CW Blog

In an effort to solve water shortage issues in the U.S. state of California, Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered key state agencies to develop a blueprint for meeting California’s 21st century water needs, to ensure safe and resilient water supplies, flood protection and healthy waterways for the state’s communities, economy and environment. Two solutions in which composites play a significant role are wastewater purification (which was featured in CW's January 2020 feature “Composites help take the waste out of wastewater”) and, the focus of this report, seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination.

Happy New Year! As we wrap up 2019, it’s a time to reflect upon the trends and innovations seen in the composites industry over the past year and contemplate what might be ahead in 2020. To that end, here’s a list of the most viewed articles on the CompositesWorld website in 2019. 

Located in a 4,500-square-meter building, less than an hour’s drive from Amsterdam, Holland Composites (Lelystad, Netherlands) focuses on four markets: marine/offshore, architecture, renewable energy and special projects. Holland Composites uses a mix of prepreg carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and Nomex honeycomb for highly loaded parts, and resin infusion and glass fiber for the building industry and lower-margin projects. “We are still able to pull off high -performance even with these more cost-effective constructions, and we maintain low overhead for the parts using advanced materials,” says Sven Erik Janssen, Holland Composites’ co-managing partner, along with founder Pieterjan Dwarshuis. “This is unique.”

The company also operates the brand DNA Performance Sailing, producing foiling multihull sailboats, including the 5.5-meter F1X catamaran, the 11-meter TF10 trimaran and 14-meter F4 catamaran. The 12-meter G4 catamaran is no longer in production, “but it showcases our capabilities for advanced composite yacht building and high performance,” notes Janssen. “This boat is a dual-purpose foiling racer and family cruiser with berths, kitchen and head, yet achieves a speed of more than 35 knots. The ability to foil with more than 4,000 kilograms in weight and only a six-person crew — there is still no competition in this field short of multi-million-dollar America’s Cups yachts.”

Adequate water resources in the state of California are a matter of some urgency, creating new opportunities for composites. California’s seven-year drought, which officially ended in March 2019, heated already simmering water wars between farmers, citizens in cities, technologists, manufacturers and environmentalists.

Since its launch in 2015, the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI — The Composites Institute, Knoxville, Tenn., U.S.) has built a network of industry, academic institutions, and federal, state and local governments that are working together to improve the United States’ energy and economic security through composites technology development. This consortium includes more than 160 members in 31 states, more than 130 companies and 17 academic institutes. Launched as the fifth Manufacturing USA Innovation Institute and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, IACMI has proven its capabilities over the past five years to accelerate the development of advanced composites in five technology areas: