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Sustainability of natural fibres as reinforcements for polymer matrix composites (2007-2011)

Researcher: Nilmini Dissanayake

The aim of this research was to carry out a quantitative and comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as outlined in ISO Standard 14044:2006, on natural fibres vs glass fibres for use as the reinforcements in polymer matrix composites in order to establish the most sustainable option. Eight environmental impact classification factors (EICF), i.e. global warming, acidification, eutrophication, human toxicity, aquatic toxicity, ozone depletion, photochemical oxidants creation and non-renewable/abiotic resource depletion were identified as appropriate parameters for the analysis.

Flax, currently grown commercially in Europe and the most resource intensive of the common bast fibres, was selected as the candidate fibre for this study. The results of the study should help to confirm or refute the proposition that natural fibres are the more suitable option for a sustainable society.

The scope of the study is cradle-to-gate: (a) for natural fibre: to quantify the energy inputs and other EICF at every stage in flax cultivation from preparing the land through the use of agro-chemicals to harvest and then fibre processing; (b) for glass fibre: to quantify the energy inputs at every stage of fibre production from raw material extraction, crushing, melting, refining, forming, spinning and curing into a comparable reinforcement form for composites.

A data set was compiled from numerous literature sources to complete the Life Cycle Inventory for the production of flax fibres. Three scenarios were studied for the production of either flax sliver (pre-spun fibre) or yarn (post-spun fibre): low (no-till combined with warm water retting), average (conservation tillage with stand/dew retting) and high (conventional tillage with bio-retting) energy routes considering different agricultural and fibre preparation (retting) methods.

The analysis for natural fibres assumes that flax plants are grown until mid-point flowering then dessicated with glyphosate to reduce energy use at the decortication stage. As no seed is produced, the fibre is the only high value product. Further, the by-/co-products (short fibre for paper or animal bedding and dust for fuel briquettes) are not apportioned any of the environmental burdens from the growth of the plant, but are discounted post-separation as they become products in their own right. The raw data is thus amenable to reinterpretation where the burdens are allocated on the basis of mass or economic value.

The best agricultural practice for the flax fibre production was identified as the no-till method combined with warm water retting. The environmental credentials for flax fibre can be further improved by using organic fertilisers and biological control of pests. Spinning is the most energy intensive fibre processing operation hence by eliminating this operation, energy use and the associated environmental impacts could be reduced. Based on the energy analysis, continuous glass fibre reinforcement appears to be superior to spun flax yarn but glass fibre mat and flax sliver are equivalent and embody similar quantities of energy per tonne. The environmental benefit arising from substitution of glass fibres by natural fibre is dependent on the chosen reinforcement format. The key consideration is to use sliver (pre-spun fibres) as reinforcement in polymer matrix composites instead of yarn.

The e-thesis (4.227 MB PDF) is now available from the Plymouth Electronic Archive and Research Library (PEARL). 

In a 2017 analysis of the LCA for flax fibres as the reinforcement for composites, comparisons were made dependent on the allocation of environmental burdens in two different scenaria: (i) flax seed as a nutritional supplement with fibre generated from the waste stream, or (ii) flax fibre as the primary product.

If you have an interest in this topic, then please contact John Summerscales

Book chapter arising from this research:
NPJ Dissanayake and J Summerscales, Life Cycle Assessment for natural fibre composites, Chapter for Vijay Kumar Thakur (editor): Green Composites from Natural Resources, Taylor & Francis Group LLC, USA, submitted 27 November 2012. ISBN 978-1-4665-7069-6.

