Grow your own

synthetic composite applications? Alex Edge of distributor E Tech thinks so, as Simon Lott finds out.
As manufacturers will be only too aware, the need to ‘go green’ is an increasing pressure commercially, ethically and sometimes even legally that is changing the way they approach design and material selection. So-called ‘biocomposites’, which proudly claim to be eco-friendly, sustainable and safe have always been a popular curiosity but with the loose definition of ‘biocomposites’ covering a variety of materials and processing methods leading to sometimes conflicting perceptions, the take-up has been cautious at best. As the science and technology evolves and the pressure continues to mount however, the tipping point may not be far off.

A sustainable business

That is the view of E Tech’s managing director Alex Edge who proclaims that: “As far as the industry goes we haven’t had a revolution since carbon fibre and this is the next step. What we’ve seen so far is there is a possible application for biocomposites in pretty much any composite product.”

E Tech claims to be Europe’s first distributor devoted solely to biocomposites in their many forms. It has been in business for just over a year and in that time has developed a variety of agreements and become involved in a variety of applications. While it currently imports a lot of its products, the plan is to move towards UK manufacturers producing products under licence as it establishes itself.

The company came into existence following Edge’s university thesis, looking at ‘Biocomposites in the Marine Industry’. He explains: “The only textiles, mats and resins we could get at the time were useless and saw some really interesting results. We were using an epoxy hemp composite for example that soaked up water like a sponge! Since then I continued researching materials and came across some much better products.

“European demand is 10 years ahead of the technology as far as biocomposites are concerned. We’re trying to speed up that process and bring products to market. We can also provide epoxy resins and fibres so that if you wanted, you could make a whole product with the solutions we will be able to provide. You wouldn’t know they are biocomposites because they act, smell, and look like conventional materials, so E Tech is based on the understanding that people would buy it if they could get their hands on it.”

Seaworthy cellulose structures

The company currently has a European sales agreement to supply Porcher’s Greenlite woven reinforcement cloth, an alternative to glass fibre products consisting of 100% pure cellulose. While the French manufacturer is tight-lipped about the exact kind of cellulose structure it uses, it claims that the product is between 60-80% as strong as comparable E-glass fibres depending on the resin system used. This is without a surface sizing as normally applied to glass (due to the complexities in adhesion to the cellulose fibres) and which is the subject of current developments. A second generation material as good as if not better than current E-glass is expected in the near future.

Edge adds: “One of the key benefits is that as it is a viscose product rather than spun, so it’s extruded in the same way as a glass fibre to get continuous strands, which means the fabric acts the same as glass and has the same silky feel. We’ve been supplying to a variety of marine manufacturers and their employees on the shopfloor are using it in exactly the same way. With all the products we distribute or manufacture, one of the critical factors has to be that they can be used with no extra training so technically it has to be closely comparable or identical.”

So, this material is fairly far removed from the flaxes and hemps used by Edge in his student life and to prove it, the Linley Swan GP racing team will enter the revived Cowes to Monte-Carlo Powerboat Grand Prix in 2013 using several E Tech products. Greenlite will be the main structural material (with the exception of carbon fibre skins), complemented by Ecopoxy resin systems - a UV stable gelcoat based on soy and nut oils. A new 300g version of the product has been developed especially for the team.

Like E Tech, green technology is central to Linley Swan’s ethos so the timing is fortuitous for both parties. Team owner Tom Montgomery-Swan will eventually build four boats from E Tech materials: Two 55ft RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boat), one static and the other fully rigged, a 45ft racing boat and a 10m support vessel. The racing vessel will cover 2,400nm over 14 stages during the race, in which the team claims it will achieve a 90 knots/hour average with a top speed of 120m/hour using four 600hp diesel engines. If this isn’t enough, Swan also plans to beat the world record for a London to Monte-Carlo crossing with a three day journey in 2012.

Bamboo benefits

Another partnership formed by E Tech is the supply of bamboo-derived products from Ohio-based company A&P technology, including biaxial and triaxial braided hybrid cloths made to order. It is also developing a chop strand mat with raw fibres which will offer high strength with reasonable drapability characteristics. Bamboo is going to be a particularly important crop as the technology advances, as its fibres feature longer strands than spun hemp or flax products as well as a higher tensile strength. Crucially for world supply chains, it also doesn’t take up feed stock. Edge continues: “For all intents and purposes bamboo is a weed. It can spring up anywhere and it is cultivated anywhere and everywhere. It is a high yield product and annually renewable.”

The company also offers a family of unsaturated polyester resins which can be used to replace conventional resins used in fibreglass manufacturing and tailored to specific viscosities. A developmental variation of the product is also available for RTM and VARTM.

Always on the search for more products to add to the portfolio, research is an important part of E Tech’s activities, especially in characterising new products that are close to market. Brazilian-based Bioresin foams, which are sustainable and contain relatively few additives, are currently in development. These are non-toxic polyurethane foams based on castor oil for the construction of boards and other structures as well as insulation.

Building trust

All this is sounds very novel and intriguing, but in the real world, how are bio-derived materials going to make an impression. There are two key barriers in the cost and the quality of the products but with advances being made at a rapid pace these problems are as much about perception than performance. The biggest problem with price, adds Edge, is the cost of importing, but this is a difficulty that he anticipates will be solved by establishing links with UK manufacturers.

As for concerns over performance, he believes it is just a matter of confidence. “When people finally get samples in their hand and use it, they are a lot more willing to talk. There’s a certain perception of what biocomposites can do as people go to trade shows and see flax and hemp products in limited applications. When we can get a technical textile that works and looks like a normal fabric, people are happy to put it in their surfboards or golf clubs or boats or anything else and we’ve actually seen potential customers more excited about it than potential users so far.”

The other important factor in ‘being green’ as opposed to just ‘acting green’ is that restrictions on VOCs are becoming increasingly problematic for manufacturers, in particular the Products Directive 2004/42/EC, which was updated in 2010. Of course, this is an area in which Edge believes biocomposites can yield a distinct advantage: “Our unsaturated polyester resin for example has 70% less styrene but the viscosity is still comparable to regular polyester resins. We’ve been supplying samples to several yacht manufacturers who are increasingly being asked by their customers about their green credentials and I believe whoever adopts these materials first will get the most mileage out of it.”

He now believes that the possibilities are almost endless. While with Greenlite the natural place to start is in the marine industry, there is little reason that once products are tested by customers they cannot conquer other areas and E Tech is already is discussion with several wind turbine and motorsport companies. Consoles and container units for the construction industry and ‘organic’ brake pads are just some of the concepts that it believes it can bring to market. In fact, it is already involved in providing material for the Belgian company I-CARE, which is in the process of developing a three wheeled electric city car which on a single one hour charge can carry three passengers at a maximum speed of 130km/h for 300km.

The ultimate goal is to make the company a portal for all kinds of bio-based products so exposure on novel new concepts is important chance to demonstrate material properties in the real world. As with many aspects of the industry however, it is a case of ‘watch this space’ to see whether the idea of natural materials really is of widespread appeal.

www.e-tech.eu.com