ABSTRACT
The use of natural fiber to develop bio-composites has a low impact on the environment because of its renewable resources and biodegradability. This work investigated the feasibility of producing bio-composites of natural hemp fiber (hemp)-filled biopolymer polylactic acid (PLA). A high blend ratio of hemp (up to 30 wt%) was successfully achieved in a scaling up process. This production process was further verified by blending hemp with different PLA types and the mechanical properties of the obtained bio-composites showed repeatable results. In addition, the PLA/hemp composites showed comparable tensile strength as neat PLA (~50 MPa, depending on the PLA types) and a faster degradation ratio than neat PLA. This work provides a scalable, convenient and cost-effective approach to produce high-quality PLA/hemp bio-composites, which paves the way for scaling-up commercial production of PLA/hemp bio-composites toward practical applications.
摘要
利用天然纤维开发生物复合材料, 由于其可再生资源和可生物降解性, 对环境的影响较小. 研究了天然大麻纤维 (大麻) 填充生物聚合物聚乳酸 (PLA) 制备生物复合材料的可行性. 大麻的高混合比 (高达30 wt%) 在放大过程中成功实现. 通过将大麻与不同类型的PLA共混, 进一步验证了该生产工艺, 所得生物复合材料的力学性能显示出可重复的结果. 此外, PLA/大麻复合材料显示出与纯PLA相当的拉伸强度 (约50 MPa, 取决于PLA类型), 并且降解率比纯PLA更快. 这项工作为生产高质量聚乳酸/大麻生物复合材料提供了一种可扩展、方便且具有成本效益的方法, 为聚乳酸/大麻生物复合材料的商业化生产走向实际应用铺平了道路.
Highlight
Hemp fiber-filled PLA pellets were achieved in a scaling up process through conventional twin-screw extruder.
This production process was verified with different PLA types.
The obtained composites showed comparable tensile strength as neat PLA depending on PLA types.
Hemp fiber-filled PLA showed a faster degradation rate than neat PLA.
Abbreviations
PLA | = | Polylactic acid |
DI water | = | Deionized water |
Hemp-1 | = | Hemp fiber pulverized with 1 mm sieve |
Hemp-2 | = | Hemp fiber pulverized with 2 mm sieve |
Hemp-6 | = | Hemp fiber pulverized with 6 mm sieve |
3PLA | = | PLA Grade 3251 with a higher melt flow capability than other grades. |
PLA/hemp-20 | = | PLA/hemp composite with 20 wt% of hemp |
PLA/hemp-30 | = | PLA/hemp composite with 30 wt% of hemp |
PLA/hemp-40 | = | PLA/hemp composite with 40 wt% of hemp |
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the financial support from Fusion Biobased Materials P/L (Australia).
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).