Project duration: 1 April 2019 – 31 March 2022
Objective
Existing CO2 emissions regulations force car manufacturers to aim at significant weight reduction, which seems possible only through the substitution of metals (which are also critical raw materials) with polymer composite materials (PMC). These PMC, however, should also be recyclable, in order to be compliant with End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) regulations as well as low cost, in order to be mass produced. Currently, PMC are used only for luxury cars, and are not environmentally friendly, due to the significant productions of wastes during production and non-recyclability.
The solution (technology)
C2CC will employ new basalt derived mineral fibres (BDMF) which are fully recyclable. They will be associated with innovative bio-mass derived thermo-set resins to produce Basalt-PMC (B-PMC) that can be chemically “cleaved” to recovery both a polymer (which will be used for producing automotive internal parts) and the fibres (which will be re-employed for the original components). The project will bring this solution on the verge of being mass produced and will assess all environmental benefits of the new solution, particularly lower energy use and lower C-emissions.
Partnership
- Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l’Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (ENEA), Italy (Lead Partner)
- AM Composites, Italy
- Centro Ricerche Fiat S.C.p.A. (CRF – C.R.F.), Italy
- Fundacion GAIKER, Spain
- GS4C srl, Italy
- Hijos de A. Ferrer Dalmau, S.A., Spain
- Université de Bordeaux, France