Greening the Blue Oval: Building the Bio-based Automobile Deborah Mielewski, PhD Senior Technical Leader Materials Sustainability
Ford s Rich History in Bio-Materials
Our vision for the 21 st century is to provide SUSTAINABLE transportation that is affordable in every sense of the word: Environmental Economic Social while the automobile provided tremendous benefits to mankind in the 20th century, it also had a major negative impact on the environment. To be considered a leader in corporate citizenship, an automobile company must demonstrate leadership in addressing environmental concerns. - Bill Ford
SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS STRATEGY Increasing our use of recycled materials Continuing to develop plant-based renewable materials Eliminating substances of concern Addressing end-of-life impacts through improved recyclability Working with environmentally and socially friendly suppliers
SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS IN FORD VEHICLES Plastics from post-consumer recycled waste, such as carpet, beverage bottles, tires and battery casings. Work closely with suppliers to recycle aluminum scraps from the production of the 2015 Ford F-150 to make more vehicles. The average Ford vehicle uses 20 40 pounds of renewable materials. Soy-oil based foams, seals and gaskets, castor-oil based PA11 and foams, and natural fiber reinforced plastics.
SUSTAINABILITY IN AUTOMOTIVE COMP. This global trend is an opportunity. There are strong industry efforts for cost effective ways of improving the environmental footprint of composites. New functionalities and applications.
Bio-Materials: Why Now? Increased use of renewable feedstocks and agricultural products Use of recycled or waste products Reduce dependence on petroleum Improved LCA-better for the earth Improved performance in select functions Increased MATERIAL CHOICE Increased consumer awareness Some are LIGHTWEIGHT Revenue for famers
Sustainable Materials-Technical Challenges Automotive environment -40 C to 85 C to 130 C 10+ years / 120,000+ miles Appearance requirements New failure modes possible Multiple processing methods Natural Fibers are hydrophilic: Issues of compatibility with polymers Natural Fibers are hygroscopic i.e. sensitive to humidity: processability - porosity issues Limited thermal stability: Fiber degradation during processing.
What is Soy Foam?
Key Technical Challenges Formulations: Optimizing formulation for levels of soy used Balancing gel/blow reactions for soy formulation Blend stability between bio-polyol and petroleum-polyol Odor: Odor of blown soy oil and resulting foam Properties: Passing material specifications Meeting performance and plant requirements
One of the first soy-based foams!
Soy Foam Journey Model U concept vehicle Completed MDI trials & testing with Lear & Bayer Materials Engineering approval TDI Component approval; Processing Evaluation completed 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 R&A initiates research project on soy foam United Soybean Board awards R&A 3yr. $230k grant Completed TDI trials & testing with Lear & Renesol Press release on Mustang soy foam seats
Implementation of Soy Foam on 2008 Mustang Seat supplier: Lear Corporation Applications: seat cushion & back Times Square, New York, July 2007
Ford Press and Awards
Success: Soy Foam migration 100% There are 31,251 soybeans used in a typical Ford vehicle for seat cushions and backs
Next Up for Sustainable Foam Alternative Feedstocks North America Soy in excess Castor oil Algae oil Canola oil Europe Concerns about GMOs Rapeseed oil Asia Pacific / Africa Soy important food staple Palm oil Use of nanomaterials as performance modifiers in biobased flexible polyurethane foams. CO 2
Implementation of Wheat Straw on 2010 Ford Flex with IAC Wheat Straw Wheat Straw / Polypropylene Composite Wheat Straw Composite Quarter Trim Bin reduces petroleum usage by some 20,000 pounds per year and reduces CO 2 emissions by 30,000 pounds per year
Implementation of Cellulose Fiber December, 2013 with JCI 2 Structure 1 Origin Cellulose is extracted from sustainably grown and harvested trees and related forestry byproducts, such as chips Cellulose fiber, found in plants and trees, is one of the most common organic compounds in the world. Its fiber provides excellent reinforcement for plastic composites 4 Implementation 3 Performance The first use of cellulose fiber for a structural component to be announced soon Ford has validated cellulose reinforced plastics supplied by forest products leader Weyerhaeuser for performance, durability, and thermal resistance for interior components
Implementation of Rice Hulls launched on 2014MY F150 with RheTech 45,000 pounds of hulls used in the first year. PP compound reinforced with rice hulls is being used to replace talc reinforced PP in an electrical support bracket in the Ford F-150.
Positive press Pulp Function: Ford and Weyerhauser collaborate To deliver automotive applications using natural fibers Built Ford Green: Sustainable Materials Make America s Best-Selling Truck Environmentally Friendly and Tough Car parts made from cash? nbcnews.com Ford spills Coca-Cola technology all over its new car seats Weeds are the Champions That Ford, it smells like money! WSJ.com
Sustainable Materials Research castor wheat straw Oat hulls soy coconut bamboo palm algae Bio-based Foams cellulose Natural Fiber Composites jeans bottles fermentation sugarcane money corn dandelion Recycled Materials Bio-based Resins
FORD : MICRO AND NANOCELLULOSE RESEARCH CP UFC CF NFC CNC TRANSVERSE SECTION CELL WALL STRUCTURE CELLULOSE FIBRILS INDIVIDUAL MICROFIBRIL CELLULOSE MICROSTRCUTURE CELLULOSE MOLECULE SUGAR UNIT 10 cm 100 µm 10 µm 1 µm 10 nm 1 nm 1 Å CURRENT APPLICATIONS TARGET APPLICATIONS FPInnovations; Lin and Dufresne 2014
JOSE CUERVO TEQUILA AND BLUE AGAVE Cuervo has been making tequila since 1795 Largest tequila maker in the world Takes 7 years to grow ~8% weight save over talc filled TPO Farm-to-car parts Local supply chains Provides low cost filler for Ford Revenue stream for JC and farmers
AN EMERGENCY: OCEAN PLASTIC POLLUTION The amount of plastic entering the ocean in the year 2010 alone is estimated at 4.7 to 12.7 million tonnes. Research and development propositions at the material design level and circular economy solutions include making car parts from recycled ocean plastics? Grantham Institute 2016; The Soneva Dialogue 2016
Plant PET Collaborative PTC Mission: To lead the acceleration of knowledge and technology to enable commercially viable, scalable, sustainably sourced, affordable, 100% plant-based PET before 2020.
Ford is a founding member of the Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance, working together with WWF and seven other leading brands to encourage the responsible development of plant-based plastics
Do Sustainable Materials Sell Cars? Not directly yet, but. brand image value protecting the business for future unknowns reduce environmental impact next generation of customers
The Power of Collaboration Farmers Research Universities Resin Producer Chemical Companies NGOs Tier 1 Non- Competing Partners
Whether you believe you can or believe you can t, either way you re right -Henry Ford THANK YOU!
Farm to Car A collaboration with the NY Times' T Brand Studio, this short film documents Ford's recent success with incorporating green technology and sustainable plantbased materials into the production of their cars. Ford: #FarmToCar on Vimeo 33