First bio!CAR conference hailed as a success

A conference devoted entirely to bioplastics, biocomposites and cars? To bioplastics Magazine and the Germany-based nova-Institute, it sounded like a concept that couldn’t miss. Now, after the dust has settled and the reviews are in, it seems as though they were right.

With a combined attendance of around 70 participants, the inaugural bio! CAR conference, was hailed by the organizers as a success, albeit with room to grow. Speakers, delegates and organizers alike were unabashedly enthusiastic about the quality of the presentations and the excellent networking opportunities. 

Focused exclusively on biobased materials in automotive engineering, the conference launched in Stuttgart, Germany, on Sept. 24-25, within the framework of COMPOSITES EUROPE 2015, attracting attendees representing the entire value chain, from raw materials producers to OEMs, Tier 1 and other suppliers.
The aim of the conference was to draw attention to the increasing importance of biobased materials in the automotive industry. Legislative and regulatory measures on vehicle end-of-life options, recyclability and fuel economy are the main drivers behind this development, together with consumer demand for more sustainable cars.
 
As the use of biobased polymers and biocomposites continue to show an upward trend in the automotive industry—the total volume of bio-based composites in automotive engineering was 150,000 metric tons in 2012, says nova-Institute—the materials themselves are also becoming increasingly more sophisticated. Originally, the use of biobased materials in cars tended to be confined to natural fibers such as flax, jute, sisal, cotton or coir, which functioned mainly as filler or reinforcement materials in interior applications, such as door interiors, seatback linings, package shelves and floor panels. Since that time, materials have been developed that are increasingly able to take on more exterior, under the hood and structural applications possible, as well. New biofoams, made from soy-based polyols, have been developed, that today are being applied in among other things, arm rests, headrests, seating and consoles. Castor oil-based drop-in polyamides are used in high-performance components, polylactic acid (PLA) in door panels and biobased epoxy resins in composite. Novel bioplastics, such as furfuryl alcohol or isosorbide-based bio-polycarbonate, also offer new possibilities.

Drop-in materials received a considerable amount of attention, as these are the materials showing the fastest rate of growth. Although their rapid adoption is understandable, one speaker pointed out that they were ‘kind of boring because they cannot be differentiated from their fossil-based counterparts.’ While this may well be the case, the majority of attendees were in agreement that, boring or not, that the fact that these drop-ins—such as biobased epichlorohydrin for epoxy resins, biobased PA, biobased EPDM elastomers—are partly or fully biobased represented a significant advantage.

With expert presentations on the latest developments, the overall market situation and the legal frameworks in the field of biobased materials, the conference addressed a wide range of issues confronting the use of bioresins in cars.
The panel discussion centered around the future of automobile interior parts. In what direction are these headed? Will the focus be on lightweighting, recyclability, biobased or even biodegradability? Whatever the future holds in this respect, importantly, one aspect that emerged in the discussion was that performance and sustainability are key. “Not biobased for the sake of biobased only,” as Maira Magnani (Ford) put it.

On proud display at the conference was the Bioconcept Car, a race car that includes various different bioplastic and biocomposite parts. The car, an initiative of the Four Motors racing team in Germany, features a body partly consisting of a lightweight composite, reinforced with flax and hemp fiber, instead of the conventional glass and carbon fibers commonly used in lightweight construction. Biobased resins were also used for components such as the lamp housings, and parts of the instrument panel. The biobased materials in the Bioconcept car were optimized for automotive applications and for production in reproducible processes on an industrial scale in collaboration with Hanover University. The project was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection through its project management organization, the Agency for Renewable Resources.