Arkema Elium recyclable liquid thermoplastic in speed board
Arkema joins the Zephir Project, in which the company’s Elium resin, the first recyclable liquid thermoplastic resin, is used in the design of high-performance structural components for speed board.
Arkema’s Elium resin is used in speed board for Zephir Project.
Elium’s liquid form enables high-precision parts suited to the complex geometries of speed boards, while delivering performance comparable to that of thermosetting materials used in the most demanding sports environments.
At the same time, the resin remains fully chemical recyclable: through a depolymerization process, the fibers and resin can be separated and then recycled, with the resin subsequently reused to produce recycled resin, thereby reinforcing the complete circularity of the composites industry.
The Zephir Project brings together leading industry players, including:
Zephir Project: Co-founded by Marc Amerigo and world champion sailor Antoine Albeau, the project aims to push the boundaries of sailing speed records through a cutting-edge scientific approach.
ALTEN: A global leader in engineering and IT services, contributing its expertise in modeling, simulation, and optimization of ultra-high-performance composite structures to the Zephir project.
Arkema: A global leader in Specialty Materials that develops Elium resin, the first recyclable liquid thermoplastic acrylic resin, enabling the manufacture of high-performance structural parts while enhancing the circularity of composites.
Alpha Recyclage Composite: A major player in the emergence of a sector dedicated to the recycling of composite materials, particularly through the recovery and upcycling of recycled carbon fibers.
Evonik: An international chemical company specializing in high-performance materials, notably a supplier of Rohacryl foam, a technical acrylic foam used for lightweight and rigid composite structures.
Neo Sailing Technologies: A pioneer in shipbuilding using advanced materials and the first company to build racing boats entirely from Elium resin, demonstrating the potential of this recyclable technology at a very early stage.
Prototype of the speed board was presented at JEC World 2026.
