Use of Industrial Hemp Fibers to Reinforce Wheat Gluten Plastics |
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Authors: | C Wretfors S-W Cho M S Hedenqvist S Marttila S Nimmermark E Johansson |
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Institution: | (1) Faculty of Landscape Planning, Horticulture and Agricultural Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 104, 230 53 Alnarp, Sweden;(2) Fibre and Polymer Technology, Royal Institute of Technology, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden;(3) Faculty of Landscape Planning, Horticulture and Agricultural Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 102, 230 53 Alnarp, Sweden;(4) Faculty of Landscape Planning, Horticulture and Agricultural Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 105, 230 53 Alnarp, Sweden; |
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Abstract: | The next generation of manufactured products must be sustainable and industrially eco-efficient, making materials derived
from plants an alternative of particular interest. Wheat gluten (WG) is an interesting plant material to be used for production
of plastic similar materials due to its film-forming properties. For usage of plastics in a wider range of applications, composite
materials with improved mechanical properties are demanded. The present study investigates the possibilities of reinforcing
WG plastics with hemp fibers. Samples were manufactured using compression molding (130 °C, 1600 bar, 5 min). Variation in
fiber length, content (5, 10, 15 and 20 wt%) and quality (poor, standard, good) were evaluated. Mechanical properties and
structure of materials were examined using tensile testing, light and scanning electron microscopy. Hemp fiber reinforcement
of gluten plastics significantly influenced the mechanical properties of the material. Short hemp fibers processed in a high
speed grinder were more homogenously spread in the material than long unprocessed fibers. Fiber content in the material showed
a significant positive correlation with tensile strength and Young’s modulus, and a negative correlation with fracture strain
and strain at maximum stress. Quality of the hemp fibers did not play any significant role for tensile strength and strain,
but the Young’s modulus was significantly and positively correlated with hemp fiber quality. Despite the use of short hemp
fibers, the reinforced gluten material still showed uneven mechanical properties within the material, a result from clustering
of the fibers and too poor bonding between fibers and gluten material. Both these problems have to be resolved before reinforcement
of gluten plastics by industrial hemp fibers is applicable on an industrial scale. |
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