Preliminary Techno Economic Factors Shaping Industrial Adoption of Biocomposites

Abstract

Circular business incentives encourage the use of biobased materials and technologies to replace fossil-based materials and look for material alternatives that support reaching overall sustainability targets. Biocomposites continue to gain acceptance as potential substitutes for conventional fossil-based plastics and composites, supported by developments in biobased fillers, fibre-matrix interfaces, and scalable processing techniques. Industrial adoption is influenced not only by material properties but also by process-level requirements, manufacturing compatibility, and technoeconomic conditions across the value chain. Given the limited availability of comprehensive techno-economic studies of emerging biocomposites, this paper adds a qualitative perspective on the conditions that influence their adoption in industrial contexts. These insights inform a preliminary framework outlining the conditions under which biocomposites may progress toward competitive industrial performance. This study combines literature-based insights with preliminary insights from interviews across multiple stages of the biocomposite value chain to examine how organisations transition toward the use of biocomposite materials. Across the interviews, the emphasis is placed on meeting fundamental technical requirements, such as achieving process stability, consistent material quality, and alignment with established product specifications, as essential conditions for adoption. Interviewees also highlight that decisions increasingly draw on environmental performance data and highly economically driven scenario-based assessments. The reference material system is restricted to polyolefin matrices combined with cellulosic reinforcement or filler fractions, representing a baseline compound for which preliminary laboratory-level extrusion trials exist. Additives to improve weathering or fire performance are added at the early stages of the material base. Profile extrusion is selected as the industrially relevant processing method for continuous profiles across various construction applications. The technical system is represented as a conceptual process flow comprising feedstock preparation, compounding and pelletizing, pellet drying (as required), profile extrusion, and downstream calibration, cooling, haul-off, and cutting. These process blocks are described generically, and throughput values are estimated from various sources to reflect realistic economic drivers.