Application of biomass derived products in mid-size automotive industries: A review

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 280; p. 130723
• Main Authors: Prasanth, S.M., Kumar, P. Senthil, Harish, S., Rishikesh, M., Nanda, Sonil, Vo, Dai-Viet N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2021
• Subjects: Automotive industries; Biofuels; Biolubricant; Biomass; Bioplastics; Biopolymers; Automotive industries; Biomass; Biofuels; Bioplastics; Biopolymers; Biolubricant
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130723

The automotive industry is directly affected by the shortage of fossil fuels and the excessive pollution resulting from crude oil-based fuels has many adverse effects on the environment. The search for a greener and sustainable source of materials and fuels to power automobiles has ultimately led to the usage of biomass and biobased sources as the main precursor due to its graft availability and renewability. Biobased fuels developed have been shown to easily blend in with the existing automobile engines and to provide sustainable performance. Similarly, the usage of various biobased polymers, plastics, and composite materials as the structural materials for the construction of automobiles instead of crude oil sources have shown to be invaluable. The powering of automobiles with electricity is the future of the transportation industry to address the greenhouse gas emissions caused by fossil fuels. Hence, biobased lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors have started to enter the mid-sized automotive industry. However, extensive commercialization of biobased products application in the automotive sector is underdeveloped. Hence it is customary to assess the various drawbacks of using biobased materials and identify the correct pathway for new research and development in this field. Therefore, this review covers various applications of biobased products in the automotive industries and mentions the active researches going on in this field to replace petroleum and crude oil-based sources with biobased sources. [Display omitted] •The total plastic content of a vehicle is found to be 20–25% of the total weight.•Biofuels have improved engine efficiency and emission quality.•Biobased carbon fibers are more sustainable compared to crude-based carbon fibers.•Biobased Li-ion batteries provide adequate discharge capacity at low cost.