Biodegradeability, static & dynamic water contact angles of biobased ski wax compared to traditional ski wax.

Purpose and goal:

Developed prototypes biobased ski wax showed comparable results to commercial ski wax based on fossil hydrocarbons in terms of both hydrophobicity (water repellency) and glide performance. In the tests for biodegradability in soil, biobased ski wax was able to break down slightly faster than the conventional fossil-based ski wax. By extrapolating the results for when all the available carbons have formed carbon dioxide, a time of about 220 days is estimated for the biobased wax to completely break down in soil, and 340 days for conventional fossil-based wax, a difference of 100 days.

Expected results and effects:

Contact angle measurements showed that all ski waxes were hydrophobic with an angle of >90 degrees and with small differences between ski waxes. The gliding tests showed no significant difference between biobased and conventional ski waxes

when it comes to gliding properties and performance. The biodegradability was slightly faster for the evaluated biobased prototype compared to the commercial petroleum-based product. Natural ingredients and faster degradation resuls in a reduced environmental impact when developing and using biobased ski wax.

Approach and implementation:

Contact angle measurements were carried out in climate-controlled environments (+23 and -5 degrees). Before starting the respiration tests for biodegradability, Eurofins helped determine the carbon content in the ski waxes. The substrates were incubated for 64 days where the amount of carbon dioxide formed was measured regularly.

Glide tests on snow were done in Ö-vik. Seven pairs of skis were zeroed and randomized with a three-digit code. Four skiers tested all skis twice.

Total glide time was calculated. Lisa and Erica have had regular meetings to follow up on the project.