Biofiber resins

Biofibers and wood fibers start to degrade at 2(X)°C, and, therefore only resins that are processable at temperatures less than 200°C are used as matrix polymers for WPCs. Thermoplastics used in these applications are various grades of PE, PP, PS, PVC and ABS [46,47]. About 80% of the market is dominated by polyolefins, but PVC is likely to gain an increasing market share. A significant portion of the matrix material in WPCs is post-consumer recycled... 

Production technology for thermoplastic-resin matrix biocomposites (Chapter 5) Production technology for thermoset-resin matrix biocomposites (Chapter 6) Biofiber reinforcement in thermoplastics (Chapter 7)... 

I 6 Biofiber-Reinforced Thermoset Composites 6.2.3.5 Resin Transfer Molding... 

Composite boards are fabricated by using a heat press machine with the biofibers as the reinforcement and the polymer resin as the matrix. These composite boards fall into two main categories based on the physical configuration of the... 

Many researchers have studied the development of advanced composites using biofibers as reinforcements and thermoplastics as resins for aerospace and automotive apphcations. There has been a growing interest among various researchers to utilize biofibers as reinforcement in thermoplastic composites because of the low cost, lightweight, and biodegradable properties. In this section, use of various biofibers such as bamboo, ramie, flax, sisal, jute, and hemp as reinforcements in the preparation of composites have been discussed. 

Classical polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyester, and epoxy resin have been combined with biofibers to produce partially biobased composites. However, once these materials are discarded, they persist in the environment without being degraded thus giving rise to ecological and environmental concerns. Recently, the use of a biodegradable polymers itself or blending a classical polymer with a biodegradable polymer as the biocomposite matrix is an alternative approach for the development of an environmentally friendly biocomposite matrix [5, 6]. 

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