High-performance sustainability with bio-based epichlorohydrin

This article talks about the biodegradable resin, that two of our partners co-created. It was used in the sixth solar car that raced in Australia in 2015. 

"Success in resins and composites

In 2015, Epicerol®-based epoxy resins were used in the composite matrix of a Belgian solar car (Figure 3). The Punch One car combined the latest bio-based chemistry, solar panel innovation and electronic battery technology. The car competed and finished the Solar Challenge across Australia during October 2015, clearly putting Epicerol® through its paces.

Led by university students and experts, the Punch Powertrain Solar Team used an autoclave cure process to produce the car’s bio-based composites. These were produced using carbon fibre prepregs impregnated with BisA epoxy and cured with a hardener based on cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL), a natural renewable chemical raw material. The final resin matrix was calculated to contain 45% biomaterial. 

In addition to a strong, impact-resistant, lightweight carbon fibre-reinforced epoxy car body, the excellent wetting properties of CNSL-based hardeners and the improved interlaminar shear strength of the final composite resulted in an overall bio-based content of 18%.
In light of these successes and its continued commercial development, Epicerol® received the Innovation Award in the Raw Materials category at JEC Asia 2015. The chemical was awarded and recognised as: Bio-based ECH for more sustainable epoxy resins. "

Read the full article here!