Journal publications arising from this research:
J Summerscales, N Dissanayake, W Hall and AS Virk
A review of bast fibres and their composites. Part 1: fibres as reinforcements
Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, October 2010, 41(10), 1329-1335.
J Summerscales, N Dissanayake, W Hall and AS Virk
A review of bast fibres and their composites. Part 2: composites
Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, October 2010, 41(10), 1336-1344.
NPJ Dissanayake, J Summerscales, SM Grove, and MM Singh
Energy Use in the Production of Flax Fiber for the Reinforcement of Composites
Journal of Natural Fibers, October 2009, 6(4), 331-346.
NPJ Dissanayake, J Summerscales, SM Grove, and MM Singh
Life cycle impact assessment of flax fibre for the reinforcement of composites
Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy, September 2009, 3(3), 245-248.
Conference papers arising from this research:
John Summerscales and Nilmini Dissanayake
Allocation in LCA of flax fibres for the reinforcement of composites
Ecocomp 2017: Sustainable Fibres, Polymers and Composites, NetComposites, Coventry, 09-10 May 2017.
John Summerscales and NPJ Dissanayake
Allocation in LCA of flax fibres for the reinforcement of composites
3rd International Conference on Natural Fibers, Braga – PORTUGAL, 21-23 June 2017 (274), 383-384.
John Summerscales and Nilmini P J Dissanayake,
Allocation in the life cycle assessment (LCA) of flax fibres for the reinforcement of composites
21st International Conference on Composite Materials, Xi’an ~ China, 20-25 August 2017.
John Summerscales and Nilmini Dissanayake
Keynote lecture: Allocation in the life cycle assessment (LCA) of flax fibres for the reinforcement of composites
5th International Conference on Innovative Natural Fibre Composites for Industrial Applications,
Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome ~ ITALY, 05-06 October 2017.
NPJ Dissanayake, J Summerscales, SM Grove and MM Singh
Quantitative life cycle analysis for flax fibres
International Conference on Natural Fibres
LONDON, 14-15 December 2009.
NPJ Dissanayake, J Summerscales, SM Grove and MM Singh
Quantitative life cycle analysis for flax fibres
International Conference on Composite Materials (ICCM-17)
EDINBURGH, 27-31 July 2009.
NPJ Dissanayake, J Summerscales, SM Grove and MM Singh
Life cycle impact assessment of flax fibre for the reinforcement of composites
Second International Conference on Innovative Natural Fibre Composites for Industrial Applications
ROME – Italy, 15-18 April 2009 (refereed in JBMBE, 2009).
NPJ Dissanayake, J Summerscales, SM Grove and MM Singh
Life cycle impact assessment of flax fibre for the reinforcement of composites
International Conference on Manufacturing of Advanced Composites
BELFAST, 18-19 March 2009.
NPJ Dissanayake, HN Dhakal, SM Grove, MM Singh, J Summerscales
Optimisation of energy use in the production of flax fibre as reinforcement for composites
International Conference on Flax and Other Bast Plants (Fiber Foundations - Transportation, Clothing and Shelter in the Bioeconomy)
SASKATOON (Saskatchewan), Canada, 21-23 July 2008
Abstract #10, pages 47-58. ISBN-13: 978-0-9809664-0-4.
CORRECTION: This paper did not recognise the full implications of mass loss during the process and hence reports lower embodied energies than the corrected data reported in the JNF paper.
NPJ Dissanayake, J Summerscales, SM Grove, MM Singh
Infusion of natural vs. synthetic fibre composites with similar reinforcement architecture in the context of a LCA
9th International Conference on Flow Processes in Composite Materials
MONTRÉAL (Québec) – Canada, 8-10 July 2008.
CD-ROM/pdf/z_poster/19.pdf. Book of abstracts page 124.
NPJ Dissanayake, J Summerscales, SM Grove and MM Singh
Comparative life cycle assessment for natural vs glass fibres as reinforcement for composites
Composites Innovation 2007 - improved sustainability and environmental performance
BARCELONA – Spain, 4-5 October 2007.
NPJ Dissanayake, J Summerscales, SM Grove and MM Singh, Comparative life cycle assessment for natural vs glass fibres as reinforcement for composites
Conference: Sustainable Materials, Polymers and Composites
COVENTRY, 11 September 2007.
Presentation
View the  PowerPoint presentation for a talk on this project. In addition to the formal conference presentations, it has been presented at:
Research Seminar, University of East London
25 November 2009.
Research Seminar, University of Plymouth
26 January 2011.
Workshop on Fibre Crops: agronomy and end uses, National Institute of Agricultural Botany
NIAB Innovation Farm – Cambridge,
19 October 2011.
Research Seminar, Portsmouth University
02 November 2011.