Composites from bast fibres Page 1 of 22 COMPOSITES FROM BAST FIBRES - PROSPECTS AND POTENTIAL IN THE CHANGING MARKET ENVIRONMENT Rajesh D. Anandjiwala 1 and Sunshine Blouw 2 ABSTRACT Composite materials reinforced with natural fibres, such as flax, hemp, kenaf and jute, are gaining increasing importance in automotive, aerospace, packaging and other industrial applications due to their lighter weight, competitive specific strength and stiffness, improved energy recovery, carbon dioxide sequestration, ease and flexibility of manufacturing and environmental friendliness besides the benefit of the renewable resources of bast fibres. The market scenario for composite applications is changing due to the introduction of newer bio- degradable polymers, such as PLA synthesized from corn, development of composite making techniques and new stringent environmental laws requiring improved recyclability or biodegradability for industrial applications where stress bearing capacities and micro- mechanical failures dictate serviceability. Bast fibre reinforced composites, made from bio- degradable polymers, will have to compete with conventional composites in terms of their mechanical behaviour. Bio-composites, in which natural fibres such as kenaf, jute, flax, hemp, sisal, corn stalk, bagasse or even grass are embedded in a biodegradable matrix, made as bioplastics from soybean, corn and sugar, have opened-up new possibilities for applications in automotive and building products. Obviously, new approaches to research and development will be required to assess their mechanical properties and also their commercial 1 Ph.D., C.Text. FTI, Business Area Manager – Dry Processing, Centre for Fibre, Textile & Clothing, Manufacturing & Materials Division, CSIR, P.O. Box 1124, Port Elizabeth 6000, South Africa, E-mail: [email protected]and Senior Lecturer, Department of Textile Science, Faculty of Science, University of Port Elizabeth, P.O. Box 1600, Port Elizabeth 6000, South Africa, E-mail: [email protected]2 M.Sc., Business Area Manager – Fibre, Centre for Fibre, Textile & Clothing, Manufacturing & Materials Division, CSIR, P.O. Box 1124, Port Elizabeth 6000, South Africa, [email protected].
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Composites from bast fibres Page 1 of 22
COMPOSITES FROM BAST FIBRES - PROSPECTS AND POTENTIAL IN THE CHANGING MARKET ENVIRONMENT
Rajesh D. Anandjiwala1 and Sunshine Blouw2
ABSTRACT
Composite materials reinforced with natural fibres, such as flax, hemp, kenaf and jute, are
gaining increasing importance in automotive, aerospace, packaging and other industrial
applications due to their lighter weight, competitive specific strength and stiffness, improved
energy recovery, carbon dioxide sequestration, ease and flexibility of manufacturing and
environmental friendliness besides the benefit of the renewable resources of bast fibres. The
market scenario for composite applications is changing due to the introduction of newer bio-
degradable polymers, such as PLA synthesized from corn, development of composite making
techniques and new stringent environmental laws requiring improved recyclability or
biodegradability for industrial applications where stress bearing capacities and micro-
mechanical failures dictate serviceability. Bast fibre reinforced composites, made from bio-
degradable polymers, will have to compete with conventional composites in terms of their
mechanical behaviour. Bio-composites, in which natural fibres such as kenaf, jute, flax,
hemp, sisal, corn stalk, bagasse or even grass are embedded in a biodegradable matrix, made
as bioplastics from soybean, corn and sugar, have opened-up new possibilities for
applications in automotive and building products. Obviously, new approaches to research and
development will be required to assess their mechanical properties and also their commercial
1 Ph.D., C.Text. FTI, Business Area Manager – Dry Processing, Centre for Fibre, Textile & Clothing, Manufacturing & Materials Division, CSIR, P.O. Box 1124, Port Elizabeth 6000, South Africa, E-mail: [email protected] and Senior Lecturer, Department of Textile Science, Faculty of Science, University of Port Elizabeth, P.O. Box 1600, Port Elizabeth 6000, South Africa, E-mail: [email protected] M.Sc., Business Area Manager – Fibre, Centre for Fibre, Textile & Clothing, Manufacturing & Materials Division, CSIR, P.O. Box 1124, Port Elizabeth 6000, South Africa, [email protected].
biotechnology, polymer and composite manufacturing aspects should be
carried out.
• Composite manufacturing technologies should be refined and made suitable
for the new bioresins.
• A paradigm shift with respect to the concept of biodegradability should be
thoroughly researched; the research should be directed to ‘triggered’
biodegradability. The biocomposite should start degradation only in the
presence of certain triggers to control and initiate the process of
biodegradation. This research will have two advantages, namely, preventing
the degradation of the product during use, thus preserving essential properties
until the end of the product’s useful life and thereafter allow accelerated
degradation of the product for quick disposal.
