Final Coat
Cognis’ Tribest resin in bio-based urban
hybrid concept car for Shell Eco-marathon
Astudent project team at the Royal Institute of
Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden built a racing car incorporating the one-component resin system Tribest from specialty chemicals supplier Cognis. This
environmentally sound product is part of the body of the
bio-based urban hybrid concept car that competed in the
Shell Eco-marathon, which took place May 7–9 at the
EuroSpeedway Lausitz racetrack in Germany.
Cognis’ Tribest is a patented resin used to make matrices for
composite materials. It is based on renewable raw materials—
acrylate functional resin system derived from soya oil.
Called Aurora, the bio-based urban hybrid concept car
uses eco-friendly technology through and through. Not
only is the car powered by a fuel-efficient hybrid drive
line, its very core will be made out of bio-based materials.
“This means that the manufacturing process uses less
energy and resources, so reducing the car’s overall impact on
the environment,” said Per Wennhage, assistant professor at
KTH. “Tribest showed good wetting properties in combina-
tion with the hemp when building the body, and because it is
styrene-free, it was really convenient to use.”
“We used the Cognis product, because it is based on
renewable raw materials and suitable for natural composites,” said Robert Sandell, the student in charge of the project. “As such, it fits perfectly with the ethos of the Shell Eco-marathon. We have also entered the Eco Design Award. This
is given to the team whose design is not only fuel-efficient,
but also makes use of recycled and/or eco-friendly materials
in the vehicle and production process.”
The Shell Eco-marathon began in 1939 at a Shell
research laboratory in the USA, as a friendly wager
between scientists to see who could get the most miles per
gallon from their vehicles. The basic principle of the competition remained the same: to design and build a vehicle
that uses the least amount of fuel to travel the longest distance. It now provides an annual global forum for students
who are passionate about finding sustainable solutions to
the world’s energy challenges. CW
The KTH Eco Cars student project team built the the Aurora urban hybrid concept
car body out of Tribest and hemp fibers. The Shell Eco-marathon focuses on finding
innovative solutions for building sustainable cars.
