scholarly journals Valorization of Invasive Plants from Macaronesia as Filler Materials in the Production of Natural Fiber Composites by Rotational Molding

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 2220
Author(s):  
Zaida Ortega ◽  
Francisco Romero ◽  
Rubén Paz ◽  
Luis Suárez ◽  
Antonio Nizardo Benítez ◽  
...  

This paper compares the mechanical properties of different natural fiber composites produced by rotational molding as a way of waste valorization from campaigns to control invasive plant species in Macaronesia. Rotomolded parts produced with polymeric matrices (polyethylene) and filled with up to 20% by weight of cellulosic fibers obtained from Arundo donax L., Pennisetum setaceum, and Ricinus communis plants were characterized in terms of tensile, flexural, and impact strength. It was found that the sieving of natural fibers allowed for their introduction in higher loadings, from 10 (for un-sieved material) to 20%; fiber size greatly affected the mechanical properties of the final parts, although some combinations were proven not to reduce the mechanical properties of the neat resin. This study is a first approach to the valorization of residues obtained from periodic campaigns of the control of invasive species performed by public authorities, usually at the local level. It is important to highlight that the main objective of this research did not focus on economically profitable activity; instead, it was focused on the reduction of wastes to be disposed from ecosystem maintenance actions and the investment of potential income into preservation policies.

Fibers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
Timothy K. Mulenga ◽  
Albert U. Ude ◽  
Chinnasamy Vivekanandhan

The study of natural fiber-based composites through the use of computational techniques for modelling and optimizing their properties has emerged as a fast-growing approach in recent years. Ecological concerns associated with synthetic fibers have made the utilisation of natural fibers as a reinforcing material in composites a popular approach. Computational techniques have become an important tool in the hands of many researchers to model and analyze the characteristics that influence the mechanical properties of natural fiber composites. This recent trend has led to the development of many advanced computational techniques and software for a profound understanding of the characteristics and performance behavior of composite materials reinforced with natural fibers. The large variations in the characteristics of natural fiber-based composites present a great challenge, which has led to the development of many computational techniques for composite materials analysis. This review seeks to infer, from conventional to contemporary sources, the computational techniques used in modelling, analyzing, and optimizing the mechanical characteristics of natural fiber reinforced composite materials.


2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 2050-2073 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Praveen Kumar ◽  
M Nalla Mohamed

Economic and environmental concerns lead the researchers toward development of sustainable and renewable materials of which reinforced composites are part of. The abundantly available natural fibers have attracted the researchers to study their performance as reinforcements and feasibility for making automobile components. The performance of composite materials is mainly assessed through their mechanical properties. However, natural fibers to date were mainly used as reinforcements to create bulk composite components with reduced cost rather than improved mechanical performances. Among the methods available for improving mechanical properties of the natural fiber composites, combined mercerization treatment, hybridization, and incorporation of fly ash fillers in the matrix are the best solutions. Therefore, the objective of this research is to evaluate the tensile properties of hybrid kenaf/glass composites with and without fly ash particulate filler as per ASTM standards. Moisture absorption behavior and its effect on the tensile properties of hybrid composites are also investigated. The results revealed that the addition of 10wt % fly ash particles with natural fiber composites increased the tensile strength of composites while hybridization with glass fibers reduced the water absorption properties.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 525-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
ES Zaini ◽  
MD Azaman ◽  
MS Jamali ◽  
KA Ismail

Researchers have worked on variety of natural fibers reinforced with polymer composites using different parameters to come up with various recommendations. The investigation involved aspects of composition materials and mechanical properties of natural fiber composites. The satisfactory results of natural fiber composites have encouraged researchers to delve deeper into the abilities of natural fiber composite in the form of a core structure. The potentiality of utilizing natural fiber composite in core design has wide potential in modern industries. This paper presents a review on natural fibers and polymer matrices commonly used in core fabrication, core design, fabricating processes of cores, and mechanical properties of cores. Ongoing research of rice husk composites to be fabricated in the form of honeycomb core structures is also discussed.


