Use of Bio Materials in Vehicles

MINI PROJECT

NEAR TO MARKET RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

USE OF BIO-MATERIALS IN VEHICLES

Submitted By: Submitted To: SARIN TULADHAR DR. R. C. EDNEY M.SC AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING LECTURER: 080038892 VEHICLE ENGINEERING AND DESIGN

CITY UNIVERSITY LONDON

Table of Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1

The Driving Factors: ................................................................................................................................ 2

Applications: ........................................................................................................................................... 5

Advantages: ............................................................................................................................................ 7

Comparison with traditional materials .................................................................................................. 9

Some Negative Arguments: .................................................................................................................. 10

Some Examples ..................................................................................................................................... 11

Ford 2003 Model U concept vehicle ..................................................................................................... 11

Honda FCX Clarity: ................................................................................................................................ 13

Nissan Nuvu Electric City car concept ................................................................................................... 14

Toyota 1/X Plug-in Hybrid Concept....................................................................................................... 15

Ford 2010 Lincoln MKT ......................................................................................................................... 16

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 17

References: ........................................................................................................................................... 18

1

INTRODUCTION

Bio based products (colloquially referred to as biomaterials) are industrial or commercial

materials composed of biological feedstock such as agricultural crops, grasses, forest residues,

plant oils or other biomass. The feedstocks are broken down into sugars and converted into

various building block substances, such as lactic acid. From there, the substances can be converted

into countless secondary chemicals, polymers and intermediates, which often have high profit

margins and can be sold on their own, or fashioned into consumer products such as antifreeze, car

seats, carpets, food packaging, paints, cosmetics, adhesives and detergents. Plastic, or ‘bioplastic’

as it is known when it originates from biomass, is one of the largest applications. Fuel can also be

considered a bio based product, but the term generally refers to nonfuel products. Bio based

products generally offer different properties from their petrochemical competitors because their

compositions are not equivalent. Bioplastics sometimes are less heat resistant, for example. Some

biobased products can also offer desirable properties that petrochemical products cannot, and

finding markets for such properties is a key to commercialization.

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THE DRIVING FACTORS:

The most important factor that has motivated the manufacturers in using biomaterials

instead of other traditional materials is the cost. As for example, let us take the comparison

between the price of corn and petroleum oil. Until the early 70's the issue of sustainability of

petroleum products was not seen on the global market. During the 70's when this issue had arisen

the price of petroleum products started to incline and consequently started to meet the prices of

the corn oil (or other biomaterials developed then). In the early 90's the scenario had just

reversed. Manufacturers were starting to use more sustainable and biodegradable materials as a

result of alarming pollution rates across the world and also the sustainability of petroleum

products. Since then manufacturers have tried to lower down the prices of biomaterials as much

as possible to make it feasible to use in Automotives or other uses replacing petroleum products

or metals.

Graph of Oil and Corn Prices with time

Source:http://gowebpost.com/BIOP/PPT_pdf/CRAWFORD_Craig.pdf

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Similar is the case for Soy Polyol which is being used instead of the traditional Petroleum

Polyol.

These factors, along with the fact that petroleum products adds much to the pollution of

the environment, has led the manufacturers of Automobiles in using as much bio-materials in their

vehicles as they can. As can be seen from the graph below, the consumption of bio-plastics has

rapidly increased in Europe as well as in the World during the last few years and the estimates in

terms of tonnes of it being used and the market is going to occupy is also shown in the graph.

Variations in Prices of Soy Polyol and Petroleum Polyol due time

Source: OmniTech International

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Very interestingly, in the past 2 years the idea of using not only bio-fuels but also using it to

manufacture other accessories of a vehicle has bloomed and the car manufacturing industries are

doing their best to go green both in terms of fuel and also the parts of the vehicle.

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APPLICATIONS:

Plastics have always been a material used in the manufacture of automobiles. The

only difference is the percentage of it used. In 1960, a typical vehicle used about 1% of

plastics which increased to 7% in 2000 and then to and then to 15% by weight in 2006.

The increasing use of plastics in Automotive is due to the fact that plastic weighs about

25% less than steel giving the same strength. The plastic content in a typical vehicle is

estimated to be about 10% in the body and 25% in interiors and this figure is ever

increasing as new bio plastics are being developed.

