Although fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) has multiple advantages as an architectural material, there are issues with sustainability. The polymers are made from petroleum, a dwindling and non-renewable resource with significant environmental impacts from both extraction and transportation. The process of making it into resin has its own carbon footprint, as do the processes for making glass fiber and carbon fiber. (Carbon fiber is also made from petroleum.)That situation could be changing. Last week we looked at bio-composites currently being developed at North Dakota State University. This week, we look at bio-based resins that are commercially available right now.
