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2020 annual and sustainable performance report

Innovative for designing the future

Focus 5

Rilsan® polyamide 11

A 100% renewable success story

As fossil resources run out, the use of bio-based – and thus renewable – materials is becoming more important than ever for sustainability, both in industry and for the general public. In this respect, Arkema already has a considerable head start with its polyamide 11, and is the only manufacturer to have produced it for seventy years, which it does at its original site at Serquigny (France) using the seeds of the castor plant, a tropical shrub. Rilsan® polyamide 11 is 100% bio-based and offers a very high level of performance. Its lightness, strength, temperature-resistance and ease of implementation are equivalent to or better than those of petroleum-based long-chain polyamides. This unique combination of qualities has ensured its growing success in many industrial applications, from cars to water pipes and even sporting equipment.

Automotive, oil & gas, water system
The incredible range of Rilsan® applications

Rilsan® Polyamide 11, available in different grades, offers a high-performance, bio-based solution for a wide range of industrial applications. This 100% renewable polyamide goes from strength to strength!

Used for coating drinking water pipes, it is an alternative to stainless steel, which has a much greater impact in terms of CO2 emissions.

In the oil industry, it protects underwater pipelines – up to 2,500 meters in length, connected to offshore platforms – from corrosion.

In the automotive industry, the exceptional resistance to high temperatures of Rilsan® HT polyamide (135°C in continuous use) is making it increasingly popular with automotive suppliers as an alternative to metal and rubber in fluid transport applications in the engine environment.

Rilsan® products can be extruded into filament to make textiles used in sports articles such as NOSC -branded yoga clothing and the new 100%-recyclable Cyclon shoe from On Running (see p. 46).

Specific Rilsan® grades are increasingly used in electric vehicle batteries for cooling circuit coatings and electrical conduit ducts.

Recently, it has been developed to protect the inside of hydrogen fuel tanks, owing to its exceptional resistance to pressurized environments of up to 700 bars and to extreme temperature fluctuations.

A transparent version, Rilsan® Clear, has also been marketed for several years to manufacture spectacle frames, smartphone covers and household appliances.

The excellent application properties of Rilsan® polyamide in powder form also make it a material of choice for various 3D printing processes (see p. 28).