Ford Turns to Wheat Straw to Reinforce Plastic in 2010 Flex and Cut Petroleum Use
By Scott Doggett November 12, 2009
A couple of months ago we reported on Ford Motor Co.'s "bio-babes," the five highly educated female scientists who comprise the automaker's Biomaterials and Plastics Research team.
You might recall that their accomplishments included development of soy-based components that have since been installed in 1.5 million vehicles. With soy-based material making up about 40 percent of the foam used in such items as head restraints and armrests, Ford saves about a pound of petroleum for each car.
Today we are delighted to report that the scientists have "done it again," teaming with academic researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and parts supplier A. Schulman to develop and use wheat straw-reinforced plastic in Ford vehicles.
This world-first application, which is on the third-row storage bins of the 2010 Ford Flex, will reduce petroleum usage by 20,000 pounds per year and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 30,000 pounds per year, the automaker reported.
Moreover, Ford said it expects to expand the use of the material across multiple models in the company's quest to reduce its demand on petroleum-based products.
In addition to soy-based polyurethane seat cushions, seatbacks and headliners, Ford's sustainable-materials portfolio includes post-industrial recycled yarns for seat fabrics, and post-consumer recycled resins for underbody systems, such as the new engine cam cover on the 2010 Ford Escape's 3.0-liter V-6 engine.
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