JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #80 - April 2013 - 28

biocomposites

Biocomposites: double-digit growth
per annum over the next 10 years
Biocomposites have been available in the market for a number of
years now. Although likely to remain negligible over the medium
term compared to other types of composites, their volume has finally
started to increase significantly, faster than the growth of composites
in general. Bioplastics are still under-used as matrices, but their
volumes are also increasing.

A

s is often the case
when one talks about
composites, the definition is especially important for
defining a market. Here, we will
use the following definition of a
biocomposite: a composite that
contains biosourced fibres. The
fibres can be from wood, plants
(abaca, bamboo, hemp, coir,
cotton, pineapple leaves, jute,
kapok, kenaf, flax, ramie, and
sisal) or, rarely, animals (sheep’s
wool, alpaca wool, feathers,
etc.).

The market
The global biocomposite
market is growing, thanks to
regulatory positions on C02
emissions and to the advances
made by raw material producers in terms of the selected
varieties of natural fibres, the
available semi-finished products, traceability and consistent
quality, with batches now being
considerably more homogeneous.

For this market, Table 1 breaks
down the volume consumed
in the European Union –
extended to Norway and
Switzerland – into biocomposite technology and type
(source: Nova-Institute 2011).
The main application sectors
are automotive and building &
construction. Annual growth
for biocomposites is expected
to be roughly 11% from 2010
to 2020, increasing from

362,000 metric tons (MT) to
920,000; compare this to the
3% estimated annual growth
for composites in general in
Europe (other sources estimate
5% instead). The proportion of
biocomposites (14% in 2010)
in total composites is particularly high here, compared to
other biomaterial sectors (biosourced plastics represent less
than 1% of total plastics). One
reason for this growth, over and

above the regulatory aspect, is
that some biocomposite solutions are becoming more and
more economically competitive with traditional solutions.
Another is that the value chains
have become organized. But
it is especially the dramatic
rise in the use of wood plastic
composites (WPC) that should
help to push consumption up
to 920,000 MT by 2020, accounting for 600,000 of that, or

Tab. 1: Biocomposites in EU 2010 in kT (metric tons)
Source: Nova-Institute 2010 & 2011, AMI 2011, AVK 2010, Ellis. P. 2010

Biocomposites in EU 2010
(in kT - Metric tons)

Estimated quantities
in the EU in 2010

EU forecast for 2020
(under favourable
political framework)

Compression moulding

190

370

with natural fibres (flax, hemp, kenaf, jute, sisal,
abaca, coir): more than 95% automotive

40

120

with cotton fibres: automotive, mainly lorries

100

100

with wood fibres (WPC): mainly automotive

50

150

Extrusion and injection moulding

172

550

Wood plastic composites (WPC): construction, furniture,
automotive, consumer goods

167

450

Natural fibre reinforced plastics: construction, furniture,
consumer goods

5

100

Biocomposites in total

362

920

Composites in total (glass, carbon, natural fibres and wood)

2,500

3,200

28 jec composites magazine / No80 April 2013
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #80 - April 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #80 - April 2013
