Industry Intelligence #3 Driving Sustainability Through Composite Materials
Rayane Echikr
CI Analyst @EIT Manufacturing | Competitive Intelligence, Green Manufacturing, Industry 4.0, Technology Watch
Greetings everyone,
Welcome to the third edition of Industry Intelligence, your go-to newsletter for staying up-to-date with the latest trends in energy and technology. The main goal is to shed light on ways to achieve industrial sustainability and decarbonisation within European?#Manufacturing.
In this edition, we'll be diving into the fascinating realm of composite materials and their potential sustainability. By exploring miscellaneous use cases, projects, and policies at a European level, I aim to provide valuable insights and actionable knowledge.
If this topic resonates with you, I invite you to join me in exploring the depths of this subject together! Let's embark on this journey towards a greener and more sustainable future.
Technology use-cases:
Siemens Gamesa's 132 Recyclable Blades for RWE's Sofia Offshore Wind Project in the UK ??
?? Siemens Gamesa, a German-Spanish #wind turbine manufacturer, is set to make a significant contribution to RWE′s Sofia offhsore #wind project in the UK by supplying a total of 132 Recyclable Blades. These blades will be utilised on 44 out of the 100 wind turbines at the site, each powered by the ′SG 14-222 DD′ 14MW turbines boasting a substantial 222-metre rotor diameter. https://shorturl.at/dvyOT
Biopolymer and recycled composites to produce bike frames!??
?? Isoco Bikes, an E-bike manufacturer specialising in injection-moulded carbon fibre bike frames, and V Frames, a plastic manufacturer, have partnered with Lehvoss Group, a chemical organisation based in Hamburg. The collaboration aims to integrate recycled and biopolymer composites into a new generation of #bike frames and other components. https://lnkd.in/du6SS_27
??? French manufacturer raises $34M to open recycling composite plant
?? Fairmat, a French manufacturer specialising in carbon fiber composites, has opened its robotised plant to #recycle and process more than 3,500 tonnes of carbon fibre annually in Nantes, France. More info regarding carbon fibre:https://lnkd.in/ddkDVcR5
??? TISICS Revolutionises aviation with Lightland: 9 million tonnes of CO2 savings
?? TISICS, a world-leading metal composites company, is launching Light Land: a lightweight landing gear designed for commercial #aircraft. This initiative is set to deliver 9 Million tonnes (Mt) of CO2 savings annually by 2030, aligning with the industry's ambitious Net Zero emissions target by 2050. It will equally save ￡650K in fuel costs per aircraft per year and create 280 local jobs by 2028. https://shorturl.at/inozZ
Project
FOREST, a €4.3M project to develop lightweight sustainable materials?for transport ???
?? AIMPLAS, a Spanish Plastics Technology Centre, leads the charge in the FOREST #project, supported by the European Union with €4.3M. FOREST is a pioneering research initiative poised to enhance the transport sector′s decarbonisation efforts through lightweight materials. https://shorturl.at/nrtJ4
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A brief story of composites
?? The current revolution in composites is a new phenomenon based on very old technology. The first known composites were developed in 3000 BC in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) where strips of wood were glued on top of each other to produce plywood. In ancient Egypt around 2200 BC, papyrus or linen were soaked in plaster to manufacture death masks. After a few centuries, people started using straw to strengthen their common objects such as pottery, mud bricks, and even boats. ? ?
?? At the beginning of the 20th century, a breakthrough process was implemented, involving the production of solid synthetic resins through polymerisation. This led to the manufacturing of a variety of plastics, such as vinyl, polyester, and phenol. For instance, the development of Bakelite by Leo Baekeland and its properties of electric, fire, and heat-resistance could be used in a range of industries. ?
?? Another important development for the improvement of composites was made in the 1930′s, when Owens Corning developed the famous glass fibre, as well as the first-fibre reinforced polymer (FRP). Sir Joseph Wilson Swan created the first carbon fibre in 1860 and it was patented in the early 1960′s. Over the last few decades, composites have been gaining popularity as materials for construction and manufacturing processes due to their relatively low cost compared to other materials. See here for more information.
? What is a composite?
?? Composite material or composition material is a material produced by a combination of two or more constituent materials. This process is used to create specific properties for the composite, for example making it lighter, stronger, stiffer, or resistant to electricity.
? What a composite is made of??
??? A composite is made from a polymer matrix reinforced by natural, man-made, or engineered fibre or other reinforcing material. The usual choice is generally carbon, glass, or aramid, but boron, polyethylene, ceramic, basalt, and many more materials can be used. The matrix can made of polymer, metal, ceramic or carbon. This can include epoxy, polyester, vinyl, or other materials. See here for more information
Key takeaways & trends of composites:
?The global composites market reached a volume of 17.7 megatonnes and a value of 86 billion dollars in 2019. It is seeing growth in all regions and areas of application, both in volume and value.
?China and North America are currently the largest markets, making up 28% and 26% of the total volume respectively, followed by Europe (21%) and the rest of Asia (19%).
?Thermoset resins are the most used, at 61%, compared to thermoplastic resins at 38%.
?70% of the resins used in Fibre-Reinforced Polymers (FRP) composites are thermoset polymers.
?In the case of glass FRP, all products on the market use a thermoset plastic as a matrix.
? Glass fibres are the most commonly used reinforcement, at 88%, followed by natural fibres (11%) and carbon fibres (1%).
?The transportation industry is the largest user of composites in terms of volume, at 28%, followed by construction (20%), electronics and electrical (16%), and pipelines and tanks (15%).
?The increasing use of autonomous vehicles and alternative fuel vehicles is expected to drive growth in the composites market, with 26% of cars projected to be autonomous by 2040 and a 38% increase in hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2030.
?Natural gas-powered vehicles are also expected to increase by 14% in the same period.
?? Embracing Recycled Carbon Fiber (rCF) - A Sustainable Solution with Benefits ??
?? The story of recycled carbon fiber is intriguing. It's all about tackling crucial issues - primarily, preventing carbon fiber waste from filling landfills and addressing the growing supply-demand gap. Shockingly, about 30% of carbon fiber produced is wasted. Meanwhile, the global demand for carbon fiber (65,000 to 85,000 tonnes annually) is on the brink of surpassing our production capacity (around 150,000 tonnes). To dive into composites recycling: https://shorturl.at/hwxJ5