Sustainable alternative of petrochemical based polymer

Background of thesis project
Volvo Construction Equipment (VCE), a division of Volvo Group, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of construction equipment such as wheel loaders, haulers, excavators, road machinery, and compact machines. VCE as a part of Volvo group is focusing on sustainable sources and environmental aspects to fulfil the climate targets near future.
Suitable background
This master thesis (30 ECTS) is suitable for one student who is completing his/her studies in polymer or Material Science.

Description of thesis work
Reducing environmental impact from the use of plastic and sustainable material choice is one of the current concerns now for manufacturing both interior and exterior components of VCE machines. ABS and ABS-PMMA are the main plastic components for the thermoformed interior and exterior parts in Cabs for construction machines. ABS, a synthetic plastic is mainly produced from fossil-based resources (90%) and 4-8% of the world's oil reserves are used in their manufacture. Now, non-biodegradable petrochemical based plastic production is undeniable threat to the natural system when the waste management facility is not present. The demand for the environment-friendly polymers is increasing continuously in certain applications. A substantial reduction in environmental impact can be achieved by choosing recycled ABS or biobased or even biodegradable plastic alternatives of ABS. Applying recycled or biodegradable polymer or a new thermoplastic material that is as light and strong as ABS but not based on petroleum stock is very important for sustainable development.


The aim of this thesis work is to evaluate different types of polymer as alternative of ABS for the case study of Cab interior panel considering material, life cycle analysis and environmental perspective to find the one qualifying better in replacing fossil-based ABS for representative implementation. The main activities are:


Perform a literature study
Identify suitable ABS alternatives and design test strategy to evaluate the alternative polymers.
The mechanical, material, and thermal properties of the most suitable alternatives need to be compared in lab atmosphere considering the present technical requirement.
Life cycle analysis of the suitable alternatives.
A full report of the work should be prepared and presented at Volvo CE.
Thesis Level:
Masters
Language:
English
Starting date:
January, 2023
Number of students:
1
Tutor
Dr. Nowshir Fatima,
Emerging Technologies,CE42640,Volvo Construction Equipment


Telephone: +46-16-201-9940
nowshir.fatima@volvo.com