Natural fibers have been widely used for reinforcing polymers attributed to their sustainable nature, excellent stiffness to weight ratio, biodegradability, and low cost compared with synthetic fibers like carbon or glass fibers. Thermoplastic composites offer an advantage of recyclability after their service life, but challenges and opportunities remain in the recycling of natural fiber reinforced polymer composites (NFRPCs). This article summarized the effects of reprocessing/recycling on the material properties of NFRPCs. The material properties considered include mechanical performance, thermal properties, hygroscopic behavior, viscoelasticity, degradation, and durability. NFRPCs can generally be recycled approximately 4–6 times until their thermomechanical properties change. After recycling 7 times, the tensile strength of NFRPCs can decrease by 17%, and the tensile modulus can decrease by 28%. The mitigation approaches to overcome degradation of material properties of NFRPCs such as adding functional additives and virgin plastics are also discussed. The main challenges in these approaches such as degradation and incompatibility are discussed, and an effort is made to provide a rationale for reprocessing/recyclability assessment. Finally, future applications of NFRPCs such as additive manufacturing and automotive part use are discussed.
@article{osti_1828261,
author = {Zhao, Xianhui and Copenhaver, Katie and Wang, Lu and Korey, Matthew and Gardner, Douglas J. and Li, Kai and Lamm, Meghan E. and Kishore, Vidya and Bhagia, Samarthya and Tajvidi, Mehdi and others},
title = {Recycling of natural fiber composites: Challenges and opportunities},
annote = {Natural fibers have been widely used for reinforcing polymers attributed to their sustainable nature, excellent stiffness to weight ratio, biodegradability, and low cost compared with synthetic fibers like carbon or glass fibers. Thermoplastic composites offer an advantage of recyclability after their service life, but challenges and opportunities remain in the recycling of natural fiber reinforced polymer composites (NFRPCs). This article summarized the effects of reprocessing/recycling on the material properties of NFRPCs. The material properties considered include mechanical performance, thermal properties, hygroscopic behavior, viscoelasticity, degradation, and durability. NFRPCs can generally be recycled approximately 4–6 times until their thermomechanical properties change. After recycling 7 times, the tensile strength of NFRPCs can decrease by 17%, and the tensile modulus can decrease by 28%. The mitigation approaches to overcome degradation of material properties of NFRPCs such as adding functional additives and virgin plastics are also discussed. The main challenges in these approaches such as degradation and incompatibility are discussed, and an effort is made to provide a rationale for reprocessing/recyclability assessment. Finally, future applications of NFRPCs such as additive manufacturing and automotive part use are discussed.},
doi = {10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105962},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1828261},
journal = {Resources, Conservation and Recycling},
issn = {ISSN 0921-3449},
volume = {177},
place = {United States},
publisher = {Elsevier},
year = {2021},
month = {10}}
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1828261
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1826965 OSTI ID: 2538057
Journal Information:
Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Journal Name: Resources, Conservation and Recycling Vol. 177; ISSN 0921-3449