Realising funding projects with HOBUM
The projects are usually scheduled to run for two to three years. As our exclusive partner from industry and research, you benefit from our expertise through
- Our experienced experts from research & development
- Reliable planning and partnership
- Prompt product samples for technical approval
- Product development that can be realised in the short and medium term
- Years of experience and participation in funding projects
All development processes are subject to the exclusivity of the partners involved.
As part of our collaborative project in cooperation with scientists from the University of Kassel, we are pleased to present our project: “Algae-based, thermoformable natural fiber matrix semi-finished products with duromer property profile”.
This project is funded by the German Federal Government and accompanied by the agency for renewable resources.
Our research work focuses on converting algae, in particular bladderwrack, into bisphenol-A-free epoxy resins. For this purpose, we extract the natural phlorotannins from dried algae and transform them into epoxy resins in a downstream process. These epoxy resins are then cured using suitable hardeners made from renewable raw materials.
In combination with linseed fiber fabric, we use them to develop natural fiber composites (NFK), which we modify chemically so that they can be hot-formed. This means that the NFK sheets can be formed into three-dimensional structures in hot presses. These reshaped natural fiber composites are called organosheets and are expected to replace metal sheets in various applications to enable weight and CO2 savings.
Our goal is to make a significant contribution to the development of sustainable materials and the reduction of the ecological footprint through these research endeavors.
Bio Concept Car Porsche GT4 with a body made from natural composites. Source: FNR/Norbert Breuer. Please note: Picture shows lightweight kit, manufactured by Manthey-Racing and Bcomp.
Musician and rapper Smudo with a detailed view of body parts made from natural composites. Source: FNR/Toni Alex
We are a partner in the collaborative project “Bio-based Resins for the Serial Processing of Fiber-Reinforced Components (BioResinProcess)”.
The project aims to create a sustainable car door with a high proportion of renewable resources for a test racing car.
The special feature of the door is the manufacturing process and the material. The door is manufactured as a natural fiber composite using the resin transfer molding process from flax fiber and an epoxy system. The epoxy system was developed by HOBUM chemists in collaboration with chemists and engineers from the Fraunhofer Institute WKI in Braunschweig and Hannover. Some doors have now been manufactured and are available for testing on the race car. They are equipped with a paint that is also made from renewable raw materials from HOBUM and was developed and applied by the chemists at the WKI Braunschweig.
The door is thus “Ready To Race” for the 2024 racing season.
