Farmers in the not to distant future could become auto part manufacturers in an indirect way.
It’s because some of the crops they grow can be converted into bio based material to be used to replace plastic in automotive parts.
University of Guelph Professor Larry Erickson says they currently have manufactured storage bins out of straw that will be a part of the 2010 model Ford Flex.
He says some of the other crops that will be used in the manufacture of car parts include soy and corn, which will help boost the income of many farmers in Ontario.
Erickson says the BioCar Initiative, supported by the Ontario Research Fund’s Research Excellence Program, was started in 2007 and involved four universities.
He says the use of this bio based material not only will help Ontario farmers bottom lines, it also will have a big impact on the environment.
Erickson says Using wheat-straw plastic for storage bins in this one car model reduces petroleum usage by 20 thousand pounds per year and C02 emission by 30 thousand pounds per year.
He says the Universities Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre is also working on developing environmentally-friendly car bumpers and running boards by substituting renewable and recyclable engineered composites.