The variety of bio-based automotive parts currently in production is stunning.

Daimler Chrysler has been the biggest proponent of these materials, and today, up to 50

components in Mercedes-Benz A-, C-, E- and S-Class models are bio-based — though not

necessarily in vehicles sold in the United States.

Flax, hemp and sisal are processed into door cladding, seat back linings and

package shelves (the space behind the rear seats of sedans). Coconut fibre and

caoutchouc (a source of latex) are used to make seat bottoms, back cushions and head

restraints. Abaca (a cousin of the banana tree) is used in under-floor body panels. And the

company expects suppliers to be able to produce flexible tubing for fuel and brake systems

Source: http://gowebpost.com/BIOP/PPT_pdf/CRAWFORD_Craig.pdf

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made with castor oil soon.

Other manufacturers have been putting natural ingredients into their cars as well:

The BMW Group incorporates a considerable amount of renewable raw materials

into its vehicles, including 10,000 tons of natural fibers in 2004. Each BMW 7 Series

car boasts 24 kilograms of renewable raw materials, with flax and sisal in the

interior door linings and panels, cotton in the soundproofing, wool in the upholstery

and wood fiber in the seatback cushions.

Toyota has shown interest in using kenaf. This grass, which is related to okra, has

been used to make Lexus package shelves, and it's also incorporated into the body

structure of Toyota's i-foot and i-unit concept vehicles.

At General Motors, a kenaf and flax mixture has gone into package trays and door

panel inserts for Saturn L300s and European-market Opel Vectras, while wood fiber

is being used in seatbacks for the Cadillac DeVille and in the cargo area floor of the

GMC Envoy and Chevrolet TrailBlazer.

Honda is using wood fiber in the cargo area floor for the Pilot SUV.

Ford mounts Goodyear tires that are made with corn on its fuel-sipping Fiestas in

Europe. The sliding door inserts for the Ford Freestar are made with wood

fibre.Ford is using soy foam technology to make seat cushions, which are used in

several vehicle lines. This is making a big impact, they say, in reducing their carbon

footprints. They are also trying to replace petroleum with bio-resins.

Soy foam Seats that used by Ford Motors

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ADVANTAGES:

Why are automakers so interested in turning plants into car parts? As it turns out, there are

lots of reasons, some business-oriented, some environmentally oriented and some just

plain patriotic.

First of all, many of these biobased parts replace petroleum-based components. When the

parts are made here in a country, the switch to agricultural materials reduces the country's

reliance on foreign oil while also supporting local farmers. Rising and fluctuating oil prices

also make biobased materials more appealing, since their prices can be more stable —

and lower — than prices for the materials they replace.

From a green standpoint, the less oil we transport into a country, the less likely it is to

experience an oil spill or other environmental nightmare. And if there is spillage of bio

based materials, there's no worry, since most are biodegradable.

Using soybeans instead of petroleum products improves the CO2 balance of car parts,

since more carbon dioxide is absorbed by the growing plants than is released when a

vehicle is scrapped.

Biodegradability and recyclability of the finished part is another reason automakers are so

keen on these materials (although not all biobased car parts are biodegradable or

recyclable). While the United States hasn't issued regulations concerning end-of-life

requirements for automobiles, the European Union and several Asian countries have come

out with stringent guidelines. In the EU, by 2015, 85 percent of a vehicle must be reused or

recycled at the end of its life. Japan is similarly strict, requiring 95 percent of a vehicle to

be recovered in 2015 (recovery allows for incineration of some components).

End-of-life isn't the only timeframe that concerns automakers these days. Most companies

are looking at the environmental impact of a vehicle's entire lifecycle, from raw materials to

manufacturing to a drivable vehicle to disposal.

When you consider biobased materials from a lifecycle standpoint, they've got even more

appeal. Starting out in the field, as you're growing the raw materials, the plants are

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consuming carbon dioxide. Plus, many biobased car parts require less energy to

manufacture than their more traditional counterparts. They can be easier on the

manufacturing machinery, and they can be easier on factory workers. For instance,

workers have experienced skin irritations and respiratory issues related to fiberglass dust;

new materials that use plant fibers instead of glass fibers to reinforce molded composites

don't cause these problems.

