BioComp

New Classes of Engineering Composite Materials from Renewable Resources

The aim of the project was to develop new engineering materials – bio-composites made completely from natural resources.

Previously, bio-composites have mainly been used in low grade applications. Research undertaken in Biocomp has been targeted to obtain innovations in engineering thermoplastic and thermosetting materials mainly from natural resources, like lignin from the paper industry and other biopolymers.

Organisational Information

Budget: €11.7M
Funding: €6.6M
Start Date: April 2005
Finish Date: September 2008
Duration (in months): 42
Lead Partner (Co-ordinator): Fraunhofer-ICT, Germany

Participants

Results – What happened next?

The project work was split up into three phases:

Material development => model products => demonstrators

The raw materials for use in the project were selected and characterised, and then fed into the development of both thermoplastic and thermosetting composites.

Development of these composites considered aspects such as compounding methods, processing methods and knowledge based processing to ensure that the best possible results were achieved.

Materials development continued throughout the course of the project, in terms of both the raw materials available and the composites produced.

Testing was undertaken, to characterise the developed materials, and to provide data for modelling and simulation work. Test results have been used to populate a database which can be used as a reference when selecting suitable materials for a given application.

The collaborating SMEs expect to increase their manufacturing capacity by around 10% to capitalise on the project, resulting in a corresponding increase in direct employment of a similar magnitude. The dissemination and exploitation of the technology will enable a similar expansion to be realised across the plastic processing industry in the EU. Integration of associations and industrial interest groups will guarantee the spread of the new knowledge and a sustained economic success.

Project website: www.biocomp.eu.com