Ford Researchers Look to Mother Nature for Clues on How to Create Greener, Lighter...

Ford Researchers Look to Mother Nature for Clues on How to Create Greener,
Lighter Plastics

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

SUMMARY:
-- Ford's industry-leading soy-based polyurethane foam seat cushions
and seatbacks are now on more than 1.5 million Ford, Lincoln and
Mercury
vehicles on the road today, representing a reduction in petroleum
usage
of approximately 1.5 million pounds
-- Ford extends its soy-foam portfolio to include the industry's first
application of a soy-foam headliner on the 2010 Ford Escape and
Mercury
Mariner for a 25 percent weight savings versus a traditional glass-mat
headliner

-- Ford's next phase of biomaterial research will be highlighted at
the Society of Plastics Engineers' 2009 Automotive Composites
Conference & Exhibition, Sept. 15-16 in Troy, Mich., showcasing how
natural fibers can replace petroleum-based reinforcements, leading to
"leaner and greener" parts savings of up to 30 percent in
weight and about 1,000 years in decomposition time

CONTEXT / BACKGROUND:
Auto researchers and engineers are examining the use of lighter-weight
materials and components in their quest to develop more fuel-efficient
vehicles.

Ford's distinctive approach to alternative materials is not just about the
need to be lighter, however, but also about the need to be greener. The
company's use of more bio-based, recycled and reclaimed materials in
production vehicles today, for example, already is resonating with the growing
number of customers consciously purchasing products that are healthier for
people and the planet.

Ford researchers now are looking even harder at plastics, rubber, foam, film
and fabric to develop more alternative bio-based materials that are
functional, durable and cost-effective, and that decrease our dependence on
foreign oil.

DETAILS:
Ford researchers are taking a hard look at traditional, petrol-based plastics,
turning to Mother Nature to help create composites that are durable,
lightweight and better for the environment.

While petroleum and glass fibers are typical ingredients associated with
today's automotive plastics, Ford's research team is developing all-new
composite recipes that include more natural ingredients such as soy flour,
hemp, cellulose, and the sugars in corn, sugarbeets and sugarcane.

Nature made
Plastics currently make up approximately 10 percent of a vehicle, ranging from
sight-unseen parts such as impact shields and engine covers to components
drivers see and interact with everyday, including doors and instrument panels.
Some of these plastics have fillers such as heavy glass fibers for added
strength. Ford is examining the possibility of replacing those glass fibers
with natural fiber reinforcements made from cellulose, soy protein, hemp
fiber, flax fiber and other bio-based materials.

So far, lab test results have been promising, with the natural
fiber-reinforced plastics showing up to a 30 percent weight reduction
depending on the part.

Taking the idea of a greener automotive composite a step further, Ford is also
working with a biodegradable plastic called polylactic acid (PLA). Derived
completely from the sugars in corn, sugarbeets, sugarcane, switch grass and
other plants, a plastic part made from PLA can biodegrade after its life cycle
in 90 to 120 days versus up to 1,000 years in a landfill for a traditional,
petroleum-based plastic.

Potential automotive applications for PLA are wide ranging, from textile
applications for vehicle carpeting, floor mats and upholstery to interior trim
pieces that are injection molded. More immediate possibilities include using
PLA for nondurable auto applications such as protective wrappings used during
vehicle manufacturing and transit.

Composite challenges
The presence of more bio-based materials in automotive plastics does pose
mechanical performance, durability and process challenges that Debbie
Mielewski, technical leader of Plastics Research at Ford, and her four-person
biomaterials group are hot to solve.

To speed up development, the Ford team is working with several organizations
and universities, including the Ontario BioCar Initiative - a multi-university
effort between the University of Guelph, University of Toronto, University of
Waterloo and University of Windsor.

The BioCar Initiative is an Ontario government-funded project designed to
advance the use of more plant-based materials in the auto and agricultural
industries. Ford holds a spot on BioCar's advisory board and directs some of
the project's automotive research with biomaterials.

