Pulp-based lightweight composite structures with EMI shielding function for vehicles (PulpFun) – step 1

The project ran between May 2019 and February 2020.

The automotive industry can contribute significantly to the bioeconomy. However, in Swedish cars few biocomposite products can be found although jute and flax fibres have been used in demo cars. Sweden does not produce jute and flax fibres, instead, huge amounts of pulp fibres which are in many ways interchangeable with plant fibres due to similarity in properties. Increased use of pulp fibres in biocomposites for cars would allow reduced reliance on imported renewable resources and decreased production cost for Swedish car industry. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) becomes more and more dense in modern vehicles. Catastrophic outcomes can occur if the operation of vehicle or its critical safety system and/or electronics implanted in humans are adversely affected by EMI.

The PulpFun project was initiated to address these challenges, aiming at pulp based lightweight multifunctional composites suitable for electrified automotive fleet. The processing technology was developed, which is also feasible to be scaled up. A range of electrical conductivity was achieved, indicating tailorable anti-static and EMI shielding effect.

Participants

RISE SICOMP, Sveaskog, Holmen and PODCOMP.

Budget

The project’s budget was 1 005 000 SEK.