Those of you familiar with DuPont know that there are a number of initiatives and products available that contain renewably sourced materials.

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "Those of you familiar with DuPont know that there are a number of initiatives and products available that contain renewably sourced materials."

Transcription

1 Renewably Sourced Products for Automotive DuPont Automotive Webcast hosted by SAE International Nov. 9, 2010 Rick Bell DuPont Automotive Renewably Sourced Materials Marketing Manager Pete Szanto Global Segment Manager Sorona Automotive, DuPont Applied BioSciences Thank you, Lisa I m Rick Bell, renewably sourced materials marketing manager, responsible for initiatives that involve bio-based engineering polymers targeted for use in the global automotive industry. I am joined today by Pete Szanto, global segment manager for our breakthrough Sorona -branded product, again in the automotive industry, primarily in the fibers segment. Those of you familiar with DuPont know that there are a number of initiatives and products available that contain renewably sourced materials. Today we are going to focus on products that are commercial in automotive and readily available immediately for sampling and testing. In addition to being renewably sourced, these products are also providing cost savings and/or improved functionality versus the petroleum based products they are replacing. (slide 2) Most of you are probably familiar with DuPont but as a brief introduction, we have been around for 206 years. We have $30 billion in global revenue of which $6 billion is sold into automotive, making it one of the major market segments for DuPont. The products we sell into automotive are polymers, elastomers, paints and electronics. We are also a world leader in the development of renewable materials. Our CEO told investors this year that we expect to have $1 billion in global revenue from bio-based products by (slide 3) Before we get started, we wanted very briefly mention some terminology. When we refer to something as renewably sourced or bio-based, it means the same thing. Instead of the carbon originating from petroleum millions of years ago, the carbon originated from a plant source, typically within the last year. This is easily verified by carbon 14 dating and there is an ASTM procedure to define how to measure this. Contact: Dial DuPont First

2 A product that is renewably sourced can include biodegradable products that can be broken down over time. But it can also include durable goods that have excellent UV and chemical resistance. The products we will discuss today are all for durable-good type applications, such as automotive. (slide 4) DuPont has a broad offering of products commercial and available today for automotive. These products include: DuPont Sorona polymer, which is a polyester-based product. It can be used as a fiber for interior applications such as carpeting, headliners and seat fabrics. It can also be used for injection molding, such as electronic components or headlight bezels. DuPont Zytel RS renewably sourced nylon includes our long chain polyamides commonly used in automotive for high temperature under the hood type applications. DuPont Hytrel RS renewably sourced thermoplastic elastomers is a thermoplastic that has some elastomeric characteristics such as high flex life along with very high chemical resistance to things such as oils and greases. DuPont Cerenol polyol is a bio monomer used in polyurethanes. DuPont has two separate joint ventures (JV) underway making biofuels. Our research on biofuels is focused on making biobutanol from feedstocks, such as switch grass, and the second JV is making cellulosic ethanol in other words, making ethanol from the corn stalk or husks. (slide 5) The one thing all these products have in common is they can be made from biomass instead of petroleum. They provide a sustainable solution rather than using a limited feedstock. We see a lot of OEMs in the world developing eco-friendly cars. However, the definition of eco-friendly does not need to be specific to a vehicle consuming less petroleum. It can also apply to the materials of construction and the entire life cycle analysis of that vehicle. (slide 6) As previously discussed, the products we will discuss today for engineering polymer type applications fall into three generic product families that include polyesters, thermoplastic elastomers and polyamides. We won t have enough time to cover all the physical properties in detail, so if you need additional information, the websites below are our landing pages where more detailed information is available. Contact: Dial DuPont First

3 Also, while all these products are bio-based, they may not all be 100 percent bio-based. For example, some of the products are copolymers or alloys where a bio-feedstock for some of the components may not have been developed. As we go through the presentation, we will specify the bio-content for each product. We ll get started first on Sorona polymer. (slide 7) For Sorona polymer, the bio-based or renewably sourced content is 37 percent. Even at 37 percent, there are considerable environmental benefits in comparing it to similar products that are 100 percent made from petroleum. For example, Sorona polymer is commercially used as a fiber in automotive and nonautomotive application where it commonly competes with and displaces nylon 6. LCA data has shown that when this is done, there is a significant reduction in green house gas emissions as well as energy consumption. These values can also be quantified. For example, our plant in Louden TN that makes the bio PDO monomer for Sorona polymer is now producing 100 million pounds per year. At that rate, that plant today is saving the energy equivalent of 10 million gallons of gasoline/year. We are also in the process of a major expansion of that plants capacity to meet demand. With all of the products in this presentation, life cycle analysis data has shown they provide significant benefits to the environment. For calculating those benefits, we use the ISO specifications listed here. It is a holistic approach in that everything that impacts the production of that material is taken into consideration. Data is then third-party certified, which means the information does not come just from DuPont, but it is also from third-party experts and our competitors who review the data and agree on final numbers. ISO standards are not the only standard for calculating the LCA, but they are probably the most common for plastics today. If you are interested in learning more and to see how various polymers compare, this link provides more information on a variety of polymers. (slide 8) Sorona polymer is used both for injection molding as well as fiber applications. Let s talk first about the injection molding applications. Sorona EP is a PTT polyester (polytrimethylene terephthalate). Most of you are familiar with PET and PBT polyester. Contact: Dial DuPont First