Issues on the working block include:
-- Moisture absorption: Natural fiber-reinforced plastics are more
likely
to absorb moisture over time, causing functional and durability
concerns.
-- Odor: Injection molding at high temperatures with a natural
fiber-reinforced plastic emits an undesirable odor.

-- Decomposition: PLA is designed to decompose quickly, but researchers
want to make sure it will last the lifetime of a vehicle before that
decomposition process starts.

Experimentation with nano filler materials in plastic composites is still on
Ford's research screen, too. Nano fillers have the potential to reduce weight
while increasing strength. Early testing shows, in fact, that a plastic
reinforced with 5 percent nano filler instead of the typical 30 percent glass
filler has strength and lightweight properties that are better than glass.
The big roadblock all nano researchers are facing today, however, is how to
uniformly exfoliate or disperse the nano material within the composite so that
weak spots do not occur.

Here today
Although increased usage of bio-based materials in plastics is still in the
advanced research phase, Ford has already made great inroads with other
bio-based, reclaimed and recycled materials that are in Ford, Lincoln and
Mercury vehicles today. They include:
-- Soy-based polyurethane foams on the seat cushions and seatbacks, now
in
production on the Ford Mustang, Expedition, F-150, Focus, Escape,
Escape
Hybrid, Mercury Mariner and Lincoln Navigator and Lincoln MKS. More
than 1.5 million Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles on the road today
have soy-foam seats, which equates to a reduction in petroleum oil
usage
of approximately 1.5 million pounds. This year, Ford has expanded its
soy-foam portfolio to include the industry's first application of a
soy-foam headliner on the 2010 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner for a
25
percent weight savings over a traditional glass-mat headliner.
-- Underbody systems, such as aerodynamic shields, splash shields and
radiator air deflector shields, made from post-consumer recycled
resins
such as detergent bottles, tires and battery casings, diverting
between
25 and 30 million pounds of plastic from landfills.

-- 100 percent postindustrial recycled yarns in seat fabrics on vehicles
such as the Ford Escape. The 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan
Hybrids
feature 85 percent postindustrial yarns and 15 percent solution-dyed
yarns. The 100 percent usage represents a 64 percent reduction in
energy consumption and a 60 percent reduction in CO2 emissions.

In addition, Ford also has led the way for other industries to capitalize on
its greener material technologies, licensing its soy-based foam to companies
such as Deere & Company for agricultural applications. Ford researchers also
continue to welcome biomaterial discussions with other non-auto-related
manufacturers of items ranging from child car seats to furniture.

The team
Ford's Biomaterials and Plastics Research group has nearly 50 years of
combined experience at Ford Motor Company in paints, plastics and other
materials development.

Led by 23-year veteran Mielewski, the team includes Dr. Cynthia Flanigan, Dr.
Ellen Lee, and research engineers Angela Harris and Laura Beyer. All hold
varying combinations of bachelor's, master's and Ph.D.s in the areas of
environmental engineering, chemical engineering and materials science. All
also hold the important title of mom, with 10 children between them.

Mielewski organized Ford's biomaterials program in 2001, leading her team in
the development of Ford's soy-based foam seating, which was first introduced
on the Ford Model U concept vehicle in 2003 at the North American
International Auto Show in Detroit. In 2007, this soy-based foam first hit
the production line in the seats of the 2008 Ford Mustang, and has since won
multiple awards and industry recognition.

QUOTES:
"Natural fiber-reinforced composites and polymer resins made from plant
resources provide positive environmental impact by utilizing renewable
resources, reducing CO2 emissions, by being entirely compostable and - in some
cases - reducing weight, which helps improve fuel economy.

"We have to entertain the thought of bio-replacement in baby steps, looking at
every aspect of a car that could be green. Where I hope to see the world of
automotive plastics go: totally compostable, removing petroleum 100 percent."

- Debbie Mielewski, Technical leader, Ford Plastics Research

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F), a global automotive industry leader based in
Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six
continents. With about 201,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the
company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The
company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For
more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com

SOURCE Ford Motor Company

Alan Hall of Ford Motor Company, +1-313-594-3744, ahall32@ford.com