BIOCOMPOSITES

SPDG’s commitment to sustainable technologies, especially those agriculturally based, has inevitably drawn it to the field of bio-composites. Bio-composites are viewed as the natural successor to glass reinforced plastics (“GRP”) for a number of reasons including cost, performance characteristics and environmental concerns.

SPDG’s agronomists have been working with a number of natural fibres such as Kenaf, hemp, flax, jute, sisal and ramie for many years. SPDG understands what it takes to produce Kenaf, the optimum fibre for many industrial applications, in the specific indigenous conditions experienced in Africa and Europe.

The advantage of natural fibres composites for the automotive industry, for instance, is that it allows tier one suppliers to produce interior trim components that are lighter, stronger, less expensive and far more easily recyclable than GRP or phenolic resin based materials. This is increasingly important as European legislation forces manufacturers to produce more and more recyclable/bio-degradable vehicles.

Other applications include pelletisation of natural fibre/polymer blends, which provides an extrusion and injection moulding capability to the technology. SPDG’s objective is to become the first company to control the entire production chain, from the growing of the natural fibre crop, through processing the fibre, to producing the non-woven materials. SPDG will provide technical expertise to customers for the utilisation of these materials in advanced one step moulding processes.

By taking a vertically integrated approach the aim is to remove this risk for the OEM in the supply chain. SPDG’s strategy is also to enable the tier one suppliers to increase quality while decreasing costs. The major car companies have rapidly adopted bio-composites in both Europe and North America due to their superior performance characteristics and their cost competitiveness.