Renewable resources fibres

The use is described of a process involving both hydrolysis and pyrolysis to recover caprolactam from nylon 6 used in carpet fibres. By means of precise temperature control and the use of a catalyst, nylon 6 can be isolated from the PP backing. The process has been developed by the National Renewable Resource Laboratory, and interest has been shown by AlliedSignal who are considering a cooperative research and development project. 

The use of renewable resources for manufacturing specific performance and speciality chemicals, and for fibres to replace synthetic ones, is growing. The driver for this is improved cost/performance. In order to have a major impact on the amount of oil and gas used there is a need to convert biomass into new, large-scale basic feedstocks such as synthesis gas or methanol. Many technical developments in separation science as well as improvements in the overall yield of chemicals are required before renewable feedstocks can compete effectively with oil and gas, but the gap will continue to narrow. 

XIIIth International Conference for Renewable Resources and Plant Biotechnology (Institute of Natural Fibres, Poznan, Poland, June, 18 - 19 2007) ... 

Another step in putting the concept into practice could be made in a development project with the Johnson Controls Interiors company (subsidised by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Forestry of Lower Saxony). The goal of this project was to create a door panelling element with a material made of 100% renewable resources since the goal was an environmentally-friendly means of disposal. In addition to the priority of economic efficiency, the established manufacturing technique was to be used in order to meet the required component specifications. A biopolymer which by then had been developed made it possible for the natural fibre composite material to meet the requirements determined in the specifications sheet. 

In addition to research on different types of fibres and their composition, the pultrusion process was optimised with regard to the use of renewable resources without neglecting economical efficiency. Thus the required mechanical properties could be attained. Although special steps had to be taken for the latter point, it was possible to guarantee an environmentally-friendly means of disposal. These type of bed frames should be available on the market at the beginning of 2001... 

The concept of structural materials made of renewable resources shows the enormous potential of this new class of materials. In this research project together with the Schuberth Helme GmbH company (subsidised by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Forestry of Lower Saxony), the goal is to develop an industrial safety helmet made of a minimum of 85% of renewable resources. An appropriate fibre/matrix system based on the concept of the biocomposite materials was developed which fulfils the DIN EN 397 German Industrial Standard requirements for industrial safety helmets. While working on this pure material basis, a manufacturing process with appropriate productivity and quality had to be made available for the helmet bowls in view of a series production later on. 

Looking at the different types of plastics and their applications large differences in the share of bio-based materials can be found. In 2010, the German Eederal Agency for Renewable Resources presented data for the German market in the year 2007, which was analysed in three different sectors thermoplastic and thermoset resins, elastomers, and man-made fibres (Figure 1.2). 

In conclusion, this area is moving fast towards novel outstanding composite materials based on renewable resources in the form of both traditional natural fibres and their nanomorphologies, but there are still significant scientific and technological challenges to be met. 

Wu CS (2009) Renewable resource-based composites of recycled natural fibres and maleated polylactide bioplastic Characterization and biodegiadability. Polym Degrad Stab 94 1076-1084... 

Polylactic acid (PLA), the structure of which is shown in Figure 7.10, is a polyester fibre in which there has been recent interest because of its environmental credentials. PLA may be derived from renewable resources, such as cornstarch, and it is biodegradable. PLA may be coloured using certain disperse dyes, although the dyes do not exhaust as well as on PET, mainly because of its aliphatic character. Acrylic fibres are synthetic fibres based essentially on the addition polymer polyacrylonitrile, the essential structure of which is illustrated in Figure 7.11. However, most acrylic fibres are rather more complex and contain within their structure anionic groups, most commonly sulfonate (-SOs ), but also carboxylate (-CO2 ) groups either as a result of the incorporation of co-polymerised monomers in... 

Belgacem, M. N. and Gandini, A. (2008). Surface modification of cellulose fibres. In Monomers, polymers and composites fiom renewable resources. M. N. Belgacem and A. Gandini (Eds.), Elsevier, Amsterdam. 

Lyocell is the first in a new generation of cellulosic fibres made by a solvent spinning process. A major driving force to its development was the demand for a process that was environmentally responsible and utilised renewable resources as their raw materials. The first samples were produced in 1984 and commercial production started in 1988. A wide range of attractive textile fabrics can be made from lyocell that are comfortable to wear and have good physical performance. This physical performance combined with its absorbency also make lyocell ideal for nonwoven fabrics and papers. 

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