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AIST:Research Highlights, Use of Wood-derived Car Body Parts to Realize Eco-friendly Cars

Materials and Chemistry
Use of Wood-derived Car Body Parts to Realize Eco-friendly Cars
EBINA Takeo, ISHII Ryo
Research Institute for Chemical Process Technology

Making automobile hood and interior parts from cedar

Interior and exterior automotive parts manufactured from glass fiber-reinforced plastic that uses modified lignin sourced from cedar as the resin component were mounted on an actual vehicle for the first time in the world and evaluation tests have commenced.

Figure: Prototype vehicle that uses modified lignin for interior and exterior parts
Prototype vehicle that uses modified lignin for interior and exterior parts

Focus on lignin, which was difficult to commercialize

Lignin is one of the main components of wood (representing approximately 30%), and has a chemical structure containing aromatic rings. Materials with aromatic rings have the potential to display excellent heat resistance, flame retardancy and so on, but despite this, as yet there has been no full-scale commercialization of materials that employ lignin.

Photo: lignin

Development of glass fiber reinforced plastic derived from lignin

Glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) that uses modified lignin developed by the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI) as the resin component and a manufacturing process for that GFRP were developed. GFRP performance was evaluated in cooperation with the private sector, and the results showed that GFRP using modified lignin has a tensile modulus 10 to 20% better than that of conventional GFRP. In addition, the tensile modulus following an accelerated aging test corresponding to a 20-year period was also higher than that of conventional GFRP. Further advantages were also confirmed, such as almost no generation of volatile organic compounds, and almost no shrinkage during molding.

Photo: GFRP

Will cedar-derived eco-friendly automobiles achieve brand value in the 2020s?

Changes in the developed automotive interior and exterior parts due to ultraviolet light, temperature changes, and other factors are currently being monitored, and no defects or degradation have been confirmed so far. Our aim is to achieve brand value as eco-friendly automobiles that use modified lignin by 2022.

Photo: EBINA Takeo

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