BIOFIBERS, BIODEGRADABLE POLYMERS AND BIOCOMPOSITES

A. K. Mohantya, b, M. Misraa, b, G. Hinrichsen

Ian Melville

Overview History/ Common Uses

Problem : Current Plastics Unsuitable

Solution : BioFibers

Economic Impact

Drawbacks

Future Projections

History / Common Uses Composite plastics started 1940s Urea, Melamine and Glass Fiber

Problems with Current Plastics Non-Biodegradable

10,000,000 Tons of plastic disposed of per year

Dominating packaging industry

BioFibers Characteristic of Fiber depends on

location on plant:Leaf Origin

○ Pinapple Leaf, HenequenSeed Origin

○ CottonBast Origin

○ Flax, HempFruit Origin

○ Coconut Husk

Bio Fibers Renewable BioFibers : 2E11 Tons/year

Synthetic Fibers : 1.5E8 tons/year

BioFibers Natural Fibers vs Synthetic Fibers

Economic Impact

Economic Impact

Drawbacks Lower resistance to heat

Variable market for biofiber components

Traditional plastics already have infrastructure built

Future Projections

Future Projections

Conclusion History/ Common Uses

Problem : Current Plastics Unsuitable

Solution : BioFibers

Economic Impact

Drawbacks

Future Projections

References Mohanty, A. K., Misra, M. and Hinrichsen, G. (2000),

Biofibres, biodegradable polymers and biocomposites: An overview. Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, 276-277: 1–24. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1439-2054(20000301)276:1<1::AID-MAME1>3.0.CO;2-W