eco-friendly and cutting-edge ways that almost 85% of it is reusable. By 2015, it will go up to 95%.
Aluminum, titanium, copper, stainless steel, plastics and wiring can now be reused and made into consumer products such as mobile phones, computer casings and golf clubs. Even automotive parts. Some of the major players, like Airbus and Boeing are now making planes go from "cradle to cradle" instead of "cradle to grave". Over the next 20 years, some 6,400 aircraft will be disposed off.
Airbus for the first time started a 3.2 million euro project called PAMELA-LIFE (Process for Advanced Management of End-of-Life of Aircraft) which dismantled an A300 using green techniques. This resulted in a standard for safe disposal of planes and the formation of a firm, Tarmac Aerosave, which used 3D (Decommissioning, Disassembling, Dismantling) processes.
13/04/13 Shobha John/Times of India
