Startup innovation at JEC Composites
The achievements of four innovative companies were recognised in the awards ceremony of the 2022 JEC Composites Startup Booster in Paris on May 4th.
Blackleaf, based in Strasbourg, France, is commercialising a new eco-friendly and cost-effective water based-based process for graphene production based on top-down synthesis technology assisted by a sonication process at atmospheric pressure and room-temperature.
The as-synthesized high-quality graphene has less than six layers, a low density of structural defects and low oxygen content. The water-based production process enables the production of up to 50kg of high-quality graphene daily and is backed by a set of patents to apply graphene as a coating on any substrate via a conventional spraying technique
FibreCoat, of Aachen, German, develops and markets high-performance fibre materials and AluCoat, an aluminium basalt fibre, is its first market-ready product. Unlike currently used conductive polymer yarns, AluCoat is thermally and electrically conductive as well as temperature resistant up to 600°C.
It can be produced at a tenth of the cost of pure aluminium fibres and has the potential to become a much-needed, affordable electromagnetic shielding material for the electric cars and 5G devices of the future.
Continuum is building the world’s first wind blade/composites recycling factory with a capacity of 36,000-tons in Ejsberg, Denmark, which will be opened in 2023. The company has developed an advanced mechanical composites transformation technology that allows it to sustainably turn end-of-life composite materials and manufacturing waste into valuable, high performance and fully circular products for the built environment. A second factory in the UK is also being planned.
South Koream company Dongam Realize produces CXP Wood, made with waste from agriculture and forestry. It can be produced in general plastic production plants and replace normal plastic, is biodegradable and can be carbonised easier than regular plastics.