Issue 04/2018

News
EU project seeks to improve
sustainability in aviation industry
Modern aircraft are made from synthetic, non-renewable
materials. Many of these are composites such as carbon and
glass-fibre-reinforced plastics that are man-made through
energy-intense processes.
To improve the sustainability of the aviation industry,
researchers are investigating renewable and recycled
materials to replace such composites. However, biobased
and recycled alternatives must meet the strict requirements
required for safe and efficient flight.
The EU-funded ECO-COMPASS project has identified
potential bio-sourced and recycled materials that can be
developed into eco-friendly composites for aircraft. Fibre
reinforcements are used throughout aircraft and can
contribute more than half of their structural mass.
The project team set out to look for alternative materials
to create fibre reinforcements in planes and found that
biobased fibres from plants and recycled carbon fibres have
great potential. The team has also developed a biobased resin
system that has promising properties for a range of in-aircraft
applications.
“The bio-materials, recycled carbon fibres and bio-resins
should be suitable for use in the secondary structure and
interior of aircraft,” says project coordinator Jens Bachmann
of the German Aerospace Center (DLR, Deutsches Zentrum
für Luft- und Raumfahrt). “They typically require less energy
to produce than the materials used at present.”
Collaboration with China
Key to the success of this project is the collaboration with
researchers in China and industrial partners such as Airbus
and Comac. By working together on a global scale, experts are
combining their knowledge and expertise so that sustainable
composites will be available to the aviation industry globally.
“The aviation industry continues to grow worldwide – global
partnerships help us share knowledge and make rapid
improvements to technologies,” notes Bachmann. “This
collaboration has helped us learn more about fibres grown in
China, such as ramie, that could be a good alternative to flax
which is a standard fibre grown and used in Europe.
“Now, we are improving their properties by combining
Chinese expertise in materials development with European
expertise in modelling and simulation.”
Identifying the materials to develop
In future, the composite materials identified and developed
during this project could become a part of planes in the
form of interior panelling, gear doors, winglets and other
secondary structures. Initial results have shown that biobased
composites made from flax and ramie plant fibres have the
potential to be used in natural-fibre-reinforced plastics for
aviation.
In addition, the Sino-European team is developing a new
biobased epoxy resin made from rosin derivatives obtained
from conifer plants. It is likely that this technique of embedding
natural fibres into the resin will enable one component of
the fibre-reinforced composite to be replaced with biobased
constituents.. MT
tinyurl.com/biocomposites-aviation
United Caps added bio-PE caps to its portfolio
UNITED CAPS, an international manufacturer of caps and closures, has announced it is making significant progress on its
growth initiatives.
The company has completed an extension of its R&D facility in Messia, France, to meet the demands of business growth and
deliver faster time to market for customers. It also recently acquired Spanish closures company Embalatap and has added
bioplastics-based GREENER closures sourced from sugar cane and new anti-counterfeiting measures to its portfolio.
In pursuit of more environmentally sustainable solutions, Uited Caps has collaborated with
Braskem to deliver eco-friendly United Caps Greener bio-sourced plastic caps and closures
made from sugar cane as an addition to the United Caps product portfolio.
"We already have added bioplastics-based products to our portfolio: such as the victoria
closure, a 30/25 screw closure designed for still drinks; and the Proflat Seal, ideal for dairy
products and still drinks," said Benoit Henckes, CEO of United Caps. "These are being warmly
received by our customers, and we expect their availability to drive new customer interest
as well."
www.unitedcaps.com
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8 bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/18] Vol. 13