Some figures related to advantage in reduction of GHG's:

3 million reduction of CO2 per tonne plastic with bio substitution.

A 1 kg reduction in vehicle weight through bioplastics produces 7 to 9 litres of fuel

savings; resultiing benefit equals 1 million tonne reduction of GHG per year.

Additional savings of 50,000 MJ per tonne of biomaterial used in vehicle

manufacturing;(assuming 4 million cars manufactured in 2015, total bioplastics

usage equals 400,000 tonnes and saves about 50,000 barrels of oil and 20 GJ of

energy per year.)

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COMPARISON WITH TRADITIONAL MATERIALS

Are automakers sacrificing anything to use biobased materials? As it turns out, biobased

car parts typically work better than the parts they replace. For instance, Honda's

engineering team found that the wood fiber-reinforced floor provided better dimensional

stability than the other, more traditional materials being considered.

Likewise, Goodyear has found that its corn-infused tires have lower rolling resistance than

traditional tires, so they provide better fuel economy. And DaimlerChrysler notes that plant

fibers' ability to absorb large amounts of humidity makes them perfect for use in seat

cushions, where they can increase occupant comfort.

According to BMW, it's possible to manufacture biobased composites that are as much as

40-percent lighter than equivalent injection-molded plastic parts. That's because natural

fibers have high-tensile strength, durability and rigidity, plus they're easy to process and

lighter in weight than glass fibers, all of which makes them excellent for reinforcing

composites.

Using plant fibers in composites provides additional advantages in terms of product design

flexibility, noise absorption, insulation, impact-resistance and even a reduced tendency for

parts to splinter in a crash. Plus, weight reduction translates directly into better gas

mileage.

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SOME NEGATIVE ARGUMENTS:

The current food crisis has stirred some negative press for bioplastics, which often get

lumped together with biofuels when it comes to food-versus-fuel debates. After a widely

circulated news report published in April in the UK’s Guardian newspaper, many media

outlets described bioplastics as the other culprit—second to biofuels—in the global food

crisis and a contributor to greenhouse gases.

Popular arguments against using renewable feedstock such as corn and soybeans for

automotive and other industrial applications – most overtly, perhaps, for biofuels such as

corn-derived ethanol are that it takes food aways from the mouth, may it be human or

animal , and raises food costs.

For that reason, many automotive companies are focusing their R&D efforts on converting

cellulosic biomass (inedible vegetation such as plant waste or wood shavings) into a

suitable form for use in production components. One such initiative is under way at Mazda,

in a collaborative research partnership with Hiroshima University to develop “non-food

based” bio-plastic for vehicles by 2013.

What happens to waste bio-plastic has also brought negative press. Most bio-plastic can’t

be recycled with petroleum-based plastic. Some bio-plastic is biodegradable or

compostable, but much of it ends up in landfills where it slowly breaks down without the

presence of oxygen and releases methane gas. If bio-plastic is not biodegradable, it’s

more damaging than it is an improvement,.

That’s not to say the green movement’s effects on the industry are all negative. According

to an April survey sponsored partially by Dupont, nearly seven out of ten consumers are

willing to pay more for products made with renewable resources. Calling a product ‘green’

is a marketing strategy in itself, as bio-materials manufacturers know well.

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SOME EXAMPLES

Ford 2003 Model U concept vehicle

Power Source:

2.3 litre 4 cylinder supercharged, intercooled hydrogen internal combustion engine, coupled with a hybrid electric transmission.

Bio-materials Used:

The roof, a power-retractable canvas sunroof, is made of a corn-based polymer.

All the orange fabric — on the seats, steering wheel, dashboard and door panels — is recyclable polyester

FORD 2003 MODEL U CONCEPT CAR

Source: www.conceptcarz.com

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The Goodyear tires use cornstarch as a filler. Rubber by itself will float, so tires typically have particulate filler to reinforce the rubber and provide the strength. Typically it's carbon black, which is a petroleum-based resource which replaced by a filler made of cornstarch.

The motor oil comes from sunflower seeds.

The tailgate uses a soy-based resin.

The seat foam uses a soy-based component in place of a petroleum derivative.

The clear coat paint layer is cured by ultraviolet light rather than a bake oven, which saves energy and uses fewer solvents.

