natural fibres - iom3
TRANSCRIPT
••• NATURAL FIBRESMaterials for a Low Carbon Future
14-16 December 2009IOM3, London
Organised by
www.iom3.org/events/fi bres
Natural Fibres ‘09 is one of the fi nal events of the United Nation’s
designated International Year of Natural Fibres. This three day
international conference will celebrate and highlight the increasing
use of natural fi bres around the world, raise awareness of their
diverse engineering properties and take an in-depth look at the
research work that is being carried out to quantify and improve
the properties of these environmentally sustainable materials in
engineering and textile applications.
This event will offer an opportunity for natural fi bre industries to
come together to foster international partnership and increased
understanding of the role that natural materials can and must
play in ensuring a sustainable future. Days one and two consist
of two simultaneous streams of presentations featuring over 60
international presenters, whilst day three offers the delegates the
chance to visit the Innovation Park at BRE in Watford to see fi rst
hand the use of natural materials in construction.
A register of stakeholders is being compiled in conjunction with this
event. If you would like to register your interest as a stakeholder in
this community, please complete the registration form on the
conference website at www.iom3.org/evetns/fi bres and return
it to the event organisers.
••• NATURAL FIBRES ‘09Materials for a Low Carbon Future
Monday 14 December
08.30-09.25 Conference Registration
09.25-11.20 Conference Start and Opening by Lord Hunt, Department of Energy and Climate Change
11.20-11.50 Refreshment Break
13.10-14.00 Lunch and Exhibition Opening
15.40-16.10 Refreshment and Networking Break
17.30-18.30 Poster Session and Drinks Reception for all delegates
1 Carlton House Terrace (mince pies and mulled wine)
19.00-21.00 Conference Dinner, 1 Carlton House Terrace. Ticket required. See Conference Registration Desk for further information.
Tuesday 15 December
08.30-09.30 Registration (for Day Two delegates only)
09.30 Conference Start
10.50-11.30 Refreshment and Networking Break
12.50-13.50 Lunch
15.30-16.00 Refreshment and Networking Break
17.50 Conference Close
18.45 Teas and Coffees for Public Lecture
19.00-20.15 Public Lecture and Launch of Composites Thematic Working Group
Lean, Mean and Green: The World’s First Environmentally Friendly Racing Car
Kerry Kirwan, University of Warwick, UK
Followed by Launch of Thematic Working Group on Bioomposites, by John Williams, NNFCC
Refreshments to follow.
Schedule of Events
Wednesday 16 December
Visit to Innovation Park, BRE, Watford
09.15 Delegates who have booked to go to the Innovation Park at BRE in Watford meet at 1 Carlton House Terrace at 09.15 in order to catch the coach at 09.30.
14.30 Arrive back in London from Watford. Drop off at 1 Carlton House Terrace.
Presentation Summaries and Biographical Details
Welcome and Introduction to the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining
Barry LyePresident of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining
Barry Lye has been President of the IOM3 since 2008. His background is in ceramic technology, and as President his major aims are to improve communication to members, to involve younger members in the running of the Institute, to encourage them to become involved in Institute affairs, and to continue to promote further education opportunities. He would like to welcome all of our national and international delegates to this conference.
Conference Opening
Lord HuntMinister of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)
Lord Hunt is Minister of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords. He leads for DECC on ensuring the UK has a secure, low-carbon and affordable energy supply. This encompasses DECC’s work on renewables. He previously served as a Minister in the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, so has an understanding of the other issues relating to natural fibres, including sustainability and agriculture.
Lord Hunt will highlight the support the UK Government is giving to the renewable materials industry, and outline how this low carbon sector can help mitigate climate change and contribute to a range of other sustainability objectives. Lord Hunt also supports the Secretary of State on international energy, and represents DECC in the House of Lords.
Welcome and Introduction by Conference Chairman
Dr Brett C SuddellSenior Materials Scientist ADAS Rosemaund, UK
Brett is a Chartered Environmentalist and a Senior Materials Scientist within the Sustainable Crop Management business unit within ADAS (the UK’s largest environmental solutions provider). He is responsible for all business relating to new material markets such as biocomposites and the industrial applications of natural materials.
Prior to joining ADAS Brett was Head of Materials at the BioComposites Centre located at Bangor University and part of the senior management team of the centre. He was responsible for all aspects of research conducted within the centre and at its pilot plant facility located on Anglesey whilst also being responsible for a multidisciplinary team of scientists, assistant scientists and technicians along with
income generation within the group.
Brett trained as a Materials Scientist at Swansea University (Wales) sponsored through his postgraduate courses of Masters of Research (MRes) and PhD by Rolls Royce plc undertaking research in Aerospace materials. As a Senior Research Assistant Brett conducted research into the use of natural fibres within the automotive industry on a global scale, this is where his interest in natural materials began. Following this research Brett worked on recycling agricultural waste materials into value added composite products and holds a patent as a result of this research.
He has received and given numerous conference plenary and keynote invitations and was also invited to address the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) at their intersessional meeting in Brazil in 2003 and in October 2008 at the FAO HQ in Rome. He also received a Royal Society International Travel Fellowship in 2003. He has written numerous journal and conference publications including a book chapter in ‘Natural fibers, Biopolymers and BioComposites’ published in 2005.
Brett is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and a keen supporter of the materials profession on local, national and international fronts. He is the current Senior Vice President of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and
Mining (IoM3) and was the longest serving chair of the Younger Members Committee for 6 years responsible for introducing a number of Younger member initiatives such as soft skills seminars, the IoM3 silver prestige award, Young Persons’ World lecture competition and significantly raising the profile of younger members within the Institute. In 2008 he was appointed to the FEMS (Federation of European Materials Societies) executive representing the UK.
Brett sits on the organising committees of a number of international conferences and is also a steering group member of a number of networks including the Welsh Composites Training consortium (WECOTAC), Welsh Composites Network (WECON), Wealth out of Waste (WoW), Construction Knowledge Wales and Sustainable Composites Network (SusCompNet). He chaired the ‘Natural materials’ conference in March 2008 and the Materials and Design exchange event in London also in March 2008.
Brett is a reviewer for the European Science Foundation (ESF) and an invited reviewer for the Journal of Materials Science and the Journal of Biobased Materials and BioEnergy and an external PhD examiner for the University of New South Wales (Australia) and an MRes and PhD examiner for Swansea University. He has also acted as an external consultant for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.
Natural Fibres ’09 Programme – Updated 8 December 2009 14 December: Day 1
09.25 Welcome to IOM3 Barry Lye, President of Materials, Minerals and Mining Opening of Conference DECC
Introduction to the Conference Dr Brett Suddell, Conference Chairman
Session 1: Innovations Session 2: Textile fibres, Extraction and Production
10.00 Keynote. Natural Fibre Composites and All Green Composites for a Sustainable Manufacturing: Where We Are and Future Directions
Professor A Mohanty: Department of Plant Agriculture and School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Keynote. Natural Fibre Composites with 3D Woven Reinforcement for New Application Areas
Dr J Soden: School of Art and Design, University of Ulster, Belfast
10.40 The InCrops Enterprise Hub: Promoting Innovation in Fibre Crops in the East of England
J French, N Corker, & C Gonzalez-Esquivel: InCrops Enterprise Hub, University of East Anglia, UK
The Production and Extraction of Flax-Fibre for Textile Fibres
MRL Horne: De Montfort University, UK
11.00 Quantative Life Cycle Analysis for Flax Fibres
NPJ Dissanayake, J Summerscales, SM Grove & MM Singh: University of Plymouth, UK
Wool – Optimising the Unique Fibre Properties of Wool in Packaging Applications
A Morris: Woolcool, UK
11.20 Break Break
Session 3: Extraction and Structural Applications Session 4: Textile Applications
11.50 DunAgro – A New Approach to Hemp Processing
S Amelynck & H. Koether: Van Dommele Engineering, Belgium
From Field to Fashion, From Couch to Catwalk: the Story of Nettles
J Harwood, M Horne, D Waldron & J Williams: De Montfort University, UK
12.10 Jungle to People: Pineapple Leaf Fibre Leather Substitute
C Hijosa: Royal College of Art, London Mainstreaming Fibres in Fashion. A CaseStudy: Alpaca in Latin America and Jute in Asia
J Condor-Vidal: Trading for Development, UK
12.30 Sustainable Nano-enhanced Structural Biocomposites: A New Hope in Green Materials World.
M Misra: University of Guelph, Ontario Pineapple Leaves: From Agricultural Refuse To High Quality Fabric
W Sricharussin & C Silapasunthorn: Silpakorn University, Thailand
12.50 Technical and Market Developments Towards a Fully Biobased Fibre Reinforced Thermosetting Composite Material
LL Hensen & WOJ Böttger. NPSP Composieten BV, Netherlands
VLAdA : Recycled Kraft paper, Textile Fibres and Raw Plants.
MI Rodriguez: BESARTE, Spain
13.10 Lunch Lunch
Event Programme 14 December, Day 1
Lord Hunt
Session 5: Natural Composite Applications Session 6: Construction Applications
14.00 Keynote. Market Overview: Modern industrial applications of natural fibres
M Carus: Managing Director of nova-Institute of Ecology and Innovation, Germany
Keynote. Natural Fibre Reinforced Composites Opportunities and Challenges
Professor C Hill: Centre for Timber Engineering, Edinburgh Napier University
14.40 A Story About Grass. The Production of Grass-Fibre Based Products in a Biorefinery Context
G O'Malley: Biorefinery Ireland Analysis of Bamboo Permanent Shutter Concrete Slab Subjected to Bending for use in Hydropower Structures
EH Achá & K Ghavami: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
15.00 Hemp: a Novel Material for Use in the Friction Industry?
W. Newby, M. Sloan, & K. E. Evans: University of Exeter, UK
Development of Strong Natural Fibre Composites for Construction
M Fan: Brunel University, UK
15.20 Coir Fibre Reinforced Bio-CompositeConcrete Panels for Low Cost Housing
M Sivaraja & R Saravanan: Kongu Engineering College, India
Hemp and Lime Composites in Sustainable Construction
I Pritchett: Lime Technology, UK
15.40 Break Break
Session 7: Material Characterisation Session 8: Construction Applications Continued
16.10 Microstructural and Mechanical Aspects of Bagasse Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites at Liquid Nitrogen Temperature
SK Acharya & P Mishra: National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, India
Potential for Hemp Insulation in Construction Sector in the UK
E Latif & S Tucker: University of East London, UK
16.30 Optimisation of Interfaces in Biodegradable and Natural Fibre Composites
A Hodzic: University of Sheffield, UK Properties of Natural Fibre Reinforced Concrete
M Ali: National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK)
16.50 Characterization of Date Palm Fiber- Polypropylene Composite Material
A Alawar: United Arab Emirates University
Effect of Animal Fibres Reinforcement on Stabilized Earth Mechanical Properties
C Galán-Marín & C Rivera-Gómez: University of Seville, Spain
17.10 Strain Rate Dependent Properties of Natural Fibres for Composite Materials
DA Jesson, B Di Napoli & PA Smith: University of Surrey, UK
High Integrity Joints for Sisal-Epoxy Composites
MP Ansell, C Gonzalez Murillo, M Fagan & M Thomson: University of Bath, UK
17.30
17.30
Close of Day 1
Conference Poster and Networking Session followed by Conference Dinner (tickets required)
Close of Day 1
15 December - Day 2
08.30 Registration Registration
Session 9: Fibre Extraction Session 10: Natural Fibre Composites Industrial Applications
09.30 Keynote. Hemp Growing & Processing Innovation in Australia
P Warner: Ecofibre Industries Limited, Australia
Keynote: Industrial Hemp in Composite Material Applications and Overview of Natural Fibre Activities in Western Canada from a Research and Government Perspective
J Wolodko, W Chute, L McIlveen, K Alemaskin, A Fuhr & H Rho: Advanced Materials Business Unit, Alberta, Canada
10.10 Extraction Methods for New Zealand Indigenous Fibres
N Hati, ALP Rickard & A Keyte-Beattie: Scion, New Zealand
New Future and Perspectives for Natural Fibres in High Level Technology Industries and the Effects on Producing Poverty Alleviation
W Andrade: Sindifibras, Brazil
10.30 Use of Fibre Obtained from Banana Tree as Reinforcement of Polyethylene Matrix
Z Ortega, AN Benítez, MD Monzón, P Hernández, I Angulo & MD Marrero: Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Manufacturing Methodology of Hemp Fibre Reinforced Sheet Mould Composites (H-SMC)
H Patel, TD Harpuarachchi, S Crowther, M Fan, PJ Hogg, & G. Ren: University of Hertfordshire, UK
10.50 Break Break
Session 11: Fibre Properties Session 12: Biocomposite Applications
11.30 Wetting Behaviour and Surface Energy of Coconut (Coir) Fibres
LQN Tran, CA Fuentes, C Dupont, AW Van Vuure, & I Verpoest: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
Development of Aligned Natural Fibre-Reinforced Thermoplastic Biocomposite Materials for High-Performance Applications
BM Weager, EL Arnold & GR Bishop: NetComposites Ltd, UK
11.50 Nanoindentation Contribution to Mechanical Characterization of Vegetal Fibers
A Bourmaud, C Morvan, & C Baley: LIMATB Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des MATériaux de Bretagne Equipe Polymères, France
All-Cellulose Composites T Peijs, N Soykeabkaew, R Arevalo: Queen Mary University of London, UK
12.10 Hemp Fibre Circular Tubes for Structural Applications
BT Weclawski and M Fan: Brunel University, UK
The Utilisation of Waste Fibres for Industrial Applications
RM Elias: BioComposites Centre, Bangor University, UK
12.30 Molecular and Cell Biological Analysis of Natural Plant Fibres
JP Knox: University of Leeds, UK The Use of Raman Spectroscopy to Follow Interfaces in Natural Fibre Composites
S.J. Eichhorn: University of Manchester, UK
12.50 Lunch Lunch
Event Programme 15 December, Day 2
Session 13: Sisal Economics and Physical Properties (Sponsored by London Sisal Association)
Session 14: Natural Fibres in General
13.50 Keynote.The Economic Significance and Contribution to Poverty Reduction of Sisal Production and Utilisation in Tanzania
S Shamte: London Sisal Association / Katani Limited, Tanzania
Keynote. Natural Fibres & Renewability
J Williams: Head of Polymers & Materials, NNFCC, UK
14.30 Effect of Transcrystallinity on Microbond Shear Strength at Sisal Fibre – PolylacticAcid Interface
M Prajer & MP Ansell: Bath University, UK
Potentials of Bast and Hard fibres in Technical Products
J Steger: SachsenLeinen GmbH, Germany
14.50 Mechanical Behaviour of Natural Sisal Fibers
FA Silva, N Chawla, & RD Toledo Filho: Technical University of Dresden, Germany
Fabrication of Jute Fibre Reinforced Composites using Cardanol-Based Resins as Matrix
P Campaner, N Cronin, D D’Amico, L Longo, A Maffezzoli, C Stifani, A Tarzia: Elmira Ltd, UK
15.10 Influence of the Natural Fibre Coating on Interfacial Adhesion Between the Fibres and the Polymeric Matrix in Composites
A Delille, KY Lee, A Bismarck and A Mantalaris: Imperial College London
Effect of Underwater Shock Wave Treated Jute Fibres on Composite Properties
GMS Rahman & S Itoh: Kumamoto University, Japan
15.30 Break Break
Session 15: Textile Applications Session 16: Characterisation and Properties
16.00 A Matter of Life and Death ...Thinking Outside the Box
Y Somme & A Belgrave, Bellacouche, UK
Characterisation of Biocomposites Manufactured from Natural Fibres, Sustainable Resins and Lignin as a Filler
BM Wood, SR Coles, K Kirwan & SJ Maggs: University of Warwick, UK
16.20 Linen and Hemp: Green Fibres Focused on Innovation and Performance Applications in the Field of Mobility
J Pariset & J Baets: CELC Masters of Linen, France
Nanoscale Toughness of Spider Silk D Porter & F Vollrath: University of Oxford, UK
16.40 The Role of Cotton in Sustaining the Sudanese Rural and Urban Community Life over Decades and future look
H Ahmed: Africa City of Technology, Sudan
PLA and PP Composites with Cellulosic Fibres from Wood Industry and Peat
K Immonen & J Lampinen: VTT, Finland
17.00 Designing with Naturally Coloured Fibres– Challenges and Rewards
BM Marshall: Marshall Design, Australia
Preparation and Properties of Wheat Flour Reinforced with Wheat Straw using Extrusion Processing
W Xia, YG Kang, K Tarverdi, & JH Song: Brunel University, UK
17.20 The BRE Innovation Park M Patten & I Pritchett: Lime Technology Ltd, UK
17.40 Conference Close Conference Close
19.00 Public Lecture and Launch of Composites Thematic Working Group
The unpredictable price of crude oil, national security, reduced landfi ll space and escalating environmental threats are daily headlines. The government’s push for green products, consumers’ desire, and energy conservation are some of the key factors that drive research towards the development of renewable resource-based natural and green composite materials.
Biobased economy is challenging to agriculture, forestry, academia, government and industry. The incorporation of bio-resources, e.g. crop-derived green plastics and plant derived biofi bres (natural fi bres) into composite materials are gaining prime importance in designing and engineering green composites. Biocomposites derived from natural fi bers and traditional polymers like polypropylene, polyethylene, epoxy and polyesters have been developed for automotive parts and building structures. Renewable resource based bioplastics like polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), biobased polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), cellulosic plastics, soy/corn/wheat protein based bioplastics and vegetable oils derived bioresins need value-added and diverse applications to compete with the fossil fuel derived plastics. Through reactive blends, composites and nanocomposites new biobased materials are under constant development. The door is opening and path is clearing-up for many emerging biopolymers and biobased composite materials that are poised to create a major break through in the commercial in-roads.
Natural fi bres are lighter, less expensive, have superior specifi c strength, require comparatively less energy to produce, are good for the environment, biodegradable and have superior sound abatement characteristics as compared to synthetic glass fi bres. All of these attributes are quite favorable, especially in the automotive sector where even a fractional weight saving can make a signifi cant contribution to energy savings with reduced gasoline consumption and with added advantages of eco-friendliness. It is true that natural fi bres are comparatively hydrophilic and less thermally stable as compared to glass fi bers. However, the recent developments of natural fi bre technologies overcome these disadvantages if used intelligently.
KEYNOTE.
Natural fi bre composites and all green composites for a sustainable manufacturing: where we are and future directions
Hybrid and intelligently engineered green composites are going to be the major drivers for sustainable developments. Besides agricultural natural fi bers like kenaf, jute, fl ax, industrial hemp, sisal and henequen; inexpensive biomasses such as wheat straw, rice stalks, corn stovers, grasses, soy stalks and lignin (the byproducts from pulp and paper and lingo-cellulosic ethanol industries) have great potential for use in sustainable biobased composite materials.
This presentation will highlight the current status, opportunities andchallenges of bioplastics, natural fi bre composites and green composites for uses in car parts, consumer goods and sustainable packaging.
Natural fi bre reinforcements in conjunction with nanotechnology are poised to create major breakthroughs.
Chemistry plays a vital role and thus possesses several opportunities and challenges like effective chemical modifi cation of reinforcements (fi bre/clay), use of novel coupling agents, and matrix modifi cations.
Some of the important challenges in the design and engineering of green composites for structural/semi-structural applications are: 1). Supply chain of natural fi bres, 2). High yield crops and biomass,3. Engineered bioresins, 4. Intelligent uses of natural fi bre composites, 5. Hybrid biocomposites, 6. Heirarchical nano-biocomposites; 7. Long fi bre extrusion and injection molding and 8. The improved processing that would encompass co-melt processing and design of light weight green composites.
Without a doubt, fossil fuel-based products are not going to be phased-out entirely, but their use will taper-down. The goal is to use natural fi bre composites containing the maximum possible amount of renewable biomass-based derivatives to have a sustainable future in the composite materials industries.
Amar Mohanty is a Professor and holds Premier’s Research
Chair in Biomaterials and Transportation and is the Director of
the Bioproducts Discovery & Development Centre (BDDC), at the
University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. His research interests are
biobased materials including natural fi bre composites, bioplastics,
green composites, nano-blends and green nanocomposites.
Amar has authored and co-authored more than 350 publications
including, 147 peer reviewed journal papers, 14 awarded US
patents, 2 edited books, 3 text books, 7 book chapters and several
conference publications/presentations. Currently his research is
being supported by several Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and
Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) grants, Ontario Ministry of Research and
Innovation (MRI) awards, Hannam Soybean Utilization Fund, Natural
Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)-Discovery
grant, AUTO21, Department of Foreign Affairs and International
Trade Canada (DFAIT) and Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI).
