Source: Sonicem
A consortium led by sustainable technology innovator Sonichem (formerly Bio-Sep, Southampton, UK) has secured nearly £600,000 in funding from Innovate UK’s Resource Efficiency in Materials and Manufacturing (REforMM) programme. . The funding will support the development of Sonichem's proprietary ultrasound technology and the production of renewable, cost-effective alternatives to petrochemicals commonly used in the automotive industry to produce plastics, resins and composite materials. It will be accelerated.
The “Carbon Neutral Agroforestry-Derived Resins to Materials for Automotive Applications'' (CARMA) project will see Sonichem's ultrasonic processing technology applied to automotive applications for the first time. The patented approach converts sawdust, a biomass byproduct from forestry, into high-quality lignin. This renewable material will serve as the basis for bio-based platform chemicals, creating an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional petrochemical-derived materials currently used to manufacture a variety of vehicle components.
This effort is being conducted in collaboration with Technology Innovation Catalyst CPI, National Composites Center (NCC), Scott Bader, SHD Composites, and Polestar, with each industry leader contributing their unique expertise and expertise. In particular, CPI will support the scale-up of Sonichem technology. Scott Bader will pioneer the development of high-performance, sustainable composite resin formulations. NCC, SHD Composites and Polestar will then work together to explore the potential of these new materials in automotive interior applications.
The CARMA project aims to significantly reduce the UK's dependence on imported composite materials, which currently amounts to around £250-260 million a year, and will focus on resource-efficient and sustainable industrial materials. This is consistent with the UK government's policy of With new funding from Innovate UK, an international consortium will establish a robust, renewable lignin supply chain in the UK to help steer the automotive industry towards a net-zero future and contribute to the country's development of a sustainable It becomes possible to accelerate the blending of plastics and resins. bioeconomy.
To learn more about this partnership, please visit the new Sonichem website.
For related content, see Bio-Sep advances the development of sustainable composite materials through biochemicals produced in forestry.
