additives feature | Natural fibres
Procotex
describes flax as a technical fibre with a tensile
modulus close to that of glass fibre
Agricultural engineering The number of available varieties of natural fibres continues to grow as companies find ways to convert waste biomass into ground fibres that can be used by various industries, including plastics, notes Jim Preston, business development vice-president at RheTech. RheTech’s RheVision line currently includes
compounds reinforced with ground coconut shells, rice hulls, or agave, flax or wood fibres, and the company is investigating others also. All are reclaimed waste biomass, which RheTech considers important from a “green” standpoint as well as for cost. Discussing the automotive market, Preston says: “We
see a lot of activity at the OEM level to figure out the best fit for natural-filled PP in both existing and new applica- tions. OEMs have specific requirements for specific applications, and various fibres with different physical properties are being considered.” Currently a RheTech polypropylene (PP) compound reinforced with rice hulls is being used to replace talc-reinforced PP in an electrical support bracket in the Ford F-150. Rice hulls, which have a fibrous component that provides reinforce- ment, were found to have similar cost and properties to a conventional 10%-talc filled PP, notes Preston. RheTech is in the process of commercializing a hemp-fibre reinforced PP that could replace mineral- filled PP or 10-20% glass-filled PP. “Hemp is not quite as strong as flax, but offers other physical characteris- tics and a different aesthetic for customers who want the look of the visible hemp fibre in the part,” explains Preston. Currently automotive applications using natural fibres are structural rather than visible, but
Faurecia uses its Nafilean natural fibre
compounds in its own
automotive parts and also sells them on the open market
58 COMPOUNDING WORLD | March 2015
there is some discussion about trying to produce a Class A-surface with natural fibre compounds, he adds. Tier-One automotive supplier Faurecia uses hemp
fibre in its Nafilean (NAtural Fibre for Lean injected design) compounds, which are being used, for example, in the inserts and beltline of the door panels of the Peugeot 308, launched in Europe in 2013. Nafilean was recognized with the 2014 Innovation award in the Green Category from the European Automotive Association (CLEPA). In addition to producing compounds for its own
parts, Faurecia formed the Automotive Performance Materials (APM) joint venture with Interval, an agricultural cooperative in France, to provide com- pounds to the open market. “We analyzed many fibre candidates and chose hemp because of its good physical property characteristics as well as its agricul- tural footprint,” notes Michael Twork, senior manager of Research & Innovation North America at Faurecia. Hemp is grown primarily for use as an industrial fibre, but it doesn’t compete with food crops and can be grown in different regions, which meets the automotive industry needs for a global platform. “We have about 3,000 tonnes of compounding capacity for Nafilean in Europe, with plans to increase to 10,000 tonnes. We are also develop- ing a footprint in North America and Asia,” says Twork. “Light-weighting is the biggest driver for automotive,” adds Jay Hutchins, director of marketing and product planning North America at Faurecia. “OEMs are focused on reducing weight. Nafilean can achieve a 25% weight savings because the fibre is lighter, and its robust properties allow optimization of part wall thickness.” Nafilean can replace talc-filled PP or ABS, or in some applications it can replace glass-fibre reinforced compounds. APM will soon begin industrial production of Biomat, a 100% bio-based compound made from 25% hemp-fibres reinforced polybutylene succinate (PBS), developed in a partnership with Mitsubishi Chemical and designed for interior, structural automotive parts. Procotex, headquartered in Belgium, supplies various types of fibres, including flax and recycled coconut, kenaf, and jute. Consumer awareness and government incentives are combining to drive growth of bio-based products, including natural fibres, says Dieter Henau, sales manager and R&D for technical fibres at Procotex.
www.compoundingworld.com
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