He was the holder of the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt
Fellowship, Germany. He was the recipient of Andrew Chase Forest
Products Division Award from the Forest Products Division of the
American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Dr. Mohanty serves as
Editorial Board Member in the Journal of Polymers and Environment,
Recent Patents on Material Science and Journal of Nanoscience and
Nanotechnology. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Biobased
Materials and Bioenergy. Dr. Mohanty was the lead editor of the CRC
book entitled ‘Natural Fibres, Biopolymers and Biocomposites’
and American Scientifi c Publisher’s book entitled “Packaging
Nanotechnology”. He is one of the Directors of the Forest Product
Division, American Institute of Chemical Engineers and is the
Vice-President (2009-10) of the BioEnvironmental Polymer Society.
Professor Amar K MohantyDirector of Bioproducts Discovery & Development Centre (BDDC), Department of Plant Agriculture and School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Ontario, CanadaSE
SSIO
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••• INNOVATIONSSession Chair:
MICHAEL CARUS
Managing Director ofnova-Institute of Ecology and Innovation, Germany
1
Dr. Carlos Gonzalez-Esquivel I have a fi rst degree in Animal
Production from the University of the State of Mexico and a Ph.D.
in sustainable agriculture from Wye College London. I have worked
since 1994 in the evaluation of agroecosystem sustainability using
indicators. I have also conducted and collaborated in fi eld trials using
forage crops (grass, cereals and their associations with legumes),
as well as horticultural crops under organic management. Most
trials have been carried out on-farm using participatory approaches,
looking at the productive, economic and environmental effects of
conventional and alternative resource management strategies.
As an agri-business offi cer at the InCrops Enterprise Hub, my role
is to promote alternative and non-food crops amongst farmers
and small and medium enterprises. As part of the project I am now
conducting experimental and demonstration trials at Easton College
and other locations in the East of England.
In this work alkaline treatment at different conditions has been applied to enhance the interface between fl ax fi bers and cement matrix. The effect of alkaline treatment parameters on tensile, fl exure and compressive strength was examined and reported in this paper.
John Summerscales was educated at UWIST Cardiff (BSc (Joint
Honours) Applied Sciences: Chemistry & Polymers), Thames
Polytechnic (MSc: Molecular Science of Materials) and Plymouth
Polytechnic (PhD: hybrid fi bre-composites), with a year at the
Central Patents Index between the latter. He completed a
Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Adult Education) at UoP
in 1998. After the doctorate, he studied thermal insulation for a
hyperbaric liferaft for the Diving Diseases Research Centre,
followed by fi ve years with the Ministry of Defence (Navy).
In 1987, he joined the new Advanced Composites Manufacturing
Centre (ACMC at UoP). Dr Summerscales is currently Reader in
Composites Engineering at the University of Plymouth.
Natural fi bres are perceived as a sustainable alternative to glass fi bres for the reinforcement of polymer matrix composites. This paper reports a Quantitative Life Cycle Analysis for fl ax fi bres (to be judged against glass fi bres) using the eight environmental impact classifi cation factors identifi ed in ISO/TR 14047:2003.
The InCrops enterprise hub: promoting innovation in fi bre crops in the east of englandJ French, N Corker, & C Gonzalez-Esquivel: InCrops Enterprise Hub, University of East Anglia, Earlham Road, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
[email protected] [email protected] Tel: (01603) 591765
Quantative Life Cycle Analysis for Flax Fibres
NPJ Dissanayake, J Summerscales, SM Grove & MM Singh: University of Plymouth, UK
Advanced Composites Manufacturing Centre, School of Engineering, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, UK
[email protected] Tel: +44(0) 1752 586121
This research pioneers 3D woven natural fi bre composites using epoxy and bioresin matrix systems. A higher-specifi cation eco-composite material, resin processed via the VARTM method with specifi c structural characteristics has been produced. With enhanced properties in the through-the-thickness orientation, these can be assigned for trial in a variety of prototype applications.
Collaborative research reported in this paper uses textile design expertise gained from developing 3D wovens and carbon composites for aerospace research that has been redirected into the natural fi bre composites arena. 3D woven materials have primarily been developed in carbon fi bre to serve a need within high specifi cation aerospace and military applications, where tolerances and specifi cations are stringent. The key objective of the textile preform is to provide structural load-bearing reinforcement. New 3D woven structures have now been produced in natural fi bres.
Driven by requirements in the automotive sector, the majority of natural fi bre composites are manufactured using non-woven fi bre mat products in fl ax, hemp, and hybrid mixed fi bre assemblies with orientated fi bre direction, or single layer woven plied laminates. These materials target appropriate yet non-load-bearing applications and have seen steady growth in the last 7 years.
JA Soden and GFJ StewartSchool of Art and Design, University of Ulster, Belfast
KEYNOTE.
Natural fi bre composites with 3D woven reinforcement for new application areas
However, the lack of continuous fi bre integrity within the textile part is a signifi cant factor which inhibits their development and selection for higher specifi cation structural parts with load-bearing capabilities for a range of industries.
This research undertaken at the University of Ulster reports on the introduction of 3D woven natural fi bre composites using epoxy and bioresin matrix systems. It advances both discovery and innovation by generating a new class of natural fi bre composite material resin processed via the VARTM method with specifi c structural characteristics. With enhanced properties in the through-the-thickness (Z-Axis) orientation, these can be assigned for trial in a variety of prototype applications
A range of 3D woven fabric architectures have been fabricated in fl ax and naturally derived viscose rayon yarns for discussion, analysis and testing. The initial results from mechanical test programs assessing fl exural strength and impact tolerance have indicated encouraging results when compared to laminated structures.
2SE
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Julie is currently a Reader in Constructed Textiles and 3D
Composites Research at the University of Ulster Belfast,
Northern Ireland. With a BA (Hons) textile design background,
she has successfully spanned the boundaries that exist between
technical textile design and engineering composite domains to
specialise in 3D woven composite components.
As a researcher at UU in the 1990’s, she was instrumental in
developing 3D woven carbon reinforcements in conjunction with
the SPARC1 research program with Bombardier Shorts plc using
Jacquard weave technology and also developed CAD design
software for 3D woven materials as part of a knowledge-based
system for composite materials. She has since collaborated on
a range of cross-discipline EU, EPSRC, TDP and International
funded programs. Projects have included woven composite
vehicle chassis, rib-stiffeners for aerospace, composite structural
beams, composite design panels and aerodynamic parts for
the Worlds First Sustainable Racing Car. Her research has been
disseminated internationally through leading Composite and
Technical Textile Conferences and peer reviewed journals.
Julie currently leads an AHRC funded program pioneering the
design of 3D woven natural fi bre composites, where near-net
shaping, custom tailoring of reinforcement properties,
composite manufacturing parameters and multi-functionality
are key characteristics.
Julie also lectures on the Textiles and Fashion Design
undergraduate degree program at UU Belfast. She contributes
to commercial design programs involving new materials, CAD
and digital weave design for fashion and interior markets.
••• TEXTILE FIBRESSession Chair:
PROFESSOR CALLUM HILL
Centre for Timber Engineering, Edinburgh Napier University
Matthew has been working in natural fi bre research at De Montfort
University, Leicester for the last fi ve years. His research interests
include a number of topics relating agricultural and environmental
science to the production of natural fi bres. He is particularly
focused on the successful development of sustainable natural fi bre
supply chains for high-value textiles, including agricultural crop
production, fi bre crop conversion technology, and end user added
value. He has worked extensively on the development of fl ax,
hemp and stinging nettles as a source of textile fi bre in partnership
with a number of private sector enterprises, both in the UK, the EU
and globally. Future work will involve the continued improvement
of the quality of fi bre (fi bre fi neness, fi bre length, etc) available
from commercial bast fi bre crops (fl ax, hemp & Sting nettle),
through plant breeding, improved crop management and improved
conversion technology. Also, future work will investigate how to
identify and exploit the key factors that maintain fi bre quality (fi bre
fi neness, fi bre length, etc) in expanding stakeholder unit networks,
within the agro-fi bre supply chain.
Implications considered in Matthew’s research are for both public
and private sector stakeholders. His research has contributed to
insights for a number of public and private sector stakeholders with
an interest in sustainable agriculture, agro-industrial crops and their
products. Additionally, Dr Horne’s research has contributed to the
academic literature and the theoretical debates therein.
The cultivation and processing of fl ax crops for the production of a whole yield of a single quality of high-value ‘spinnable’ fi bre has been investigated in crop and processing trials at De Montfort University, UK. Crop production has been investigated in farm trials and assessed for cost effectiveness, while fi bre extraction methods have been developed and tested. This work examines the fi bre quality that could be expected from a commercial fl ax production and the effectiveness of decortication and fi bre separation technologies.
The production and extraction of fl ax-fi bre for textile fi bres
MRL Horne
Textile Engineering and Materials (TEAM) research group, De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester, UK, LE1 9BH
[email protected] Tel: 0116 2577550
Angela Morris has been a specialist in packaging design for 30
years. Through her successful packaging consultancy, Angela
provides broad based packaging solutions and integrated design
management for clients large and small, including Cadbury’s, BHS,
Avon and The National Trust. With a true enthusiasm for her fi eld,
Angela is also a visiting lecturer on the Design Management MA
course at the University of Northumbria.
With a particular passion for optimising and reducing excessive
packaging, Angela is committed to developing innovative,
environmentally friendly solutions wherever possible. In 2009
she founded The Wool Packaging Company and launched the
biodegradable and sustainable alternative to polystyrene insulated
packaging, woolcool®. Angela has won the prestigious Institute
of Packaging ‘Starpack Award’, the Observer Food Monthly Best
Innovation Award for woolcool® and is shortlisted in the 2009
Green Awards for Packaging.
The original ‘smart fi bre’, wool, has been increasingly sidelined by the development of man-made fi bres but the case for its resurgence is more compelling than ever. Sustainable, biodegradable and with unique insulation properties, this paper demonstrates how innovative commercial applications for wool could re-invigorate the global wool industry.
Wool – optimising the unique fi bre properties of wool in packaging applicationsA Morris, Woolcool, UK. Stable Court, Oakley, Market Drayton, Shropshire, TF9 4AG
Tel: 01603 656165 [email protected]
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••• EXTRACTION AND STRUCTURAL APPLICATIONSSession Chair:
MICHAEL CARUS
Managing Director of nova-Institute of Ecology and Innovation, Germany
Helmut Koether works as a sales engineer for Van Dommele
Engineering located in Gullegem, Belgium. He has a master
degree in Industrial Design and in Industrial Management and
joined Van Dommele in 2004.
Van Dommele builds turnkey processing lines for bast fi bres such fl ax, hemp and kenaf. Helmut will be giving a presentation about the latest processing lines they have put in operation this year.
DunAgro is an integrated approach to hemp straw processing in which the main goal is to reduce the overall processing cost. This cost reduction is achieved by optimizing the harvest and by keeping the initial investment, the energy consumption and the labour cost as low as possible.
Carmen Hijosa graduated in 2002 with a BDes (honours) and an
MA in textile design from the National College of Art and Design
in Dublin, Ireland. She is presently a researcher/designer, pre-
paring a PhD in the Royal College of Art and Design in London.
Her project: ‘Jungle to People, Environmentally Sustainable
Products and Ethical Design’, aims to develop an alternative to
leather derived from natural fi bres extracted from waste pine-
apple leaves. Carmen is a social entrepreneur and designer.
In 1977 she co-founded and was designer of ‘Chesneau Leather
Goods’, a manufacturing company of luxury leather goods in
Ireland. In the 1990s Carmen become a design consultant
with the World Bank and the EU. From 1993 she has been
working in the Philippines with various government departments
developing products (textiles and fashion accessories) for the
export market, using local skills and raw materials.
Carmen’s work has been exhibited and sold in Europe, USA, Japan and the Philippines. A new product based in the use of pineapple leaf fi bres (PLF) is being developed by Carmen Hijosa as part of her PhD as a researcher in the Fashion and Textiles Department of the Royal College of Art and Design, London. The project called ‘Jungle to People’ aims at developing a leather substitute derived from PLF which are a by-product of the pineapple.
This presentation intends at reporting very recent developments in
processing, properties and applications of structural nano-enhanced
composites produced from natural fi bres, nano size fi llers and
functionalized plant/vegetable oil. The progress of these bio-based
nanocomposites will facilitate a rapid transition to a bio-economy
by providing a foundation of economic and environmental
sustainability for natural fi bre-composite industries.
Dr. Manju Misra is an Associate Professor in the School of Engineering and cross appointed in the department of Plant Agriculture at the University Of Guelph, Ontario, Canada and is pursuing research activities in the area of sustainable materials for past twenty years. Her current research is primarily focused on novel biobased composites/nanocomposite materials from agricultural and forestry resources for the sustainable bio-economy; and application of nanotechnology in materials uses.
Currently in her position, she is collaborating with DuPont, Ford Motor Company, MaxTech manufacturing, GreenCore Composites and EnerGrow, Arkema Chemical Company, Stemergy Inc., FlaxCraft Inc, and Green Field Ethanol in various nano-bio materials applications with funding from NSERC Canada.
DunAgro – a new approach to hemp processing
S Amelynck and H. Koether, Van Dommele Engineering, Belgium
Van Dommele Engineering, Bissegemstraat 169, 8560 Gullegem-Wevelgem, Belgium
[email protected] Tel: +32 56 431 562
Jungle to people: pineapple leaf fi bre leather substitute
C Hijosa, Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2EU, UK
Sustainable nano-enhanced structural biocomposites: a new hope in green materials world
M Misra, University of Guelph, Ontario
Lindy Hensen graduated in Industrial Design Engineering, in themaster Strategic Product Design, focused on innovation management.Lindy Hensen has been working at NPSP Composieten as project coordinator NaBasCo since may 2008. NaBasCo, an abbreviation for nature based composites, is NPSP’s brand for bio-based thermosetting composites.
Lindy is responsible for the research & development and business development of these bio-composites at NPSP. Important R&Dfocus points are the optimization of natural fi bres for use in compositesand the joint development and processing of bio-based resins into high performance composites.
Work is done on the development and optimization of bio-based fi bre reinforced thermosetting composites. Subjects involve:
Value chain of biobased composite products and its possible optimizations
From fi bres to non wovens, wovens and uni-directional
Developments in thermosetting bio resins
Towards a high performance material
Projects in which technical developments have been demonstrated
The presentation shows the current possibilities and an overview of the important topics for future developments towards fully bio-based composites.
Technical and market developments towards a fully biobased fi bre reinforced thermosetting composite material
LL Hensen and WOJ Böttger. NPSP Composieten BV, Netherlands, NPSP Composieten BV, Kuppersweg 31, 2031 EA, Haarlem, the Netherlands
[email protected] Tel: +31 23 55 123 28
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••• TEXTILE APPLICATIONSSession Chair:
MICHAEL CARUS
Julie Soden, School of Art and Design, University of Ulster, Belfast
Dennis Waldron is a Senior Research Fellow having gained a fi rst
degree in Metallurgy at Nottingham University before studying for
a MSc in Corrosion Science and Engineering. He recently gained
a MPhil in textile technology, studying the effects of maturation
on the primary processing of fl ax, at De Montfort University.
With almost 30 years industrial experience in the fi bre industry
involved with manufacture, development and research, Dennis
joined the Textile Engineering And Materials (TEAM) Research
Group at De Montfort University in 2002. Within this role the
work has been directed into two major areas; fi rstly research
associated with natural fi bres and sustainable technologies in
the textile industry and secondly support and intervention for
small local textile businesses wishing to make the transition
from standard commodity products into those which are
considered to be technical textiles. Currently he is involved with
the development of local “on-farm” processing of bast fi bres
including fl ax, hemp and stinging nettles.
The role within TEAM also involves some lecturing to
undergraduates on topics related to natural fi bres, sustainable
technologies and use of fi bres in technical textile applications as
well as providing support for undergraduate and post graduate
research projects.
Mankind has obtained fi bres from plants for numerous centuries and the current desire for natural fi bres has stimulated research into some of the older fi bres. The stinging nettle is one such plant where the application of modern technology is helping to revive its use.
Mainstreaming fi bres in fashion. A case study: alpaca in latin america and jute in asia
J Condor-Vidal, Trading for Development Director, 11 Walton Street, Oxford OX1-2HG Ethical Fashion Forum director, www.ethicalfashionforum.com World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) Associate www.wfto.org
[email protected] Tel: 00-441865-558114
Pineapple leaves: from agricultural refuse to high guality fabric
W.Sricharussin, C.Silapasunthorn
1 Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Technology, Silpakorn University, Nakorn Pathom, 73000 Thailand [email protected]
2 Center of Excellence for Petroleum, Petrochemicals, and Advanced Materials, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Assistant Professor Wimonrat Sricharussin studied Polymer
Science to Master level at Chulalongkorn University (Thailand)
and in 2001 earned her PhD in textile fi nishing from the School
of Textile Industries - University of Leeds (UK). She has been
a member of the academic staff at Silpakorn University since
1995, holding the position of Head of the Materials Science and
Engineering Department for a few years. She also served as
Associated Dean of Student Affairs in 2002.
Dr. Sricharussin is the creator and event manager for the FuSeM
2009 International Conference recently held in Bangkok. She is
the author of a book on textile technologies (in Thai) as well as of
numerous journal and conference papers.
Her research activities are mainly focussed on the fi nishing
properties of natural fi bres, especially cotton, the use of natural
dyes and the exploitation of less known natural fi bres, such as
those extracted from pineapple leaves.
Enzymes are non-toxic and environmentally friendly biocatalysts. As biotechnology makes rapid progress regarding their application conditions, this fi nishing process is gaining increasing industrial consideration. This work examines the effectiveness of enzymes to scour pineapple leaf fi bres (PALF). The dyeing properties of PALF-blended cotton fabric are also investigated.
From fi eld to fashion, from couch to catwalk: the story of nettlesJ Harwood, M Horne, D Waldron and J Williams, De Montfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom
Judith Condor-Vidal, Peruvian, associate member of the World
Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) and director of Trading for
Development. TFD’s work involves opening markets for Fair
Trade producers and building support for Fair Trade across
Europe. Her concern is to make world trade fairer, giving pride
of place to small scale producers. Judith is also trustee of the
Ethical Fashion Forum.
Natural fi bres are used in everyday clothing. The production of natural fi bres totals around 30 millions of tons every year. A large percentage of this output is produced by small-scale producers in the South, many earning less than a dollar a day. This presentation highlights a small experience in mainstreaming. TFD works with certifi ed Fair Trade producers. TFD partners are all members of the World Fair Trade Organisation. It attempts to share this experience and to draw attention to the benefi ts and challenges of this experience.
Born in a village north of Madrid, on February 5th, 1954, for a
while, I hated my own name, Maria Isabel, preferring my Chris-
tian saint’s day, Agatha. My parents decided for us, their seven
children, to move to the city when I was 3. Since childhood I
liked drawing, but the scientifi c part of my mind, pushed me into
Mathematics when I went to university. Now, it’s good to count
papers, then, it was useful to gather every hippie in Madrid, or
the attics I lived in, when I became independent, at 19, young for
dreaming of London, and ever singing English songs.
I turned 21 and said goodbye to coin gramophones at the west
park, exchanging countries, leaving Spanish for English, college
for etching at Epsom, Oxford, and Banbury schools. With anoth-
er earth turn, I was back, in the northern region, Cantabria. Our
two daughters were born here; being a fi ghter for sustainability
those days was a rare avis, but I got credentials as solar projects
designer and founded a small industry to make interdependence
living tools: recovering fi bres for renewable products made of
paper and providing environmental education. I am grateful.
Energy saving and the reduction of carbon gas emissions have increasingly become an important part of our daily life. Within this context, the using of U-tube cold light bulbs becomes a new interesting alternative experience (to be compulsory in the near future). But they are odd-shaped, diffi cult to clean, and less shiny under conventional light shades. Fibres from plants and textiles, as well as recycled Kraft paper bags, make exciting materials for decoration. Pulps of those composites allow inkjet and laser print-ing and engraving; so that, it is very easy to create a different type of lamp at a low cost, having advantages in both: simplicity and green credentials.
