OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED IMPACTS
The development of innovative bio-based composite constituents
The SSUCHY project is positioned on the development of composite constituents, based on a renewable resource (i.e. biopolymers and plant fibre reinforcements) for the development of multifunctional recyclable and/or biodegradable bio-based composites with advanced functionalities for application in different sectors : transportation (ground transportation and aerospace) and high value market niches such as the acoustic and electronics sectors. It is dedicated to the development of specific concepts, technologies and materials to achieve a complete value chain and prove the principle at the scale of product demonstrators.
The SSUCHY project has five core objectives :
> Multifunctional bio-based composites
Leverage the intrinsic properties of plant fibres to realise new functionalities in plant fibre composites and to create new opportunities in high value market niches, for example in next-generation of smart materials.
> Hemp-based competitive reinforcement
Take advantage of the availability and low cost of hemp fibres, along with their technical and environmental-friendly characteristics to market a high-performance plant fibre reinforcement for composite application at a competitive price.
> Hybrid fibre reinforced composites
Use the wide diversity of plant and polymeric fibres to create and design hybrid composites with specific properties and functionalities.
> Bio-based functionalized and optimized polymers for PFCs
Take advantage of availability and versatility of ligno-cellulosic feedstock and the chemical building blocks it provides to develop biopolymers with improved physical properties while remaining essentially recyclable and/or biodegradable.
> Tailored lignin derived monomers for high-grade polymer
Deploy novel new fractionation processes for lignocellulosic biomass to generate tailor lignin-derived monomers suitable for high-grade polymers synthesis.
Increase the sustainability and the competitiveness of European industry
The expected impact is twofold:
To set the basis and validate new bio-based constituents for composites ;
• new hemp reinforcement for composite application with low environmental impact, cost and high technical properties
• new bio-based aliphatic polyester with enhanced thermomechanical properties and still retaining a recyclable and/or biodegradable character
• new bio-based epoxy resin with advanced properties (flame retardancy…) with a high content of carbon from biomass
• new cobalt-free unsaturated polyester resin accelerator which has a low sensitivity to presence of fibre moisture during cure, and is optimized for high durability of the composite
• new bio-based aliphatic polyester with enhanced thermomechanical properties and still retaining a recyclable and/or biodegradable character
• new bio-based epoxy resin with advanced properties (flame retardancy…) with a high content of carbon from biomass
• new cobalt-free unsaturated polyester resin accelerator which has a low sensitivity to presence of fibre moisture during cure, and is optimized for high durability of the composite
• bio-based floor and trim panels for automotive application
• bio-based monocoque scooter frame
• bio-based panels for electric aircraft interiors application and designs of structure parts
• high-performance green loudspeaker system
• bio-based monocoque scooter frame
• bio-based panels for electric aircraft interiors application and designs of structure parts
• high-performance green loudspeaker system
DEMONSTRATION OF BIO-BASED COMPOSITES ADVANCED FUNCTIONALITIES AT THE SCALE OF DEMONSTRATORS
DEMO
Automotive application
Floor and trim panel structures for car
Automotive application
Monocoque structure for electric scooter
Aeronautic application
Cockpit panel for electric aircraft
Audio application
High performance Green Loudspeaker system
NEW COMPOSITES STRUCTURES AND PRODUCTS WITH BIO-BASED CONSTITUENTS
BIO-BASED COMPOSITES AND SANDWICH MATERIALS
COMPOSITES
Hemp woven reinforcement + Polymer materials
SANDWICH
Bio-based core and composite materials
SET THE BASIS AND VALIDATION OF NEW BIO-BASED CONSTITUENTS FOR COMPOSITES
TRANSFORMATION
BIO-BASED POLYMERS
POLYMER MATERIALS
Thermoplastic : aliphatic polyester
| Thermoset : epoxy |
PLANT FIBERS
PRIMARY PROCESSING
Scutched / hackled fibers
> Sliver
> Rovings
> Wrapped rovings
BIOMASS SUPPLY
BIO-BASED POLYMERS
FEEDSTOCK
Wooden materials : saw dust & birch bark
PLANT FIBERS
FEEDSTOCK
Hemp fields > Stems
Workplan
Schematic representation of the project structure and the list of work packages
WORK PACKAGES
Work package 1: Project management and coordination
Leader: UNIVERSITY OF FRANCHE-COMTÉ (France)
WP1 is devoted to the project management and coordination activities. It gives a framework for the project management and strategic decision making.
