r-LightBioCom and the reduction of the environmental impact of HPCs, the new composites

Aciturri participates in the r-LightBioCom project, New bio-based and sustainable Raw Materials enabling Circular Value Chains of High Performance Lightweight BioComposites; with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of new composite materials, not only during their production, but also during their operational life and subsequent recycling.

Coordinated by the Spanish research center AITEX, the project brings together 15 multidisciplinary players from research and the automotive, aeronautics and construction industries across Europe, promoting a paradigm shift in the existing value chains for advanced lightweight composites.

r-LightBioCom has been selected under the EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme to develop new bio-based HPC (High Performance Composites) with significantly reduced environmental impact throughout their entire life cycle, together with technologies and tools for sustainable composite design, modeling and processing. Importantly, new lightweight HPC and sustainable processing technologies bring huge environmental and performance benefits in all application areas, although they are currently limited to large sectors due to long processing times, high costs and low recyclability.

To exceed these limitations, r-LightBioCom proposes a paradigm shift in the way HPCs are manufactured and recycled, sustainable-by-design production of lightweight HPC. The project will enable new circular value chains, reducing the use of fossil resources as well as the generation of HPC waste, thus contributing to the EU greenhouse gas emission compliance targets for 2050. In this way, r-LightBioCom will contribute to creating new resilient, sustainable and innovative value chains in the European HPC industry.

A catalog of new advanced HPC materials will be developed, and will consist of at least:

1. Three (3) new types of bioresins.
2. Four (4) new biomass-derived nanofillers and additives; and
3. Three (3) families of sustainable fiber-based textile products.

PTo reduce the current associated manufacturing costs, as well as high energy consumption and emissions, two (2) new fast and efficient curing techniques combined with recycling technologies will be developed for the new material portfolio.

In addition, standardization of design, modeling and optimization will be promoted; thanks to the development of "open" methodology and associated tools. This will lead to continued sustainable growth of the portfolio and the inclusion of new families of lightweight, recyclable and bio-based HPCs at a more competitive cost.

The consortium, led by Aitex, is formed by Acciona Construcción, Centro Ricercje FIAT, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Hochschule Kaiserslautern, Coventry University, Leibniz-Institut für Verbundwerkstoffe GmbH, DLR and CIDAUT; in addition to AEP Polymers, Feyecon, FECSA and Aciturri.

Our task is to contribute, thanks to our experience in the use and manufacture of composite materials for aeronautics, in the characterization of the new materials developed. We will also carry out a use case, to verify the validity of the new components and the fulfillment of the performance required for their implementation in the aviation sector.

The project, funded by the European Commission with 4.2 million euros for the next three and a half years, started on January 1, 2023 and will last until June 30, 2026.

Information on the project progress >>> http://www.r-lightbiocom.eu/