Biofibers cellulose

Product O is a fiber reinforced composite with the composition 30% biofiber (cellulose fiber) + 70% PLA (biobased material). The biobased content of Product O is 100% — all the carbon in the product comes from bioresources. 

Product N is a fiber reinforced composite with the composition 30% biofiber (cellulose) + 70% polypropylene (petroleum based organic). Product N biobased content = 18.17% and not 30%. Again, biobased content is not based on weight (mass), but on a carbon basis i.e. amount of biobased carbon as fraction weight (mass) or percent weight (mass) of the total organic carbon. Therefore, biobased content = 0.3 44.4 (percent biocarbon cellulose)/0.7 85.7 (percent carbon in polypropylene)+ 0.3 44.4 (percent biocarbon) 100 which computes to 18.17%. 

Cellulosic fiber reinforced polymeric composites find applications in many fields ranging from the construction industry to the automotive industry. The reinforcing efficiency of natural fiber is related to the namre of cellulose and its crystallinity. The main components of natural fibers are cellulose (a-cellulose), hemicelluloses, lignin, pectins, and waxes. For example, biopolymers or synthetic polymers reinforced with natural or biofibers (termed biocomposites) are a viable alternative to glass fiber composites. The term biocomposite is now being applied to a staggering range of materials derived wholly or in part from renewable biomass resources [23]. 

The relationship between the strength of the biofibers with the microfibrillar angle and cellulose content is given in the following equation ... 

Gatenholm et al. [23] studied the nature of adhesion in the composites of modified cellulose fibers and pol)q>ropylene. Biofibers were surface-modified... 

Yet in practice, the boundary between the two classes is not quite so clear, because different combinations of these materials are possible. Indeed, we can veiy easily combine a cellulose biomatrix with biofibers of cellulose [SOY 09], biofillers with a recycled matrix [ADH 08], recycled fillers with a recycled matrix [ZRI07], or two or more recycled matrices with one another [GRI05]. All these combinations of ecoplastics may potentially be advantageous, but cioss-bio/recycled solutions pose the problem of choosing their end-of-life scenario recycling or composting, or finally incineration ... 

Thakur, V. K., Singha, A. S., Misra, B. N. (2011). Graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate onto cellulosic biofibers. 

Water absorption results of neat UPE and its composites reinforced with raw, mercerized and benzoylated fibers have been shown in Table 13.1. It can be seen from the table that water absorption characteristics of polymer composites depend upon the content of fiber loadings, water immersion time and surface modification techniques. The water absorption of raw and surface-modified fiber-reinforced UPE composites has been found to increase with the increase in percent loading. Similar results were also reported by Rashdi et ah during their studies on the water absorption behavior of kenaf fibers-reinforced polyester composites [27]. This may be due to greater affinity of water for OH groups present on the fiber backbone, whose number increases with the increase in fiber contents. In comparison to raw filler, composites reinforced with surface-modified filler exhibited low water absorption, which may be due to the reduction in the hydrophilic character of cellulosic biofibers after surface modification. 

M. Amsaveni, A. Anumary, M. Ashokkumar, B. Chandrasekaran, P. Thanikaivelan, Green synthesis and characterization of hybrid collagen-cellulose-albumin biofibers from skin waste. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 171 (6) (2013) 1500-1512. 

Thakur VK, Singha AS, Thakur MK. Graft copolymerization of methyl acrylate onto cellulosic biofibers synthesis, characterization and apphcations. J Polym Environ 2012 20 (1) 164-174. 

Thakur VK, Singha AS, Misra BN (2011) Graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate onto cellulosic biofibers. J Appl Polym Sci 122(l) 532-544. doi 10.1002/app.34094 Thakur VK, Singha AS, Thakur MK (2012a) Green composites from natural fibers mechanical and chemical aging properties. Int J Polym Anal Charact 17(6) 401-407. doi 10.1080/... 

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