Japanese car manufacturer Mazda Motor Corp. has developed a bio-based engineering plastic which can be used for exterior automobile parts.
The new bioplastic aims to reduce petroleum use and carbon dioxide emissions.
The material is made by optimizing the composition of a bioplastic base material with additives and coloring agents — patents for which are pending — and enhancing molding specifications.
The bioplastic can be dyed and does not require painting, which also reduces emissions of organic compounds.
This material will be first used for interior parts on the Mazda MX-5, to be launched in 2015, and then exterior components of other production models.
Mazda will display prototype Mazda Biotechmaterial parts made from the bioplastic at Eco-Products 2014, an environmental technology exhibition running Dec. 11-13 in Tokyo.
The material was developed together with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation.