issue 01/2022

BIOMOTIVE
The amount of plastics used in the production of a car is
over 20 % of its weight, excluding car tyres. The automotive
sector production, despite the increasing use of advanced
technologies and the implementation of further restrictions on
the emission of harmful substances, still generates significant
environmental costs. Shrinking crude oil resources and higher
costs of its acquisition, as well as the production and recycling
of plastics, are essential drivers of change throughout
the production chain. Polyurethane foams and materials,
synthetic components for vehicles in the automotive market,
all these products are petroleum-based and force the market
to look for sustainable alternatives.
The Biomotive project, which is part of the European
program Horizon 2020 and Bio-Based Industries Joint
Undertaking, is a project dedicated primarily to the automotive
sector, innovative technologies in the field of polyurethane
production and presentation of their advantages over the
previously used polyurethanes of petrochemical origin.
The European Union declares to achieve climate neutrality
by 2050, the solutions developed by the Biomotive Project offer
an opportunity for manufacturers to meet new challenges
and expectations of increasingly environmentally conscious
customers and new legislations.
The main objectives of the project are to demonstrate on
an industrial scale the production of innovative polymeric
materials of natural origin: thermoplastic polyurethanes,
2-component polyurethane foams and regenerated cellulose
fibres.
The raw materials on which the production of Biomotive
polymers is based are mainly wood pulp, sugars, and vegetable
oils, they are fully renewable and do not interfere with food
production. Another advantage is also that it can be grown on
marginal lands, with low water demand and no special care
related to its cultivation.
Other materials were also tested: flexible car seat foams
with 60 % biobased carbon content have been developed,
offering the same level of comfort as current car seat foams.
Also, upholstery fabrics that covered biofoams, i.e. seats in the
broadly understood automotive industry (although they can
also be used in the furniture industry), were made of almost
100 % materials of biological origin. The use of natural fabrics
increases the overall biological content to nearly 70 %.
The Biomotive project brings together scientific and
research institutes, producers of biomass raw materials,
manufacturers of car parts as well as certification companies
in a European consortium. The result of this cooperation is a
complete, fully researched, and documented production chain,
from the acquisition of bio-raw materials to the subsequent
recycling of specific elements of car, coach, bus, and special
vehicle equipment, as well as the above-mentioned furniture
or vertical garden structures.
Bio-polyurethane production technologies developed under
the Biomotive project are also used in other industries in terms
of ready products and recycled raw materials. For example,
TPU and polyurethane foams will be used as additives for
asphalts, second-component adhesives, and the production
of soles.
The implementation of the Biomotive project will not only
significantly reduce the consumption of fossil resources in the
production process of polyurethane foam or TPU but could also
create new jobs in the sectors of bioproduction, green chemistry
and agriculture.
This project has received funding from the Bio-Based Industries
Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No
745766. MT
https://biomotive.info
Low-carbon PLA Film for Various Applications
BiONLY TM , a novel PLA (polylactic acid)
film, developed by Xiamen Changsu
Industrial Co., Ltd.. This biodegradable
material can be degraded into carbon
dioxide and water under certain
conditions, which can effectively
reduce the carbon footprint. It’s an
ideal eco-friendly packaging material.
Biaxially oriented process greatly improves the mechanical properties
of PLA film and further expands its application field, which is of great
significance to packaging reduction, environmental protection and
carbon reduction.
Automotive
www.changsufilm.com
bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 23