VLAdA : Recycled kraft paper, textile fi bres and raw plants
MI Rodriguez: BESARTE, Spain
Developing + Innovation. BESARTE, Production of Paper from Recovered Fibres. Ventorrillo 1. 39491 Pesquera. Cantabria, Spain
Tel: 0034-942090139 / 622207803 [email protected].
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••• NATURAL COMPOSITESAPPLICATIONSSession Chair:
PROFESSOR AMARMOHNATY
Director of BioproductsDiscovery and Development Centre (BDDC), University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Use of natural fi bres in modern industrial applications like automotive, construction, insulation, furnitiure, consumer goods and pulp & paper. Market data (volume, prices) from different studies between 2005 and 2009 including domestic (hemp, fl ax, nettle) and exotic (Jute, Kenaf, Sisal, Abaca, Coir). Natural fi bres reinforced plastics (NFRP) are produced in different technologies like compressing moulding, extrusion, injection moulding. Basic facts on properties and competition.
Examples: Pictures of many different NFRP which are already produced and introduced in the market, some examples of well established products. Also insulation and construction products are shown.
Environment: Ecological benefi ts of the use of natural fi bre products substituting fi bre glass
Trends: Trends in insulation and construction and recent trends in NFRP. Further improvement of compressing moulding, more fl exible and complex. Last bottlenecks concerning granule production for injection moulding, Other technologies. New market strategies for green / bio-based products, NFRP with bioplastic matrix, certifi cation by c12/c14-method.
Price developments of natural fi bres compared to other natural and fossile ressources.
Potential: Potential markets and applications for NFRP and other natural fi bre products depending mainly on oil price, technical development and political framework
Michael CarusManaging Director of nova-Institute of Ecology and Innovation, Germany
KEYNOTE.
Market Overview: Modern industrial applications of natural fi bres
Michael Carus studied physics at the University of Cologne.
Following his studies he worked as a scientifi c staff member for
nuclear energy and environment at the University of Tuebingen,
as a scientifi c journalist for different professional magazines
(environment and technology), at the KATALYSE-Umweltinstitut
in Cologne (environment and resources), for the US company
Tektronix GmbH in Cologne (IT system management) as well as
for the company Flachglas Solartechnik GmbH in Cologne (solar
power plants) until founding the nova-Institut GmbH with other
scientists in 1994.
Since its foundation, Michael Carus, together with Dirk Schubert,
is the managing director of the nova-Institut and is head of
the fi eld ‘Renewable resources and market research’ with its
three departments:
Economy & resource management
Biomaterials
Print, IT, congress and event management
Today, Michael Carus is considered to be one of the leading
experts and market researchers in Europe for agricultural
resources, bioenergy and especially for the material/industrial
use of renewable resources. He is actively involved in building
networks in the fi elds of agricultural and forestry resources,
biomaterials (bioplastics, natural fi bre reinforced plastics,
WPC and other innovative wooden materials) and industrial
biotechnology/biorefi nery. Mr. Carus is a member (partly in
leading functions as managing director or advisor) in many
societies, associations and international organisations.
Mr George O’Malley, CEO of BioRefinery Ireland, holds an Hons
B.Sc having majored in pure mathematics. His involvement in
biorefining began with the EC Fifth Framework Programme and
he is generally credited as being the first in Ireland to recognise
and promote the importance of biorefining as a sustainable
means of providing society’s future needs for fuel, biochemicals
and materials.
BioRefinery Ireland has adanced plans to establish biorefineries
in Ireland and the UK focussing primarily on grass. BioRefinery
Ireland has a well established network of industry and academic
partners throughout Europe. Mr O’Malley is one of four
industry directors of an Irish government initiative to establish a
competence centre focussing on bioenergy and biorefining.
The possibility of using grass as a feedstock for biorefining is only recently being realised. For Europe and beyond it offers real possibilities for the sustainable co-production of energy, feed, chemicals and materials. In particular the fibre fraction of grass has many applications from its use as a horticultural substrate substituting for rockwool, to insulation, packaging and automotive-acoustic applications.
Grassland agronomy, management and supply chain logistics are advanced. Cultivation demands are minimised, carbon sequestration is significant and biodiversity conservation is provided for.
A story about grass. The production of grass-fibre based products in a biorefinery context
G O’Malley: BioRefinery Ireland, Newport, Co Mayo, Ireland.
Tel: +353 87 2228625 [email protected] w: biorefinery.ie
Will Newby graduated in 2008 with an MEng in Mechanical
Engineering. He is part of the research team at Exeter Advanced
Technologies research group within the School of Engineering,
Mathematics and Physical Sciences at the University of
Exeter.He is currently the lead researcher on the TSB funded
ECOBRAKE project.
ECOBRAKE is investigating the development of friction linings
from environmentally friendly materials; in particular, hemp
fibres and a resin derived from Cashew Nut Shell Liquid. The
technical approach used to develop the new friction materials
has encompassed mechanical, thermal and rheological
characterization techniques.
Commercially available hemp fibres and a Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL) resin have been used to produce friction materials for rail applications using a novel, low-energy manufacturing process. This work examines the effect of hemp fibre content on the mechanical properties and friction and wear performance of rail brake pads.
Hemp: a novel material for use in the friction industry?W Newby, M Sloan and KE Evans, School of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, UK
[email protected] Tel: +44 (0)1392 263667
Dr.M.Sivaraja was born on May 03rd 1974 at Erode, Tamilnadu,
INDIA. He completed his B.E degree in Civil Engineering
from Madurai Kamaraj University, India during 1995. He was
the Gold Medalist in his M.E Structural Engineering from
Government College of Engineering, Salem, India during 2001.
He completed his Doctoral program (Ph.D) in Civil Engineering
(Concrete Composites) during 2008 from Anna University, India.
He completed his post doctoral research work at Composite
materials Lab, University at Buffalo, The State University of New
York, USA under Dr. Deborah.L.Chung during 2009.
He is having 4 years of industrial experience and 10 years of
teaching experience. Now he has been working as Assistant
Professor in Civil Engineering, Kongu Engineering College,
Erode, Tamilnadu, India. He has done many consultancy and
testing works for various industries in the area of Materials,
Concrete Technology, Soil and Foundation Engineering and
Surveying etc., His area of interests are Natural Fibre Reinforced
Composites, Disaster Resistant Structures, Structural Health
Monitoring, Multifunctional Cement Based Smart Materials etc.
Conventional methods using in-situ techniques are found to be economical and more practical for low cost housing of slums which generally consists of low rise structures. Here bio composite pre-cast concrete panels for roofing and walls are developed. Bio-composites are sandwiched in between the concrete layers. The sandwich may be either in a single layer or double layers.
Coir fibre reinforced bio-composite concrete panels for low cost housingM Sivaraja and R Saravanan: Kongu Engineering College, India
1 Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering, Kongu Engineering College, Erode, India
2 Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering, Mailam Engineering College, Viluppuram, India
In the 1930’s Aero Research Limited of Duxford developed a cotton fi bre phenol formaldehyde matrix composite, which was subsequently developed into the fl ax reinforced Gordon Aerolite. This material was used to fabricate an experimental wing spar for a Blenheim bomber and a fuselage for a Spitfi re – true ‘aerospace’ applications. However, by the late 1940’s, research into natural fi bre reinforced composites (NFRCs) had ceased, with the advent of glass-fi bre. Over the past decade or so there has been a huge resurgence of interest in NFRCs. Early reports in the 1908s stressed the remarkable mechanical properties of fi bres such as fl ax, but we have yet to see such impressive properties translate to the composites made from these fi bres.
Composites can be manufactured that exhibit good stiffness values, but strength and in particular toughness properties are not what would be required for performance applications. In our research in the late 1990s we became aware that a major problem with natural fi bres was the presence of compressive defects in the cell wall. These acted as points of weakness in the fi bre, and produced stress concentrations in the matrix leading to premature failure.
Lack of fi bre pull-out in impact studies resulted in very poor toughness properties. The fi bre ends exhibited brittle fracture. These compression defects arose not just as a result of fi bre processing, but were even found to occur within the plant when single cells were extracted with the mildest of masceration techniques. Fibre processing is also an area that requires extensive research, the techniques that are in general use are not particularly advanced technically or result in fi bre damage. Natural fi bres are susceptible to moisture, which may be a problem in certain applications.
Compared to glass fi bres, natural fi bres do not exhibit impressive aspect ratios, which combined with the above mentioned defects result in rather poor reinforcing properties. What can we as a research community do about this? A major advantage of natural fi bres is the chemical reactivity of the cell wall components. We can exploit this to modify properties, using for example acetylation to bulk the fi bres and remove moisture loving hydroxyl sites, but much more sophisticated chemistry can be exploited and some ideas will be presented. Can we improve our processing and combine this with annealing to remove the compressive defects?
We can’t change the aspect ratio, but we can deconstruct the fi bres and work with the reinforcement within the fi bres – the microfi brils. Much more attention has recently been focussed on utilising plant-derived materials to form the matrix. Maybe with the right surface chemistry we can dispense with a matrix altogether? Surely over the next few years we will begin to see some high performance composites derived entirely from renewable resources.
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••• CONSTRUCTIONAPPLICATIONSSession Chair:
JULIE SODEN
School of Art and Design, University of Ulster, Belfast
Callum Hill graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in
Chemistry from the University of Bristol in 1977. After working
as a technician at the Bristol Royal Infi rmary, he then took a post
as a research offi cer in the School of Materials Science at the
University of Bath working on the degradation of PVC. He then
went to Bristol Polytechnic (now University of West of England)
where he researched the use of organic semiconductors as gas
sensors, gaining a PhD in this area in 1985.
He then spent two years at the University of Bristol working
on non-aqueous colloidal systems and then moved to Bangor
University where he studied the non-linear optical properties of
organo-metallic compounds. In 1994, he went to work in the then
School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences at Bangor University,
fi rst as a Lecturer in Wood Science and in 2001 a Senior Lecturer
in Renewable Materials. He took up his present post of Professor
of Materials Science at the Centre for Timber Engineering
Edinburgh Napier University in 2007. Professor Hill has published
over 80 peer review papers, more than 50 conference papers,
as well as authoring a book on wood modifi cation.
ProfessorCallum HillCentre for Timber Engineering, Edinburgh Napier University
KEYNOTE.
Natural fi bre reinforced composites opportunities and challenges
Eduardo ACHÁ, graduated in Civil Engineering at University of
Federal São Carlos (1999)- Brazil, Specialist in constructions
systems at University of Federal São Carlos (1999)- Brazil,
Master degree in Civil Engineering (Structures area) at Pontifical
Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (2002)- Brazil, PhD Re-
search student at Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
in Progress and consultant in numerical analysis of high risk
structures for Hydroelectric Plans.
Natural fiber like date palm fiber can be used as reinforcement material in composite. This work characterizes the Date palm fiber –polypropylene (DPF-PP) composites. Also examine the effect of surface treatment like alkalization on mechanical properties for DPF-PP Composite material.
Dr Mizi Fan spent the early part of his career as a University
Lecturer in natural fibre and composite subjects before receiving
his PhD from the University of Wales, UK in 1994. He then
carried out research at the UK Building Research Establishment
for a period of 12 years before re-entering higher education
as Lecturer at University of Bath and then Senior Lecturer and
Head of Research of Department of Civil Engineering at Brunel
University. In 2004 he was appointed a Visiting Professor in the
College of Material Science, FAF University, and for many years a
Fellow of Institute of Wood Science, IOM3.
He teaches all aspects of civil engineering materials, construction
and sustainability to undergraduate and postgraduate students,
and his principle research interests have included fibre science
and technology (nano cellulose), wood and non-wood based
composites, recycling and sustainability in construction. He
is author, or co-author, of over one hundred and ten technical
papers and author of two text books on natural fibre composites
and new products, and management, recycling and reuse of
waste composites. He is currently the Technical Leader for the
TSB funded NATCOM (Optimally Efficient Production of High
Strength Natural Fibre Composites) research programme.
NRC3 Brunel University, UK is engaged on an extensive programme of research aiming at a better understanding of the properties of nature fibres and composites, and establishing methods of improving its strength and optimising its utilisations. Many important outcomes have been achieved and this paper is an attempt to reveal the failure mechanisms of elementary nature fibres and hence develop high strength composites for application in construction.
Ian Pritchett BSc(hons) is Chairman and Technical Director of
Lime Technology Ltd., a company dedicated to pushing the use
of traditional lime based building materials into the new build
market, as ecological alternatives to cement based products.
Ian is involved in developing low energy building materials
through research projects at Bristol, Bath and Bradford
Universities. These are centred around natural soils, clay,
chalk and lime binders with natural aggregates and plant fibre
reinforcement (e.g. unfired earth blocks and Hemcrete®).
Ian is an acknowledge expert in the field of traditional, low
energy building materials and gives numerous lectures on the
subject. Lime Technology have been involved in supplying
lime based materials to hundreds of new building projects
including the new Channel Tunnel Rail link Terminal at St Pancras
Station, the new National Trust headquarters, the new Amnesty
International office, the new Adnams Brewery Distribution centre,
the CAT WISE project, Clayfield Housing project at Elmswell for
Orwell Housing Association as well as numerous other schools
and social housing schemes.
UK grown industrial hemp shiv (woody core of the stalk) is being mixed with lime based binders to make bio-composites for wall construction with excellent thermal properties and that lock up carbon dioxide. This offers a new way to reduce the carbon footprint and operational energy of buildings.
Analysis of bamboo permanent shutter concrete slab subjected to bending for use in hydropower structures
EH Achá and K Ghavami: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Dept of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering. United Arab Emirates University. United Arab Emirates P.O. Box 17555, Al-Ain, UAE
[email protected] Office: +971 3 7133309 Fax: +971 3 7623158 Mobile: +971 50 2335666
Development of strong natural fibre composites for construction
M Fan, Brunel University, UK. Director, Green Nano-Cellulose and Composites Research Centre (NRC3)
School of Engineering and Design, Brunel University, West London UB8 3PH, UK
e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +441895266466
Hemp and lime composites in sustainable construction
I Pritchett, Lime Technology, UK
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••• MATERIAL CHARACTERISATION
Session Chair:
AMAR MOHANTY
Director of Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre (BDDC), University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Dr S.K.Acharya is at present working as an Associate Professor
in mechanical engineering ,NIT rourkela-769008, Orissa,
INDIA. He has published about twenty fi ve research papers
on composite materials on various international and national
journals. .He has guided about 23 ME and two PhD students.
His current area of research is natural fi ber polymer composites
for tribological applications.
The present experimental investigation deals with the mechanical behaviour of bagasse fi ber reinforced epoxy composite at cryogenic temperature. Fibers of 10, 15 and 20 Wt. % were reinforced with epoxy matrix to prepare the composites. This work also examines the effect of fi ber treatment on mechanical properties of epoxy laminates.
Dr Alma Hodzic is a Senior Lecturer in Department of
Mechanical Engineering at The University of Sheffi eld, UK.
Dr Hodzic has taught and performed research in the areas of
Advanced Composite Structures, Nanocomposites, Engineering
Materials and Aircraft Design since 1997. She holds her PhD in
Science of Engineering Materials from The Australian National
University, and BSME in Aeronautical Engineering (Dipl. Ing.)
from The University of Belgrade.
Dr Hodzic manages Composite Systems Innovation Centre
(CSIC) at Kroto Research Institute at Sheffi eld. The main
focus behind multidisciplinary projects of CSIC is to improve
the environment by replacing traditional technologies with
sustainable composite structures. Dr Hodzic is the editor,
author or co-author of over 50 peer reviewed publications and
two patents. She is currently an active Fellow of Institution of
Mechanical Engineers, Fellow of Institute of Materials, Minerals
and Mining, Member of Royal Aeronautical Society and Intreader
for Australian Research Council.
Interfaces in natural fi bre composites are studied with the emphasis of increasing the interfacial shear strength and subsequent improvement of stiffness and strength for engineering applications. The improvements in properties arising from the presence of transcrystalline region, modifying agents, types of natural fi bres and various bio-matrices show that biodegradable composites are able to match the properties of their thermoplastic synthetic counterparts.
Ahmad Alawar was born in Alain in United Arab Emirates, on
May 31, 1973. He graduated from Sultan Qaboos University,
Muscat, 1996. He was honored a scholarship from UAE University
to pursue his masters and Ph.D. Studies. He received his
masters degree in mechanical engineering from University of
Southern California, 1999, followed by Ph.D. in Material Science
from the same university.
Currently, he is fi lling a position of assistant professor in the faculty
of mechanical engineering at United Arab Emirates University. His
teaching and research interests fall into the domains of Composite
Materials, Metallurgy, Creep, Natural Fiber applications and
Intelligent Design and Manufacturing. His employment experience
included Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company, ADMA OPCO,
Etisalat- a Telecommunication Company, and Teaching and
research assistant at United Arab Emirates University.
Natural fi ber like date palm fi ber can be used as reinforcement material in composite. This work characterizes the Date palm fi ber –polypropylene (DPF-PP) composites. Also examine the effect of surface treatment like alkalization on mechanical properties for DPF-PP Composite material.
Microstructural and mechanical aspects of bagasse fi bre reinforced epoxy composites at liquid nitrogen temperature
SK Acharya1*, P Mishra 2: National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, India
1 Asst. Professor, 2 Research Scholar Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Orissa, India
Optimisation of interfaces in biodegradable and natural fi bre composites
A Hodzic: University of Sheffi eld, UK
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sir Frederick Mappin Building, Room RD5c The University of Sheffi eld Sheffi eld, S1 3JD, UK
Characterization of date palm fi ber- polypropylene composite materialA Alawar: United Arab Emirates University
Dept of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering. United Arab Emirates University,
United Arab Emirates P.O. Box 17555, Al-Ain, UAE.
[email protected] Tel: +971 3 7133309 Fax: +971 3 7623158Mobile: +971 50 2335666
David Jesson: Having read Materials Science and Engineering
for my fi rst degree, I was awarded a PhD for research on the
reinforcement of polymers and polymer matrix composites with
organically modifi ed silica (ormosil) nano-particles. I am currently
a Research Fellow at the University of Surrey and have worked
on a variety of projects with materials ranging from cast iron to
advanced composites.
The themes that have run through this work are the characterisation
of mechanical properties and the use of statistical methods,
particularly Weibull, in order to compare the properties of
ostensibly non-similar sample sets. In addition to several long term
projects, I am establishing a body of work looking at natural fi bres
for composite materials.
I am a member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining
(ProfGradIMMM) and of the Institute of Physics (MInstP).
Natural fi bres, particularly those which originate as waste materials from other industries, are of interest to manufacturers as an easily sourced material, from which a composite material could be produced. The current work considers the mechanical properties of one such fi bre, specifi cally their strain rate dependency.
Strain rate dependent properties of natural fi bres for composite materials
DA Jesson, B Di Napoli & PA Smith: University of Surrey, UK
Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK
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••• CONSTRUCTIONAPPLICATIONScontinued..Session Chair:
PROFESSORCALLUM HILL
Centre for Timber Engineering, Edinburgh Napier University
Eshrar Latif is currently doing his MPhil/PhD on ‘Potential for bio-
based insulation in the UK’ in UEL in collaboration with the Centre
for Alternative Technology. He is also involved in the project on
‘Energy effi cient bio-based natural fi bre insulation’ (2008-2011)
with Bio-Composites Centre Bangor University, University of East
London and others.
He has an MSC in ‘Planning Practice and Research’, an MSc
in ‘Architecture: Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies’
a professional BArch. He has six years’ experience in varieties
of architectural projects including residential design, extensions,
restaurant conversions and refurbishments. At present, he is also
participating in a certifi cate programme on ‘A Systems Approach
to Product and Service Design’ at Cornell University in New York.
Hemp based thermal insulation has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions from buildings and to be ‘carbon-negative’ in its production and manufacture’. The environmental and functional performance of hemp insulation can be improved in several ways and this paper describes work on these aspects.
Majid Ali completed his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with
honours in 2004 and master’s degree with fi rst position in 2006
with specialization in structural engineering from the University of
Engineering and Technology, Taxila, Pakistan. He was awarded
Crescent Gold Medal for the best performance in bachelor’s
fi nal year examinations. He joined National Engineering Services
Pakistan (NESPAK), one of the leading consultant organizations
of Pakistan, as a structural engineer in 2004. His duties were
the structural designing of RCC buildings (institutions, schools,
colleges, hospitals, and fl ats etc) and some infrastructure
structures (water tower, underground water tanks, retaining walls
etc) with the help of StaadPro, Microsoft excel, AutoCAD and
Etaab/SAP. He also worked on international projects (Supported
by the Government of Pakistan).
