Towards Net Zero with UPM BioMotion™ Renewable Functional Fillers
Why UPM BioMotion™ RFF?
Climate change, raw material scarcity, regulatory pressure, and consumer preferences for sustainable products, are key drivers for replacing fossil-based materials with innovative, renewable, and sustainable solutions. Especially rubber and plastics materials used by key industry sectors, e.g., automotive, building and construction, consumer electronics, and packaging are often in contradiction to a circular economy approach, because the vast majority is not biobased, highly CO₂-intensive, hard to recycle, or not biodegradable.
What is UPM BioMotion™ RFF?
To address these needs, UPM has developed a completely new material class of renewable functional fillers, which enables a switch from fossil raw materials to a sustainable alternative: UPM BioMotion™ RFF. It combines a unique set of properties for rubber and plastic applications enabling the next step towards a more sustainable future. It is made from responsibly sourced hardwood from regional, sustainably managed forests and will be produced at UPM‘s award-winning, first-of-its-kind biorefinery in Leuna, Germany, for which start of production is planned by end of 2024.
What does UPM BioMotion™ RFF offer?
Renewable raw materials
Renewable raw materials accumulate carbon during plant growth, by sequestration of carbon dioxide from air. The amount of biobased carbon in a product can be measured and certified. UPM BioMotion™ RFF has been awarded the highest quality level “DIN-Geprüft biobased” certification mark. Its biobased carbon content has been confirmed 100% according to ASTM D6866 test method. The impact of the biogenic carbon amount of UPM BioMotion™ RFF is directly measurable in the final rubber and plastic articles, especially at higher filler loadings.
Negative carbon footprint
High biogenic carbon contents enable materials with low climate impact. UPM BioMotion™ RFF features a negative carbon footprint from cradle to gate considering biogenic carbon from our feedstock and purchasing green electricity.
Light-weight
Light-weight materials are an important element, especially in the automotive industry for better fuel economy. Thanks to its low material density of only 1.3 g/cm³, UPM BioMotion™ RFF is regarded truly light-weight. Compared to traditional functional fillers, the density is more than 25% lower. This unique feature allows to reduce the compound density of the final products.
High purity
UPM BioMotion™ RFF is characterized by high purity. It does not contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) above the thresholds of Commission Regulation (EU) No. 1272/2013 and possesses only a very low sulfur content of smaller than 0.2%.
100% electrically insulating
Like white, inorganic fillers, and unlike industrial carbon blacks, UPM BioMotion ™ RFF is 100% electrically insulating. This natural feature effectively prevents electrochemical corrosion of metal and electrochemical degradation of rubber parts.
Biodegradable
Independently of the filler loading, UPM BioMotion™ RFF has proven to be the perfect additive for industrial, home, soil, and marine biodegradability. UPM BioMotion™ RFF has been awarded the certification mark “DIN-Geprüft Additive EN 13432” with unlimited use quantity in the final product. DIN CERTCO confirmed UPM BioMotion™ RFF as being biodegradable in industrial, home, and soil environments. In addition, UPM BioMotion™ RFF has demonstrated conformity according to DIN EN ISO 224031 for biodegradability in the marine environment.
Characteristic black coloring
UPM BioMotion™ RFF has also proven of high potential as additive for thermoplastic materials. When applied as pigment it yields a characteristic black coloring with a slightly reddish and yellowish tone. In contrast to articles colored with carbon blacks, near infrared (NIR) detection of the base polymer is still possible allowing for sorting and thus recycling of the plastic materials. Thus, UPM BioMotion™ RFF supports a better circular economy resulting in less resource consumption and lower carbon footprints.