Cars Made From Flax
By BkCreative
The Bio-car!
The French automotive group, PSA, has begun using components made from natural materials. PSA makes Citroens and Peugeots.
The bio-car plan has three elements:
- the use of bio-polymers, recycled materials and natural fibers.
In fact the inner door panels are made up of 50% flax, and side mirror mountings and radiator caps contain hemp instead of glass fiber. Plastic bottles and bottle caps are ground up and added to small proportions of glass fiber to produce windshield wipers and mudflaps. The tights worn by women are usable for reprocessing and blending with glass fiber to make non-structural hard plastic parts under the hood.
What are bio-polymers?
Bio-polymers are polymers that are produced by living organisms. This includes DNA and RNA, proteins and peptides, and cellulose and starch. Bio-polymers have been around billions of years longer than synthetic polymers like plastics.
The Objective:
All this falls under the automaker's "Green Materials Plan" set up in 2008. The objective is to implement a six-fold increase in natural and renewable materials used in all vehicles by the year 2015. The plan will bring about a marked reduction in cost savings as well as in reducing energy use, carbon dioxide emissions, and go a long way towards the conservation of non-renewable resources.
Surprise! This was done in the USA over 100 years ago!
PSA wants to replace plastics made from oil. Surprisingly, the introduction of materials made without mineral oil was done here in the USA on Model T Ford cars between 1908 and 1927. Some parts of the car were made from soya polymers. Henry Ford demonstrated how strong the material was on a prototype car by taking a sledge hammer to it - leaving the car unscathed - but the production plans were scrapped.
Why Use Hemp?
Hemp is already abundant in France. It is cheap and grows without pesticides and fertilizers. In fact, hemp was once a major crop in the USA. George Washington used enslaved African people to grow hemp (See link below).
Hemp is hemp is hemp?
What kind of hemp? According the natural-fiber specialist at PSA, the hemp grown for this purpose is not the same strain of hemp that is grown as marijuana. The natural fiber specialist at PSA points out that it would take about two tons of the material used for cars to make a joint.
For information about legal hemp and other "green living" ideas, please see links below:
fancy car
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Comments
Very cool hub! As usual, we dropped the ball but hopefully we will get on board and go greener this time!
I definitely learned something new there. Thank you so very much.
So true Veronica Allen - everything green is there for our use and benefit - but of course if corporate America can make a profit no matter what the cost to our health and environment they have been allowed to do it - at our expense. Sad. So it is up to us hubbers!
Yes, we dropped the ball kartika damon - imagine a car that did not dent - no recurring profit there. Sigh!
I'm glad you like the hub Hello, hello - thanks for commenting!
Too cool! Reminds me of the van from the Cheech and Chong film - made completely out of marijuana. lol.
So hilarious - the Cheech and Chong humour! Thanks for keeping us so well informed habee!
My experience with corporate directors is that they don't believe that there is global warming or true damage to the environment. They laugh off at concepts like organic food, a catastrophic future, and all that concerns liberals. Their position tends to be that if it is a liberal concern, then it is idiotic socialist propaganda. Most executives I know are truely ignorant and do not understand the most basic things.
On the funny side, dio you realize that after you and your neighbors get tired of your hemp cars, you can grind them, roll them, and smoke them? You could have a Cheech and Chong block party!
Ah yes, of course gramon1 - the CEOs are only interested in the bottom line - by any means at all. And if they control the media as in the USA and we insist upon being uneducated consumers this will never stop.
But we with the (few) dollars can effect change!
Grind them and roll them? - oh now this may create a cause for theft - sigh!
Thanks for commenting!
Great Idea, Henry Ford was in the fofront of many great Ideas. a man before his time. Now we have the technology to make some of his ideas commercially viable.
Whatever we can do to get off Foreign Oil...
This was an excellent Hub. It boggles my mind that our CEO's are willing to allow their greed to interfer with the betterment of mankind, although I'm not surprised. As I stated before, on one of your links, the ban on the growth and production of hemp is another one of America's GREAT LIES. It's a shame and a waste of a valuable resource.
Thanks bddonovan - now let's see if the USA auto companies follow suit (or follow suits - haha!) Of course we can always spend our dollars the way we want and buy from the companies making an all out effort.
Amazing isn't David R Bradly - we never had to be on foreign oil - but Rockefeller and his ilk had to control the wealth - and like sheep we became dependent - no questions asked - but the real old timers knew that they could fill up their farm vehicles with grain alcohol - but then that was rapidly made illegal.
Yes pmccray America is so opposed to growing hemp - even this kind - it's easy to grow, pesticide free, and has a million benefits!
I so appreciate all the comments. We hubbers will certainly effect change! Yay!
good article, probably I'll bookmark this hub
thx :)
good article, probably I'll bookmark this hub
thx :)
Very interesting, reading hubs like these are very educational. A green car, what next.
Is this reality, can we believe it
Thanks Mercon - good to meet you!
I'm glad you liked the hub fastfreta!
Interesting shinujohn2008 that this was a reality in the US in 1907 but cars that last are not profitable for the car industry here. The best product should be the objective not profit no matter what.
Thanks for the comments!
Whatever next :)
I'm glad there is finally some recognition that we can't continue doing the stupid things we are doing. Thanks for writing Ethel Smith!
