Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) is involved in a European research project called BIOntier. This project aims to create more sustainable materials than traditional ones, known as biocomposites, for industrial sectors such as automotive, aeronautics, energy storage, and water treatment.
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The materials we develop are not only more environmentally friendly, but also provide advanced technological solutions for the industries that use them.
Álvaro Vaz-Romero, Associate Professor, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
According to the researchers, their qualities, such as lightness, recyclability, and durability when subjected to impacts or high temperatures, provide thermal, mechanical, and chemical capabilities that qualify them as a sustainable alternative to conventional materials.
BIOntier’s biocomposites have a wide range of applications, including vehicle components, battery casings and dashboard panels, aeronautical structures, and industrial equipment designed to meet the thermal and mechanical demands of the industry. They are also utilized as structural impact absorbers to improve collision safety, low-pressure hydrogen storage tanks, and high-pressure tanks to extend the life of purification systems.
Toward a Greener and More Competitive Industry
UC3M is involved in the project as the head of a work package dedicated to the experimental characterization of these materials. This includes designing tests to analyze the performance of the biocomposites under various loading circumstances and operating environments, as well as numerical simulation based on the test results.
Alvaro added, “Our laboratory performs part of these tests, combining experimental analysis and computational simulations to provide a complete picture of the behavior of these materials.”
All of these experiments aim to increase the synthesis and stability of biocomposites while lowering their environmental impact.
Alvaro concluded, “This is in line with the objectives of the circular bioeconomy, promoting sustainable materials that can compete in the global market, facilitating their integration into existing industrial products.”
The BIOntier project (Breaking Frontiers in Sustainable and Circular Biocomposites with High Performance for Multi-Sector Applications), led by the FORTH research center in Greece and funded by more than EUR 7 million (GA 101155925), brings together 25 partners from 12 countries, including universities, research centers, SMEs, and large corporations.