Greening the Blue Oval: Building the Bio-based Automobile Deborah Mielewski, PhD Senior Technical Leader Materials Sustainability Ford Motor Company
Ford’s Rich History in Bio-Materials Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
Our vision for the 21 st century is to provide SUSTAINABLE transportation that is affordable in every sense of the word: Economic Environmental 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 Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
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. Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
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. Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
Bio-Materials: Why Now? Increased use of renewable feed- stocks 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 Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
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. Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
What is Soy Foam? Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
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 Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
One of the first soy-based foams! Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
Soy Foam Journey Completed MDI trials & testing with Lear & Component Bayer approval; Processing Evaluation Materials completed Engineering Model U concept approval TDI vehicle 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 R&A initiates Completed TDI trials & research project on testing with Lear & soy foam Renesol United Soybean Board Press release on awards R&A 3yr. $230k Mustang soy grant foam seats Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
Implementation of Soy Foam on 2008 Mustang Seat supplier: Lear Corporation Applications: seat cushion & back Times Square, New York, July 2007 Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
Ford Press and Awards
Success: Soy Foam migration There are 31,251 soybeans used in a typical Ford vehicle for seat cushions and backs 100% Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
Next Up for Sustainable Foam Alternative Feedstocks North America Use of nanomaterials as Soy in excess performance modifiers in bio- Castor oil based flexible polyurethane foams. Algae oil Canola oil Europe Concerns about GMOs Rapeseed oil Asia Pacific / Africa Soy important food staple Palm oil CO 2 Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
Implementation of Wheat Straw on 2010 Ford Flex—with IAC Wheat Straw / Polypropylene Wheat Straw Composite Composite Quarter Trim Bin Wheat Straw reduces petroleum usage by some 20,000 pounds per year and reduces CO 2 emissions by 30,000 pounds per year Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
Implementation of Cellulose Fiber December, 2013—with JCI Structure 2 Cellulose fiber, found in plants and trees, is one of the most common organic compounds in the world. Its fiber provides excellent 1 Origin reinforcement for plastic composites Cellulose is extracted from sustainably grown and harvested trees and related forestry byproducts, such as chips 3 Performance 4 Implementation Ford has validated cellulose The first use of reinforced plastics – supplied by cellulose fiber for forest products leader a structural Weyerhaeuser – for component to be performance, durability, and announced soon thermal resistance for interior components Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
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. Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
Positive press “ Pulp Function : Ford and Weyerhauser collaborate To deliver automotive applications using natural fibers” “ Built Ford Green : Sustainable “Car parts made from cash?” Materials Make America’s Best-Selling nbcnews.com Truck Environmentally Friendly and Tough” “Ford spills Coca-Cola technology all over its new car seats” “Weeds are the Champions… “That Ford, it smells like money!” WSJ.com Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
Sustainable Materials Research castor wheat straw Oat hulls soy bamboo coconut palm cellulose algae Natural Fiber Composites Bio-based Foams sugarcane bottles fermentation jeans money dandelion corn Recycled Materials Bio-based Resins
FORD : MICRO AND NANOCELLULOSE RESEARCH CP UFC CF NFC CNC TRANSVERSE CELL WALL CELLULOSE INDIVIDUAL CELLULOSE SUGAR CELLULOSE SECTION STRUCTURE FIBRILS MICROFIBRIL MICROSTRCUTURE UNIT MOLECULE 10 cm 100 µm 10 µm 1 µm 10 nm 1 nm 1 Å CURRENT APPLICATIONS TARGET APPLICATIONS FPInnovations; Lin and Dufresne 2014 Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
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 Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
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 Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
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 Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
The Power of Collaboration Farmers Universities Research Resin Chemical Producer 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! Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
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 plant- based materials into the production of their cars. Ford: #FarmToCar on Vimeo 33 Ford Motor Company Biomaterials Research Group
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