Thermoset Co-creation
Thermoset Co-creation makes bio-resins work Although biobased materials are increasingly used in composites, they only represent a small portion of the total market volume. As still biobased tends to be more expensive than fossil-based, customers are reluctant to pay a price premium just for having a better environmental conscience. This situation is now changing with the introduction of the biobased Beyone 201-A-01 resin in highly demanding wind energy applications. Composite systems with this resin provide simultaneously a great end-use performance, cost savings through easier processing, and on top they bring improved sustainability. Composites materials solutions are well established in today’s society as they bring numerous benefits to consumers. Cars can have unique shapes and great aerodynamics, while the low weight of composite parts contributes to lower energy consumption and reduced CO 2 emissions. The great corrosion resistance of composites pipes enables continued operation and minimal maintenance in water treatment plants. When renovation of sewer networks is required, open roads and traffic disruption can be avoided by using relining solutions based on composites. Meanwhile, consumers want more for less: better quality of life, more functionality of the products they buy, and preferably at a lower price. They have become increasingly conscious about the impact they have on the environment, and are looking for ways to reduce their ecological footprint. Consequently, the demand for solutions based on renewable raw materials has been increasing. Obviously this represents a great challenge for the companies they buy from, and for the entire supply chain. In line with these market demands DSM has been introducing several synthetic resins based on renewable resources in the past few years. Objective is to secure future supply of raw materials, decreasing our dependency on fossilbased raw material sources. This will help to ensure security of supply down the value chain. Also, with these renewable raw materials becoming available in larger quantities, we expect to reduce the eco-footprint of our resins and we will be able to pass on that ‘eco advantage’ to our customers. Biobased materials for food contact An example of these developments is the introduction of the Synolite 7524-N-1 FC resin for artificial stone. This new DSM material is a biobased unsaturated polyester resin, has a bio-content of 45%, and is produced in line with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), the well accepted standard for making products used in contact with food. With this resin the company Compac (Spain) was able to create a new range of stone products suitable for kitchen work surface applications with great aesthetics. Innovation in infrastructure A completely different example of the use of biobased material is the application of Synolite 7500-N-1 structural resin for a bio-bridge, installed by FiberCore (Netherlands). Composite bridges can be easily installed because of their low weight. This reduces installation time and potential disruption to traffic and people. Also the lower weight requires lighter foundations compared to bridges made in pure steel or concrete. Because of their very nature, composite materials resist well water, heat and chemicals. Therefore these bridges 34 bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/14] Vol. 9
Thermoset only require limited maintenance, while again the impact on the environment and traffic is minimized. The novel Synolite 7500-N-1 resin of DSM is a high strength structural resin (UP) partly based on renewable raw materials (~50 %). The resin can be easily converted through vacuum infusion manufacturing processes into composite components. Peace-of-mind on cost and the environment While the usage of biobased raw materials is increasing and the bio-feature is said to be highly appreciated by consumers and endcustomers, it is also clear that the market is reluctant to pay a significant price premium for bio-solutions. Yet because of the scale of production of biobased raw materials (typically made in lower volumes and still in sub-optimized manufacturing plants) and the availability of biobased sources to make the biobased raw materials, it can be expected they remain more expensive than the fossilbased raw materials for the foreseeable future. The introduction of DSM’s novel Beyone 201-A-01 resin for making wind turbine blades may well represent a major change. The current material systems used for making wind turbine blades are mainly based on epoxy resins. While they bring resistance to fatigue, these resins are more sensitive to process variations, and require a time-consuming post-cure for reaching optimum physical properties. Systems based on polyester resins are easier to process but lack the high strength and fatigue resistance required for this demanding application. Moreover, blade manufacturers prefer to use resin systems without styrene, in order to have the best working environment for their operators. Compac has used DSM’s Synolite 7524-N-1 FC GMP-compliant resin, which features a high content of bio raw materials, to create a new range of artificial stone products called the Bio Technological Quartz Collection Easy installation of composite bridges, based DSM’s novel Synolite 7500-N-1 resin with 50 % biobased raw materials 0 0,3 0,7 1,0 1,3 Beyone 201-A-01 vs. WTB Epoxy reference WTB Epoxy reference + SE2020 Standard UPR resins + Standard Glass Beyone 201-A-01 + SE3030 1,E+01 1,E+02 1,E+03 1,E+04 1,E+05 1,E+06 1,E+07 Number of cycles Excellent resistance to fatigue for long live blade performance. Tensile fatigue performance (S-N Curve) of Beyone 201-A-01 glass reinforced composites compared to standard epoxy systems for wind turbine blades bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/14] Vol. 9 35