During his employment in NESPAK, he was offered a regular
employment in 2005, Honorarium for the year 2005- 2006,
Accelerated Promotion in 2007 and Letter of Appreciation for the
year 2007-2008. His interest developed on the use of natural fi bres
in concrete in early 2008. His fi rst publication “Natural fi bres as
construction materials” was published recently in NOCMAT 2009.
The young researcher aims to introduce natural fi bres reinforced
concrete as a constructional material for structural members in
earthquake prone areas.
This paper presents the literature review, about the properties of natural fi bre reinforced concrete (NFRC). The aim of this review is to compile the available data of different NFRCs evaluated in last few decades, and thus, it can be used as a reference/guideline for upcoming research for a particular NFRC.
Carmen Galán-Marín: Assistant Professor of the Department
of Building Technology of the Escuela Técnica Superior de
Arquitectura of the University of Seville (Spain). Entitled as
architect in 1995, she has specialized in new materials and
technologies applied in architecture and construction. She
has formerly developed research on polyester composites and
moved later to bio-composites and earth construction. Focused
on the applications of new materials for prefabrication and
evaluation of prototypes is currently the Director of construction
research for the University of Seville team for solar decathlon
competition 2010 (to design, build, and operate the most
attractive and energy-effi cient solar-powered house).
She has presented several papers and contributions in
international conferences and made various publications in
books and journals. Member since 1999 of AEMAC (Spanish
Association for composite materials).
She has been visiting professor at Germany (Hanover University),
the Netherlands (Faculty of Building and Architecture of
Eindhoven) and Great Britain (South Bank Polytechnic of
London and University of Strathclyde – Glasgow). She has
undertaken various stays for studies abroad in the University of
Porto (Portugal), Politecnico di Milano (Italy), the Department of
Architecture and Planning, Queen´s University of Belfast (United
Kingdom) and the University of Krakow
Wool - a natural animal fi bre available in abundance but no longer widely used in local textile industry has been used to improve earth construction. This work examines the feasibility of using this animal fi bre in conjunction with a soil matrix to produce a composite material suitable for wet climatic conditions.
Potential for hemp insulation in construction sector in the UK
E Latif 1 and S Tucker 2, University of East London, UK
1 School of Computing, Information Technology and Engineering, University of East London, Docklands Campus, UK
[email protected] Tel: 01633668545.
2 Graduate School of Environment, Centre for Alternative Technology, UK
[email protected] Tel: 01654703065 ext 24
Properties of natural fi bre reinforced concrete
M Ali, National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK), Islamabad Offi ce, H#O/1191-A, Mohalla HariPura, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
majidonefi [email protected] Tel: +92-300-5148037
Effect of animal fi bres reinforcement on stabilized earth mechanical properties
C Galán-Marín and C Rivera-Gómez, Departamento Construcciones Arquitectónicas I. University of Seville. Avda. Reina Mercedes 2, Seville 41005, Spain
[email protected] Tel: 0034-954556591
Martin is Reader in Materials in the Department of Mechanical
Engineering at the University of Bath and Deputy Director of
the BRE Centre for Innovative Construction Materials. He has
published extensively on the structure-related properties of
cellulosic materials and is well known for his work on the fatigue
of laminated wood for wind turbine blades and bonded-in
connection technology for timber.
His fi rst paper on natural fi bre composites was published in
1983 (http://staff.bath.ac.uk/mssmpa/) and research is focussed
on high fi bre volume fraction composites in thermosetting and
thermoplastic matrices. Recent publications are concerned with
the fatigue of sisal-epoxy composites, the design of co-cured
joints for natural fi bre composites and a study of interfacial
bonding in sisal-PLA matrix composites. Martin is a past-president
of the Institute of Wood Science and is a Fellow of IoM3.
The paper is concerned with the evaluation of jointing techniques for high volume fraction natural fi bre composites based on well aligned sisal fi bres in an epoxy matrix. In-line and moment-resisting joints were manufactured by hot pressing and high integrity joints were formed with applications in the automotive and construction industries.
High integrity joints for sisal-epoxy composites
MP Ansell, C Gonzalez Murillo, M Fagan and M Thomson: University of Bath, UK
BRE Centre for Innovative Construction Materials, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
[email protected] Tel: 01225 386432
The aim of this paper is to outline ways in which one might achieve a 25%-30% reduction in market price across the board, increase supply chain profi ts and increase the volume of supply to meet potential demand.
The hemp fi bre industry will succeed or fail on its ability to provide a constant supply of consistent quality fi bre and hurd at a competitive price. While the technical attributes of both hemp outer long bast fi bre and inner short fi bre (hurd or shive) are considerable, some end use manufacturers are reluctant to develop products that benefi t from those attributes because there is no guarantee of suffi cient or expanding supply or a competitive price.
For example, the present world price for grade 2 fi bre (suitable for non-woven textiles) set by European production, is 20% higher in price than most other similar fi bres. If the price of grade 2 hemp fi bre was 20%-25% less than the present world price and a consistent quality and supply assured, manufacturers could focus their processing and product development on the utilisation of hemp fi bres unique characteristics resulting in increased effi ciency and further cost savings to the manufacturer.
For every unit of demand for fi bre one must grow, harvest, transport, process, store and sell four (4) units of hurd. In simple terms four fi fths (80%) of the time, labour and energy is expended on the Hurd. Therefore it is crucial that markets and products are developed to utilise the hurd, and at a level that are relative, in volume, to the consumption of the outer long fi bre. The key to a successful industry is how one manages and profi ts from the hurd and not just the fi bre.
KEYNOTE.
Hemp growing and processing innovation in Australia
There are many sectors in present farm-to-fi nished product value chain that have both ineffi ciency and waste. The following approach is designed to reduce those ineffi ciencies but maintain or increase the profi t within each sector. Obviously a company with the appropriate technology will stand to benefi t by maintaining/increasing profi ts and increased volume of production. This is where the Greatest Opportunity Exists.
Therefore, the aim of this paper is to outline ways in which one might achieve a 25%-30% reduction in market price across the board, increase supply chain profi ts and increase the volume of supply to meet potential demand.
Areas capable of greater effi ciencies exist across the entire value chain, potential targets are;
1. 12% Lower cost of raw material by achieving a 20% higher crop yield.
2. 15% Higher proportion of fi bre to hurd ratio in plant genetics.
3. 30% Lower cost of production in harvesting and handling to mill and
4. 25% Lower cost of Stage 1 processing “classifi cation” of raw materials.
Before I go into these 4 points in detail I will give some background into both the Hurd and Fibre pricing and production.
Born in 1952 in Western QLD and grew up on a farm until 1972
when his family were forced off the land due to droughts and low
commodity prices. Phil became involved in the Australian fi lm
Industry and his career fl ourished for the next 20 years, culminating
in his becoming a Producer on International Co-Productions
fi nding suitable scripts and the fi nance to make them. At 45 he
decided that living abroad on and off for 15 years was enough.
Philip decided to go back to his roots and embarked on a mission
to fi nd and develop agricultural products that would achieve,
regional employment and value adding industries and sustainable
consumer products for the future.
For the past 14 years Philip has worked on developing the Bast
fi bres in Australia including Flax, Kenaf, Sunn Hemp and Industrial
Hemp. In that time he has overseen the development of new
Hemp varieties that would be viable in Subtropical and Tropical
Region and has developed models for co-operative farming
systems - new processing systems and markets for all bast fi bres
crops and been at the forefront of the introduction of introducing
a number of natural fi bre-related products. Philip’s contacts and
depth of knowledge of this industry, its politics, business and
technical capabilities nationally and internationally, is unique
in Australia.
Phil WarnerCompany Founder and CEO, Ecofi bre, Australia
SESS
ION
9
••• FIBRE EXTRACTIONSession Chair:
SALUM SHAMTE
London SisalAssociation/Managing Director, Katani Limited, Tanzania
Nancy Hati is a Scientist in the Wood and Biofi bre Technologies
team at Scion in Rotorua, New Zealand where she has worked for
2 and a half years. While at Scion she has worked on improving
mechanical properties of wood reinforced biopolymers, modifying
resin application technologies for the MDF (Medium Density
Fibreboard) industry and visualisation techniques regarding resin
adhesive distribution on fi bres and within MDF boards.
Nancy has always had an interest in Matauranga Maori (traditional
knowledge of the indigenous people of New Zealand) regarding the
use of indigenous plant leaves and fi bres such as Harakeke (New
Zealand Flax, Phormium tenax). It was this interest that inspires
her current project of researching alternative indigenous fi bres.
Fibres that were valued by traditional Maori for customary use in
ropes, bindings, basketry and mat work and examining whether
the properties that the plants were valued for are suitable for future
application. Her research extends into understanding protocols
and sensitivities when working with Maori people and registering
proper acknowledgement of cultural input.
Fibre-based composites are more eco-friendly and demonstrate competitive performance when compared to petroleum-based composites. This research compares an alkali and a traditional Maori method of extracting fi bres to determine microstructure, lignin and mechanical properties of the fi bres. Cordyline australis and Freycinettia banksii fi bres produced the best results for composite manufacture.
Zaida Ortega is a Chemical Engineer of Las Palmas de Gran
Canaria University (Spain). Last year she has started her PhD
studies at the same university. She has been working in “Procesos
de Fabricación” (Manufacturing Processes) research group for
the last two years. This group has two main research areas: rapid
prototyping and new materials development, and supplies also
services to local companies. This group is formed by a number of
Mechanical and Chemical Engineers and some Industrial Designers
too. The group is involved in several research projects; one of
these projects is Badana’s project, entitled “Development of an
automated process to extract the fi bres from the waste of banana
food production for exploitation as a sustainable reinforcement in
injection – and rotomoulded products”, fi nanced by the Seventh
Framework of the European Union, and that started on July 1st.
However, this research group have had some experiences before
starting this project, for about one year.
In this work different chemical treatments have been applied to
banana tree fi bre to improve the fi bre-plastic matrix compatibility.
Mechanical properties of the composite have been tested.
Extraction methods for new zealand indigenous fi bres
N Hati, ALP Rickard & A Keyte-Beattie: Scion, New Zealand
Scion, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, 3046, New Zealand
[email protected] el: +64 7 343 5899
Use of fi bre obtained from banana tree as reinforcement of polyethylene matrix
Z Ortega, AN Benítez, MD Monzón, P Hernández, I Angulo & MD Marrero: Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Edifi cio de Fabricación Integrada, Parque Científi co Tecnológico, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Tafi ra Baja, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 35017 (Spain)
zortega@lfi .gi.ulpgc.es Tel: (00) 34 928 45 86 18
This paper outlines the use of hemp bast fi bres in a variety of composite material applications including reinforced thermoplastic polymers, reinforced thermosetting polymers, and reinforced cement materials. In addition, a novel, cost effective method for decorticating industrial hemp is highlighted.
Industrial hemp (cannabis sativa) has signifi cant potential as a reinforcing fi bre in composite applications due to its good mechanical properties, light weight and environmental benefi ts. This paper outlines the use of hemp bast fi bres in a variety of composite material systems including reinforced thermoplastic polymers, reinforced thermosetting polymers, and reinforced cement materials. In addition to characterizing the relative mechanical performance of these materials, this paper highlights a novel, cost effective method for decorticating industrial hemp feedstocks based on chopping, milling and screening methods. Characteristics of the resulting fi bres processed are discussed.
J Wolodko (left), W Chute, L McIlveen,K Alemaskin, A Fuhr and H RhoAdvanced Materials Business Unit, Alberta Research Council, Edmonton, AB, Canada
KEYNOTE.
Industrial hemp in composite material applications and overview of natural fi bres activities in western canada from a research and government perspective
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Dr. John Wolodko is Program Leader of the Polymers &
Composites Group at the Alberta Research Council in
Edmonton, Canada. His areas of expertise include advanced
materials; mechanical & structural testing; polymer processing;
product design; and failure analysis. Prior to joining the Alberta
Research Council, he was a Senior Research Engineer with
the Centre for Engineering Research, and has worked in both
academia and as a consulting engineer in the oil & gas, pipeline
and construction sectors. Dr. Wolodko also holds an adjunct
professor position in the Department of Chemical and Materials
Engineering at the University of Alberta.
••• NATURAL COMPOSITESINDUSTRIALAPPLICATIONSSession Chair:
DR JOHN WILLIAMS
Head of Polymers and Materials, NNFCC, UK
Dr Ren is a senior lecturer in the School of Engineering and
Technology, University of Hertfordshire (UH). Ren’s expertise
covers composite and functional nanomaterials in the application
fields of energy, transportation and healthcare. His grants
awarded during the past 8 years are about £500K. Ren’s first
degree (1983) is in organic chemical engineeringing in China
and worked for PetroChina Oil Resaerch Institute and Beijing
FRP R&D Institute before He came to QMUL as an academic
visitor in 1993 with British Council SBSF award working fibre
reinforced polymer composites for improving mechanical and
fire performance. His PhD (QM, 94-97) was on fibre reinforced
ceramic silicates composites.
He was RA on a number of projects sponsored by Industry,
EPSRC, BAe in polymer, ceramic composite materials for fire
barrier and high temperature aerospace mould systems. He
worked at QM during 01-08 as a Senior Overseas Tutor & Senior
Research Fellow until Jan 08. Ren’s current interests include
composites (rotor blades, fire resistant materials and LLW
mateial management); natural fibre composites; absorption of
electromagnetic waves/radiation for concealed weapon detections;
antimicrobial nanomaterials for fabrics and medical devices;
petrochemicals savings through nanoaditives. His recent EPSRC
grant was on natural fibre surface treatment for better applications
in aerospace, automotive and building constructions.
New future and perspectives for natural fibres in high level technology industries and the effects on producing poverty alleviation
W Andrade, Sindifibras, Brazil
[email protected] www.brazilianfibres.com.br
Tel: (55 71) 3241 7499 M: (55 71) 8801 3000
Hemp fibre circular tubes for structural applications
BT Weclawski and M Fan: Brunel University, UK1 School of Engineering and Materials Science, Centre for Materials Research, Queen Mary, University of London, London E1 4NS, UK2 Menzolit Ltd, Lancs. OL14 6EG, UK3 School of Engineering, Brunel University, Oxbridge UB8 3PH, UK4 NorthWest Composites Centre, University of Manchester, M60 1QD, UK5 School of Aerospace, Automotive and Design Engineering, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9AB, UK
Tel: 44 (0) 1707 28 1075 [email protected]
The use of natural fibres as reinforcement in polymer composites
has generated much interest in recent years due to implementation
of environmental legislation and improvements on natural fibre
performance and process-abilities. This research investigated the use
of natural hemp fibre as reinforcement for producing fibre reinforced
Sheet Moulding Composites or Compounds (SMC) as an alternative
to glass fibre in an industrial scale application which ranging from
building construction, automotive, to aerospace. The work shows that
the natural hemp fibre SMC (H-SMC) achieved equivalent level of the
mechanical properties of the glass fibre SMC.
Alain Bourmaud was born at Nantes, France, on February, 4,
1969. He’s research engineer in Material Engineering Laboratory of
Brittany (LIMATB) in Lorient, France. This laboratory is specialized in
elaboration and characterisation of biocomposites. Specific methods
have been developed in LIMATB in order to determine mechanical
properties of single vegetal fibres and to evidence fibre-matrix
interfaces properties of biocomposites.
Alain Bourmaud has obtained a master specialized in polymer
engineering at the Jean Monet University, Saint-Etienne, France
in 1993. Actually, his main research topic is the knowledge of
mechanical behaviour of vegetal fibres and more especially flax
fibres. These researches are carried out by using nanoindentation,
tensile tests on single fibres and atomic force microscopy (AFM).
Alain Bourmaud is specialized in nanoindentation on polymers and
vegetal fibres. He has written or co- written around 10 papers in
international reviews during the last 4 years.
For 1 year, Alain Bourmaud is studying for a PhD on the knowledge
of mechanical behaviour of flax fibres.
Nanoindentation tests have been performed on flax fibers sections in order to study the influence of retting, enzymatic treatment and location of the fibers into the stem on mechanical properties. The first results evidence the interest of nanoindentation but highlight some questions linked to the specific structure of fibers.
Bartosz Weclawski holds a master degree in structural materials
and biomaterials from Gdansk University of technology. In 2007
he took part in a project at the Institut de Chimie de la Matière
Condensée de Bordeaux aimed at development of more economic
processing route for silicate carbide fi laments reinforced titanium
composites for aerospace applications. Since 2008 Bartosz
started PhD research at Brunel University, aiming at improvement
of natural fi bres reinforced composites. At the moment he is
focusing on hemp fi bres reinforcing biocomposites as a prospectus
durable and load bearing material. His interests are composites,
biomaterials, their structural design and processing.
A comprehensive programme has been carried out to develop
novel natural fi bre circular tubes. A series of 3-D products
have been manufactured by using the developed processing
technologies and characterised to establish correlations
between the processing and parameters of raw material and the
performance of fi nal composite products.
Nanoindentation contribution to mechanical characterization of vegetal fi bers1 A Bourmaud, 2C Morvan & 1C Baley: LIMATB Laboratoire d’Ingénierie des MATériaux de Bretagne Equipe Polymères, France
1 Laboratoire Ingénierie des Matériaux de Bretagne (LIMATB), Université de Bretagne Sud, Rue de Saint Maudé, BP 92116, 56321 Lorient Cedex, France.
2 UMR 6037 CNRS/IFR-MP 23, Université de Rouen, Aignan, France.
[email protected] 00 (33) 02 97 87 45 05
Wetting behaviour and surface energy of coconut (coir) fi bres
LQN Tran, CA Fuentes, C Dupont1, AW Van Vuure, & I Verpoest: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering (MTM), Katholieke Uni-versiteit Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 44, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium. Email: [email protected], tel +32-16-321448
1 Unité de Chimie des Interfaces, Université Catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud 2/18, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve,Belgium
Hemp fi bre circular tubes forstructural applicationsBT Weclawski and M Fan: Brunel University, UKCivil Engineering Department, School of Engineering and Design, Brunel University, West London, UB8 3PH, UK.
11SE
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Alain Bourmaud was born at Nantes, France, on February, 4,
1969. He’s research engineer in Material Engineering Laboratory of
Brittany (LIMATB) in Lorient, France. This laboratory is specialized
in elaboration and characterisation of biocomposites. Specifi c
methods have been developed in LIMATB in order to determine
mechanical properties of single vegetal fi bres and to evidence
fi bre-matrix interfaces properties of biocomposites.
Alain Bourmaud has obtained a master specialized in polymer
engineering at the Jean Monet University, Saint-Etienne, France
in 1993. Actually, his main research topic is the knowledge of
mechanical behaviour of vegetal fi bres and more especially fl ax
fi bres. These researches are carried out by using nanoindentation,
tensile tests on single fi bres and atomic force microscopy (AFM).
Alain Bourmaud is specialized in nanoindentation on polymers and
vegetal fi bres. He has written or co- written around 10 papers in
international reviews during the last 4 years.
For 1 year, Alain Bourmaud is studying for a PhD on the knowledge
of mechanical behaviour of fl ax fi bres.
Nanoindentation tests have been performed on fl ax fi bers sections in order to study the infl uence of retting, enzymatic treatment and location of the fi bers into the stem on mechanical properties. The fi rst results evidence the interest of nanoindentation but highlight some questions linked to the specifi c structure of fi bers.
Ngoc Tran was born in Cantho City, Vietnam. He earned his
Bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering from HoChiMinh
City University of Technology, Vietnam; then Master degree
in Materials Engineering from Katholike Univesitiet Leuven –
Belgium in 2004.
Ngoc has spent 4 years woking as assitant lecturer and
researcher at Cantho University – Vietnam. He had worked for
some research projects such as: ‘Vietnamese natural fi bres for
construction materials’, ‘Research and development of polymer
composites based on natural fi bres’…
Since 2008, he has been working as PhD researcher in the
Composite Materials Group of Katholike Univesitiet Leuven.
His research topic focuses on ‘Polymer Composites based on
Coconut Fibres’
Wetting behaviour of coconut fi bres is studied by contact angle and sorption measurements using the Wilhelmy technique. The dynamic contact angle is investigated at different immersion speeds. Besides, water sorption of the fi bre is studied to determine its effect on the contact angle measurement. From the contact angle of coconut fi bre with different probe liquids, the surface energy is calculated.