4 The properties of PTT are very similar to PBT as shown in the spider graph below. It is stronger and stiffer with slightly lower elongation. As compared to PBT, it has a much better surface appearance especially with high glass loadings. It also has slightly lower shrinkage along with lower warpage. And I ll explain the warpage. Warpage occurs with semi-crystalline plastics due to the difference in shrink between the longitudinal flow direction and the transverse flow direction. With Sorona EP, this differential in shrinkage between flow and transverse is significantly less and this in turn, results in lower warpage. This is especially important for many electrical/electronic parts where dimensional tolerance is important. Some of the initial automotive applications under development are also providing cost savings by switching to Sorona EP. For example, there are still a few interior parts that are painted in automotive such as vent louvers. You want the louver blades to be very thin so they don t impede air flow. Therefore, you typically have high glass loadings up to 45 percent - to make them very stiff and strong. The high glass negatively affects the surface finish and for some high-end car models, these vent louvers may be painted. Due to the better surface finish on the Sorona EP, you can eliminate the paint operation which provides a significant cost savings. In addition, your environmental benefits now become much higher because not only are you using a bio-based polymer, but you have also eliminated all the VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions associated with painting. The initial developments underway in automotive with Sorona EP are focused on cost-saving opportunities by taking advantage of the unique attributes PTT offers. (slide 9) The graph here is a comparison in physical properties of common engineering polymers. The first set on the left shows 15-percent glass-reinforced products; and on the right, 30- percent. The green bar is Sorona EP as it compares in strength and stiffness to PBT, PA66 and PA6. As you can see, it compares very favorably to common engineering polymers. We have various grades of unreinforced, medium-toughened and glass-reinforced grades. You can get our product data sheets at our websites for the commercial grades. We also have a wide variety of specialized grades under development so please don t hesitate to contact me if there are some specific performance needs you are trying to meet. I d like to now turn this over to Pete Szanto, global segment manager Sorona Automotive, DuPont Applied BioSciences, who will further discuss Sorona polymer for automotive fiber applications. Contact: Dial DuPont First

5 (slide 10) Sorona is the DuPont brand name for renewably sourced PTT. Like all polyesters it is made from the poly-condensation reaction between a glycol and either an acid or an ester. In the case of Sorona polymer, the glycol is 1,3 propanediol, which is derived from the fermentation of plant sugar. Currently the feedstock for this process is corn sugar, because the fermentation plant is in the U.S., and the most plentiful plant sugar in this country is corn sugar. The polymerization proceeds without a heavy metal catalyst that is typical of PET. The resulting polymer contains 37 percent, by weight, renewably sourced material and - as compared to PET- has an extra carbon in its backbone. The extra carbon changes the morphology of the polymer which results in distinctly different properties such as good stretch and recovery, and nylon-like aesthetics in fiber and fabric form. Even the US FTC (federal trade commission) has recognized that the properties of PTT are significantly different from PET by granting a new generic: triexta. (slide 11) So let me show you some of the properties of Sorona polymer. The top graph depicts recovery from strain of flat yarns of PET PA66 and Sorona polymer. As you can see, Sorona polymer has better than 95 percent recovery from strains of 20 percent. The bottom bar chart shows that the bending modulus of Sorona polymer is about 4 times lower than PET and 20 percent lower than PA66. This translates into softer drapey fabrics. Sorona polymer is dyed with disperse dyes. The schematic chart on the right, shows that Sorona polymer can be dyed at a lower temperature than PET, and depending on the dye, even atmospherically without carriers. All this with better wash fastness. (slide 12) Sorona polymer is currently commercially available globally in various apparel classifications such as active wear, lingerie, swimwear, outerwear and fashion apparel. Unfortunately you cannot see it, but today, I am wearing a Sorona polymer and cotton blend dress shirt. Sorona polymer is also available in Mohawk SmartStrand brand of residential carpets and also in commercial carpets. What may be more relevant to you is that there are carpet mats with Sorona face fiber available in five different vehicle lines. Contact: Dial DuPont First

