Composites from renewable
resources
Natural fibre reinforcement
Biobased thermosets matrix
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Life cycle for fossil materials
CO2
Combustion
0 to 10 years
Plants
Renewable
resources
Fuels
Plastics
1 000 000 000 years
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Crude oil
2
Life cycle for biobased
materials
Combustion
CO2
0 to 100 years
0 to 10 years
Plants
Renewable
resources
Fuels
Plastics
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CARBON NEUTRAL
• A material which has no impact on
total atmospheric CO2 levels
• The CO2 released due to incineration
or decomposition is compensated by
an equal amount of CO2 absorbed
during photosynthesis for generating
the biomass
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Historical development
Conducting
polymerers
High-temp
polymers
NATURAL
ORIGIN
MATERIALS
Wood
Skin
Fibers
Straw-brick
Paper
10 000 bC
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Polyesters
PE
Nylon
Bakelit
Natural rubber
Fishbone glue
Linoleum
Celluloid
Linseed oil paints
0
1800
1900
PP
EpoxyPVC resins
PS
Biopolymers
Carbon
fibres
Glass fibres
SYNTHETIC
MAN MADE
MATERIALS
1950
2000
5
Ref: www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/1998/980209.htm
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ENERGY CONSUMPTION DURING
COMPOSITE PRODUCT LIFE-TIME
1%
USE
MANUFACTURE
99%
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Environmental impact of
composites
1. 99 % of all product related energy is
consumed during use, only 0.5 %
during production
2. The environmental impact for
composites is reduced by their
durability, low weight, and energy
efficient processing
3. Composites are by ¨defintion¨
environmentally friendly materials!
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Wood – a biobased composite
50 m
50 m
Matrix: Lignin and
extractives
Reinforcement: Cellulose
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Wood – a anisotropic composite
Y
X
Delamination in X direction
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No delamination in Y direction
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Natural fibres – possible
reinforcements for composites
• Cellulose fibrous
polymers
• No new idea!
• Textiles, ropes, canvas
and paper have been
made from natural fibres
since centuries
• Wool, flax and silk have
a long tradition in
textiles
• Crude oil bases fibres
replaced natural fibres
• India and Brazil
continued their use
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DDR’s Trabant
contained natural fibres
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Why natural fibers?
Renewable
Abundant
Cheap
Light weight
Biodegradable
Non-abrasive to
processing
equipment
• CO2 neutral when
incinerated
•
•
•
•
•
•
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• Flexible and though
• Can be incinerated
with energy
recovery
• Good mechanical
stiffness
• Good acoustic and
thermal insulating
properties
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In nature occurring fibers:
Plant fibers
• Flax
• Hemp
• Kenaf
• Jute
• Ramie
• Sisal
• Banana
• Coconut
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Animal fibers
• Chicken feathers
• Hair
1000 plants can be used for
manufacturing industrially
usable fibers…..
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Use of natural fibres in composites in
the German automotive production
Market study by nova-Institut,
Germany
20000
45 000 tons of plant fibre NFCs
36 000 tons of wood fibre NFCs
79 000 tons of cotton fibre NFCs
17200
18000
18000
15100
16000
12200
Quantity (t)
14000
Totally 160 000 tons composites of
which 88 000 tons natural fibres
12000
9600
10000
8000
6000
4000
4000
About 16 kg natural fibres used per
car in Germany
Plant fibre market volume 15 million
euro in automotive
65 % thermoplastic and 35 %
thermoset matrices
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2000
0
1996
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Total
4000
9600
12200
15100
17200
18000
Hemp
0
300
1200
1600
2200
2300
Exotic (Jute, Kenaf, etc.)
2000
2300
2000
5000
6000
6300
Flax
2000
7000
9000
8500
9000
9400
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Use of natural fibres
North America 2000
Car parts
8%
Other 7%
Industry
10%
Totally
200 000 ton
(7 % of reinforcement and filler
market volumes)
700 000 ton 2005
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Construction
75%
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Fiber properties
Fiber
E-modulus
(Gpa)
Strength
(Mpa)
Strain
(%)
Length
(mm)
Diam.
(m)
Density
(g/cm3)
Glass
72
2000-3400
1.8-3.2
Cont.
10
2.56
Ramie
128
500-1000
1.2-4
60-250
10-80
1.4-1.5
Flax
45-100
600-1100
1.5-2.4
13-70
10-30
1.37
Sisal
19-32
490-760
2.2-2.9
1-8
10-40
1.45
Hemp
35
400
1.1-1.6
5-55
10-50
1.4-1.5
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Production of plant fibers
Fibre
Price comp. to
glass (%)
Jute
18
Production
(1000 t)
3600
E-glass
100
1200
Flax
130
800
Sisal
21
500
Banana
40
100
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Data from 1993
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Composition of different
cellulose based natural fibers
Cotton
Jute
Flax
Ramie
Sisal
Cellulose
82.7
64.4
64.1
68.6
65.8
Hemicellulose
5.7
12.0
16.7
13.1
12.0
Pectin
5.7
0.2
1.8
1.9
0.8
Lignin
-
11.8
2.0
0.6
9.9
Water sol.
Subst.