••• FIBRE PROPERTIESSession Chair:
SALUM SHAMTE
London Sisal Association/Managing Director, Katani Limited, Tanzania
Paul Knox is professor of plant cell biology in the Centre for Plant
Sciences at the University of Leeds. He has long term interests in
plant physiology and biochemistry and particularly the structures
and functions of plant cell walls in relation to both plant growth
and development and also in relation to their importance for
food and fi bres. His main research strategy is the generation and
use of molecular probes (including monoclonal antibodies and
carbohydrate-binding modules) to detect cell wall polysaccharides
in situ in plant materials including fi bres using a range of
microscopy procedures.
In the context of plant-derived fi bres the areas of studies include
understanding how the polysaccharide components of fi bre cells
(celluloses, hemicelluloses and pectins) impact upon fi nal fi bre
properties and also the identifi cation of polymers that bind bast
fi bres, such as those obtained from hemp and fl ax, into stem
tissues. This latter research is aimed at developing improved
procedures for fi bre isolation.
Widely used plant fi bres are plant cells with thick secondary cell
walls. We are interested in the polysaccharide composition of
natural plant fi bres from the perspective of plant cell walls. We are
developing cell biological methods to determine the structure-
function relationships of fi bres and their component polysaccharides
in the context of their use as textiles and other materials.
Molecular and cell biological analysis of natural plant fi bres
JP Knox: University of Leeds, UK
Centre for Plant Sciences, Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
Rob Elias is a commercial manager at the BioComposites Centre
and has a major interest in the development of bio-derived
materials that reduce global warming potential. He has an industrial
and academic background in natural fi bre production. His expertise
includes biocomposite production, biomass extraction/ chemical
composition and product development. To help companies
develop new bioderived technologies Rob set up and established
the BC’s Technology Transfer Centre on Anglesey. Using the
pilot scale facilities at the Tech Transfer Centre companies can
demonstrate their ideas by developing prototype materials.
Rob currently manages 4 TSB projects working with companies
to develop new packaging materials and construction products.
His current research interests include biorefi ning, the production
of bioplastic products, extraction of value added molecules from
plant materials, utilisation of wastes and the use of agricultural co-
products for fi bre applications.
There are increasing opportunities to develop products from waste
natural fi bres. This paper will focus on recent R&D into the use and
development of waste MDF fi bres for applications in MDF, insulation
materials and wood plastic composites. The work was part of a
WRAP funded project completed in 2007.
All-cellulose composites
T Peijs, N Soykeabkaew & R Arevalo: Queen Mary University of London, UK
Queen Mary University of London, Department of Materials, Mile End Road, E1 4NS London, UK, e-mail: [email protected], Phone: 0044-7882-8865. Fax: +44(0)207 882 3390
Development of aligned natural fi bre-reinforced thermoplastic biocomposite materials for high-performance applications
BM Weager, EL Arnold & GR Bishop: NetComposites Ltd, UK
NetComposites Ltd, 4A Broom Business Park, Bridge Way, Chesterfi eld, S41 9QG, UK, email [email protected], phone +44 (0)1246 266244
The utilisation of waste fi bres for industrial applications
RM Elias: BioComposites Centre, Bangor University, UK
[email protected]. Tel 01248 388599
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Ton Peijs is a Professor of Materials at Queen Mary University of
London (QMUL) and a part-time professor at Eindhoven University
of Technology (Netherlands). TP’s research interests are in all
aspects of structure-processing-property relationships of polymer
composites. His group has made notable contributions to the
development of eco-composites; this includes work on natural fi bre
composites and the development of fully recyclable all-polymer
composites such as PURE® and Tegris® now commercialised by
Lankhorst Pure-Composites and its licensee by Milliken.
In recent years, the group’s work has focused on the utilization
of nano-scale architectures in polymer composites, the creation
of high-performance fi bres, intelligent fi bres and fi lms for sensors
applications and smart textiles, and the development of novel
composite materials based on renewable resources. TP is head
of the Centre for Materials Research (CMR) at QMUL and director
of Nanoforce Technology Ltd a spin-out company, wholly-owned
by QMUL devoted to nanocomposites research for exploitation by
industry. His contact e-mail address is [email protected]
This paper describes two lines of research for the creation of self-reinforced composites based entirely on cellulose. In the fi rst approach the surface layer of cellulose fi bres is partially dissolved to form the matrix phase of an all-cellulose composite. A second approach exploits the potential of hydrogen bonding between cellulose fi bres to bond fi bres together into fully recyclable panel products without the need of any resin or matrix.
Brendon Weager is the Technical Manager at NetComposites.
He has 5 years experience of developing biocomposite materials
and has been involved in a number of UK and European
projects in this area, including managing the COMBINE UK TSB
project. In 2004, he gained a PhD in Mechanical Engineering
from University of Nottingham, UK, where the subject of his
research was thermoplastic composite-metal laminates for
automotive body structures. Previously, he has worked as an
engineer for Ford Motor Company in product development and
manufacturing.
A new family of high-performance natural fi bre-reinforced thermoplastic composite materials have been developed during a recent UK collaborative project called COMBINE. This paper summarises the results of the project including the materials development, processing methods, testing, recycling and the development of three case study parts.
••• BIOCOMPOSITEAPPLICATIONSSession Chair:
DR JOHN WILLIAMS
Head of Polymers and Materials, NNFCC, UK
Steve Eichhorn graduated in Physics from the University of
Leeds in 1993 and subsequently completed a Masters degree in
Paper and Forestry Industries Technology at Bangor and UMIST
in 1994/5. He then went on to do a PhD degree, graduating
in 1999 on the subject of the “Deformation Micromechanics of
Regenerated Cellulose Fibres”. His academic appointments have
been as a temporary Lecturer in the Department of Paper Science
(then separate from the School of Materials) in 1997-8 and as a
Visiting Research Scientist from 1998-1999. After this period he
went to work under the supervision of Professor Bob Young as a
postdoctoral research associate (1999-2002) and was appointed
as a Lecturer in the Materials Science Centre in 2002 and is
now Reader.
His research interests are at the interface between natural and
biomaterials research with particular emphasis on cellulosic
materials and composites. Dr Eichhorn has particular expertise
in the use of Raman spectroscopy, synchrotron x-ray diffraction
and molecular dynamics/mechanics modelling of polymeric
materials. He is a member of the ACS Cellulose and Renewable
Materials division, the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society
of Chemistry. He is also the Program Chair for the Cellulose and
Renewable Materials Division of the American Chemical Society.
The use of Raman spectroscopy to follow the local stress state
in natural fi bres (both nanosized and micron-sized) in composite
materials will be presented. This technique will be shown to
assist greatly in the validation of theories of adhesion, and is
also a quantitative approach to assessing the local deformation
mechanisms in natural fi bre composites.
The Use of Raman Spectroscopy to Follow Interfaces in Natural Fibre CompositesSJ Eichhorn: University of Manchester, UK
Materials Science Centre, School of Materials and Northwest Composites Centre, Grosvenor Street, University of Manchester, UK e-mail : [email protected], Phone: 0161 306 5982
Salum Shamte (left)
London Sisal Association/ Managing Director, Katani Limited, Tanzania
KEYNOTE.
The economic signifi cance and contribution to poverty reduction of sisal production and utilisation in Tanzania
13SE
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Salum Shamte is one of the leading authorities in the sisal
industry in the world. He is from Tanzania. He is the Managing
Director of Katani Limited –a private company dedicated to the
development of the sisal industry.
Salum Shamte did his fi rst degree in 1974 in Commerce in
Kenya. He acquired his second degree in Business in the USA
in 1979. He joined the Sisal industry in1975.
He spent the 80’s working in London, from where he was
coordinating the marketing of Tanzania’s sisal products worldwide.
On his return to Tanzania in 1990, Salum Shamte and his
colleagues decided to dedicate their efforts in Research and
Development for sisal to determine new uses and new markets.
Katani Limited was able to construct a commercial size biogas/
electricity generation plant using the sisal biomass at its Hale
Estate. This is the fi rst of its kind in the world. On the fi bre front
the focus has been to develop sisal for specialty pulp and paper;
in padding and insulation and in composites. Salum Shamte
has been at the forefront to explain the case of sisal not only for
Tanzania but for the rest of the world.
••• SISAL ECONOMICS AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIESSession Chair:
PAULA BRAZIER
Managing Director, Wigglesworth & Co Ltd,
Paula Brazier, after leaving University College London where she studied Economics and Geography and obtained a BSc (Econ) Hons, joined the long established Natural fi bre specialists – Wigglesworth & Co Ltd. based in London, this was in 1977.
Wigglesworth had been founded in 1895 by Alfred Wigglesworth, initially specialising in fl ax from Italy and phormium tenax from New Zealand. The company’s fi rst involvement with sisal fi bre in East Africa started in the early 1900’s and this relationship has endured until the present day with close ties with the largest producer of sisal fi bre – REA Vipingo Plantations Ltd based in Nairobi as well as of the other important producers in East Africa, Madagascar and in Brazil. The company has since spread its areas of involvement in natural vegetable fi bres to include Abaca, Jute, Hemp and Coir fi bres and also the semi processed products and the fi nal products as increasingly these are being manufactured in the producer countries
During her many years at Wigglesworth & Co Ltd, Paula has had the opportunity to visit all of the major sisal producing countries, Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, South Africa, Mozambique, Mexico, Brazil, China and even areas of Taiwan and Indonesia and on the consuming side of the business - most of the wide variety of companies who are consuming regular quantities of sisal fi bre – for paper, composite materials, carpets and mats, sisal polishing cloth, wire rope cores, packing twines, agricultural twines, in construction , in plaster mouldings, sisal dart boards, bath and exfoliation products, handicrafts like handbags to mention but a few. In the Abaca business the same would apply, also in fl ax and coir fi bres. This background information has been essential in enabling Wigglesworth to assist companies to develop new areas of use for all of these fi bres. It is a constantly changing picture and Wigglesworth plays an important role in this niche business.
Paula was appointed a Director of the company in the early 2000’s and in 2006 Managing Director. She continues to play an important part in the development of new areas for all the natural fi bres that the company is actively involved with. She would welcome any questions relating to these fi bres.
SESSION CHAIRPaula BrazierManaging Director, Wigglesworth & Co Ltd, Vice Chairman of the London Sisal Association, 1st Vice Chairperson of the UN-FAO Intergovernmental Group on Hard Fibres
This is the story of the Rise, the Fall and the Transformation of the Sisal Industry in Tanzania and its contribution to the lives of Tanzanians and the lives of other people around the World. It is similar to stories of other Natural Fibres and is told alongside the development of other Natural Fibres in other parts of the World.
It is told at the Natural Fibre ‘09 International Conference, which is held as part of the Worldwide Commemoration of 2009 being The United Nations International Year of Natural Fibres in which the World should “DISCOVER NATURAL FIBRES”.
Flávio de Andrade Silva is a visiting researcher at the Institute
of Construction Materials – TU Dresden. He received his D.Sc.
degree in civil engineering from the Federal University of Rio
de Janeiro (UFRJ) in 2009 for his dissertation on “Durability
and Mechanical Properties of Sisal Fiber Reinforced Cement
Composites”. He is a member of ACI committee 544, fiber
reinforced concrete and RILEM Committee TDT, test methods
and design of textile reinforced concrete and 208-HFC, high
performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites. He has
more than 8 years of experience in natural fibers and natural fiber
reinforced composites research. His research interests also include
textile reinforced concrete, high performance fiber reinforced
cement composites, green concrete, environmental friendly
materials and metal matrix composites. Flávio has published 30
papers in conference proceedings and 5 in international peer
reviewed journals. He has a strong international experience
which includes affiliations to COPPE/UFRJ in Brazil, Center for
Investigation and Advanced Studies of IPN in Queretaro – Mexico
(CINVESTAV), Arizona State University (ASU) in the USA, Federal
Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) and Technical
University of Dresden in Germany.
The tensile and fatigue behavior of individual sisal fibers was
experimentally investigated. The tests were performed on a
microforce testing system and the cross-sectional area of the fiber
was measured using scanning electron microscope micrographs
coupled with image analysis. The fatigue behavior was examined
in terms of the stress versus cycles and stress-strain hysteresis
behavior of the fibers.
Dr Anne Delille was born on 4 May 1979 in Thionville in France.
She studied chemistry and physico-chemistry at the University
of Metz and Nancy from 1998 to 2007. Her research activities
were in the field of conversion coating of stainless steel surface
(master research project at ARCELOR Research, in France) and
spectroscopical analysis of bacterial biofilm formation on ATR
crystal (PhD research project).
She joined the Polymer and Composites Engineering group (PACE),
leads by Pr. Alexander BISMARCK, at Imperial College London
in 2008. She currently works on green composite materials by
optimizing the adhesion between natural fibres and the polymeric
matrix by using bacterial cellulose as reinforcing agent.
The aim of this study is to move to green renewable materials that
match the physical performances of traditional ones. Different types
of chemical and biochemical coatings of sisal and Lyocell fibres
have been investigated to reduce the gap between the fibres and
the polymeric matrix in the resulting composites.
Effect of transcrystallinity on microbond shear strength at sisal fibre – polylactic acid interface
M Prajer & MP Ansell: Bath University, UK
BRE Centre for Innovative Construction Materials, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, United Kingdom, [email protected], Tel.: 01225 38 6749
Mechanical behaviour of natural sisal fibers
1 FA Silva, 2N Chawla, & 3RD Toledo Filho: Technical University of Dresden, Germany1 Institute of Construction Materials, Technical University of Dresden, Germany, [email protected] Tel: +49 (0)351-463-421342 School of Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical, and Materials Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-8706, USA [email protected] Tel: +1 (480) 965-2402 3 Civil Engineering Department, COPPE, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [email protected] Tel: +55 (21) 2562-8479
Influence of the natural fibre coating on interfacial adhesion between the fibres and the polymeric matrix in compositesA Delille, A Bismarck, & A Mantalaris: Imperial College London, UK
Dept of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 5578
Marek Prajer is a PhD student in the Dept of Architecture and
Civil Engineering at the University of Bath supervised by Dr. Martin
Ansell. He’s got Master in Materials Engineering at the Institute of
Chemical Technology in Prague.
Before starting his PhD he was working in polymer industry.
His research interest lies in the field of thermoplastics and
thermoplastic composites.
The paper examines transcrystalline growth of polylactic acid crystals on the surface of single sisal fibre bundles. The matrix morphology at the interface was investigated with hot stage microscopy. The effect of transcrystallinity on the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) was investigated to determine the micro-integrity of bio-thermoplastic matrix composites.
Summary
Currently, we are dependent on fi nite petrochemicals, which are not only going to become more expensive, but are also associated with the release of greenhouse gases. One solution is to increase our use of renewable fuels and materials. Natural and bio-based fi bre producers will have to recognise the part they can play in this emerging bio economy.
Abstract
The renewable carbon in natural and bio-based fi bres provides a means to manage carbon in a sustainable manner. Petrochemicals were once living organisms and the carbon they contain is the product of ancient photosynthesis. Petrochemicals are formed over a geological timescale, so their large-scale use for fuels and materials means they are fi nite on a human timescale. The GHG released by the use of fossil fuels also contributes to climate change. However, by using renewable materials, and thus renewable carbon, we can manage carbon in a more sustainable way and reduce the net gain of GHGs in the atmosphere.
However, sustainability is not enough. The natural and bio based fi bres must have at least as good a performance and functionality as petrochemical derived fi bres. It is therefore important to use both natural and bio-derived fi bres in ever more challenging applications, and provide a scale of manufacture to rival petro derived products in order to maximise effi ciency and economics.
In the future there will a place for natural and bio-based synthetic fi bres – one need not be a threat to the other.
Dr John WilliamsHead of Polymers and Materials, NNFCC, UK
KEYNOTE.
Natural fi bres and renewability14SE
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John is NNFCC’s Technology Transfer Manager for renewable
polymers. He is responsible for identifying and helping develop
market opportunities in renewable polymers and also the bulk
and commodity chemical markets e.g. biosolvents. This involves
supporting many aspects such as supply chains, manufacture
and marketing as well as post use issues e.g. recycling and
disposal. Another dimension to John’s remit is sustainable
construction materials made from renewable materials.
John is a chartered chemist and an experienced industrial
technical manager, having worked extensively in product
and process development for both multinational and SME
organisations in the adhesives and polymer coatings industry.
His most recent development work was involved in the
formulation and testing of compostable fi lm laminating and
pressure sensitive adhesives. John’s degree was in Chemistry,
and he completed a PhD in Adhesion to diffi cult surfaces
(plastics) at the University of Leeds. He is a Professional Member
of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Society of Chemical
Industry, the Institute of Directors, the European Chemical
Society, and is a Chartered Chemist.
••• NATURAL FIBRES IN GENERALSession Chair:
PHIL WARNER
Company Founder and CEO, Ecofi bre, Australia
Nicholas Cronin is presenting this talk.
Jute fibre reinforced composites were prepared using resins based
on cardanol, the main constituent of Cashew Nut Shell Liquid
(CNSL), a renewable natural resource obtained by the cashew nut.
Coupling jute fibres with cardanol-based matrices led to composites
characterized by a high amount of natural components.
G.M.Shafiur Rahman was born in Tangail ,Bangladesh, on
October 31, 1971. He graduated from Rajshahi University,
Rajshahi, Bangladesh, 1992. He has also received his masters
degree in applied Chemistry and Chemical Technology from the
same university. Currently, he is conducting research for his
PhD study in Pulsed Power Science at Kumamoto University,
Kumamoto, Japan. He is also a Lecturer of Materials Science and
Technology, Rajshahi University, Bangladesh. His teaching and
research interest fall into the natural fiber and wood processing
using chemical or mechanical method, composite materials
fabrication and characteristic.
His employment experience including Textile industry, electroplating
and galvanizing industry in Bangladesh as a production chemist,
Junior Research Associate at Global Initiative Center for Pulsed
Power Engineering, Kumamoto University, Japan. His contact
e-mail address is [email protected].
Several physical-chemical fibre treatments have been used to
improve the quality of natural fiber composites. Main attention of this
work is to examine the effect of fiber treatment by using underwater
shock wave on the mechanical properties and moisture absorption
for jute fibre reinforced plastic.
Potentials of bast and hard fibres in technical products
J Steger: SachsenLeinen GmbH, Germany
DE-08396 Waldenburg, Germany Tel: 0049 (0) 3763 404747-24 [email protected],
Fabrication of jute fibre reinforced composites using cardanol-based resins as matrix
P.Campaner1, N. Cronin2, D. D’Amico3, L. Longo3, A. Maffezzoli4, C. Stifani3, A. Tarzia3
1 Cimteclab S.r.l., Area Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34012 Trieste, Italy;2 Elmira Ltd, 9 Chapel Place, Rivington Street, London, EC23DQ, UK; 3 Cimteclab S.r.l., SP 362, ZI 3, 73010 Soleto. 4 Dept of Engineering of Innovation, University of Salento, via per Arnesano km 1, 73100 Lecce, Italy. (Lecce) [email protected] Tel: +39 0836 639075
Effect of underwater shock wave treated jute fibres on composite properties
1GMS Rahman and 2S Itoh: Kumamoto University, Japan1 Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto Japan Tel: +8108039476911 [email protected] Shock Wave and Condensed Matter Research Center, 2-39-1 Kumamoto University, Kumamoto Japan Tel: +81 -96-342-3299 [email protected]
Jürgen Steger has an MSc in Biology from the University of Bochum
studying the mechanisms of olfaction. He did his Doctoral thesis
at the University of Bonn on flax and hemp fibre based technical
products and their potentials for a sustainable development. He is a
member of EU advisory committee Flax and Hemp (2003 – 2007), a
member of COPA/COGECA consultative committee (2003 – 2007),
and a member of expert working group Flax and Hemp of the
German Ministry for Food and Agriculture (2003 – 2007).
Participating in several national and international RTD projects related
to technical bast fibre applications, he has broad experience with
bast and hard fibre processing and related production methods and
wide eco balancing experience.
Between 2000 – 2007 he was Managing Director of German Natural
Fibre Association (DNV), and since 2007 has been Director of
SachsenLeinen GmbH. Since 2008 he has been a Board member of
German Natural Fibre Association (DNV)
Bastfibres (Flax, Hemp, Jute, and Kenaf) have a long tradition in the textile sector and paper market. The same is for hard fibres (Sisal, Abaca) which are used to make high-quality paper and strong ropes/hawsers. Because of their remarkable mechanical properties, they are standard in automotive applications since many years. This is because of their lightweight potentials and low energy input for production. Both can reduce the CO2-Footprint of individual and public transport of the 21st century.
