Jute Reinforced Polynesians for Industrial Applications

8/10/2019 Jute Reinforced Polynesians for Industrial Applications

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Jute Reinforced Polyolefines for Industrial Applications

Md. Siddiqur Rahman and Dr. Latifa Binte Lutfar

International Jute Study Group IJSG!" Dha#a" Ban$ladesh

%

Mr. Martien &an den 'e(er

)a$enin$en *R +A,SG" the -etherlands

Astract

Since the 1980s natural fibre reinforced polymer composites have been extensively investigated. This

has led to the use of various natural fibres like ute! kenaf! flax! sisal etc. in many polymer reinforced

composites in a "ide range of applications. #o"ever! significant use of natural fibres in polymer

composites only started in the 1990s "ith "ood polymer composite material.

$t "as apparent that there is a gro"ing demand from the plastics compounding industry to find

cheaper! lighter and eco%friendly alternatives to the use of glass fibre as reinforcing agents of plastics.

&ute! having outstanding intrinsic mechanical properties! has the potential to compete "ith glass fibres

as reinforcing agents in plastics. $t has additional benefits of lo" cost! lo" density! rene"%ability!

recycle%ability and combustibility.

&ute reinforced polyolefines granules have been developed as an intermediate material for the

production of various end%products to replace glass fibre reinforced 'olypropylene (''). $ndustrial

trial application of the technology to produce ute based composites has been successfully conducted

at industrial sites in *angladesh and $ndia. $t has been observed that the ne" ute%based material has

appropriate technical characteristics and economic potential for commercial exploitation in variousend uses! particularly automotive parts! packaging and household articles.

The potential of ute based composites is based on its price+performance ratio! "here the performance

can reach that of glass fibre reinforced composites! but its price range is substantially lo"er. $n

addition! these composites can compete in a number of end uses "ith expensive engineering plastic

products. $n fact! by compounding plastic "ith ute the product price can substantially be lo"ered.

/ey )ords0,omposite! $nection moulding! -ranulation! einforcing fibre! 'lastics! *io%degradable!

/nvironment friendly.

1. Introduction

&ute is an annually gro"n natural fibre. $t is extracted from the stems of plants belonging to the genus

Corchorus, family Tiliaceae. bout 0 species of Corchorus are kno"n throughout the "orld but C.

capsularis(2hite ute) and C.olitorius(Tossa ute) are the ones "hich are cultivated for their fibre

(3undu! 19456 tkinson! 1954).

&ute and kenaf are versatile textile fibres. The fibres are biodegradable! environmentally! benign and

rene"able. &ute has "ide range of usage. *esides being used as packaging materials "orld"ide it is

no" "idely used as floor covering! home textiles! decorative fabrics! shopping bags! carry bags!

handicrafts! cushion cover! curtains! blankets! nursery pots! insulation material! soil saver! etc. lso it

is used in ute reinforced thermoset composites. $t has the potential to be used in large scale as geo%

textiles in various applications like soil stabilisation! erosion control etc. $t could be a good source of

ra" material for making pulp and paper. 2hen used as a source of biomass fuel! ute and kenaf

production helps to conserve tree cover and natural forests. 7oreover! leaf and crop trash remains in

the field to be recycled as organic materials! thereby reducing demand for supplementary chemical

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fertiliers for subseuent crops. 2ith the gro"ing global a"areness about a pollution free

environment! ute is poised to be the fibre for the future for various end uses and applications.

2. Bac#$round

The traditional ute products markets such as packaging materials for agricultural products (including

sacks! bags! carpet backing cloth! packaging for fertiliers! cement and chemicals) are being eroded

by synthetic substitutes.

To overcome the declining market of these conventional products of ute! ne" technologies have been

evolved for bulk use of ute! as a ra" material in the production of high value added and price

competitive intermediaries or final products. host of innovative ne" products generally termed as

:;iversified &ute 'roducts have been developed "ith high value%addition.

The process of diversification of the uses of ute has been the main thrust of global efforts and one

alternative is the possible utiliation of ute as a reinforcing agent in thermoplastics as the ute

reinforced composites have better competitive advantages over glass fibre composites for various

applications.

$n fact! people have been using composite material from ancient times. The most primitive composite

materials "ere stra" and mud combined to form bricks for building construction. The advanced

examples perform routinely on spacecraft in demanding environments. The visible applications pave

our road"ays in the form of both steel and aggregate reinforced asphalt concrete. Those composites

closest to our personal hygiene form our sho"er stalls and bath tubs made of fiberglass. Solid surface!

imitation granite and cultured marble sinks and counter tops are "idely used to enhance our living

experiences.