Materials ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryn Crawford ◽  
Sepideh Pakpour ◽  
Negin Kazemian ◽  
John Klironomos ◽  
Karen Stoeffler ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liva Pupure ◽  
Janis Varna ◽  
Roberts Joffe ◽  
Fredrik Berthold ◽  
Arttu Miettinen

2018 ◽  
Vol 1148 ◽  
pp. 61-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Joshua Jaya Prasad ◽  
Puli Suresh Kumar

Recently, there has been an exponential growth in research and innovation in the natural fiber composites (NFC) due to their diversified applications in the field of engineering. Biodegradability, light weight, formability and availability at low cost are the attractive merits of the natural fibers. Mechanical, Thermal and Machinabilty properties of Natural fiber composites have their own advantage and adoptability in the field of automobile, power plants, aeronautical, defense and naval applications. This review aims to provide an overview of the comparison of differ types of Natural fiber composites, factors that affect the mechanical, thermal and machinabilty of NFCs and their engineering applications.


2016 ◽  
Vol 854 ◽  
pp. 59-64
Author(s):  
S. Syath Abuthakeer ◽  
Ramakrishnan Vasudaa ◽  
Afsana Nizamudeen

Today’s technological innovations call for continual improvement in the field of material science to substitute the heavy structures with lightweight materials without compromising the strength. For this purpose composite materials (combination of two or more materials) are developed. The incorporation of natural fibers as reinforcing agent in both thermoset and thermoplastic polymer composites has gained increasing applications both in many areas of engineering and technology. A variety of natural fibers based polymer composite materials have been developed using modified synthetic strategies to extend its application from automotive to biomedical fields. The eco friendliness and reduction in wear and tear aspects in machineries with the use of natural fiber composites also has been captured in this paper. This paper is an earnest compilation of the data regarding a variety of natural fibers, their physical and mechanical properties, their resilience and strength. Considerable effort has been put in bringing the data on various natural fiber composites in one place by cutting out the details from various sources so as to make it as a ready reckoner for any researcher for future research in this area.


2020 ◽  
pp. 152808372092584
Author(s):  
Muhammad Awais Naeem ◽  
Qasim Siddiqui ◽  
Muhammad Rafique Khan ◽  
Muhammad Mushtaq ◽  
Muhammad Wasim ◽  
...  

In recent times, there is a growing demand for low-cost raw materials, renewable resources, and eco-friendly end products. Natural fibers are considered as strong candidates to be used as a potential reinforcement for composite manufacturing. In the current study, natural fibers extracted from banana peel were coated with bacterial cellulose through a green biosynthesis approach as well as by a simple slurry dipping method. Thus, natural fibers from banana peel waste were used the first time, to produce bacterial cellulose-natural fiber composites. SEM analysis revealed good interaction between the hybrid fibers and the epoxy matrix. Thermal gravimetric analysis results revealed that the degradation temperature increases because of the addition of bacterial cellulose on fiber surface, which improves the thermal stability. The maximum thermal decomposition temperature (405°C) was noticed for nanocomposites reinforced by banana fibers with bacterial cellulose deposited on their surface. Whereas the lowest weight loss was also found for the same sample group. The highest tensile strength (57.95 MPa) was found for SBC-BP/epoxy, followed by DBC-BP/epoxy (54.73 MPa) and NBP/epoxy (45.32 MPa) composites, respectively. Composites reinforced by both types of hybrid banana fibers shown comparatively higher tensile performance as compared with the neat banana peel fiber-epoxy composites, which can be attributed to the high strength and stiffness associated with the bacterial cellulose. Overall, this study suggests a successful and green route for the fabrication of natural fiber-reinforced composites with improved properties such as tensile strength and thermal stability.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasina Mamtaz ◽  
Mohammad Hosseini Fouladi ◽  
Mushtak Al-Atabi ◽  
Satesh Narayana Namasivayam

The current study is a bibliographic observation on prevailing tendencies in the development of acoustic absorption by natural fiber composites. Despite having less detrimental environmental effects and thorough availability, natural fibers are still unsuitable for wide implementation in industrial purposes. Some shortcomings such as the presence of moisture contents, thicker diameter, and lower antifungus quality hold up the progress of natural fiber composites in staying competitive with synthetic composites. The review indicates the importance of the pretreatment of fresh natural fiber to overcome these shortcomings. However, the pretreatment of natural fiber causes the removal of moisture contents which results in the decrease of its acoustic absorption performance. Incorporation of granular materials in treated fiber composite is expected to play a significant role as a replacement for moisture contents. This review aims to investigate the acoustic absorption behavior of natural fiber composites due to the incorporation of granular materials. It is intended that this review will provide an overview of the analytical approaches for the modeling of acoustic wave propagation through the natural fiber composites. The possible influential factors of fibers and grains were described in this study for the enhancement of low frequency acoustic absorption of the composites.


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