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Honda FCX Clarity:

Features:

Power Source: 100 kW Honda Vertical flow Hydrogen Fuel cell stack

Energy Storage: 288V Lithium ion battery

Biomaterials Used: Honda Bio-Fabric, corn-based polyester

Material called polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), and PLA-based

surface materials covering the interior of the Automobile.

Source of Biomaterial: A significant percentage of the seating material in the FCX Clarity is

derived from plants to extend its environmental sensibility even

further.

Advantage: The revolutionary Honda Bio-Fabric provides a CO2

reduction of 30% compared to conventional polyester made from

petroleum products.

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Nissan Nuvu Electric City car concept

Power Source: Electric

Biomaterials Used: The floor is made from wood fibers pressed from laminate sheets and studded with rubber inserts made from recycled tyres for grips.

Nissan Nuvu Electric City Car

Source: www.autoincar.com

Nuvu: Interior

Source: www.autoincar.com

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Toyota 1/X Plug-in Hybrid Concept

Power Source: Hybrid with 500 cc Gasoline/E85 engine along with Electric drive from Lithium ion battery pack.

Features: Body made up of light Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) which makes its body 1/3rd of the weight of its contemporary Toyota Prius.

Roof is composed up of a bioplastic material derived from kenaf and ramie plants.

Advantages: The CFRP material is lighter and stronger than traditional metals, creating a shock-absorbing like structure with cross- sections that help absorb energy during an impact.

The roof derived from bio-plastics improves heat insulation, emits less carbon dioxide, increases the amount of light entering the cabin, and reducing noise.

Toyota 1/X Plug-in Hybrid Concept Car

Source: www.newlaunches.com

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Ford 2010 Lincoln MKT

Type: Mid size Sports Utility Vehicle

Power Source: 3.7 liter V6 Duratec engine

Power max 268hp@6500 rpm

Torque Max 362Nm@4250 rpm

Features: The carpet is made up of banana fibers, which is a sustainable scenario, hand-woven in Nepal.

The leather for the seats is a biomaterial made from an organic tanning process that uses a bark extract from black wattle trees from commercially managed forests in Africa. And the leather is made in a Chromium free process.

Ford 2010 Lincoln MKT Concept Car

Source: http://robson.m3rlin.org

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CONCLUSION

With the concern over the global warming aspects of petroleum products as well as

the issue of sustainability of its own, bio-materials are bound to make the most of the parts

in a Automotive Industry in the future.

There are , however, some issues that would create some negative thoughts

towards using of bio-materials. Firstly, where do we grow these bio-materials from? In

today's populated world where each and every human is struggling for food ( in some

under developed countries), is it justifiable to grow crops for the car rather than growing

food for the people? This question would create a conflict between using of these bio-

materials and tend to visualize such materials as “enemy for starving people”.

Secondly, the nature of the bio-materials. Most of the bio-plastics are found to be

non recyclable. Most of them are not bio-degradable. If that is the case, use of bio-

materials would mean only to shift the pollution concentration from road to elsewhere (ex,

landfills) rather than to eliminate it.

Talking about the mechanical properties of these bio-materials, it has still got a long

away to go until it finally replaces metals and other carbon derived materials. Scepticism of

bio-materials and their ability to be thoroughly entrenched in high volume vehicles is not

isolated. Questions persist about how cost-competitive bio-materials can be compared to

incumbent materials. And while bio-based materials may be amendable to interior

applications, there is less confidence that they will find a home in exterior parts due to

more demanding requirements.

Referring to the cost of bio-materials, the more they are mass produced the

cheaper customers are going to get them. So we still need to wait until few more years till

the concept of using bio-materials has matured enough in the global market for a majority

of customers to accept them. In order for this to happen, the “negative image” given of by

the use of bio-materials need to be overcome by some strong reasoning and also some

new developments of these materials.

To conclude with, the future of the use of bio-materials in vehicles seems to be

bright.

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REFERENCES:

www.google.com

http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity

Automotive Engineering International magazine January 2009 issue:

(www.aei-online.org)

http://www.emilywaltz.com/Bioplastics_feature.pdf

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/alternativefuels/articles/105341/article.html

http://gowebpost.com/BIOP/PPT_pdf/CRAWFORD_Craig.pdf

www.comceptcarz.com