Since the 1980s! natural fibre reinforced polymer composites have been investigated extensively. This

has led to the application of various natural fibres! like ute! flax! hemp! sisal! "ood and like"ise

fibres in many polymer reinforced composites in a "ide range of applications. part from "ood paneland board products like 7;< and 'article *oard! significant use of natural fibres in polymer

composites only started in the 1990s "ith "ood polymer composite (2',) material in the =S and

&apan! and recently also in /urope and ,hina (3ale+1). The main outlet for 2', material is decking!

siding! fencing! profiles! etc. 3ey driver for the marketing of 2', materials in the =S "as lo"er

lifetime costs due to expected maintenance benefits. The gro"th rate of 2', materials in the past

years has been very high.

$n /uropean automotive industry! natural fibre mat reinforced thermoplastics (>7T)! based on fibres

other than from "ood! have been applied since about 1994 (3ale+1). ?ne of the drivers for the

developments in /urope "as the sustainability aspect of natural fibres. early 100@ of the >7T materials are

applied in the automotive sector.

Table%1A 'roduction volumes of "ood polymer composite (2',) and other natural fibre reinforced

thermoplastics materials "orld"ide (,arus! B008a and B008b).

-rade rea Colume

(kton)

Dear ,hange (year)

2', profiles ,hina 140 B00E F 100@ (B005)

2', profiles >orth merica 500 B00G F 100@ (B000)

2', profiles /urope 1B0 B00E F B0@ (B005)

2', profiles &apan 40 B00E F B4@ (B005)

>7T for trim applications -ermany G0 B004 Stable>atural fibre%polymer granules /= B005 -ro"ing

B
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brickhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asphalt_concretehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiberglasshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brickhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asphalt_concretehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiberglass


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ecently! industry started to pay attention to inection moulding grades of natural fibre%polymer

composites H,arus! B008aI. This includes both "ood and other natural fibre based polymers. The

advantage of granules for inection moulding applications is the large freedom of design and the lo"

cost at high volumes of inection moulding processing. The volume of non%"ood natural fibre

reinforced polymer granules "as estimated by >ova $nstitut in -ermany to be kton in /urope in

B005 H,arus! B008aI.

The amount of natural fibre based composites produced currently is still nearly a factor of 4 lo"er

than the amount of glass fibre reinforced polymers! and far lo"er than the amounts of the pure bulk

polymers produced (3ale+2). The maority of the glass fibres used in composites in /urope finds

application in S7,+*7, (B4@)! and lay%up and spray%up (G1@). ?ther fields of application are T7

(10@)! sheets (E@)! pultrusion (@) and pipes and tanks (1B@). ll of these technologies comprise

thermosetting processing. 2ith 8@! thermoplastic glass%'' is completing the 100@. The glass%''

finds mainly application in the automotive industry (98@). -ro"th rates of glass fibre reinforced

plastics are small compared to natural fibre reinforced composites! in the =S the market volume even

reduced in B00E.

Table%BA 'roduction volumes of glass%'' (-7T! ;%Jova $nstitut from -ermany states that Kthe forecast for the use of natural fibre reinforced polymers

sho"s a trend significantly going upL H,arus! B008bI.

$t has been observed that there is a gro"ing demand from the plastics compounding industry to find

cheaper! lighter and eco%friendlier alternatives to the use of glass fibres as reinforcing agents of

plastics. &ute! having outstanding intrinsic mechanical properties! has the potential to compete "ith

glass fibres as reinforcing agents in plastics. Supplementary benefits include lo" cost! lo" density!

rene"%ability! recycle%ability and combustibility. $n addition! they are less abrasive for the euipment

during processing "ith thermoplastics and do not expose operators to potential safety or health

problems.

$n this backdrop the $nternational &ute Study -roup ($&S-) initiated and has successfully implemented

a proect entitled :&ute einforced 'olyolefines for $ndustrial pplications. The main obective "as

to develop ne" ute%based materials having appropriate technical characteristics and economic

potential for commercial exploitation in various end%uses.

The development of ute reinforced polypropylene ('') granules as intermediate material for the

production of various end%products to replace glass fibre (-


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,hemical ,orp. bio%stabiliing masterbatch Sanitied 7* / BB%E0 "as provided by Sanitied -

(*urgdorf! S"iterland).

