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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Engineering and Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2019) | Viewed by 24732

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Chad A. Ulven

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Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105, United States
Interests: sustainable materials; biobased composites; natural fibers; biopolymers; composite processing; composite characterization; composite testing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As interest grows in the development and use of sustainable materials globally, composite materials made from natural fibers and/or biopolymers are receiving more attention. In order to develop higher performance and more reliable biobased composites made from natural resources, natural fibers and biopolymers with more robust and predictable material behavior need to be established. Currently, most natural fibers suffer from variability in performance due to varietal differences, growing and harvesting conditions, lack of grading methods and standards, as well as different processing techniques prior to their use as reinforcements in polymers. Similarly, the performance of most biopolymers with high biocontent derived from natural resources lack critical properties for many applications, such as good glass transition and heat distortion temperature, toughness, and impact resistance. Therefore, this Special Issue seeks papers which describe higher-performance composite materials based on natural fibers and/or biopolymers, high-performance biopolymers with high biobased content, improved natural fiber characterization and testing methods, improved natural fiber grading techniques, and improved biobased composites characterization and testing methods.

Prof. Dr. Chad A. Ulven
Guest Editor

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Keywords

Natural Fibers
Biopolymers
Biobased Composites
Composites Testing
Composite Characterization

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 2610 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tensile Behavior and Diffusion of Moisture through Flax Fibers by Desorption Method

by Swarda S. Radkar, Ali Amiri and Chad A. Ulven

Sustainability 2019, 11(13), 3558; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11133558 - 28 Jun 2019

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3102

Abstract

There has been a substantial increase in the usage of natural fibers and biodegradable polymers in composite materials due to the recent focus on sustainability of materials. Flax fibers have exhibited higher mechanical properties compared to most other natural fibers available. However, one of the major challenges faced in the use of flax fiber is its hydrophilicity. In this study, the tensile behavior of flax fiber tows removed from commercially available woven fabrics were investigated at different moisture levels. The breaking tenacity of fiber tows was shown to increase with an increase in moisture content of up to 25%. After this point, additional absorption of moisture resulted in a decrease of fiber tenacity. In addition, the diffusion process through flax fiber mat with different areal densities was investigated and the diffusion coefficients were determined using the desorption curves. Diffusion rates were not found to significantly change with varying areal densities of 200 to 400 gsm, but were significantly different when exposed to temperatures of 55 °C versus 80 °C. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Biobased Composite Materials)

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12 pages, 3617 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hybridization of Hemp Fiber and Recycled-Carbon Fiber in Polypropylene Composites

by Niyati Shah, Joseph Fehrenbach and Chad A. Ulven

Sustainability 2019, 11(11), 3163; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11113163 - 05 Jun 2019

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 4384

Abstract

In recent years there has been a substantial growth in the use of natural fiber reinforced composite in more advanced applications. However, high strength applications require high mechanical properties. Hybridization of natural fibers with synthetic fibers is an effective method of increasing the field of application and mechanical properties. The effects of hybridizing hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) fiber with recycled-carbon fiber were investigated in this study to determine the trends in mechanical properties resulting from varied weight fractions. Characterization of void content was accomplished using micro computed tomography (micro-CT). Through hybridizing hemp fiber and recycled carbon fiber in a polypropylene thermoplastic, a new class of high performance, low cost composites were demonstrated for injection molding applications. This study showcased a 10–15% increase in tensile strength after the reinforcement of recycled-carbon fiber with hemp fiber. A 30–35% increase was observed in the flexure strength after the reinforcement of recycled-carbon fiber with hemp fiber. Impact strength also had an increase of 35–40% for hemp fiber reinforced recycled-carbon fiber polypropylene composites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Biobased Composite Materials)

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15 pages, 3422 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Mechanical Property Variation of As-Processed Bast Fibers

by Bryan Feigel, Hanami Robles, Jared W. Nelson, James M.S. Whaley and Lydia J. Bright

Sustainability 2019, 11(9), 2655; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11092655 - 09 May 2019

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2416

Abstract

Hemp, flax, and kenaf are bast fibers with promising material characteristics to sustainably displace synthetic fibers used in composites; however, their use in composite applications is hindered by high material property variability. More widespread adoption and application, as well as improved quality methods, of fibers is contingent on the reduction of this variability. Efforts made herein to assess variability in as-processed fibers and methods were found to identify key sources of variability by investigating four areas: cross-sectional area approximation, physical defects, color and stem diameter, and fiber composition. Using fiber gage lengths closer to those found in composites, different geometric approximations of cross-sectional areas resulted in mean elliptical approximation showing the lowest variability across all fiber types. Next, by removing fibers exhibiting physical defects, maximum variation in tested flax fibers was reduced from 66% to 49% for ultimate tensile strength and 74% to 36% for elastic modulus. Additionally, fibers of darker color were found to have lower mechanical property variation than lighter or spotted fibers, and those coming from smaller stem diameters were found to be stronger than fibers from large stem diameters. Finally, contrary to previous findings with other lignocellulosics, clear trends between the lignin content in a fiber and its mechanical properties were not readily evident. Overall, these factors combined to significantly reduce mechanical property variation, while identifying the underlying contributing parameters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Biobased Composite Materials)

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17 pages, 7318 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Unidirectional Rubber-Toughened Green Composites Based on PHBV

by Zain Zaidi and Alan Crosky

Sustainability 2019, 11(8), 2411; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11082411 - 23 Apr 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2805

