Bio-based fire-retardant thermoplastic composites reinforced with natural fibres.

ongoing

One of the specific impacts of CBE JU programme is to replace at least 30% of fossil-based raw materials with bio-based and biodegradable ones by 2030, potential scope for bioplastics manufacturing processes is foreseen in the coming decade. The urgent need of increasing sustainability has also affected flame retardants. During the last decades, the number of studies based on developing bio-based flame retardants has increased considerably together with their incorporation in formulations based on bio-based polymers. However, the use of bio-based flame retardants with bio-based polymers has not been properly covered. The THERMOFIRE project aims to be a pioneer in this field, consequently, the flame retardancy of the 100% bio-based composites will be deeply developed and investigated. Fire retardancy is a key property of materials used for applications in the automotive, aerospace and textile sectors due to the need to minimize fire risk and meet safety requirements. In the THERMOFIRE project up to 100% bio-based polymers will be reinforced with different natural fibers (e.g., regenerated cellulose from wood and commercial flax) and bio-based flame retardants aiming at giving excellent flame retardancy to the final bio-based thermoplastic (TP) composites. The innovation of THERMOFIRE relies on the development of high-performance composites with a 20% reduction in weight and 15% in cost while maintaining the required levels of safety suitable for applications under stringent operating conditions. THERMOFIRE project represents a genuine opportunity to remove Europe’s dependence on imports of fossil-based polymers for stringent operating conditions in the aerospace, automotive and textile sectors.