6 The reason Sorona polymer is used in carpeting is its performance advantages: improved stain resistance vs. PA, significantly better crush resistance and durability vs. PET; and superior softness to both. And of course the sustainability aspect If only 20 percent of the residential carpet sold in the U.S. were made from Sorona polymer, the energy equivalent of approximately 50 million gallons of gasoline would be saved per year. (slide 13) As an example, the Toyota SAI, available in Japan since last November, 60 percent of the interior fabrics use DuPont Sorona polymer. Floor mats are also available in the Prius, and in Honda, Mitsubishi and Nissan models. (slide 14) Sorona polymer commercial automotive applications are growing rapidly. Here are a few reasons The superior dye fastness of Sorona polymer results in lower propensity for cross staining of dyes allowing for greater design flexibility and lower claims. Inherently soil resistant, Sorona polymer requires no surface treatments and cleans easier than nylon. Sorona fibers are more resistant to mold and mildew because they dry faster. Rick will continue with the presentation on Zytel long chain polyamides. (slide 15) Thanks Pete, now let s go back to injection molding applications and discuss our renewably sourced polyamides. This includes PA10,10 that is 100 percent bio-based and PA610 that is 60 percent bio-based. This is also a good illustration to explain why some renewably sourced polymers are 100 percent bio-based and some are less than 100 percent. In the case of PA6,10 which is a copolymer of PA6 and PA10, it is 60 percent bio-based as the PA6 is still petroleum based in this formulation. The 10 portion is bio-based and is derived from the caster plant. Zytel RS nylon is commercial in a variety of applications that include non-automotive products and automotive. PA6,10 and PA10,10 are also referred to as long-chain polyamides as compared to short chain polyamides, which would include PA6 and PA66. The long chain PA products tend to provide higher flexibility and toughness along with superior chemical and hydrolysis resistance, compared to short chain polyamides. Contact: Dial DuPont First

7 They are therefore commonly used in automotive for extruded tubing applications. The long chain PA resins used in the past for these types of extruded tube applications include nylon 11 and 12. What is most important in automotive is that the PA6,10 and PA0,10 may provide costsaving opportunities as compared to PA11 and PA12. Shown here are some of the common applications where long-chain PA resins are commercially used today in automotive. (slide 16) We have a few charts to help compare the physical properties of the various long-chain polyamides. This bar chart compares the tensile modulus and shown below are other key physical properties. Without going into detail, what is most important to note is the PA610 is most similar to PA612 in performance while the PA1010 is very similar to PA11 and PA12. (slide 17) This chart here is a generalized way of comparing various PA resins. It shows as the chain length increases, so do certain other characteristics such as flexibility, moisture and hydrolysis resistance, as well as chemical and stress cracking resistance. Again, the PA610 is similar to PA612 and PA1010 is similar to PA11 and PA12. (slide 18) One of the commercial automotive applications that illustrates both high performance at a cost savings is radiator end tanks. Denso has commercialized our Zytel RS nylon on the Toyota Camry radiator end tank and is in the process of extending this to several car lines. In this case, they were able to displace PA6,12 at a cost savings, while still meeting the performance requirements. PA6,10 and PA6,12 are used due to the high calcium chloride chemical resistance requirements in Japan. But it is also a very demanding application for plastics as it is under the hood exposed to very hot temperatures under high pressure. It illustrates that bio-based polymers can work in automotive under some of the most extreme performance conditions. This specific application won the Society of Plastics Engineers 2009 Most Innovative Use of Plastics award in the environmental category. (slide 19) Let s shift gears now and talk about our Hytrel RS thermoplastic elastomer (TCP/ET). For those who are familiar with standard Hytrel TCP/ET products, the renewably sourced family is nearly identical in its physical properties - so again, you don t need to compromise performance to use a bio-based polymer. Contact: Dial DuPont First

8 Some of the characteristics of Hytrel RS thermoplastic elastomer are that it has excellent elasticity and low-temperature flexibility. Its flex life can be over millions of cycles - similar to elastomers. Hytrel RS thermoplastic elastomer is commercial today in a variety of applications, such as sporting goods where it offers high impact strength, tear strength. In automotive Hytrel TCP/ET has been used for CVJ boots for more than 25 years that means more than 1 billion boots are in service without material failure each surviving 150,000 miles of continuous flexing, pelting and thermal cycling despite exposure to oils, greases and on-road environment. The bio-content of Hytrel RS thermoplastic elastomer today can vary from 20 percent up to 60 percent and I ll explain why. Hytrel TCP/ET is comprised of two different of two different materials where one represents the hard segment and one the soft. It is available in a wide range of hardness and flexibility as the ratio of the hard and soft segment varies. In Hytrel RS thermoplastic elastomer, the bio-portion is the soft segment. Therefore, the softer, more flexible grades have a higher bio-portion than the harder grades. By definition, DuPont does not refer to a polymer as bio-based or renewably sourced unless the content is above 20 percent. (slide 20) This is an example of some of the commercial applications where our standard Hytrel TCP/ET is used today. Therefore, this is an example of the type of applications where Hytrel RS thermoplastic elastomer could be used. We don t have a commercial application today in Hytrel RS thermoplastic elastomer in automotive but we do have several developments underway. At K-show last week, we announced with Takata plans to commercialize Hytrel RS thermoplastic elastomer in an air bag door cover. (slide 21) So, we again thank-you for your time today. The products we discussed are readily available and can be sampled. In addition, DuPont has a large R&D effort underway to bring even more renewably sourced products to the market in the near future. We hope it was clear from this presentation that there is not a need to compromise performance or cost when using DuPont renewably sourced materials. If you have questions that come up in the future, please don t hesitate to contact Pete or me. And, I believe there is time now to take some questions. # # # The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont, Cerenol, Hytrel Sorona and Zytel are registered trademarks or trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates. SmartStrand is a registered trademark of Mohawk Industries. Contact: Dial DuPont First