Abstract

The large-scale entry of bio-based polymers, such as poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-valerate) (PHBV), in applications commonly occupied by petroleum-based plastics is heavily limited by their poorer mechanical properties, thus, hindering efforts to reduce harmful plastic waste. Prior work to improve these properties has involved short natural fibre reinforcements, which do not produce substantial improvements. In this work, PHBV was simultaneously reinforced with unidirectional flax and toughened with poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) or epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) to produce well-rounded composites. Toughened unidirectional composites were prepared by cryogenic grinding, powder layup and compression moulding. Unidirectional flax addition resulted in 4-fold increases in tensile properties, 3-fold increases in flexural properties and 20-fold increases in impact properties, whilst producing minimal change in the thermal properties. PBAT and ENR phases appeared well bonded to the PHBV within the composite. The addition of PBAT did not cause any significant changes in thermal or mechanical properties. The addition of ENR, however, reduced the tensile modulus and the flexural properties but produced a significant increase in impact strength, attributed to the coarse particle size of ENR. Unidirectional flax reinforcement of PHBV widens the scope of application of PHBV considerably where mechanical properties are of concern, while ENR has significant potential as a bio-based toughening agent for biocomposites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Biobased Composite Materials)

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12 pages, 6531 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Extrusion Compounding Process for the Development of Eco-Friendly SCG/PP Composite Pellets

by Joo Seong Sohn, Youngjae Ryu, Chang-Seok Yun, Kun Zhu and Sung Woon Cha

Sustainability 2019, 11(6), 1720; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11061720 - 21 Mar 2019

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4819

Abstract

As the consumption of coffee increases worldwide, the amount of spent coffee grounds (SCG) is gradually increasing every year. Some of these grounds are recycled for composting, but most are discarded, which causes widespread financial and social costs. We developed a bio-based plastic pellet by blending polypropylene (PP) with waste biomass SCG to convert it into a sustainable, recyclable eco-friendly material. It was confirmed that extrusion compounding for SCG/PP composite pellets and injection molding with good formability are possible. To evaluate the formability of the composite pellets, American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) test specimens were prepared for evaluating mechanical properties by injection molding. As a result of the measurement of the test samples, the mechanical properties of SCG/PP composite pellets were generally lowered as the SCG content increased. However, the impact strength of SCG/PP composite based on the HOMO-PP matrix improved as the SCG content increased. In addition, Young’s modulus of SCG/PP increased as the SCG content increased. In the future, this study will be applied to manufacture of products that requires non-toxic products, such as disposable products and food containers, realizing commercialization of eco-friendly products and thereby replacing finite petroleum resources and practicing resource circulation and environmental protection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Biobased Composite Materials)

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11 pages, 24718 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bio-Based Foamed Cushioning Materials Using Polypropylene and Wheat Bran

by Joo Seong Sohn, Hyun Keun Kim and Sung Woon Cha

Sustainability 2019, 11(6), 1670; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11061670 - 20 Mar 2019

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3514

Abstract

This study investigated bio-based plastic cushioning materials foamed through water phase-change characteristics using the natural by-product wheat bran. Experiments were carried out while increasing the wheat bran content from 20% to 70% in a blended composite material of polypropylene (PP) and wheat bran (WB). From the experimental results, we were able to prepare a bio-based plastic cushion that contained a high amount of natural materials, with a bran content of over 50%. This indicates the possibility of meeting the criteria for biodegradable plastics, as well as bio-based plastics. In this study, by inducing a foaming ratio of 95% or more, a volume-expansion ratio from 16 times to over 62 times was achieved. In addition, the optimal mixing condition for inducing a high-expansion foam was when the mixing ratio of PP and WB was 50/50, and the water content of the foaming agent was 25 parts per hundred resin. Finally, dynamic cushioning characteristics of PP50/WB50 composite foam prepared in this study and Polystyrene (PS) bead based commercial products were compared. The composite foam of this study showed comparable values, confirming commercialization possibility. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Biobased Composite Materials)

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15 pages, 1337 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Shades of Green: Life Cycle Assessment of a Urethane Methacrylate/Unsaturated Polyester Resin System for Composite Materials

by Jonathon M. Chard, Lauren Basson, Gavin Creech, David A. Jesson and Paul A. Smith

Sustainability 2019, 11(4), 1001; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11041001 - 15 Feb 2019

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3282

Abstract

Bio-derived fibres and resins are of increasing interest as alternatives to petrochemicals in the production of so-called environmentally friendly composite materials. However, whilst the majority of systems consider complete replacement, another route is to look at the constituents that are required to give certain properties, including the content of diluents; a third is to identify ‘hot spots’ in manufacturing. This paper considers these three possibilities in the context of the production of a resin system, and presents results from a life cycle assessment. The aim of this study was to make qualitative assertions based on quantitative estimates. The current work provides a practical assessment of the contribution of the manufacturing process of a multi-part resin formulation to a range of environmental impacts. As a part of this, a multi-stage methodology, the first of its kind, which is more relevant for the batch processes used to manufacture many structural thermosetting polymer systems, was developed. This was applied to a range of resins, some of which include bio-mass derived precursors. For the boundary conditions used, the indications are that the impacts due to taking the constituents and processing them to produce the resin system are insignificant compared with those due to producing the feedstocks in the first place. Surprisingly, whether the feedstocks were from fossil resources or were bioderived was of little significance. As a consequence of the analysis, it has been demonstrated that whilst a manufacturer can make significant savings through careful management of plant and the supporting energy mix, significant improvements to the environmental impacts of resin systems can be made through the choice of particular monomers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Biobased Composite Materials)

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