Too cool. I knew flax was good for everything!
Thank BK for an amazing and productive hub, it was very informative. Godspeed. creativeone59
Thank you RTalloni - there was a time flax was used to make linen sheets which not only lasted forever but had health benefits. Flax is good for everything!
You're very welcome creativeone59 - I'm glad you found the hub productive and informative! Thank you for commenting.
nice hub, we can actually go green, and then way back, Americans have been using it 100 years ago, thanks for the information BK, Maita
Wow, interesting hub BK, thanks for sharing. K.
We have always been able to go green, prettydarkhorse - but profit rules, not a healthy environment for our children. Sad.
I'm glad you found the hub interesting K Partin!
Thanks for writing!
Great read Bkreative!, I also enjoyed looking at the links below. American needs to get back to her Henry Ford roots!
Never knew this, Thanks for the information
Thanks Ben Zoltak - glad you enjoyed the links as well. It seems what is old is new again - and it's about time!
I love doing this research Johnvincent - I'm learning so much. Thanks for commenting!
Very interesting. I remember seeing a tv program a while back that was all about using help and it's resin to make a ton of materials. In fact, they were making cars as well. I wonder if it was the same company.
It may have been the same French company - they set up this project over a year ago. I don't know of any other car company making this effort as of yet.
Thanks for commenting!
What an interesting hub, BK! Thanks so much for showing what is possible in the production of automobiles that are truly Green!
it is great ,
I like,
I will keep your post!
You're welcome Jen's Solitude! The possibilities are there!
Thanks for the compliment xuniei! Nice to meet you.
fantastic! now all i need is to make money outa old newspaper and Im a made man!
Oh the comic potential... if the car crashes in a fireball, does the fire department race to the put it out or, just race to the scene? And those Hotrod Heads who spend all day welding, the fumes would really mess with their mental health. Dude have you puffed my car?
Hugs to your hub :-)
Ah, why not sytor! It's time to be super creative. And at one time old newspaper could be recycled and you'd make some dollars - don't know what happened to that.
Good point Francine Smith - Lots of humor to come!
How very interesting, BkCreative! Incredible how creative man can be when he puts his mind to it - I guess hemp has an inspiring quality about it? :)
Fascinating innovation! I, personally, don't believe in global warming but I do support innovative initiatives like this that do reduce the need and dependency of foreign oil. This is quite an interesting "green" project they have undertaken. Thanks for the information!
Nice and interesting.
Thank you Shalini Kagal - I'm so glad you found the hub interesting. Creativity is in us it seems. I'd certainly welcome more hemp growing and use.
Thanks goldenpath! I suppose necessity truly is the mother of invention - we just can't keep using non-renewable resources.
Thanks for writing Alberttt!
Great article, I am all for going "green". Ithink it is our responsibility as a human being living on this plant to do as much as we can to be more friendly to our environment and leave as small a footprint as possible.
good article
Very interesting. It's amazing the things that can be replaced with "greener" materials. We just need to think outside the box!
Nice to meet you Kathy Rimel - it seems we are beginning to realize that we do have a responsibility as individuals. We need to think 'green' all the time! Thanks for writing!
Thank you komal!
We can do this Dorsi! Seems there is always an alternative to the damage we are doing! Thanks for commenting!
That is absolutely amazing. The article was interesting and well written. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Curious Jen - so glad you found the hub amazing!
Hi this is beautiful hub..this way we can go more green an with big ozone hole we need to be lot eco friendly
Thanks for the compliment sweetie1 - yes, we all need to be more green!
Hi BK.What an interesting Hub.
Just wondering what happens to the radiator cap when the engine over heats.
Dose it smoke?
Cause that would be a good selling point.....lol..
Such great humor with the advent of this car. Can't wait 'til it hits the market.
Thanks for commenting!
All of the comments are hilarious! It's nice to know though SERIOUSLY that there are some good uses for hemp out there! I wonder if you worked in the factory if you would get stoned....wow...would they have drug testing then? Seriously, it's a good thing to go green!
I just love the comments! Somehow I suspect there will be some silliness to get the whole idea off the ground.
So many good uses for what is all natural - One day, maybe!
Fascinating!I know you are not pulling my legs but this is extraordinary! Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome tim-tim! This is technology I would invest in! Thanks for commenting!
The use of renewable materials is definitely the way to go. It is good for American farmers and the world. Use more natural fibers.
It just makes so much healthy sense Part-time Writer. It may take some intelligence and responsibility for our actions - but that's where we should start. Thanks for commenting.
Very interesting article Bk! I knew Ford had used soya plastic and developed a car model. He had also experimented with engineered wood and bio-fuels etc. I used to wonder why then they are still not being used. It is good to hear the progress. I hope bio polymers and bio-fuels some day replace most of today's plastic fuels etc.
In a country like India it may bring a big change and bring prosperity to village life, a dream once Gandhi had tried with his idea of Khadi.
Interesting soumyasrajan that Ford made the effort - but then greed stepped in and then short-sighted stupidity.
Glad you found the article interesting. Thank you for commenting! I'm enjoying your hubs!
Veronica Allen 2 years ago
This is absolutely amazing. It just goes to show you, that we can truly go green if we put our minds to it. It's so great that all this materal is reusable and not just left in a landfill.