We are surrounded by products that contain substances that were once pumped up from the ground. The substances are also known as petrochemicals, because we extract them from petroleum. Petrochemicals turn oil and gas into all sorts of daily products – such as plastics, fertilizers, packaging, clothing, digital devices, medical equipment, detergents or tyres – and are integral to modern societies. Petrochemicals are rapidly becoming the largest driver of global oil consumption (Energy & Climate, 2018). They are set to account for more than one third of the growth in oil demand by 2030, and nearly half by 2050, ahead of trucks, aviation and shipping. The difficulty of finding alternatives to petrochemicals in applications such as foam materials, is an important factor for the robust growth in demand. The production of petrochemicals and their derivatives absorbs an increasing share of the world's oil and gas - about 14% for oil and 8% for gas. However, with the market for petrochemical products expanding further as the global economy develops, the future of the petrochemical industry is of great importance for both global energy security and the environment (IEA, 2018).
Agoprene develops furniture foam from seaweed, to help the furniture industry reduce their need for petrochemicals. Our market research of the furniture industry has confirmed a growing demand for sustainable materials, especially because they are completely dependent on petrochemicals today. An armchair, for example, emits an average of 43 kg CO2e, almost half of which is due to the furniture foam. Globally, furniture foam, which is derived from petroleum, accounts for 105 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. Petroleum-based foam is so widely used for cushioning because it is cheap.That has created a class of disposable furniture items that litter our landscapes and fill our garbage dumps.
Until now the solution has been to replace some of the petroleum-based polyols with bio-based polyols in the foam. Polyols are one of the ingredients in petroleum based foam. Unfortunately, this solution has only been able to replace 20% of the petroleum used in the foam, leaving the consumer with the impression that it is a bio-based product, when it is essentially a petroleum based product with some bio content (Sustainable Furnishings, 2010). Agoprene is not blaming the furniture industry, because until now, no better alternative has existed.
It is known that harvesting fibrous plants and producing plant fibers will remove CO2. With this as a starting point, Agoprene will create a mechanically superior foam material with zero carbon emissions. Agoprene aims to prove the technology and move the material one step closer to commercialization. The main goal for Women TechEU is to take the material from the current lab-scale production to production under real operating conditions. This includes the following: develop a large scale production method and test the production process under real operating conditions.
