Page 13 - European Energy Innovation - spring 2020 publication

Spring 2020 European Energy Innovation 13
In our present time focus on the environmental aspects
is becoming a mega trend. The global warming and
limiting CO2 emission are topics that needs actions and
planned operations by the public and
private body.
European commission and BBI-JU are acting since 2014.
The BBI JU’s mission is to implement, under Horizon
2020 rules, the Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda
(SIRA) developed by the industry and validated by the
European Commission. It will bring more than €3.7 billion
investments in bio-based innovation.
Moreover some private bodies see the possibility to
implement and stress a circular economy approach
in which the value chain of biobased material can be
implemented in industrial standard practice.
These actions are the driving forces that clustered
together the partners of BIOmotive project.
Automotive market
More and more vehicles’ manufacturers and suppliers
are looking with peculiar interest to biobased alternatives
derived from renewable raw materials such as wood,
flax, jute, sisal, cotton or coir, used as reinforcement
materials, as well as reinforced or unreinforced biobased
thermoplastics, thermoset or chemical building blocks.
At present, the amount of plastic materials in European
motor cars is around 20% by weight, not including tyres.
The biobased plastics which are used in the automotive
industry are mainly derived from vegetable oils
like soybean oil and castor oil which pose serious
environmental concern in terms of competition with the
food and feed chains.
Goal of BIOmotive project is to use monomer and
polymer with sustainable and second generation
feedstock and to improved mechanical and functional
properties of the developed biobased products against
the products available in the market will be demonstrated.
Biobased polyurethanes have the potential of starting
a new era in the application of biobased materials into
the automotive sector, joining performances, cost –
competitiveness and environmental sustainability and
paving the ground towards its massive use in vehicles’
production.
Textiles, Thermoplastic PolyUrethanes (TPU) & TPU
composites, 2K foams & 2K reinforced foams for interior
plastic parts, fabrication of seats and seats fillers.
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COMMUNICATION
Raw materials approach
Within BIOmotive project, several renewable, competitive
and sustainable feedstocks will be used for the production
of biobased monomers, building blocks and polymers.
The first raw material is represented by wood pulp, a
second raw material – vegetable oils obtained by oil crops
grown in marginal lands not in competition with food and
feed value chain (such as cardoon crop). Sugars from
by-products of 1st sugars and second generation sugar
feedstocks represent the third.
BIOmotive project, Innovation in action
The project is well underway with several achievements
already documented. Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)
granulate having 67% bio carbon content has been
prepared on optimised bio-raw materials. First car part
injections using this TPU have been done and injection
process is being optimised. Wood pulp sustainable
production process has been optimised and first bio-
fillers have been integrated into TPU. At the same time
57 % bio carbon containing 2k polyurethane foam has
been made in real car seat production moulds. These
foams have been integrated with Biomotive bio-textiles as
reinforcement allowing > 60% overall bio carbon content
in this element. Currently performance optimisations of
both materials are under way as well as processability
studies. The initial experimental data has been feeded
into preliminary life cycle analysis. The results of this
preliminary study revealed that the project assumptions
can be fulfilled and that the works are proceeding towards
fulfilment of project goals. ●
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