5. Principle of composites

There are t"o categories of constituent materials for a compositeA matrix and reinforcement. t least

one portion of each type is reuired. The matrix material surrounds and supports the reinforcement

materials by maintaining their relative positions. The reinforcements impart their special mechanical

and physical properties to enhance the matrix properties. synergy produces material properties

unavailable from the individual constituent materials! "hile the "ide variety of matrix and

strengthening materials allo"s the designer of the product or structure to choose an optimum

combination. /ngineered composite materials must be formed to shape. The matrix material can be

introduced to the reinforcement before or after the reinforcement material is placed into the mold

cavity or onto the mold surface. The matrix material experiences a melding event! after "hich the part

shape is essentially set. ;epending upon the nature of the matrix material! this melding event can

occur in various "ays such as chemical polymeriation or solidification from the melted state. 7ost

commercially produced composites use a polymer matrix material often called a resin solution. There

are many different polymers available depending upon the starting ra" ingredients. There are severalbroad categories! each "ith numerous variations. The most common are kno"n as polyester! vinyl

ester! epoxy! phenol! polyamide! polypropylene!and others. The reinforcement materials are often

fibers but also commonly ground minerals.

variety of molding methods can be used according to the end%item design reuirements. The

principal factors impacting the methodology are the nature of the chosen matrix and reinforcement

materials. nother important factor is the gross uantity of material to be produced. Jarge uantities

can be used to ustify high capital expenditures for rapid and automated manufacturing technology.

Small production uantities are accommodated "ith lo"er capital expenditures but higher labour and

tooling costs at a correspondingly slo"er rate.


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that can be processed further in basically any inection moulding machine. These granules contain

adhering and absorbed "ater and need further drying prior to packing+sealing into plastic bags.


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and the non%polar polymer to sho" good interaction. The process results in a compounded material

"ith improved rigidity and strength.

lthough the maximum nominal throughput of the pelletier is 180 kg+h! at 14%B0 kg+h throughput! a

kind of pulsed flo" occasionally causes :freeing of the molten compound at the die! thus blocking

the flo" and eventually reuiring a fresh start%up of the process. $t is expected that a modified fibre

feeding system and composite granulation method "ill increase the throughput to a level of over 100

kg+h! "hich is supposed to make the process economically feasible. $n this proect focus "as on

inection moulding applications because of far higher relevance for the plastics processing industry in

$ndia and *angladesh. The resulting granules are suitable for use in any conventional inection

moulding euipment! as long as processors take notice of a fe" aspects. 3ey reuirement is that the

ute%'' granules are dried prior to inection moulding to achieve proper moulding and to avoid

degradation of the ute during processing.


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Results

The *agley%correction for pressure drops at the entrance and exit of the die has been determined for

natural fibre extrusion compounds during earlier proects. The correction resulted in a small shift of

the viscosity to lo"er values in the shear rate range B0 P 4000 s %1and in the temperature range B00 P

BB0O,. The slope of the viscosity curves "as not affected. Therefore! the rheology data in this study

have not been *agley%corrected.

$ncrease of the temperature from B00O, to BB0O, resulted in a reduction of the viscosity. lso an

extended residence time of G0 minutes at these high temperatures resulted in a lo"er viscosity!

although the drop in viscosity is very minimal at B00O,. This indicates that processing becomes easier

in case hot spots arise or in case processing euipment is not able to keep to short cycle times. The

addition of the ute fibres increases the viscosity of the '' but does not change the basic plastic

character of its viscosity%shear rate dependency! as has also been observed for glass%'' (>anguneri et

al).

flo" additive used in natural fibre reinforced profile extrusion (Jicomont /T 11 of ,lariant

-mb#) has been evaluated for its effect on rheology. #o"ever! "hereas flo" improved to someextent! the flexural and impact strength of the composites dropped dramatically! from 84 to 44 7'a

and from 1G to 5 k&+mBrespectively.

'artial replacement of the '' by a '' grade "ith lo"er viscosity (higher 7elt


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not been stabilied against =C "ell. ?n the other hand! =C irradiation hardly affects the mechanical

properties of the ute%'' compounds. This is attributed to the ute fibres containing circa 1B@ of

lignin! "hich is kno"n for its =C stabiliing effect. The ute fibres at the specimen surface absorb the

=C irradiation P visualied by the fading top layer of the compounds P and thus protect the rest of the

material against =C. &oseph et al. HB00BI present similar data for =C irradiated sisal%'' compounds!

pure '' looses 94@ of its strength after 1B "eeks of =C radiation! "hereas the strength of G0@ sisal%

'' composites decreases less than B4@.