• In the light of the current trend on nanocomposite, research efforts should be
directed to derive nanofibres and whiskers from bast fibres and other
Composites from bast fibres Page 18 of 22
lignocellulosic materials. This will help in incorporating natural fibres in
nano-clays.
REFERENCES:
Business Communication Company, Inc., RP-178 Composites: Resins, Fillers, Reinforcements, Natural Fibres and Nanocomposites, Report, September 2002. Centre for Lightweight Structures, TUD - TNO, Netherlands, the Project on Natural Fibre Composites from Upholstery to Structural Components. www.clc.tno.nl Drzal, L.T., Mohanty, A.K., and Mishra, M. Biocomposites From Engineered Natural Fibres For Housing Panel Applications, National Science Foundation Partnership for Advancing Technologies in Housing (NSF-PATH), 2001. Award No: 0122108. Drzal, L.T., Mohanty, A.K., Bugueno, and Mishra, M., Biobased Structural Composite for Housing and Infrastructure Applications: Opportunities and Challenges, Pre-publication Communications. Source: www.pathnet.org/si.asp?id=1076 Ellison, G.C., and McNaught, R., The Use of Natural Fibres in Nonwoven Structures for Applications as Automotive Component Substrates, Report Ref. No. NF0309, February 2000, MAFF – Industrial Materials, U.K. Karmaker, A.C. and Youngquist, J.A., Injection Moulding of Polypropylene Reinforced with Short Jute Fibres, J. Applied Polymer Science, Vo. 62, 1147-1151, 1996. Karnani, R., Krishnan, M., and Narayan, R., Biofibre-Reinforced Polypropylene Composites, Polymer Engineering and Science, Vol. 37, No. 2, 476-483, 1997. Lloyd, E.H. and Seber, D., Best Fibres Applications for Composites, BioComposite Solutions, WA, USA. Kozlowski, R., Mieleniak, B., Helwig, M., and Przepiera, A., Flame Resistant Ligno-cellulosic-mineral composite particleboards, Polymer Degradation and Stability, Vol. 64, 523-528, 1999. Marsh, G., Next Step for Automotive Materials, Materials Today, Elsevier Science Ltd., April 2003, pp 36-43. Mishra, S., Mohanty, A.K., Drzal, L.T., Misra, M., Parija, S., Nayak, S.K. , and Tripathy, S.S., Studies on Mechanical Performance of Biofibre/Glass Reinforced Polyester Hybrid Composites, Composite Science and Technology 63: 1377-1385, 2003. Narayan, R., in Emerging Technologies for Materials and Chemicals from Biomass, Rowell, R.M., Schultz, T.P., and Narayan, R. (Eds.), ACS Symposium Series, 476, 1992.
Olesen, P.O. and Plackett, D.V., Perspectives on the Performance of Natural Plant Fibres, Plant Fibre Laboratory, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2002. Richardson, M. and Zhang, Z., Nonwoven Hemp Reinforced Composites, Reinforced Plastics, Vol. 45, April 2001. Riedel, U. and Nickel, J., Natural Fibre-reinforced Biopolymers as Construction Materials – New Discoveries, 2nd International Wood and Natural Fibre Composites Symposium, June 28-29, 1999, Kassel, Germany. Rowell, R.M., and Stout, H.P., Jute and Kenaf, Handbook of Fibre Chemistry, Second Edition, Eds: Lewin, M. and Pearce, E.M., Marcel Dekker, New York, 1998. Rowell, R.M., Composite Materials from Agricultural Resources, IN: Olesen, O, Rexen, F., and Larsen, J. (eds.), Research in Industrial Application of Non-food Crops, I: plant fibres: Proceedings of a seminar; 1995 May; Copenhagen, Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark Academy of Technical Science: 27-41. US Patent No: 6,767,634, Krishnaswamy, P., July 27, 2004.
Composites from bast fibres Page 20 of 22
Automotive31%
Aerospace1%
Appliances8%
Consumer Goods
8%
Construction26%
Electronic10%
Marine12%
Miscellaneous4%
Figure 1: Distribution of fibre-reinforced composites by application (2002). Source: Business Communication Company, Inc., 2002.
Specific E/density 26-46 47 7-21` - 29 Elongation at break (%)
1.2-1.6 1.6 1.8 - 3
Cellulose (%) 78.5 68.1 58-63 60.8 -Hemi-Cellulose (%) 9.2 15.1 21-24 20.3 -Lignin (%) 8.5 10.6 12-14 11.0 -Pectin (%) 2.3 3.6 # 3.2 -Ash (%) 1.5 2.5 0.5 4.7 -Note: Properties of natural fibres vary and depend upon the fibre preparation, test specimen, testing method, origin of fibres, agricultural parameters, etc. # no authoritative value available. The table is compiled from various sources.