A consortium led by sustainable technology innovator Sonichem (formerly Bio-Sep, Southampton, U.K.) has been granted nearly £600,000 in funding from Innovate UK’s “resource efficiency for materials and manufacturing” (REforMM) program. The funding will accelerate the development of the proprietary Sonichem ultrasound technology and the production of renewable, cost-effective alternatives to petrochemicals commonly used in the production of plastics, resins and composites within the automotive industry.

The “carbon-neutral agroforestry-derived resins to materials for automotive applications” (CARMA) project will apply Sonichem’s ultrasonic processing technique to automotive applications for the first time. The patented approach converts sawdust, the biomass byproduct from forestry operations, into high-quality lignin. This renewable material will then serve as the basis for bio-based platform chemicals, creating green alternatives to conventional petrochemical-derived materials currently used to produce various vehicle components.

This initiative is being undertaken in collaboration with technology innovation catalyst CPI, the National Composites Centre (NCC), Scott Bader, SHD Composites and Polestar, with each industry leader contributing its own specialized knowledge and expertise. In particular, CPI will support scale-up of the Sonichem technology; Scott Bader will pioneer the development of high-performance, sustainable composite resin formulations; and the NCC, SHD Composites and Polestar will together explore the potential of these novel materials for automotive interiors applications.

The CARMA project aligns with the UK government’s focus on resource-efficient, sustainable industrial materials as it aims to significantly reduce the U.K.’s reliance on imported composite materials, which currently amounts to approximately £250-260 million per year. The newly awarded funding from Innovate UK will enable the international consortium to establish a robust and renewable lignin supply chain within the U.K. and accelerate the formulation of sustainable plastics and resins that contribute to steering the automotive industry toward a net-zero future and enhancing the country’s bioeconomy.

Read more about this partnership on the new Sonichem website.

For related content, read “Bio-Sep propels sustainable composites development via forestry-produced biochemicals.”