1.0
1.1
3.9
5.5
1.2
Wax
0.6
0.5
1.5
0.3
0.3
Water
10.0
10.0
10.0
10.06
10.0
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Ref.: Bledzki, Prog. Polym. Sci. 24 (1999) 221
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Properties for natural fibres
Mechanical properties:
•
Large variations among
species, dependence on
environment and geographical
cultivation location, climate
and age
Chemical properties:
•
Inhomogeneous and large
variations, hydrophilic
Physical structure:
•
Complex and heterogeneous,
different properties on
different size levels
Surface properties:
Heterogeneous, hydrophilic,
must be modified before
processing
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•
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The cellulose polymer
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OH up
Cellulose
OH down
Cellobiose repeating unit (-Dglucose)
The combination of -D-glucose
make it possible to form long
straight chains
DP 9 000 – 15 000
MW = 10 000 – 150 000
5 - 7 m linear length in wood
Hydrogen bonds
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Compatibilization
by maleic anhydride modified
polymers
Maleated polymer
O
H
HO
H
H
H
O
H
O
HO
O
H
O
HO
OH
H
OH
H
O
HO
OH
H
H
O
O
HO
O
O
HO
O
O
O
H
H
HO
Maleated polymer
HOOC
O
O
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
OH
H
beta-D-glucose
beta-D-glucose
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Flax
(Linum usitatissimum)
A bast fibre
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Flax fibres can be made into
non-wovens
• 30 % lighter than
same stiffness glass
fiber
• Traditionally used
in textiles
• Industrial use as
insulating material,
and in automotive
composites
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World-wide cultivation area for flax fibres
Total area:
China:
France:
Belarus:
Russia:
the Netherlands:
Belgium:
Ukraine:
Lithuania:
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386 000 ha
132 500 ha
66 000 ha
40 000 ha
30 000 ha
16 300 ha
14 500 ha
9 300 ha
5 000 ha
Data from FAOSTAT 2000
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Flax cultivation output kg/ha:
Raw flax
Rippled flax
Seeds
Long fiber
Short fiber
Total fiber
kg/ha
7950
6150
750
1560
290
1850
local variation
5 860 – 10 510
4 560 – 8 480
570 – 985
1 310 – 1 930
200 – 420
1 510 – 2 360
Data from Belgium cultivation tests 2002
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Flax - from plant to fabric
A step-wise
process:
- harvesting
- seed rippling
- drying
- retting
- scutching
- hackling
- carding
- drawing
- spinning
- weaving
- fabric treatment
Seed rippling –
traditional method
Field retting
Carding
Spinning
Weaving
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Air-laid insulation
Scutching
Scutched fibre bundles
Short fibre tow
Flax fibre
processing cycle
Hackling
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Long
fibre line yarn
Spun yarns
Carding
Spinning
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Biotechnical retting process
Developed by Finflax Ltd, Finland
Characteristics:
•
•
•
•
•
Bioreactor retting vessel
Closed system with recirculation and
regeneration of retting liquor
Pectinase and hemicellulose enzymes
Easy to control (pH, temperature, O2)
12 - 24 hours processing time
Benefits:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Shorter retting time
Better fibre yield
Better fibre strength
Environmentally friendly process
Well-controlled and reproducible
method
6. Efficient method
7. Reduction of processing costs
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Photo: FinFlax Ltd
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SEM surface analysis of enzyme and
field retted flax fibres
Field retted fibre, 1000X
Enzyme retted fibre, 1000X
Technical fibre, 50 – 100 m
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Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabis)
• Grows 4 m in 7 months
• Packaging materials,
paper, oil-absorbents
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Jute (Corchorus casularis)
• Short, inelastic fibres
• Carpet backing, sacks,
wall coverings, floor
coverings
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SISAL PLANTAGE
Photo by Kristiina Oksman
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Wood fibre reinforced
thermoplastics
• Wood polymer composites
(WPC)
• Wood fibres are used as a
filler or reinforcement
• Compounding by extrusion
• Processing as
thermoplastics
• 10 – 70 w-% fibre content
• PP, PE, PS, ABS, recycled
thermoplastics
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Palltruder®
Production of wood plastic omposites
K2004
Exhibition,
Düsseldorf
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www.pallmannpulverizers.com
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Extrusion line for wood polymer
composite profiles
K2004
Exhibition,
Düsseldorf
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Construction materials
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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50 % growth in the US
Easy maintenance
Compared to impregnated wood
less toxic
Processed as wood
A wood-like surface finish
Can be colored with pigments
¨A plastic¨ surface feeling and
out-look
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Car parts from natural fibres
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Mainly non-structural components for
interior
Flax, hemp, kenaf
Reinforcement in non-woven form or
chopped short fibres
Processing by compression moulding
EU directive End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV)
demands that 85 % of car weight must be
recycled, 10 % can be incinerated and only
5 % can be land-filled
Plant fibres are 30-40 % of lower weight
than glass fibres
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TEXFLAX European project
Flax yarn
Flax fabrics
Flax fibre
Flax cultivation
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Composite product
Composite laminates
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TEXFLAX Demonstrator prototypes
Sandwich
panel
Bicycle helmet
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Vacuum
infused lid
Flower pot
Water tank
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Design and biocomposites
OLD CONCEPTS – NO DESIGN!
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NEW CONCEPTS – WITH DESIGN!
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Kareline Ltd, Finland
Wood composite compounds
Window frame by Allplast
• Bleached softwood pulp +
polypropylene
• 50 wt-% fibre content
• Injection molding and extrusion
molding
• Design aspects considered
Electic guitar by Flaxwood
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www.kareline.fi
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Necessary developments:
• Fibre processing techniques into usable forms
• Dust and microorganism in plants can be health hazards
• Hydrophilicity of natural fibers causes water sensitivity
(rotting and swelling)
• Matrix incompatibility causes poor mechanical properties
• Seasonal variability in plant properties
• Better understanding about mechanical properties and
structure
• Temperature stability (processability and recycling)
• Burning smell and odours while processing at high
temperatures
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Natural fibre reinforcements
The environmental impact of the natural
fibre reinforcements must be evaluated,
and all steps must be considered
• Cultivation: pesticides, fertilizers, erosion,
farming equipment,…
• Processing: fibre extraction, spinning and
weaving
• Disposal: end-of-life treatment
• During use: durability in the composite
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