natural fibres and fillers | Innovation
December, he provided some results from experiments the company has been carrying out with fibre/filament blends as reinforcements in polypropylene and polyamide, comparing properties with reference compounds containing glass fibres and talc. The study was carried out at the NRCC Automotive and Surface Transportation Group in Canada. Polypropylene compounds containing 18% NBSK and
Figure 1a: Tensile strength of PP compounds containing NBSK and cellulose filament compared to 20% talc filled and 20% glass reinforced compounds Source: Performance BioFilaments
2% cellulose filament were shown to be slightly stronger than a 20% glass reinforced compound and much stronger than a talc filled compound (Figure 1a). Results with polyamide were also good (Figure 1b). Tests on heat deflection temperature indicated that the NBSK/cellulose filament blend produced results almost as good as glass fibres, both in PP and in PA (Figure 2). The natural fibre reinforced compounds offered a 16% density reduction over glass fibre reinforced types. Performance BioFilaments has also carried out
Figure 1b: Tensile strength of PA compounds containing NBSK and cellulose filaments compared to 20% talc filled and 20% glass reinforced compounds Source: Performance BioFilaments
some development, together with Vancouver-based Solegear Bioplastic Technologies, on compounds based on NatureWorks’ Ingeo polylactic acid (PLA) biopolymer but is not yet in a position to publish results. It is also close to starting on a project with Fraunhofer UMSICHT that aims to develop a sustainable high performance composite containing bio-based plastics and cellulose filaments for injection moulding applications. The aim is to develop a composite with 80-85% bio-based materi- als (required coupling agents and some other additives are not yet available in bio-based form). Minhas says the next phase is to collaborate with a partner in the plastics industry on scaling up production of cellulose filament-reinforced compounds, leading up to injection moulding trials. He says the company has held some preliminary discussions with potential partners. He says the firm also intends to evaluate the performance of cellulose filaments that have been functionalised to improve their bonding to plastics matrices, eliminating the need for coupling agents. Additionally, there are plans to evaluate composites containing both cellulose fibres and other reinforcing and filling additives. Sappi, a global company focused on wood pulp, paper pulp, paper based and biorefinery solutions, is working in similar territory. A few months ago it started up a pilot plant for production of low-cost cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) for a range of applications at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in the Netherlands. The pilot plant will test the manufacturing of dry
Figure 2: HDT values for PP and PA compounds containing an NBSK/cellulose filament blend compared to unfilled and glass reinforced grades Source: Performance BioFilaments
30 COMPOUNDING WORLD | March 2017
re-dispersible CNFs using technology developed by Sappi and Edinburgh Napier University. Sappi says the CNF “will have unique morphology, specifically modified for either hydrophobic or hydrophilic applications. Products produced using Sappi’s CNF will be optimally
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