Forest Industry

Future biomaterials from Kokkola, Finland

Lightweight construction materials e.g. for the boat industry, from combining natural fibres with bio-based plastics.

Work is being done to reduce the weight of cars by as much as one half. A substantial share of this can be achieved by increasing the use of natural fibre composites. In Kokkola, the potential for using lightweight composite materials in the boat industry is being examined.

Composite materials are made from two or more constituent materials, which act together but remain separate without blending or merging. The aim is to maximise the good and minimise the poor qualities of two or more constituent materials. When natural fibres are combined with plastic materials, the result is natural fibre composites. These are remarkably more lightweight than plastic composite materials containing glass or mineral fibres.

Reinforcement materials such as flax, hemp or wood-based cellulose fibres can be selected as raw materials for natural fibre composites. In addition to being lightweight, the benefits of natural fibres include a lower energy requirement for further processing than glass fibres. Because natural fibre composite materials contain more fibres than are found in glass fibre composites, more environment-friendly materials can be utilised. In future, this will reduce costs.

At the moment, very low amounts of glass fibre composite materials are recycled and incinerated in Finland. This is due to glass fibre, which is difficult to process and detrimental to the incineration process. Natural fibre composites offer considerably broader potential for recycling and utilisation.

Future boats from natural fibre composite materials?

Environmental awareness is increasing among boaters. Many are concerned about the overall life cycle environmental impacts of products they acquire, and the boat’s fuel consumption. Natural fibre composite materials offer a concrete means of developing boating industry products in a more environment-friendly and competitive direction.

‘The development of lightweight, environment-friendly materials serves both boat manufacturers and users. Environment-friendliness is an image-related competitive asset meeting consumers’ needs. Moreover, boatbuilders are interested in the cost benefits and recyclability of new materials’, says Jouni Vähäsöyrinki, responsible for marine business development at Central Ostrobothnia Technology Centre KETEK Ltd.

The boat industry cluster in Central Ostrobothnia is one of Europe's largest. For leisure boats, main market areas include Finland, Sweden and Norway.

Initially, in the case of boats, natural fibre composites would be easiest to apply in those components, e.g. interior decoration, which are not exposed to extreme weather conditions. Using natural fibre composites in a boat’s bodywork would still require further knowledge and proof of the materials’ ability to endure extreme conditions, such as salinity, moisture, the sun’s UV radiation and cold temperatures.

Finnish expertise in composite materials has already been exploited in the automotive industry, for instance in fire engines. On these vehicles, the metal tanks used to store fire-fighting water have been replaced with composite and lightweight structures designed by CSI Composite Solutions and Innovations Oy.

OSKE Centre of Expertise has successfully networked researchers, enterprises and other expert bodies. Meanwhile, the Central Ostrobothnia Technology Centre KETEK, based in Kokkola, has launched a three-year development project called ANACOMPO (Application of NAtural Fiber Reinforced COMPOsites in Harsh Environments).

The project involves the development of lightweight, eco-efficient composite materials able to endure harsh conditions. Raw materials used for these include renewable natural fibre reinforcements and bio-based resins. Furthermore, in the production of composite materials, adhesion between the fibres and matrix must be ensured, either by modifying the fibres or matrix, or by using coupling agents.

Commencing in early 2010, the project has the main object of generating comprehensive research data on eco-efficient composites, in order to advance the use of these in various industrial sectors. The suitability of various materials for challenging conditions will be examined during the project. Demonstration models will be produced from the materials proven to have the best characteristics. The results of the project, due for completion at the end of 2012, will be widely presented to Swedish and Finnish enterprises.

In addition to Technology Centre KETEK Ltd, project participants include the Swedish Institute of Composites (Swerea SICOMP Ab); Luleå University of Technology; Tampere University of Technology, Department of Material Science, Kokkola unit; and companies in Northern Finland and Northern Sweden making or using composite structures.

The European Union’s INTERREG IVA North is the main financier. Other financiers in Finland include the Regional Council of Lapland.