As the transportation sector strives to reduce carbon emissions, the consortium aims to address the demand for new vehicles while meeting environmental targets by replacing traditional plastics with renewable alternatives.
Sonichem's innovative ultrasonic biorefining technology extracts high-quality, low molecular weight lignin from UK-sourced biomass, setting the stage for a shift away from energy-intensive bioprocessing.
The CARMA (carbon-neutral agroforestry-derived resins to materials for automotive applications) project, funded by Innovate UK's 'Resource efficiency for materials and manufacturing' competition, involves collaboration with industry leaders to develop bio-based feedstocks, creating a resilient lignin supply chain for net-zero vehicle manufacturing.
The project includes partners such as the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), Scott Bader, the National Composites Centre (NCC), Polestar, and SHD Composites, with each contributing expertise to develop cost-effective, high-performance bio-derived resin formulations for automotive applications.
The project began in October 2023, and Sonichem hopes to pave the way for their lignin to decarbonize various industries while stimulating investment in the UK's bioeconomy. Stay tuned for updates on this groundbreaking initiative.
