Bio4self, which includes Fraunhofer ICT (Pfinztal, Germany) and the RWTH Aachen Institute of Textile Technology, combined two PLA grades with different melting temperatures. The material creates a self-reinforced composite because the higher melting PLA is embedded as a reinforcing fiber in the lower melting matrix.
The material can replace current, self-reinforced polypropylene composites with comparable mechanical strength, rigidity and temperature and hydrolytic stability.
The seat won the JEC Innovation Award for sustainability, which was handed out on March 12th.