194 9B0 using Staphylococcus aureus T,, 54G8 and evaluated for surface gro"th of bacteria.

separate set of specimens "as subected to a fungi resistance test at B8O, for "eeks according to

ST7 - B1%95 and evaluated for surface gro"th of fungi. third series of specimens "as tested in

garden mould at B9O, for 5 "eeks according to /> $S? 85 P Section ; and evaluated for "eight

loss.

Results

The observations of the biodegradation tests are summaried in 3ale+5. fter 1 day of bacterial

incubation! the standard 40 "t. @ ute%'' compound "as fully covered "ith bacteria. ddition of G

"t.@ of the bio%stabilier Sanitied 7* / BB%E0 restricted bacterial gro"th to 4@ of the G "t.@

specimen surface. The bio%stabilier hardly contributes to the resistance to fungi and garden mould.

The high level of fungal gro"th is not in accordance "ith data by ichter HB00I for E0 "t.@ "ood%'' composites "ith similar amounts of the same bio%stabilier. The reason for this is not yet

elucidated and application of the 40 "t.@ ute%'' compounds in fungi sensitive conditions reuires

further investigation.

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The biodegradation tests virtually cause no reduction in flexural strength and stiffness. The ,harpy

impact strength reduces "ith 8@! independent of the use of bio%stabilier.

Results

Table%A /ffect of bio%stabilier Sanitied 7* / BB%E0 on biodegradation of 40@ ute%'' composites.

Test method $ncubation time

(days)

&ute%''

compound

&ute%'' comp.

F G@ *iostab

,otton control

*acterial resistance test

(@ of surface covered)

1 100 U 4


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strength after "ater absorption may be caused by plasticiation of the natural fibres! "hich are usually

brittle after melt compounding in thermoplastics. 'lasticiation "ill reduce the crack initiating

properties of the other"ise brittle fibre. a,l

solution (grey symbols). The mechanical properties of un%degraded specimens have been

normalied to 100@.

9onclusions

The lo" "ater diffusion rate suggests that the fibres in the 40 "t.@ ute%'' composite are individually

surrounded by '' to a large extent! and do not form a continuous fibre net"ork. The ute fibres exhibit

a =C stabiliing effect on ''. The mechanical performance gradually declines upon prolonged

thermal loading and immersion in "ater. *acteria! fungi and garden mould hardly have a negative

effect on mechanical properties.

6.= Dimensional staility

Thermal expansion in length direction of moulded specimens "as determined at PB0! 0 and 80 O,!

relative to the length at B0O,. /valuation "as performed in 4%fold! using a caliper "ith accuracy 0.01

mm. 7ould shrinkage "as determined in G dimensions by using a caliper.

Results

Thermal expansion of the ute%'' compound in longitudinal direction of the test bars is B. timeslo"er than of the pure '' over the temperature range evaluated (,i$ure+11). $f thermal expansion is

linear in the temperature range B0PB00O,! mould shrinkage values of 0.004 and 0.01B for the ute%''

and the '' respectively are expected. /xperimentally determined longitudinal mould shrinkage for the

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ute%'' and the pure '' "as 0.00G and 0.015! respectively. The experimental value for ute% '' is

comparable to the value of 0.00G reported for 40 "t.@ kenaf%'' by ,aulfield et al. H1999I.

o odour evaluation on a specimen containing ute

"ithout batching oil "as performed.

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Table%5A


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6.11 9omparison to competin$ materials

&ute%'' composite granules exhibit a mechanical properties profile that is close to that of glass fibre%

'' composites (3ale+ot broken E4

XX /xperimentally determined in this proect

9onclusions

&ute%'' composite granules can compete very "ell "ith pure ''! talcum filled '' and glass fibre

reinforced '' in specific applications! in particular if stiffness and strength is reuired. 2hereas in

this proect only B ute grades "ere evaluated! from trials "ith flax fibres in previous proects it has

become clear that fibre uality has minimal effect on the composites performance.

:. Products


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B0


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References

tkinson! .!Jute-fibre to yarn! *.$. 'ublications! *ombay $ndia! 1954

,arus 7.! einforced 'lastics! 4B ()! B008! p.18%B4.

,arus 7.! 'roceedings of 5th>%%

Jute Reinforced Polynesians for Industrial Applications

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