Back to home

2020 annual and sustainable performance report

Innovative for designing the future

Bio-based Rilsan® Polyamide 11: reduced weight, from the body to the engine block

Bio-based Rilsan® polyamide 11, derived from ricin oil, gives automotive equipment manufacturers an unparalleled solution to the vital challenge of reducing vehicle weight and lowering energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Highly resistant and lighter than steel, aluminum and rubber, Rilsan® polyamide 11 responds to the demand for lighter-weight materials in transportation. In particular, manufacturers use it to make engine hoses, fuel lines and pneumatic braking systems for trucks. Arkema has leveraged its expertise in polyamide 11 to develop specific solutions for different high value-added applications. For example, Rilsan® Matrix composite tapes filled with carbon or glass fibers are designed to replace or combine with metal in structural parts using new and innovative processes. And Rilsan® HT polyphthalamide, with its exceptional temperature resistance (135°C in continuous use), is a popular alternative to metal in fluid transport applications close to the engine, such as cooling circuits.

Rilsan® polyamide is the world’s only

100 % bio-based polyamide.

INDUSTRIAL ADHESIVES: AN ALTERNATIVE TO METALLIC ATTACHMENTS

Attachments are another factor in reducing vehicle weight. For an increasing number of applications, glues and high-performance adhesives are replacing screws, rivets and other mechanical solutions, fulfilling the same functions but with less weight. Bostik’s industrial adhesives business offers a market-leading lineup here, for example with structural adhesive solutions for bonding plastic and metallic parts together. Because of their different nature, these two materials are very difficult to assemble with rivets or welding. Bostik is now the world leader in hot-melt adhesives, which use powder or adhesive film to assemble flexible materials like fabric or foam. These solutions use up to 90% less product than traditional adhesives.

Trimming 100 kilograms off the weight of a car saves 0.40 liters of fuel and 10 grams of carbon per 100 kilometers.

Reducing an airplane’s weight by 1,000 kilograms saves 6,000 tones of jet fuel, or 20,000 tons of carbon, over the plane’s 30- to 40-year lifespan.