Hasab Elrasool A.Bagi Muhammad Ahmed, Sudanese, born
1954, Associate Professor, Textile Engineering, Ph.D. Sudan
University, M.Sc New South Wales University, Australia,
Postgraduate Diploma, Leeds University, U.K. Associate of
Textile Institute, FeLLow, Sudanese Engineering Society. Diploma
Textile Technology, College of Engineering Studies, Khartoum
Polytechnic Member Union of Engineers, Sudan. Member Sudan
Engineering Council, (Consultant Engineer) President and founder
Textile Graduate Association, (Sudan), Member, Sudan Consumer
Assciation, Member, Sudanese inofrmation management, Member,
Total quality management group, Head, Textile Committee, Sudan
Standards and Metrology Organization (SSMO), Head, Cotton and
Gin Committee, Sudan Standards and Metrology Organization
(SSMO), Head, Army and Police Textile Needs Committee (SSMO).
Native language Arabic, Speaks fl uent Engilish, knowledge
of French.
The cotton crop has been a source of income, employment, food,
fuel, fodder, fertilizer, shelter, furniture, for developing countries.
Sudan witnessed the cultivation of cotton since the Turkish Ottoman
Empire, but as a mass scale it has been developed by the British
colonizer to supply the British Textile Industry at that time with the
raw cotton. This has been ongoing for more than eighty year. This
paper examines the impact of cotton on the life of the community
by presenting statistical data of cotton cultivation, inputs, harvesting,
transportation, Ginning, packaging, warehousing, selling policies,
byproducts, community return. The paper focuses mainly on the
gains to community sectors from cotton cultivation preparation,
byproducts and export.
Linen and hemp: green fi bresfocused on innovation and performance applications in the fi eld of mobility
J Pariset1 & J Baets2: CELC Masters of Linen, France
1 Confédération Européenne du Lin et du Chanvre, 15 Rue du Louvre, 75001 Paris, France, Tel : +33 (0)1 42 21 89 69 -
2 Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Department Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Kasteelpark Arenberg 44, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium Tel : +32 16 32 11 93 [email protected],
The role of cotton in sustaining the sudanese rural and urban community life over decades and future look
H Ahmed: Africa City of Technology, Sudan
Africa City of Technology. Khartoum, No. 21 Soba West. Sudan.
[email protected] [email protected] Tel: +249912394033
15SE
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Yuli Somme, M.A. (Textiles) I have roots in two places: the
country of my birth, Norway, and the English county of Devon
where I have spent most of my life. These two places have
wool deeply embedded in the history and culture, and this is
something that seems to run in my ancestry and in my veins.
In the 1970’s I volunteered on organic farms in New Zealand and
learnt the art of spinning and weaving.
At Coldharbour Mill in Devon in the 1980’s I worked as a
researcher into the cottage weaving industry and at Exeter Art
College I turned to making felt. There was no-one to teach me –
just my own familiarity with wool as a guide.
Learning ancient techniques from traditional Turkish felt makers
in 1999 imbued me with a deeper understanding of tacit
knowledge. This I have taken forward into my educational work
in schools, and also in the development of a more industrialized
felt, using locally sourced wool, and R & D work with Axminster
Carpets (Buckfast Spinning Company). My partnership with
Anne Belgrave and the forming of our company, Bellacouche,
has resulted in an interesting bridge between the hand-made
and the industrial felt making process.
Two artists are playing an important part in the greening of the funeral
trade by using wool to make felt burial shrouds.
Julie Pariset was born in Saint-Dié, France on November 4, 1979.
While keeping one eye on the blue horizon of her native Vosges, she
earned a Management and International Business diploma at the
Superior Institute for European Management (ISEG) in Strasbourg
before embarking on a career working for key fashion and couture
companies in Paris. Since January 2008, she has been in charge
of communications and special events for CELC, the European
industrial-agricultural federation made up of 10,000 members in 14
countries which promotes linen and hemp for clothing, textiles and
home decoration as well as for uses other than textiles. In July 2009,
she was also named project manager of CELC’s « Technical Uses »
division. Her role is to organize a European network to bring together
the competences of manufacturers, universities and research centers
while helping create a non-textile European Flax and Hemp affi liate
for the automobile, boat, sport equipment, composite and eco-
construction markets.
CELC is an organization of the european fl ax an hemp industry, in
order to promote european fl ax and hemp as a sustainable fi bre.
It helps as well the producers of the fi bers, as industries which
are interested in these fi bers. It is active as a kind of platform for
knowledge exchange
Potentials of bast and hard fi bresin technical products
J Steger: SachsenLeinen GmbH, Germany
DE-08396 Waldenburg, Germany Tel: 0049 (0) 3763 [email protected]
••• TEXTILE APPLICATIONSSession Chair:
PAULA BRAZIER
Managing Director – Wigglesworth & Co Ltd, Vice Chairman – London Sisal Association, 1st Vice Chairperson – UN-FAO Intergovernmental Group on Hard Fibres
Barbara Marshall CMG is a colour designer and Director of Marshall
Design, a multi-disciplinary design practise that specializes in
international trend forecasting. Barbara is a Chairholder of the
prestigious Color Marketing Group of the USA and a Director of
the Pan Pacifi c Fashion Colour Council. With experience in fi bre
and textiles from the fi eld to the factory Barbara has clients in the
textile, carpet and furnishing industries. Her current projects include
developing commercial product ranges from naturally coloured
wool and alpaca fi bre as well as developing a training package in
managing colour standards for natural fi bre producers.
The challenges in designing textiles for a trend driven commercial
market using only the naturally occurring colours of natural fi bres can
be considerable. This paper addresses some of the strategies that
both growers and users of natural fi bres can use to make the most of a
limited colour gamut.
Mark Patten is Product Manager for Tradical® Hemcrete® at Lime
Technology Ltd., a company dedicated to pushing the use of
traditional lime based building materials into the new build market,
as ecological alternatives to cement based products.
Lime Technology is involved in developing low energy building
materials through research projects at Bristol, Bath and Bradford
Universities. These are centred around natural soils, clay,
chalk and lime binders with natural aggregates and plant fi bre
reinforcement (e.g. unfi red earth blocks and Hemcrete®).
Lime Technology have been involved in supplying lime based
materials to hundreds of new building projects including the
new Channel Tunnel Rail link Terminal at St Pancras Station, the
new National Trust headquarters, the new Amnesty International
offi ce, the new Adnams Brewery Distribution centre, the CAT
WISE project, Clayfi eld Housing project at Elmswell for Orwell
Housing Association as well as numerous other schools and
social housing schemes.
At the end of 2008 the new Govt. Department of Energy and Climate
Change (DECC) decided to fund the construction of a demonstration
house at the BRE made from renewable materials. The brief was
to use renewable materials to show that high quality and high
performance could be combined with affordable price. The National
Non-Food Crop Centre (NNFCC) project managed the construction.
The house was built using a timber frame, Hemcrete® walls,
sheepswool roof insulation, soya based paints and natural fi bre rugs
and furnishings. The resulting house has a low carbon footprint, low
energy use and meets level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.
Designing with naturally coloured Fibres – challenges and rewards
BM Marshall: Director, Marshall Design, Australia
100 Creighton Way, Doreen 3754, Victoria, [email protected] Tel: +613 97173515
The BRE Innovation Park: The Renewable Hemp House
M Patten & I Pritchett: Lime Technology Ltd, UK
Unit 126, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 4SATel: 0845 634 1564 [email protected]
Kirsi Immonen is a Research Scientist at VTT Technical Research
Centre of Finland, where she has worked for eight years. Before
VTT she worked at Finnish chemical company, Neste Chemicals,
with applied research and processing R&D for different polyester
based materials. She graduated as Master of Science from
Lappeenranta University of Technology at Applied Chemistry
Department in 1991. Her background is in polymer chemistry
and for several years her research area is mainly focused on
different natural fi bre based composites, biocomposites and their
processing. She is an author of scientifi c papers and patents.
Natural fi bre composites are fi nding their way in new applications.
In this work natural fi bres with different particle size and origin were
studied. Cellulose pulp, saw dust, reed canary grass and peat
fi bres were used with PLA and PP matrices. Mechanical properties,
moisture absorption and visual appearance of the composites
were studied.
Nanoscale toughness of spider silk
D Porter & F Vollrath: University of Oxford, UK
PLA and PP composites with cellulosic fi bres from wood industry and peat
K Immonen & J Lampinen: VTT, Finland
VTT (Technical Research Centre of Finland), P.O.Box 310, 33101 Tampere, Finland,
[email protected] Tel:+358 40 [email protected] Tel: +358 40 8482130
16SE
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Ben Wood has been working as a Research Engineer with WMG
at Warwick University for the last three years. Past projects
include the development of Eco One, an environmentally-friendly
racing car which received international media attention. His
current research focus is the development of technologies for
sustainable motor sport, including high performance biodiesel
and biocomposites.
Natural fi bre composites are becoming more popular as concerns
over sustainability increase. Their mechanical properties are not yet
comparable to those of synthetic composites for numerous reasons
including porosity and poor chemical bonding at the fi bre-matrix
interface. Filler materials are commonly used in composite materials
to reduce costs with minimal reduction in mechanical properties.
Lignin is a natural material and also a waste product from many
industries including paper manufacture.
Fritz Vollrath received his PhD from the Zoology, Department
at the University of Freiburg in Germany. After time at the
Smithsonian,Tropical Research Institution in Panama and the Zoology
Departments at the Universities of Oxford UK, Basel CH and Aarhus
DK he is now back at the Department of Zoology at Oxford where he
works primarily on spiders’ webs and silk structure-function-property
relationships. [email protected]
Silk has been used as a textile for thousands of years and yet it is
only recently that we are beginning to fully understand its structure.
Characterisation of biocomposites manufactured from natural fi bres, sustainable resins and lignin as a fi ller
BM Wood, SR Coles, K Kirwan & SJ Maggs: University of Warwick, UK
Sustainable Materials Group, WMG, International Manufacturing Centre, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry, UK, CV4 7AL [email protected] Tel: +44(0) 2476 572 679
••• CHARACTERISATION PROPERTIESSession Chair:
PHIL WARNER
Phil Warner, Company Founder and CEO, Ecofi bre, Australia
Dr. Karnik Tarverdi has extensive experience and expertise in
developing and using sustainable composites for packaging
including recycled composites and the use of nano materials to
enhance properties of polymer based materials.
Dr. Tarverdi is involved in many UK Government and European
Union funded projects and has been in the forefront of developing
and exploitation of continuous extrusion blending technology for the
manufacture of composites, he has many patents and published
even more papers in compound and machine development for the
manufacture and assessment of sustainable composites.
He lectures to MSc. Students on Advanced Materials Processing,
including nano composites, at the School of Engineering and
Design, Brunel University.
A novel co-rotating intermeshing extrusion compounding process is
described for the preparation of biopolymer composites containing
natural fi bres as low cost and sustainable reinforcing agents.
Preparation and properties of wheat fl our reinforced with wheat straw using extrusion processing
W Xia, YG Kang, K Tarverdi, & JH Song: Brunel University, UK
Wolfson Centre for Materials Processing, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3PH, UK.
1
Failure mechanism of foam cored natural fi ber sandwich structures in three point bending
Manjunath Yadav S 1, Sham Aan MP 2, KV Arun 3, S Basavarajappa4, M Krishna 51 4 Department of studies in Mechanical Engineering, University B.D.T College of Engineering, Davangere-04, Karnataka, INDIA3 Department of studies in Industrial and Production Engineering, University B.D.T. College of engineering, Davangere-04, Karnataka, INDIA2, 5 Research and Development, R.V. College of Engineering, Bangalore-59, Karnataka, INDIA
ABSTRACT:The results of the experimental analysis carried out on sandwich structures with rigid polyurethane foam (PUF) core and different skin materials have been reported. From 3 point bending test Facing bending stress (FBS), Core shear stress (CSS) have been evaluated for the sandwich structures. These tests have been conducted on 4 different compositions of the core materials and 3 varieties of skin materials. Comparisons of results have been between the sandwich structures. A macroscopic and microscopic analysis of the fractured surfaces has been made to identify the nature of failure under bending loads. It has been demonstrated that the debond strength of the core-face and core plays an important role in enhancing the fl exural property and controlling of the failure mechanisms. It has been observed that with increasing the debonding strength of the core-face interface, the failure mode changes from debonding of the core-face interface to the failure of the face.
2
Geotextiles
S. Aboorwin PandianDKTE’S Textile and Engineering Institute, Ichalkaranji, India, Dept. of Textiles Mob: +919823569751 [email protected]
ABSTRACT:Geotextiles is one of the main part of technical textiles. In this poster, we are highlighting about geotextiles. Experiences of geotextiles have demonstrated that it has extensive application potential in various geotechnical engineering works. They are also capable of providing instant solution under distress situations. Besides the projects detailed in this poster several other experimental projects of diverse nature, employing geotextiles made from both natural & synthetic fi bers, have been either successfully executed or are under progress. The laboratory evolution methods for geotextiles used in various civil engineering applications are expected to be designed in such a way that reasonably good correlation between the laboratory test results and the actual fi eld performance is obtained. The test
data also helps the design engineers to select a correct type of geotextiles in relation to their application areas. The selection of the geotextiles for a particular design is based on matching the geotextiles ability to perform each of basic functions. Their relative importance in that design application. In 1973 three basic functions of geotextiles were identifi ed namely separation, fi ltration, and reinforcement shortly afterwards the drainage function is added in the basic function.Non-woven geotextile fabrics are produced from 100% virgin polymers, needle-punched or spun-bonded to provide maximum permeability and optimum strength. The high permeability, excellent drainage capacity and controlled fi ltration properties of non-woven geotextile products ideally suit them for drainage and soil fi ltration applications. Nonwovens geotextiles are extensively used in civil engineering to supply a combination of separation, fi ltration & reinforcement. Keeping this in view geotextiles have been to be used in various projects either on trial bases or as an effective alternative economical solution. A case history of different projects executed with geotextiles has been brought out. Their popular applications are in river embankments, canals, roads, railways, airports, earthen dam, slopes, ports, harbors docks, drain etc. River bed, canal lining, harbors docks & ports construction, road construction, rural road edge drains, and applications in dams are mentioned. The poster reviews the current scenario covering geotextiles & also focuses attention on the potential future applications.
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Synthesis and characterization of CeO2 and Al2O3 obtained by using egg shell membrane as templateB. M. Babi�, B. Ž. Matovi�Institute for Nuclear Sciences Vin�a, University of Belgrade, P. O. Box 522, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia [email protected], Tel: +381113408224
SUMMARY:
Egg shell membranes were used as template for producing biomimetic CeO2 and Al2O3 materials. Characterization of novel materials showed that structure (specifi c surface, porosity and crystallite size) depends of the temperature of the thermal treatment.
ABSTRACT:Egg shell membranes were extracted from the fresh chicken eggs. Membranes were washed with distilled water and immersed in 1M solutions of Ce(NO3)3 x 6 H2O and AlCl3 x 6 H2O for seven days. Samples were dried and heated in inert atmosphere (600 °C) for 2h. To study the crystallization process, samples were heated, in air, at different temperatures (600, 800 and 1200 °C). Samples were characterized by nitrogen adsorption measurements, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS).
Nitrogen adsorption measurements have shown that samples have developed mesoporosity and that specifi c surface and porosity decrease with increasing the temperature of thermal treatment. XRD of samples infi ltrated by Ce(NO3)3 x 6 H2O reveal that very good crystalline CeO2 is obtained at low temperature (600 °C). But, samples infi ltrated by AlCl3 x 6 H2O were still amorphous at low temperatures (600 and 800 °C). At 1200°C samples have shown very good crystallized Al2O3 phase.SEM images reveal fi brous structure of obtained samples at low temperatures (600 and 800C). At higher temperatures, the microstructures were loosed fi ber structure but, the porous structure was retained.
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Tensile strength of cotton and coir fi bers – an experimental investigation1A Komuraiah, 2D Sreekahth Raop, 3N Shyam Kumar, 4SV Subba Rao1 Asst Prof Dept of Mechanical Engineering, Kits (s) singapuram 505 468 Andhra Pradesh India [email protected]
2 Asst Prof SR Engg Colllege Warangal 3Principal, Jagans college of engineering, Nellore 4Associate Prof, JNTU Kakinada
SUMMARY:The natural fi bers are a part of the human civilization and they are most important engineering materials for agricultural formers from a long time. Even though formers do not know the principles of science and engineering synthesize the fi bers and fabricate the required thing. In this experimentation we have taken the coir, i.e. coconut fi bers (exactly the way in which local formers will take) and we have conducted the tensile tests in our college laboratory. And also we have conducted the tensile test on the cotton fi bers and we have compared the data with the literature and data available. The coir fi bers can replace the conventional fi bers like glass.
ABSTRACT:The conventional fi bers Glass, carbon, boron and Kevlar are being used as reinforcing materials in fi bre reinforced plastics (FRP) However, these materials are a challenge to human civilization , by using these materials we are degrading the environment and a great threat to the future generations . Disposability of plastics and the polymer composite are not possible easily and threat to our life’s hence Natural fi bers from plants such as jute, bamboo, coir, sisal and pineapple can be used with natural binding resins . They have very high strength and can be used for many load-bearing applications. These fi bres have the advantages of renewable resource and biodegradability.For the present study, two types of commercially available fi bers coir and cotton were used to conduct the tensile tests on the spring compression testor in our lab , the testing conditions were at the room temperature , because the formers will fabricate the things at room temperature only. We found that the coir can replace glass fi bers and cotton fi bers can be used for moderate applications.
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Applications of natural hemp and flax fibresM DiakoumiUniversity of Brighton; Cockcroft Building, Lewes Road, Brighton, East Sussex, UK, BN2 4GJTel: 01273642275 [email protected]
SUMMARY:The aim of this project is to bring together a multidisciplinary team of specialists to investigate and further the use of natural renewable resources, such as the hemp and flax, in a wide variety of sectors which include medical, construction, textile, automotive and food industries.
ABSTRACT:Renewably-resourced natural materials are currently under intense investigation in order to diminish reliance on petroleum based synthetics and non-sustainably farmed natural products. Cellulose rich hemp and flax bast fibres are particularly suitable, sustainable resources for natural biopolymer production and can result in significant reduction of carbon footprint. The bast fibres are cheap, resistant to microorganisms, of high tensile strength and low density and can be blended with synthetic or biodegradable polymer binders to form high strength biocomposites. The whole plant can be utilised for a range of applications in medical, construction, textile, automotive, cosmetic, and food industries. The University of Brighton has brought together a team of researchers with expertise in a diverse but interconnecting range of disciplines and approaches to sustainable materials to establish methods of investigation which are best used in a holistic iterative approach. In order to assess the benefits attained from the entire chain of the bast fibres, a holistic approach using traditional and novel methods which extend from agriculture to the related processes, end-products and waste disposal is adopted. The project comprises of six work packages which include assessment of the ecological impact of growing bast fibres, waste/residue management and life cycle analysis, applications of biocomposites in product design, applications of bast fibres in construction, biomaterial applications and assessment of hemp and flax in the food industry.
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Effect of drying and rewetting cycles ofcellulosic fibres on Resistance of Cementitious CompositesJ Claramunta), M Ardanuyb), and JA García-Hortalb)a) Escola Superior d’Agricultura de Barcelona. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Avinguda del Canal Olímpic, 15. E-08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona) Spain, e-mail [email protected], Phone: +34 93 552 11 10.b) Departament d’Enginyeria Tèxtil i Paperera. ETSEIAT. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. C/Colom, 11, E-08222, Terrassa, Spain [email protected] [email protected]
Tel: +34 93 739 81 58.
SUMMARY:This work analyzes the potential beneficial effects of subjecting cellulosic fibres to drying and rewetting cycles –hornification process- on the resistance of cured cement mortar composites. Two types of cellulosic fibres have been used for comparison: chemical pulp from softwood and cotton linters.
