Besides automakers' lightweighting efforts, they're also interested in reducing sound and vibration, both inside and outside the vehicle. A renewable version of Dow Automotive Systems' polyurethane cavity sealing Betafoam system, which achieves both, is now on the market.
Dow's new product, Betafoam Renue, is made with 25 percent renewable materials based on soybean oil, Allan James, performance systems marketing manager for Dow Automotive Systems, told us. It's a two-part polyurethane rigid foam system that offers the same performance as the existing Betafoam system, which is made with low-emissions MDI (methylene diphenyl disocyanate), an ingredient used in polyurethane manufacturing. Renue is 25 percent less dense, however, at a nominal density of 1.45 gm/cc versus BETAFOAM's 2.0 gm/cc.
A renewable version of Dow Automotive Systems' polyurethane cavity sealing BETAFOAM system can help cars lose weight and cut noise. (Source: Dow Automotive Systems)
The existing Betafoam 89100 and 89120 products are helping 30 cars now in production lose weight. These include the BMW X3, Dodge Charger, Audi R8, Cadillac CTS, Buick Enclave, and Lamborghini Gallardo. "We've been in this market for about 15 years or so," said James. "With Betafoam Renue, we hope to replace the 89100 and 89120 products first in those models, and then move to others that don't use Betafoam now." The new material has been in trials since October 2011.
Typically, Betafoam is used to seal vehicle cavities, such as A, B, and C pillars and rocker panels to reduce air and road noise and vibration, as well as resonance buildup within the cavity-filler location. It improves acoustical performance by between 1dB and 5dB. Betafoam can completely fill complex, three-dimensional crevices because it is pumped into the cavity, leading to much lower leakage.
The new Renue product can also be processed within the same process window, a critical issue for automakers. "Our customers who are replacing with the Renue product want to know that we can process it within the same temperature versus rate window," said James. "We not only match the window of current production, but with Renue there's a broader window of processing temperature by rate: we can run lower rates and temperatures."
Earlier this year, in a talk he gave at the Applied Market Information Bioplastics Compounding and Processing 2012 Conference, James detailed the performance and processing advantages of Betafoam over traditional baffles. The results of a repeatability side-by-side analysis on 25 production vehicles showed fewer leaks and lighter weight with the cavity sealing foam system, and a potential mass savings of up to 30 percent, depending on cavity size. Lower material viscosity and faster reactivity produced additional manufacturing efficiencies.
Renue was developed partly with a grant from the United Soybean Board. Since it's derived from oils, not soy protein, it does not affect food crop production, said James. "This is an industrial product, more of a byproduct of food production."
The amount of corn grown for and used in non-food and non-ethanol uses is truly astonishing, since some of that corn could be feeding people or animals instead of driving up demand and therefore prices. OTOH, corn grown for animal food is a different variety from corn grown for people food.
I think quibbling over whether cooking oil is food diverts from the real issue of why we're talking about food crops, which is, as you mention, the impact on the food supply. Regardless of how we define food, the fact is that cooking oils do not sustain life, but soybeans and corn do. The point in the "not from food crops" discussion is whether a bioplastic feedstock comes directly from a food crop that could have fed people--and thus helps drive up its price, making it harder for them to eat--or indirectly from a byproduct of food production. The most byproduct-y byproduct would be trash or waste from that food crop's production, so the food crop goes directly to feeding people and a waste product, such as corn husks or cobs, from that same crop went to produce the bioplastic.
I also love to see technology trying to find a way to use this waste material. I am interested in how the material goes from byproduct to foam. In the case of ethanol they are trying to take the energy out of the corn stocks to make a fuel. In this case it sounds like they have a greater chance of success because it doesn't sound like the chemical composition is as critical. Perhaps I am simplifying it a little bit, but it does sound promising.
Currently, there are several different technolgies trying to find a use for that waste material. Especially in the area of corn. However, with the creation of ethonal the density of that material makes it difficult. As well as the amount of material that must be used to create something like ethonal. Farmers would love to find a way to make use of this material. It will be neat to see if they can come up with something like this that will be profitable for all.
Technology has also made it possible for more corn on corn. So storage has become more of an issue. Corn is more profitable. But if you can't store it, you have to sell it at a lower price.
Interesting article Ann. I'll have to get me some.
One thing to be aware of is trapping water next to metal that foam used like this can cause.
As for the food vs fuel debate almost no food is not being made because of biofuels. Why is the acreage has increased as has the yield/acre that is far above what is used for biofuels.
Next only part of the crop is used. When making ethanol one also has dried mash which is a higher quality food for animals or humans. Plus one gets .5gal corn oil, stalks, cobs to spread the EROI, ROI making ethanol more eff than gasoline if you use their EROI method for both.
As for soy again only part of the plant, the oil is used but you still have bean meal and just as important the N2 in the soil it grew in. One normally rotates 1 soy, one corn crop for this and other reasons. Again acreage for soy has increased from non used lands and yields have increased.
One should also know a good part of the corn crop goes for chemical production, more than feeding cattle, etc or ethanol uses.
Fact is we grow far more than we need which is good because the rest of the world is going to need it and we need the cash. So likely many more new acres and yield increases are in our future.
Myself as many know drive my EV's at 25% of a similar fueled car all costs included. But for national and economic security we need biofuels and other ones like fuels from plastics. other wastes plus NG added to EV's and far more eff cars, trucks.
@Ann: I guess you're right that it's a matter of definitions. To me, "food" means something that people eat. People eat soybean oil, so soybean oil is a food. (If you read some food labels the next time you're in the grocery store, you'll see how just many foods contain soybean oil -- it's a surprising large part of the modern U.S. diet). Allan James' statement that soybean oil is an industrial product is true, but may be somewhat misleading; currently, only 4% of U.S. soybean oil is used for industrial purposes. The rest is used for food.
In fact, a far greater percentage of soy oil than soy protein is used for direct human consumption. Only about 2% of soy protein is directly consumed by humans; the rest is used as animal feed.
I think we agree, though, that it matters less whether soybean oil is a food product per se than what the overall impact on the food supply is. I don't see soy-based polyurethane foams having a significant impact on global food prices or availability in the way that, say, widespread use of soy-based biodiesel or corn-based ethanol would.
It's not disingenuous, but rather a matter of definition. "Food crop" means a crop like corn or soybeans or wheat that people depend on for sustenance, not an oil derived from one of those that is used in cooking. Soybean oil may be used in cooking and an ingredient in animal feed, but it's not human or animal food. That's the major difference. Another difference, which is very hard to determine (I've tried often to get this data), is whether a feedstock comes from a potential food crop like corn or soybeans that is grown specifically to make that feedstock, or the feedstock is created from "waste" material of that crop that would normally be thrown away.
We've just heard back from Allan James, the person I interviewed at Dow. The spec he gave me was, in fact, wrong--thanks to Dave Palmer for pointing that out. James says the correct measurements are 1.45 pcf for BETAFOAM Renue and 2.0 pcf for the product being replaced.
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