The main objectives are to:
- support partners in the financial and technical reporting and in monitoring their activities
- implement risk management and quality check
- supervise reports and result assessment.
Contact: Florian Boucherie, email:
florian.boucherie@univ-fcomte.fr
Work package 2: From biomass to building blocks
Leader: STOCKHOLM UNIVERSITY (Sweden)
This WP has the following main objectives:
- evaluate the lignocellulosic feed-stocks which are the most suitable for generating the desired lignin derived monomers
- combine lignocellulosic fractionation and catalysis to obtain monomers with different chemical handles suitable for further functionalization
- functionalization of lignin derived monomers with tailored monomers to produce polymers
- develop a feasible process for the generation of tailored building blocks from lignocellulosic feedstock that is scalable
Contact: Joseph Samec, email: joseph.samec@su.se
Work package 3: From building blocks to polymers
Leader: CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE (France)
The main objective of WP3 is the transformation by chemical processes of bio-based building blocks into functional polymerizable synthons suitable for biocomposite applications. Two routes leading to thermoplastics (aliphatic polyesters) and thermosets (epoxy) polymers are expected. An enhancement of flame retardant properties of target materials will be in particular focused on.
Contacts: Laurent Plasseraud, email: laurent.plasseraud@u-bourgogne.fr
Christophe Thomas, email: christophe.thomas@chimie-paristech.fr
Work package 4: From plant stems to aligned fibres
Leader: ÉCOLE NATIONALE D'INGÉNIEURS DE TARBES (France)
The objective of this work package is to obtain from specially selected hemp varieties a range of yarns with different levels of properties (mechanical, deformability, and surface) and price suited to multiple end uses of composite materials. Different types of yarns will be elaborated, tested and optimised to reach the objective of designing a whole new range of products at both laboratory scale in a first extent and at an industrial state in a second extent. The main challenge of this work package will consist in obtaining yarns within which the mechanical potential of hemp fibres is maximum. To reach this goal, specially selected hemp species associated to newly developed agricultural practices, harvesting, fibre extraction and yarn manufacturing will be considered.
Contact: Pierre Ouagne, email: pierre.ouagne@enit.fr
Work package 5: From aligned fibres to preforms
Leader: ÉCOLE NATIONALE SUPÉRIEURE ARTS INDUSTRIES TEXTILES (France)
WP5 is devoted to the development of preforms from the aligned fibres produced with WP4. The main objectives are:
- establishment of requirements for textile preforms associated to each demonstrators/prototypes;
- identification of the best textile technology to set up the preforms;
- manufacturing textile preforms (2D, 3D);
- mechanical characterization of textile preforms at multiscale level (yarns, fabrics);
-optimization of textile preforms demonstrators.
Contact: Damien Soulat, email: damien.soulat@ensait.fr
Work package 6: Composite manufacturing and basic evaluation
Leader: UNIVERSITY OF DERBY (UK)
WP6 has its focus on the basic evaluation of composite materials manufactured from bio-based constituents. WP6 includes two material manufacturing routes. The first one is the design and manufacturing of composite materials from off-the-shelves constituents. The second one is the manufacturing of composite materials from the constituents (polymers and plant based reinforcements) developed in the WPs 3, 4 and 5. The characterization of both types of composite materials will help to optimize the design and the processing technologies in WPs 3, 4 and 5. Results collected within this WP6 will also allow to select the most effective composite solutions to implement advanced functionalities in WP 7 and WP8 and to select the materials for the demonstrators (WP 9).
Contact: Angelo Maligno, email: a.maligno@derby.ac.uk
Work package 7: Durability enhancement
Leader: KU LEUVEN (Belgium)
WP7 is dedicated to the characterization and improvement of the durability of plant fibre composites.