ABSTRACT:Besides ecological and sustainability considerations, natural fibres are cheaper and bring to cement or mortar cement matrixes resistance among other benefits. Nevertheless, the use of these cellulosic fibres in vegetable fibre reinforced cement composites (VFRC) is hampered by their low durability and poor adhesion, which in recent years has led to the replacement of these fibres by synthetic ones. The lack of durability of VFRC is mainly caused by the presence of calcium hydroxide on the matrix, which degrades the fibres, and by changes in the environmental moisture, which induce dimensional changes in the vegetable fibres. It is well known that drying and rewetting cycles principally cause shrinkage of the natural fibres due to the formation of hydrogen bonds in cellulose. This irreversible effect is known as “hornification” and is quantified as the percentage reduction in water retention values (WRV). The reduction in the WRV of the hornificated fibres could have beneficial effects on VFRC. On one hand, the hornificated fibres will have higher dimensional stability, and thus higher fibre-matrix adherence is expected. On the other hand, as a consequence of the lower WRV of these hornificated fibres, a reduction in the formation of incrustations of calcium hydroxide on the surface and lumen of the fibres and consequently a reduction in the degradation of the cellulose in the cementitious matrix are expected. In this study two types of cellulosic fibres -chemical pulp from softwood and cotton linters- previously subjected to hornification process have been used to prepare cement mortar composites with different composition. The resistance of these composites was tested after 28 days of cure treatment and after four wet-dry cycles. Results indicated that the previous treatment of fibres (hornification process) has beneficial effects on the resistance of the resulting cementitious composites.
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Migration of calcium hydroxide particles from the matrix to the cellulosic fibres in cement mortar based compositesJ Claramunta), M Ardanuyb), and JA García-Hortalb)a) Escola Superior d’Agricultura de Barcelona. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Avinguda del Canal Olímpic, 15. E-08860 Castelldefels, Spain [email protected] Tel: +34 93 552 11 10b) Departament d’Enginyeria Tèxtil i Paperera. ETSEIAT. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. C/Colom, 11, E-08222, Terrassa
(Barcelona) Spain Tel: +34 93 739 81 58 [email protected] [email protected]
SUMMARY:This work analyzes the migration of calcium hydroxide particles from cementitious matrix to cellulosic fibres in cement mortar based composites. This effect has been analyzed using two types of cellulosic fibres with different origin: chemical pulp from softwood and cotton linters.
ABSTRACT:Besides ecological and sustainability considerations, natural fibres are cheaper and bring to cement or mortar cement matrixes resistance among other benefits. Nevertheless, the use of these cellulosic fibres in vegetable fibre reinforced cement composites (VFRC) is hampered by their low durability and poor adhesion, which in recent years has led to the replacement of these fibres by synthetic ones. The lack of durability of VFRC is mainly caused by the presence of calcium hydroxide on the matrix. In this study two types of cellulosic fibres -chemical pulp from softwood and cotton linters- have been mixed with a matrix with high content on cement. The corresponding composites were subjected to four wet-dry cycles and the eventual changes on chemical composition of the fibres and of the matrix were studied. Optical micrographs (Fig.1 Optical micrograph of the softwood fibre filled with calcium hydroxide particles) and X-ray diffractograms indicated the presence of calcium hydroxide particles in the lumen of the fibres. This migration of the calcium hydroxide particles from the matrix to the inner of the fibre was also confirmed with thermogravimetric analysis.
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Characteristic and performance of elementary hemp fibres D Dai and Mizi FanCivil Engineering Department, School of Engineering and Design, Brunel University, West London, UB8 3PH, UK. Correspondence to: Mizi Fan [email protected]. Tel: +4401895266466
SUMMARY:A comprehensive experimental study has been carried out to ascertain the properties of elementary hemp fibres. Characteristics, failure modes and strength of elementary hemp fibres have carefully been determined by using microscopic techniques and their correlations established. Many important outcomes have been achieved and presented in this paper.
ABSTRACT:There have been many investigations of the strength of hemp fibres, however, it is not possible to use or appropriate to compare data reliably from different investigations reported in the literatures. Measuring natural fibres proves to be a great challenge. Micro-structural defects, fibre abstraction (e.g. single fibre) and processing technology are yet to be studied. This
paper is an attempt to characterize the surface and reveal the failure mechanisms of elementary hemp fi bres that have occurred by using microscopic techniques. By observing carefully the fracture modes the factors affecting their respective failure could be determined, and the realistic and accurate properties of elementary hemp fi bres obtained. The results showed that there exist various deformation/defects in the single elementary hemp fi ber (e.g. kink bands, dislocations, nodes, slip planes) which may be the weak points to initiate the failure under an applied stress. The micro-architecture of hemp cell wall is another critical parameter contributing to the failure of the fi bres. The primary wall and secondary wall showed different deformation and breaking behavior: crack (breaking) initiates in a weak point of primary wall and subsequently propagates along radial direction. The order of breaking was: primary wall, S1 layer, S2 layer. The average S2 layer microfi bril angle of the broken surface was about 6.16°, which was much bigger than the average microfi bril angle of normal hemp S2 layer (2.8° for the fi bres tested), indicating that the breaking of hemp fi bre occurs at the points where have the biggest microfi bril angle.
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NATCOM: Structural and mechanical characterisation of natural fi bre compositesX Peng1), M Fan2), J Hartley3) & M Al-Zubaidy4)1), 2) Civil Engineering Department, School of Engineering and Design, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3PH, UK 3), 4) Exel Composites UK. Fairoak Lane, Whitehouse, Cheshire, WA7 3DU, UK Correspondence to: Mizi Fan Email: [email protected]: +4401895266466.
SUMMARY:NATCOM is a TSB funded comprehensive programme to develop high strength natural fi bre composites for structural applications. As a part of this programme, a series of natural fi bre composites have been pultruded by using hemp and wool fi bres, and three different resins (i.e. polyester, polyurethane and vinyl ester), and the structure and performance of the developed composites have thoroughly been investigated.
ABSTRACT:Natural fi bres and their composites with irresistible advantages, such as renewability and biodegradability, have shown great potential in structural applications, such as construction. Extensive efforts are being made in attempt to develop natural fi bre composites with desired structure and good overall properties. As a part of the comprehensive research programme, this paper focuses on the mechanical and structural characterisation of the pultruded composites made from hemp and wool fi bre reinforcements. The results showed that the composite using polyurethane resin system has higher tensile and compressive strength as well as the Young’s and compressive moduli compared
with the polyester and vinyl ester composites; while, the latter two exhibit better fl exibility to some extents. In general, the natural fi bre reinforced composites examined here have not shown signifi cant difference in their mechanical performance and both tensile strength and Young’s modulus are lower than that of the glass fi bre reinforced polyurethane. The SEM observation of the layered polyester and polyurethane composites has found gaps on the interface of fi bres and resin matrix. It is also revealed that fi bres are not evenly distributed in the composites and more resin aggregates in areas close to rod surface. Meanwhile, voids have been noticed existing in both composites and more of them are found in polyurethane composites, particularly in the near-to-surface areas. The water absorption measurement has indicated that polyurethane composite absorbs more water than other composites developed after immerging in water for 24 hours, and there is no big difference in water absorption for composites made from polyester and vinyl ester resins.
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Eco-composite modular House: design concept and performance analysisG Cicala, G Cristaldi, A D’aveni, G ReccaEngineering Faculty, University of Catania, Viale A.Doria 6, Catania-95125, Italy [email protected], Phone: 0039-3201896236
SUMMARY:The present paper is focused on the development of a novel concept of modular house which can be assembled in situ with pre-formed sandwich panels. The design concept was based on the use of natural and renewable materials for the sandwich construction. The performance analysis was aimed to determine the mechanical and thermal performances of both the sandwich assemblies and the eco-house as whole.
ABSTRACT:The problem of building houses which are modular and that can be assembled and/or moved easily and quickly is of key importance nowadays. For example the use of such type of house can be of great interest in the case of earthquake events in order to provide comfortable houses for the homeless people in short times. An additional problem which can be solved by modular design is related to applications which require fl exibility in terms of positioning of the house. An example can be the solution adopted by some college in order to have prefabricated houses in their campus which can accommodate one or two students and that can be easily moved from place to place inside the campus. Fiber reinforced composites offer several advantages for this application such as lightness, durability to weathering conditions and cheap manufacturing. Different technological solutions can be fi nd to build sandwich panels using glass fi ber as reinforcing fi bre. However, glass fi ber is not renewable and it is one of the heaviest reinforcing fi bers.In the present paper we present some novel solutions for the building sandwich panels produced with all renewable reinforcing
elements. In particular hemp fi bers were evaluated ranging from short to twisted fi bers. The use of auxetic core materials reinforced with hemp fi bres will also be presented. The desing concept will be presented together with the performance analysis of the eco-composite house.
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The wetting properties and topography of bamboo fi bres (Guadua Angustifolia)CA Fuentes, LQN Tran, C Dupont-Gillain1, W.Vanderlinden, L Osorio, E Trujillo, AW Van Vuure, I.Verpoest Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering (MTM), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 44, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium [email protected]: +32-16-3214481Unité de Chimie des Interfaces, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
SUMMARY:Several controversies concerning the correctness to determine natural fi bre surface energy components from quasi-equilibrium contact angle measurements exist at present; therefore, it is not clear if the results derived from wetting experiments can provide reasonable accuracy. This study points out that the large fl uctuations in wetting between various bamboo fi bres may be due more to the topography of the fi bre than to any other type of phenomena.
ABSTRACT:Many of the phenomenological aspects of wetting processes have been recognized and modeled for synthetic materials, from which surface energy components can be derived. Nevertheless, in the case of natural fi bres, there are several diffi culties to obtain meaningful data from wetting measurements, caused by their complex nature: liquid sorption, diffusion of extractives, different cross section along the fi bre length, chemical heterogeneity, etc. As a result, the wetting behavior of natural fi bres is far from the behavior which should ensure the meaningful interpretation of wetting as quasi-equilibrium phenomena.In this study, the wetting behavior of untreated and autoclave treated bamboo fi bres is characterized by use of the Wilhelmy technique; surface topography is examined by AFM, surface chemical components are identifi ed using XPS and sorption is measured by microbalance. Additionally, wetting experiments on PET fi bres are conducted in order to compare the wetting behavior of a synthetic fi bre with a natural fi bre. The results indicate that the large fl uctuations during wetting between various bamboo fi bres of the same batch may be due more to the topography of the fi bres than to any other type of non-equilibrium phenomena, and it is possible to obtain experimental wetting data on natural fi bres with reasonable accuracy, allowing meaningful information on interfacial interactions to be deduced.
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The wool production characteristics in Arkharmerino × Moghani crossbreeds of sheep H Esfandyari, J Shodja & SA RafatDepartment of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, P.O. Box: 5166616471, 29 Bahman Blvd, Tabriz, Iran [email protected] Tel: +98 411 3850031.
SUMMARY:This investigation was carried out to reveal the wool characteristics of Arkharmerino×Moghani crossbreed sheep. The research material was fleece samples taken from the midside region of animals. Each sample was measured for average fiber diameter, fiber diameter variability, staple length, proportion of medullated fiber, proportion of kemp, and comfort factor.
ABSTRACT:Wool is an additional source of income in most sheep operations and can represent 15 to 25% of gross income. The greatest part of the wool produced by the indigenous sheep breeds in Iran is of coarse and mixed type of wool and most of it is used in the hand woven authentic carpet production. Even though native breed of Moghani produce wool that is useful for carpet section but ununiformity of wool diameter in different regions of body is high and should be reduced. In addition, this breed has potential to produce finer wools to reach the Fustian system qualifications. To reach these goals crossbreeding with exotic Arkharmerino breed started in region from 2001. Arkharmerino×Moghani (ArMo) crossbreed sheep were produced and maintained at the Khalat Poshan Research Station located in Tabriz, Iran. Before shearing wool samples were taken from the rib region of 125 ArMo crossbreed sheep. Each sample was measured for average fiber diameter, fiber diameter variability, staple length, proportion of medullated fiber, proportion of kemp, and comfort factor. The comparative values for these fleece for, ArMo were, 29.79±0.43μ, 41.86±1.16%, 11.96±0.37cm, 8.13±1.06%, 2.71±0.45% and 63.33±3.66 respectively. The effects of sex, birth type, and year of birth were studied. The two differences in fiber characteristics that were attributable to sex were fiber diameter variability and proportion of medullated fiber and females had higher amounts than males for both trait. Birth type and year of birth affected staple length (P<0.01). As a result of the statistical analysis, it was found that crossing with Arkharmerino generally had positive effects on the fleece favorable to be used in the hand woven authentic carpet production.
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Extraction and processing of the application for natural fibre artsMaría Gabriela Punín Burneo. Universidad Tecnica Particular De Loja – Ecuador, Apartado postal: 11 01 608 [email protected] Tel: 593 7 2570275 (2123)
ABSTRACT:The study of natural fibers arose due the need of providing an alternative to the destruction of trees, the use of certain plants provide diverse options to produce paper and at the same time reduce impact to the environment as well as an opportunity of doing extensive research for Art. The re-discovery of paper as a main element in a piece of Art has as objective to identify the possibilities that natural fibers offer in a piece of Art as a support to Photography, Sculpture and Happenings. Also, to identify the contribution of nature give us to create a masterpiece, the beauty of natural fibers and the endless variety of textures, color and transparencies to create a piece of Art. It feels attraction for this material for all that can provide as a way for creativity.The Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) through the Department of Art and Design has “natural fibers” as an objective of research with the purpose of relating Art with Ecuadorian flora. The investigation raises basic processes of elaboration the paper of natural fibers such as the extraction of the fiber, the cooking of the fiber, the preparation of the flesh, molding and drying of the paper as well as an analysis of the behavior of the fibers.For the process of dying the paper natural pigments have been used from native plants such as Avocado, Nogal, Cochinilla and some more from the area where the ‘Shuara’ live in the Amazonic province of Zamora Chinchipe; in the process is used traditional tools from Ecuador. It has also been experimented the extraction of different native fibers such as Musa paradisiaca, Agave sisalana, Furcraea andina, Andropogon citratos and Guadua angustifolia.Also, we present the results of the elaboration of paper made from natural fibers of no-filament plants which are recoverable in a period of six months. These are plants are considered of short cycle and the importance of it because water, fibers and energy are no-renewable resources which it makes its use a challenge for this century. They are reference of a culture, becoming typical elements of Ecuador.
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Investigations of the use of a mussel-inspired compatibilizer to improve the matrix-fiber adhesion of a biocomposite
A Bourmaud, A le Duigou, G Raj & C BaleyLaboratoire Ingénierie des Matériaux de Bretagne (LIMATB), Université de Bretagne Sud, Rue de Saint Maudé, BP 92116, 56321 Lorient Cedex, France, [email protected] 00 (33) 02 97 87 45 05
SUMMARY:In this study, we have experiment a new mussel-inspired treatment in order to improve the matrix-fiber adhesion of a poly-(lactid acid)/hemp fiber biocomposite. The quality of the treatment was characterized by using atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM,) surface energy measurements and tensile tests.
ABSTRACT:Vegetable fibers have several aspects, such as low production costs, biodegradability and great mechanical properties, which make them very attractive in the field of composites reinforcement [1]. The aim of this study is to introduce into a L-poly-(lactic-acid) (PLLA) – hemp biocomposite a new compatibilizer, inspired from mussels’ adhesive capacity [2], to improve the fibers’-matrix bonding. As a first step, we carried out atomic force microscopy (AFM) and surface energy measurements in order to evidence the creation of a polydopamine thin film on the PLLA substrate. Secondly, tensile tests were performed. The first results show a significant increase of the Young modulus and the strength at breaking-point when using polydopamine. Observations made through scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) confirmed an improvement of the fibers-matrix coupling in the presence of poly-(dopamine).
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Modification of hemp/clay interface by organosilanes graftingA Rachini, M Le Troedec, S Rossignol, C S Peyratout, A Smith Groupe d’Etude des Matériaux Hétérogènes (GEMH), Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Céramique Industrielle (ENSCI), 47 - 73, Avenue Albert Thomas,87065, Limoges Cedex [email protected] Tel: 0033-55-5 452232
SUMMARY:Several fibre treatments have been used to improve fibre /matrix interface in natural fibre composites using raw mineral materials as the matrix. This work examines the effect of fibre treatments on mechanical properties and moisture absorption for hemp reinforced clay containing composites.
ABSTRACT:In order to develop environment-friendly materials, natural bast fibers have been successfully used as reinforcement for composites materials. These renewable and biodegradable fibers have a low density and a low cost. Therefore, they are interesting for various applications, such as in building materials.Nevertheless, the presence of fibers in the fiber/binder composites induces a delay in the setting time of the hydraulic binder and may lead to a modification of the hydration of the silicate phases. Moreover, the alkaline and basic environment modifies the chemical composition of fibers. Our researches consist in optimizing the physico-chemical exchanges at the fiber/clay interface, in concentrated suspensions of cellulosic hemp fibers, clay minerals and hydraulic lime. Our aim is to increase the cohesion between the mineral matrix and the cellulosic fibers through chemical treatment. We used grafting of organic molecules presenting functional groups able to form chemical bonds between fibers and clay platelet surfaces. In fact, the strengthening of fiber/clay interface may protect fibers against the alkaline attacks and the fiber hydration, which in
turn may improve the mechanical and physical properties of the fi nal product. Grafting was performed by silane coupling agents including reactive functions (carbonyl, amine, acrylate) on raw fi bers and clay platelets suspensions. Si-O-C chemical bonds and Si-O-Si inorganic network between the hydroxyl groups of hemp fi bers (or of clay platelet surfaces) and silanes have been characterized by different techniques (infrared spectroscopy, differential thermogravimetric analysis, contact angle and zeta-potential measurements). Results show that the grafted quantity (on hemp or clay surface) depends on the initial concentration and the chemical structure of the organosilanes. Measurements of the impact of the chemical treatment on the mechanical properties of the fi nal composite are currently being developed.
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Processing of wet preserved hemp to fi bre boards in a Pilot PlantH-J Gusovius. Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam-Bornim, Department of Post Harvest Technology, Max-Eyth-Allee 100/14469 Potsdam-Bornim, Germany Tel: +49-(0)331-5699-313 /[email protected] www.atb-potsdam.de
ABSTRACT:The conventional production of natural fi bres from e.g. hemp or fl ax is based on fi eld drying and retting of fi bre straw. At the usual harvest time in September, weather conditions are often problematical for the processing of harvested hemp. A weather-independent post harvest technique is under investigation at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering (ATB). The harvest of hemp by means of a chopper followed by anaerobic storage is favourable for the farmer because the weather risk can be avoided. Additional steps are the same as for ensiling of fodder. As a further advantage of this novel processing technology, the whole plant material will be processed to fi nal products like insulation materials and fi bre boards or semi products for injection moulding. A pilot plant with a processing capacity of 1 t per hour wet preserved fi bre material has been built up at the ATB and is tested at present.
Pilot plant for the processing of wet preserved hemp
The technology of the pilot plant enables the processing of different fi bre plants from agriculture (e.g. hemp, fl ax, kenaf) and forestry. The realized process is a modifi ed dry/half-dry process from wood industry adapted to the processing of hemp silage at reduced energy consumption (Fig. 1).
Figure 1: Process fl ow for the processing of hemp silage and other fi bre plants
RESULTS:The pilot plant has been put into operation in March 2007 and is tested at present (Fig. 2). First samples such as high and medium density fi bre boards have been produced from material mixtures of hemp and wood. According to the current results, the mechanical properties of these samples are comparable with the properties of commercial products made of wood fi bres. Silage-like odours of the raw material can be disadvantageous for several end products. First trials have shown that the novel processing technology is appropriate to reduce the content of odorous components. Butyric acids and other odorous acids are released to the exhaust air by means of the thermal treatment of the raw material in the defi bration and drying stage of the process. Therefore, end products do not have any unfavourable silage-like odours.Experiences from construction and testing of a novel fi bre processing plant have shown that wet preserved hemp can be processed to high quality fi bre boards. The typical weather risk of the hemp harvest can be largely eliminated for the farmer. Also other fi bre plants from agriculture and forestry or mixtures of different raw materials can be processed in the pilot plant at reasonable costs. The novel technology is appropriate to establish decentralized processing plants at farm level. Main advantages of such plants for hemp processing will be the alternative income for the farmer, the environmentally sound production of fi bre boards and the enrichment in crop rotation.
