Turning vehicles green
Researchers are developing plastic composites that include agricultural materials

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By Lindsay Brown

Every car on the road contains more than 200 kilograms of plastic. But it's typically made with raw materials and energy from petroleum or natural gas, and it's not biodegradable. This has enormous environmental implications. Now, a new initiative involving four top universities could see car parts take on a bio-based composition, by integrating plant materials into plastic.

Prof. Larry Erickson, a plant geneticist at the University of Guelph, says this "biocar" initiative is the first time Ontario's top two sectors - automotive and agriculture - have worked together on a grand scale. He says the pairing could usher in a new era of building materials that will lessen dependence on petroleum-based plastics.

"No car in Ontario is yet made from plastic composites that include plant material," says Erickson, "but there's great potential to use local crops in Ontario-made cars."

He, along with many plant breeders, processing and chemical engineers, and design analysts, is studying how to produce car parts made from plastic composites - that is, plastic made using two or more plant materials. Currently, researchers have successfully used plastic composites to make residential siding and lumber for fences, decks and small bridges.

The biocar initiative is a joint research program involving the University of Guelph, the University of Toronto, the University of Waterloo and the University of Windsor. The starting steps for this research are being made at Guelph, the agri-partner in the group.

Erickson says the initiative will be a huge opportunity for the Ontario agricultural industry to gain profile and make a bigger mark on the economy. Local farmers will have more outlets for their commodities, enhancing crop value.

"This bioproduct research will ensure a stable supply of renewable, more reliable plastics made from local crop sources that will be very valuable compared to the use of plastics from petroleum, which must be imported and can make the economy vulnerable during shortages," says Erickson.

Other University of Guelph researchers involved in this project are Profs. Istvan Rajcan and Peter Pauls of the Department of Plant Agriculture, Prof. Gary Ablett of the Ridgetown Campus, Prof. Ian Tetlow of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Prof. Michael Eames of the College of Biological Sciences.

The research is funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation.

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Larry Erickson, 519-824-4120, ext 53398

Lindsay Brown is a writer with SPARK (Students Promoting Awareness of Research Knowledge), a student research writing program at the University of Guelph.