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Tech could transform coal into carbon fiber
TECHNOLOGY
Reinforced Plastics Volume 61, Number 2 March/April 2017
Powder gelcoat has electrical conductivity
TECHNOLOGY
Spanish plastics organisation AIMPLAS has developed a powder gelcoat coating for composites with electrical conductivity properties obtained by incorporating carbonaceous fillers. The new development helps to reduce the curing times from an hour to just a few minutes and eliminating secondary painting stages for the final finish with electrostatic paint, thereby achieving a reduction of the manufacturing costs and raising the production ratio. According to the organisation, the gelcoat is designed for automotive applications, where there is a bid to reduce CO2 emissions. Lightweight composite materials could play a key role in this, but there are still some limitations related to costs and production ratio. In order to overcome these obstacles, AIMPLAS coordinated the European project ECOGEL CRONOS to develop the powder gelcoat coating. The conventional use of this kind of coatings has some important limitations, such as volatile organic compounds (VOC) emission and long curing times. However, by applying this coating on the mould, a reduction of curing times was achieved, from an hour to just a few minutes, as well as a reduction of VOC emissions (thus eliminating styrene emissions) during the coating’s
The new development helps to reduce the curing times from an hour to just a few minutes.
polymerization. Furthermore, its electrical conductivity allows eliminating secondary painting stages for the final finish with electrostatic paint, thereby achieving a reduction of the manufacturing costs and raising the production ratio.
Antistatic properties The coating is reportedly recyclable and any excess applied on the mould can be recovered
by a vacuum system and reused for downstream uses. In addition to the automotive sector, the coatings could also be used in construction, leisure and sports and aviation and wind power industries. In the construction sector, the application of this coating could give antistatic properties to products such as fuel tanks and pipes. AIMPLAS; www.aimplas.net
Tech could transform coal into carbon fiber Engineers from the University of Utah are launching a US$1.6 million project to research how to turn coal-derived pitch into carbon fiber composite material. ‘There’s an abundance of coal and we would like to find an alternative use for it. It is a huge natural resource in the US, and we have a whole coal-mining community that is desperate for a new direction,’ said University of Utah chemical engineering professor Eric Eddings, who leads the research team. ‘If we can find an economical way to use coal to produce carbon fibers and have enough useful products so there can be a market for it, then they have that new direction. And it’s more carbon-friendly than just burning coal in a power plant.’ Typically, when coal is heated it produces hydrocarbon materials that are burned as fuel in the presence of oxygen. But if it is heated in the absence of oxygen the hydrocarbons can be captured, modified and turned into pitch. 82
that is strong and light. Most carbon-fiber composite material is made from a derivative of petroleum known as polyacrylonitrile, but that process is expensive.
Reducing CO2
University of Utah chemical engineering professor Eric Eddings leads the research team.
The pitch can then be spun into carbon fibers used to produce a composite material
While burning coal for power generation produces carbon dioxide (CO2) that is released into the atmosphere, processing coal for carbon fiber produces less CO2, Eddings said. ‘We’re taking the carbon and turning it into carbon fiber, so that’s effectively isolating it from going into the environment,’ he added. With the new Utah grant, Eddings and his team will analyze the makeup of Utah coal to determine how well it can be used for pitch-based carbon-fiber material. Engineers will research the best ways of producing pitch with as little CO2 as possible. University of Utah; www.utah.edu
Reinforced Plastics Volume 61, Number 2 March/April 2017
Powder gelcoat has electrical conductivity
TECHNOLOGY
Spanish plastics organisation AIMPLAS has developed a powder gelcoat coating for composites with electrical conductivity properties obtained by incorporating carbonaceous fillers. The new development helps to reduce the curing times from an hour to just a few minutes and eliminating secondary painting stages for the final finish with electrostatic paint, thereby achieving a reduction of the manufacturing costs and raising the production ratio. According to the organisation, the gelcoat is designed for automotive applications, where there is a bid to reduce CO2 emissions. Lightweight composite materials could play a key role in this, but there are still some limitations related to costs and production ratio. In order to overcome these obstacles, AIMPLAS coordinated the European project ECOGEL CRONOS to develop the powder gelcoat coating. The conventional use of this kind of coatings has some important limitations, such as volatile organic compounds (VOC) emission and long curing times. However, by applying this coating on the mould, a reduction of curing times was achieved, from an hour to just a few minutes, as well as a reduction of VOC emissions (thus eliminating styrene emissions) during the coating’s
The new development helps to reduce the curing times from an hour to just a few minutes.
polymerization. Furthermore, its electrical conductivity allows eliminating secondary painting stages for the final finish with electrostatic paint, thereby achieving a reduction of the manufacturing costs and raising the production ratio.
Antistatic properties The coating is reportedly recyclable and any excess applied on the mould can be recovered
by a vacuum system and reused for downstream uses. In addition to the automotive sector, the coatings could also be used in construction, leisure and sports and aviation and wind power industries. In the construction sector, the application of this coating could give antistatic properties to products such as fuel tanks and pipes. AIMPLAS; www.aimplas.net
Tech could transform coal into carbon fiber Engineers from the University of Utah are launching a US$1.6 million project to research how to turn coal-derived pitch into carbon fiber composite material. ‘There’s an abundance of coal and we would like to find an alternative use for it. It is a huge natural resource in the US, and we have a whole coal-mining community that is desperate for a new direction,’ said University of Utah chemical engineering professor Eric Eddings, who leads the research team. ‘If we can find an economical way to use coal to produce carbon fibers and have enough useful products so there can be a market for it, then they have that new direction. And it’s more carbon-friendly than just burning coal in a power plant.’ Typically, when coal is heated it produces hydrocarbon materials that are burned as fuel in the presence of oxygen. But if it is heated in the absence of oxygen the hydrocarbons can be captured, modified and turned into pitch. 82
that is strong and light. Most carbon-fiber composite material is made from a derivative of petroleum known as polyacrylonitrile, but that process is expensive.
Reducing CO2
University of Utah chemical engineering professor Eric Eddings leads the research team.
The pitch can then be spun into carbon fibers used to produce a composite material
While burning coal for power generation produces carbon dioxide (CO2) that is released into the atmosphere, processing coal for carbon fiber produces less CO2, Eddings said. ‘We’re taking the carbon and turning it into carbon fiber, so that’s effectively isolating it from going into the environment,’ he added. With the new Utah grant, Eddings and his team will analyze the makeup of Utah coal to determine how well it can be used for pitch-based carbon-fiber material. Engineers will research the best ways of producing pitch with as little CO2 as possible. University of Utah; www.utah.edu