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Textile innovation and sustainable development: fabrics of the futureLois Pittman. Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham NG1 4BU [email protected]
ABSTRACT:This practice led project explores ways of using sustainable textile fi bres, through creative experiments with natural fi bres and closed-loop synthetics, to produce sustainable textile products. It will explore the impact of newly developed natural fi bres and expand current understanding of the discursive and aesthetic contexts of sustainable textile products.This practice-led project explores innovative ways of using newly developed natural fi bres, closed-loop synthetics and Biomimetics to identify and advance their use and in sustainable textile products. The introduction of sustainable textile fi bres produced from the bio-polymer process on protein based sources like milk and soya bean, has resulted in new fi bres which present new opportunities to explore their potential application within fashion and interiors. Closed-loop production techniques, challenge designers and presents opportunities to explore innovative approaches in creating new appeal for the products they design. This extends to consumer expectation and perception of products which now have an extended, multi-functional role in everyday life. The environmental impact of the application of newly developed
textiles products has lasting consequences. Recent eco-aware design literature indicates that designers could use nature as a means to identify alternative approaches to sustainability of textile design. Biomimetics, uses nature as a design philosophy in response to identifi ed need. Biological research has revealed a fi rm foundation on which to base theoretical and practical development of high performance textile products.Textile designers’ newly identifi ed responsibility towards the extended life-cycle of the products they design, has been discrete, undetermined. Now tentative articulation of their critical awareness is crucial to the further advancement of design thinking. This practice-based research project aspires to contribute to the current knowledge of textile designers’ approach to design.
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Natural aligned fi bres and textiles for use in structural composite applicationsI Roig, S Fita & R Llorens. Technological Institute of Plastics, AIMPLAS, C/ Gustave Eiffel, 4 (València Parc Tecnològic) – 46980 Paterna, Spain [email protected]
SUMMARY:NATEX project is focused on the development of aligned textiles from natural fi bres that are suitable for use as high-strength reinforcing fabrics to produce structural composite materials. This includes the incorporation of orientated woven natural fi bres in both bio-derived thermoplastics and thermoset resins, to produce high-tech products from renewable resources.
ABSTRACT:NATEX project will allow increasing the mechanical properties of bio-composites and introducing them in applications with high mechanical requirements in different sectors, such as transport, energy, agricultural machinery and shipbuilding.Considering the importance of the NATEX fi nal application sectors, the versatility of use of the fabrics in conventional processes, and the current limitations on the use of natural fi bres in composites, it is expected that the project results contribute to demonstrate that the replacement of the currently used traditional textiles and non-textiles by natural textiles in the composites sector is feasible provided that these natural reinforcements have good properties and competitive costsThe main innovations in NATEX project are: Modifi cation of the fi bre surface to obtain the desired interface properties when combined with the polymer matrix. New spinning process to reduce the yarns’ twisting during the textile manufacturing process, increasing the fi bre volume fraction and the wetting of the fi bres. This is going to increase the mechanical properties of the yarns. To develop new weaving techniques in order to improve impregnation and to obtain innovative 3D textiles. To develop new commingling and fi lm stacking for thermoplastic composites, for improving the permeability of the composite and to obtain well mingled yarns.
defi bration drying binder application
fl eece forming
hotpressing
hemp silage
fi re board/compact
P
••• POSTERS
Besides, several resin processing methods are being adapted to fit them to the characteristics of the modified fibres: Vacuum bagging, Compression moulding, Infusion and Resin Transfer Moulding.As a result, numerous advantages will be obtained: Aligned natural fibres with improved properties: good impregnation, improved interface area between fibres and matrix, homogeneous fibres orientation, reduction of moisture uptake, high and homogeneous quality fibres, Reduced twist and linear density of the yarn, Or suitable fibre architecture minimising the nesting The numerous advantages of the manufactured composites with natural fibres could significantly contribute to the growth that is expected in textile production and will accelerate the predicted growth ratio for the next 10 years period near 5%. The NATEX project has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement nº 214467.
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An innovative concept of fibre plant processing with cost efficient cleaning of natural sibresR Pecenka, Ch Fürll, Th Hoffmann, H-J Gusovius. Leibniz-Institute of Agricultural Engineering (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, D-14469 Potsdam, Germany [email protected] Tel: 0049-331-5699316.
SUMMARY:A new technology for bast fibre plant decortication and processing was developed at the ATB and tested in a pilot plant. The line included all steps from straw bale opening to cleaning and refining of end products. Especially the technological principles of decortication (based on hammer mill) and of fibre cleaning (by comb shaker) were essentially enhanced and improved.
ABSTRACT:Based on the discussion on declining and price fluctuations for fossil resources an increasing demand on renewable raw materials like natural fibres has to be recognized. Improvements at all stages of the value added chain from cultivation to industrial utilization are needed to supply cost and quality competitive fibre materials. A new technology for bast fibre plant decortication and processing was developed at the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Engineering Potsdam Bornim and tested in a pilot plant 2001 to 2006. The line included all steps from straw bale opening to cleaning and refining of end products. Especially the technological principles of decortication (based on a hammer mill) and of fibre cleaning (by a comb shaker) were enhanced and improved.By reviewing the state-of-the-art of technologies for bast fibre processing it became clear that the requirements of modern industrial fibre applications with traditional technologies and machines for decortication as well as cleaning of fibres and shives could not be fulfilled. Beside the development of an innovative decortication technology (by means of impact stress) especially the step of fibre cleaning was investigated based on comprehensive
experiments . As high throughput rates of min. 3 t h-1 with a high reliability have to be realized with modern processing lines the capacity of the cleaning lines has to be increased. Comb shakers - low-cost machines from traditional long fibre cleaning – are proved to have the highest potential to fulfil the requirements of modern short fibre cleaning. Based on a mass flow and screening model a prototype of a improved and reliable comb shaker was designed and manufactured. A input mass flow of up to 1,6 t h-1 fibre/shive mixture can be realized by remaining shive content of less than 5 m-%. As a result of this work, the number of process steps necessary for short fibre production has been essentially reduced. Process lines using the novel decortication system in combination with modified comb shakers need only two cleaning steps for the production of high quality fibres from hemp. Thus, investment and operational costs for new process lines can be reduced.
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Chemisorption of protein reactive indoor air pollutants by wool G Wortmann, St Thomé1, R Sweredjuk2, G Zwiener3, F-J Wortmann. Textiles and Paper, School of Materials, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK [email protected] Tel: 0161- 3063174. 1 DWI an der RWTH Aachen e.V., Aachen, D, 2 renopan AG, Bad Honnef, D, 3 eco-Umweltinstitut , Cologne, D
SUMMARY:Sheep’s wool was used to improve indoor air quality. Wool as a protein fiber shows physi- and chemisorption especially of formaldehyde, which results in permanent binding of the pollutant.
ABSTRACT:In industrialized countries people spend up to 90% of their time indoors. Indoor air pollutants, namely aldehydes, play a dominant role as wide spread, irritating and/or sensitizing agents, potentially connected with the phenomenon of “sick building syndrome”. One possible method for optimizing the hygienic standards of interior air quality is to use sheep’s wool as a reactive absorbent for toxic agents. Wool is a protein fiber. It is well known that, wool fibres are able to take up water and other small polar molecules in large quantities. In the case of protein-reactive molecules, mainly formaldehyde, both physi- and chemisorption take place. Systematic laboratory experiments of aldehyde uptake from air by wool and the differentiation between physi- and chemisorption of, namely, formaldehyde was investigated with respect to the use of wool in interior rooms as a means of improving air quality. The influence of room climate parameters such as temperature, humidity, as well as exposure time on physi- and chemisorption of formaldehyde was examined by absorption experiments and proteochemical analysis of formaldehyde contaminated wool. The most important result is the difference in time dependence of physi- and chemisorption of formaldehyde. Physisorption takes place very fast, while chemisorption is relatively slow, resulting in covalent cross-linking of wool proteins. Further investigations have been carried out with other airborne, harmful substances such as
various aldehydes, ozone, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.The cleansing ability of wool for indoor air has successfully been demonstrated through numerous field experiments. Results of air quality restoration in prefabricated houses and in official buildings such as kindergardens by incorporation of wool continue to show drastically lowered formaldehyde concentrations.
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Physical and mechanical properties of non-woven fabric composites of coir and PP fibersS Greer*, E Teipel* and W Bradley**, Whole Tree Inc* and Baylor University**. One Bear Place 97356, Waco, TX 76798, [email protected]* , [email protected]* and [email protected]**
SUMMARY:Non-woven fabric composite felt with 50% polypropylene and 50% polyester is widely used in compression molded parts for automobiles and a variety of applications in the building construction industry. This poster presentation will compare the physical and mechanical properties of non-woven fabric composites of coir and polypropylene fibers to composites of polypropylene and polyester fibers.
ABSTRACT:Whole Tree inc. is replacing polypropylene/polyester composite materials used for a variety of applications such as building construction and automotive with more environmentally friendly coconut (coir) fiber based non-woven fabric composites. The environmentally friendly coconut fibers have a superior combination of fiber diameter, strength, modulus, and ductility compared to the synthetic, petroleum based polyester fibers currently used in most automotive composites for truck liners, door panels and floor boards. The combination of fiber diameter and mechanical properties in coconut fibers make it possible to produce greener, lower cost non-woven fabric composites with sufficient formability and potentially superior mechanical properties.
Broader Impacts/Commercial Potential Whole Tree Inc. is a triple bottom line company, focusing on (1) profits, (2) poor people, and (3) planet Earth. One example of the broader potential market for the trunk liners and trunk decking in Europe and the US is 5.1 kg/car for 36 million cars per year, or 184 million kg/year, worth more than $240 million annually. With the current emphasis on environmentally friendly markets within the building constructing and the automotive marketplace, this less expensive, greener, coconut-fiber-based, engineered composite material has the potential to achieve a significant share of these markets. There are over 10 million poor coconut farmers (income ~ $500/year) who own 95% of the coconuts harvested annually in the world. Approximately 85% of the coconut husks, which contain the coconut fiber, are burned because there is insufficient demand for this biomass. The successful development of coconut fiber based automotive composites alone could provide an additional $100-$200 million of annual income for these farmers. The successful marketplace deployment of coconut fiber composites will also save from two to four million barrels of oil per year.
Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created in October 2008, to bring together: energy policy (previously with BIS - the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills), and climate change mitigation policy (previously with Defra - the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). We face unprecedented challenges to our environment, our economy, and the future security of our energy supplies – and the decisions we make now will affect the planet and our way of life for generations to come. DECC exists to tackle these challenges.Our three overall objectives are to: ensure our energy is secure, affordable and effi cient bring about the transition to a low-carbon Britain achieve an international agreement on climate change at Copenhagen in December 2009Natural fi bres and the wide range of materials and products derived from them can play a key part in developing a low-carbon economy in the UK, as set out in the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan and Low Carbon Industrial Strategy, published on 15 July 2009.They can deliver signifi cant GHG reductions, provide important new business and employment opportunities, particularly in rural areas, and contribute to a range of other sustainability objectives.DECC sponsor the National Non-Food Crops Centre (NNFCC), the UK’s National Centre for renewable materials and technologies. The NNFCC provide independent advice and information to industry, Government and the general public on renewable materials, including natural fi bres. Dr John Williams, head of polymers and materials at the NNFCC will be speaking at the event.One of the key roles for fi bres in the low-carbon economy will be in the use of biocomposites to produce strong but lightweight materials, particularly for vehicles. DECC’s Bio:Energy & Materials team are working with industry and academia to promote the development and use of these materials.
Lord HuntLord Hunt is Minister of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords. He leads for DECC on ensuring the UK has a secure, low-carbon and affordable energy supply. This encompasses DECC’s work on renewables. He previously served as a Minister in the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, so
has an understanding of some of the other issues relating to natural fi bres, including sustainability and agriculture.
Materials Knowledge Transfer NetworkThe Materials Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) facilitates advanced
materials and engineering developments that underpin innovation in key application sectors by:
Raising awareness of materials development, manufacturing processes, design concepts and assembly technologies
Exchanging and creating knowledge and information about advances in materials and process technologies Encouraging and brokering collaboration between companies, universities and other R&D organisations and supporting them to access public and private fi nance Infl uencing Government policy and technology strategy by helping to shape national policy, funding schemes and vision in line with industry needs.
The Materials KTN brings together under one umbrella materials-related knowledge networks covering a wide range of materials, such as natural materials, polymers, composites, ceramics, technical textiles and metals. It also covers materials-related technologies, such as rapid manufacturing, powder processing, surface engineering and smart materials and structures. The KTN has wide coverage of product design, sustainable materials for transport applications and for packaging. Current membership is about 9000 individuals from over 4600 organisations.
For further information please visit www.materialsktn.net
InCrops – Creating an innovation cluster in the East of England
The InCrops Enterprise Hub is a not for profi t company set up and based at the University of East Anglia. The InCrops project has
5 years of funding (2008-2013) from EEDA and the European Union (ERDF) to develop an enterprise hub linking the region’s top plant science research with businesses looking to develop new products from biorenewables for the marketplace.
By 2013, the scheme aims to have helped SMEs to create 140 new jobs and to support entrepreneurs to start 80 new businesses, whilst bringing in €3M of new public and private sector funding to the region. The Enterprise Hub operates a virtual network across the whole of the East of England with staff located at seven sites with a distributed operating structure.
Our aims are to: Stimulate the commercialisation of new biorenewable and low carbon products from alternative and non-food crops; build on the East of England’s world-class research capability in plant and crop science; facilitate supply chain development, market integration and product innovation; and support the business and commercial sector and stimulate sustainable economic growth.The InCrops Enterprise Hub provides specialist business support
to companies, SMEs, micro-businesses and entrepreneurs based in the East of England; develops applied and collaborative industry-led projects with academic partners, develops new produces and processes for the exploitation of alternative and non-food crops and promotes natural and renewable technologies into the low carbon economy.We support a spectrum of market sectors including green chemicals and biopolymers, natural fi bres, composites and nano-materials, the built environment, personal care, transportation and low carbon vehicles, bioenergy, biomass heat and power, biopharming and high value chemicals. We have in-house experts in those sectors and are linked to the expertise of our partners. Additionally, InCrops has an expertise in Life Cycle Analysis.
For further information visit www.incropsproject.co.uk/
The London Sisal Association(Established 1953)
Sisal is a Sustainable Environmentally Friendly Green Natural Vegetable Fibre
The objectives of the Association are:
The promotion of trade in Sisal fi bre and the Sisal products of sisal growing countries.
The collection and dissemination of statistical and other information relating to the trade.
The promoting, supporting, or opposing of legislative or other measures affecting the aforesaid interests.
The maintenance and operation of standard forms of contract.
The doing of all such other things as may be benefi cial to the trade, or incidental to the attainment of the above objectives.
The Association provides an effi cient and dependable marketing service to producers and consumers of Sisal and promotes the best interests of the Sisal trade as a whole for the mutual benefi t of all concerned.
2009 is here. The United Nations International Year of Natural Fibres!!!“DISCOVER SISAL”. Discover this wonderful crop. Discover all the very useful products mankind can derive from this natural renewable resource!!! Discover how this plant changes the lives of millions of people around the world. visit www.londonsisalassociation.org
NNFCCYour partner in the low carbon economy
The NNFCC is the UK’s national centre for renewable materials. We help players in biorenewables visualise how they fi t into the big picture, not just today but in the future. Using our unbiased objective expertise, we forge links between government, industry and research to get natural and bio-based fi bre products to market.
We work in: Construction - Co-ordinator of The Renewable House Project Biocomposites Renewable polymers Biobased content certifi cation
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••• SPONSORS
Contact our Polymers and Materials Sector Manager, Dr John [email protected]+44(0)1904 435182
The Renewable House at the BRE Innovation Park
Join our new Composites Thematic Working GroupBecome part of the network that brings together the whole supply chain to overcome barriers to the uptake of natural fi bres.Launching at Natural Fibres ’09 on 15 December.
ADASADAS provides an unsurpassed range of independent scientifi c research and consultancy services encompassing the agriculture, environment and rural management industries.
Novel crops from ADAS: Background
The agronomy, use and economic viability of novel crops is addressed from within the ADAS Centre for Sustainable Crop Management (SCM), providing fi rst-class research and consultancy in the area of sustainable crop production. SCM is involved in utilising crop physiology, biochemistry, genetics and crop protection expertise to bring about improvements and solutions for businesses that produce and utilise crop and plantderivedraw materials. We are able to make an impact throughout the supply chain from farmers & growers through to processors, manufacturers, retailers and distribution companies as well as provide legislation, regulatory and crop assurance advice and expertise. The Centre operates using the ISO9001:2000 Quality Assurance System.
What does ADAS offer?We provide expertise in the following disciplines:
Crop Biochemistry & Physiology (glasshouse and fi eld-grown crops) Crop Production Systems : e.g. maximising levels of specifi c ingredients and/or standardising of raw materials Lab facilities inc. GC-MS, HPLC for analysis of plant materials Crop assurance, traceability Co-ordination & management of multi-partner research projects
For more information, visit www.adas.co.uk
Modern Built Environment Knowledge Transfer NetworkThe Modern Built Environment Knowledge Transfer Network (MBE KTN) is funded by the Technology Strategy Board to increase the exploitation of
innovation in the built environment for demonstrated business benefi t.
The MBE KTN works with its members to
identify industry challenges;
showcase potential innovations;
catalyse new collaborations;
facilitate access to funding opportunities; and
assist members connect with each other.
The KTN is currently focussing on four key themes to establish where innovation can add real value to the built environment.
Energy & Carbon Effi ciency
Process Effi ciency
Climate Change Adaptation
Life Extension and Retrofi t
Visit www.mbektn.co.uk for more information and to engage with the MBE KTN community.
BRE BRE has been Building a better world for almost 90 years through cutting edge research, consultancy and testing services.
Our unrivalled knowledge in regard to sustainability and innovation is now used across the construction industry and in the corporate world creating better buildings, communities and businesses. BRE is part of the BRE Group of companies owned by the BRE Trust, a registered charity. The profi ts made by BRE go to the BRE Trust and are used to conduct key research projects that advance our knowledge of the built environment.
As the construction industry rises to the challenge of building in a more sustainable way, the use of natural fi bres has taken on a renewed signifi cance in the sector. BRE is currently active in this area in several ways
We are a partner on the InCrops (Innovation in Crops) Enterprise Hub, a new science and knowledge transfer initiative supporting new applications for non-food crops sector in the East of England.
Earlier this year we launched the Renewable House on the BRE Innovation Park. Built by the NNFCC, this highly sustainable house which uses the hemp plant as its primary wall material achieved Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.
A low energy pre-fabricated straw bale demonstration house has recently been built on University of Bath campus as part of a research project which is being led by the BRE Centre for Innovative Construction Materials (a partnership between BRE and University of Bath)
For more information, please visit www.bre.co.uk
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Lean, Mean and Green: The World’s First Environmentally Friendly Racing Car
Public Lecture15 December Dr Kerry Kirwan, University of Warwick, UK
The new WorldFirst racecar is a clever piece of lateral thinking. It is the fi rst Formula 3 racing car designed and made from sustainable and renewable materials, putting the world fi rst by effectively managing the planet’s resources. Dr Kirwan will actively demonstrate in a lively public lecture how this joined up approach of apparently disparate arts, sciences and engineering
can result in something ground breaking like the World First F3 racing car - a much more environmentally friendly vehicle than most road cars, let alone racing vehicles. Being green does not mean being boring or stepping back in time!
The lecture will be followed by the launch of the new NNFCC Thematic Working Group on Composites materials, presented by John Williams of NNFCC at 8pm.
Refreshments will follow.
Booking essential, contact
dawn.bonfi [email protected]
Visit to Innovation Park BRE, Watford16 December
The park features a
number of demonstration
properties showcasing
modern methods of
construction, near zero
carbon homes, and
over 200 innovative and
emerging technologies.
Of particular interest to
delegates of Natural Fibres
‘09 are the Renewable
Hemp House and the
Natural House. Those
interested in attending this
visit should confi rm their
interest when booking their
place at the conference.
Places will be allocated
on a fi rst come, fi rst serve
basis. Coaches will leave
London at 09.30 and return
by 14.30. Refreshments are
also provided.
Launch of the Composites Thematic Working Group15 December
Join the Composites Thematic Working Group and bring biocomposites to the mainstream.
The NNFCC’s Thematic Working Groups (TWGs) bring together the whole supply chain to actively address opportunities and barriers to the uptake of renewable products.
We work directly with the UK Government Departments DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change) and Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We facilitate the Renewable Materials LINK programme
Our TWGs represent the fundamental science base, agriculture, manufacturers, processors, end users and government. They act as a recognised focal point to facilitate technology, identify barriers to further market development and represent a harmonised industry voice proposing strategies to overcome these hurdles.
By joining the Composites TWG at this early stage you will be able to help set the agenda for the group and defi ne its aims and key activities.
To fi nd out more about the Composites Thematic Working Group, please join Dr John Williams on 15th December at 8pm the Insti-tute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, 1 Carlton House Terrace, London. Refreshments will follow this launch.
Dr John Williams
+44(0)1904 435182
www.nnfcc.co.uk
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