The main objectives of WP7 are:
- provide proof of concept that durability of natural fibre composites is enhanced when manufactured at equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of their targeted application
- fibre treatments to lower the EMC of hemp fibres
- adaptation of polymer matrices and composite processing to allow processing with damp fibres
- Improvement of fibre-matrix interface to slow down water uptake and to allow processing with damp fibres
- Characterisation and modelling of the creep behavior of fully bio-based sandwich panels
Contact: Aart Willem van Vuure, email: aartwillem.vanvuure@kuleuven.be
Work package 8: Vibro-acoustic control of bio-based components
Leader: UNIVERSITY OF FRANCHE-COMTÉ (France)
WP8 aims at understanding the behaviour of bio-based composite materials in terms of vibration and acoustics in order to design and manufacture efficient structures with increased damping/absorption properties without deterioration of functional properties (static, creep, temperature, fire behaviour).
Contact: Morvan Ouisse, email: morvan.ouisse@univ-fcomte.fr
Work package 9: Technology demonstrators and prototypes
Leader : UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL (UK)
The objective of WP9 is to apply the materials and simulation procedures developed in WP6, WP7 and WP8 into design products and prototypes at TRL 4. The end-user applications that SSUCHY will develop at that specific technology readiness level are: (1) a panel demonstrator related to the interiors of a full electric twin engine aircraft, (2) a high-perfomance green loudspeaker system, (3) a bio-based sandwich panel structure for automotive, (4) a bio-based monocoque structure for electric scooter. WP9 will also provide cross-industry guidelines documents for the efficient use of the SSUCHY bio-sourced material across the businesses.
Contact: Fabrizio Scarpa, email: f.scarpa@bristol.ac.uk
Work package 10: Sustainability, End of Life, Recyclability
Leader: KU LEUVEN (Belgium)
The main objectives of WP10 are:
- to assess the environmental performance of the semi-finished products and the processes developed in this project tomake them, through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach
- to address bottlenecks in the material processing w.r.t. environmental issues and improve them
- to assess the environmental burden and benefits with respect to end-of-life options for the developed materials
- to assess the environmental burden and benefits of the entire life cycle of the 4 key bio-based product demonstrators, including an assessment of their recyclability, with respect to the state-of-the-art products and to improve their composition and design w.r.t. the environmental impact
- to optimise the properties of mechanically recycled Hemp/TP composites
Contact: Karel van Acker, email: karel.vanacker@kuleuven.be
Work package 11: Dissemination and exploitation
Leader: IAR, THE FRENCH BIOECONOMY CLUSTER (France)
Objectives:
This work package aims to promote the action of the project SSUCHY and its results to stakeholders involved in targeted application markets and to the public.
This WP has the following main objectives:
- communicate about the project and its objectives and achievements;
- link the project with ongoing research initiatives and ensure dissemination to the scientific community;
- manage the foreground knowledge and its protection; set the actions for exploitation of results.
Contact: Stéphanie Clément, email: clement@iar-pole.com
GOVERNANCE
The project structure is designed to provide an appropriate level of professional management to mediate efficiently between the different interests and cultures of the partners. The consortium bodies are shown in the following Figure.
Relations between entities within the project
General Assembly
The General Assembly is the main decision-making body. It is composed of one representative per Consortium member.
Executive Board
The Executive Board is the supervisory body for the execution of the project. It is responsible for the scientific overview of the project and for monitoring progress. It provides excellence to the scientific management of the project.
Technology Exploitation Committee
The Technology Exploitation Committee (TEC) is a body that helps the consortium to maximize the chance to exploit the project’s results. It facilitates linkages to industry partners and proposes technology exploitation and transfer policies.
External Expert Advisory Board
The External Expert Advisory Board brings together two experts of bio-based polymers and composites. It provides an external and independent view on the project, critically reviews and gives feedback to the project progress in order to ensure its relevance and excellence and advises the consortium on the scientific topics and orientation.
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Ignaas Verpoest
Hochschule Bremen
Jörg Müssig