Forest products- A component in protection of the underneath of cars

Purpose and goal

Volvo Cars along with most other manufacturers use PVC sealant and attenuation mass in the base treatment ie Underbody Coating, UBC. PVC has, however, been debated long as it is softened with fossil-based phthalates, which are suspected to affect both humans and the environment negatively. The project´s objective has been to highlight the forest raw materials as alternatives to phthalates. As alternatives to the filler calcium carbonate used in the PVC lighter materials based on cellulose or lignin was investigated.

Results and expected effects

Within the framework of this Hypothesis testing project, we have tested the use of forest industry products such as nano-cellulose, lignin, wood flour, pine oil components and other non-health and environmentally hazardous substances in combination with PVC and acrylate. It was shown that the best results were achieved with the combination of lignin-based materials. The project results have been very positive and some material combinations could be tested in real life as a green alternative to today´s existing UBC.

Approach and implementation

The project focuses on developing new materials based on renewable raw materials that can be used in material-intensive products with a long life. Stora Enso raised nano-cellulose materials to be mixed with PVC. Elastopoli used a pilot plant in Sastamala to mix nano-cellulose with PVC and provide the foundation for a UBC. Innventia mixed PVC with lignin and cellulose, and also came up with a variety of material combinations. Volvo Cars and its subcontractor Revocoat evaluated engineered material combinations.