Food and Agriculture Organization

Action to Unlock Commercial Fibre Potential

Multi-Stakeholder Consultation Held in
Conjunction with the Intergovernmental
Group on Hard Fibers and the
Intergovernmental Group on Jute Kenaf
and Allied Fibers

Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, November 15, 2011

1
College of Agricultural Sciences
Campus of Botucatu
Brazil
Coordinator: Prof. Alcides Lopes Leão

E-mail: alcidesleao@fca.unesp.br

55(14)3811-7257 - BRAZIL 2
NATURAL FIBERS FOR
COMPOSITES
APPLICATIONS
 Proverbs

• “Technology is dominated by two

types of people: those who
understand what they manage, and
those who manage what they do
not understand”
Putt’s Law

We must fully understand the composites

equation (matrix/reinforcements/load)
 Opportunities for
Natural Fibers
• Short Fibers
• Long Fibers
• Intercropping
• By-products
• Residues
• Field Waste
• Industrial Waste
5
Base Bio vs. Base Fossil

6
 NF Must be Sustainable
Triangulo de
Campbell
United States: The Revis family of North
Carolina
Food Expenditure for 1 week ≈ $342

9
 Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo
Food Expenditure for 1 week ≈ $68.50

10
 Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo
Food Expenditure for 1 week ≈ $31.55

11
 Chad: The Aboubakar family of
Breidjing Camp
Food Expenditure for 1 week ≈ $1.23

12
NOT Competing with Food

• Preventing rural exodus

• Using local labour forces
• Environmentally sound
• PROFITABLE for the growers as
well as for the industry
• Biogenics versus Non-biogenics
• Green Product / Green Process
• Ecomenia (ecological + profitable)
 CLASSIFICATION OF NATURAL FIBRES
NATURAL FIBRES
PLANT ANIMAL MINERAL

BAST LEAF SEEDS FRUIT GRASS WOOD WOOLS AND HAIR Asbestos

Flax Ananas Cotton Coir Bamboo hardwood Sheep Glass

(Linum Usitatissimum) (Ananas Bracteatus) (Gossypium) (Cocos Nucifera) (Bambusa Shreb.) (Ovis Aries)

Hemp Sisal Coir Luffa Totora softwood Alpaca Mineral Wool

(Scirpus (Lama Pacos)
(Cannabis Sativa) (Agave Sisalana) (Cocos Nucifera) (Luffa Aegyptiaca)
Californicus)

Camel
Kenaf Abaca Kapok (Camelus
Basalt
(Hibiscus Cannabinus) (Musa Textilis Nee) (Ceiba Pentandra) Bactrianus)

Soya
Jute Curaua (Glycine)
Goat Ceramic
(Corchorus Capsularis) (Ananas Erectifolius) (Genus Capra)

Ramie Cabuya Poplar Horse Aluminium

(Furcraea Andina) (Populus Tremula) (Equus Caballus)
(Boechmeria Nivea)

Isora Rabbit
Palm Calotropis (Oryctolagus
Borate
(Helicteres Isora) (Calotropis Procera) Cuniculus)

African Palm Vicuna Silicate

(Lama Vicugna)

Chambira SILK Carbon

(Astrocaryum Chambira)

Opuntia Natural
(Opuntia Galapagos) (Bombyx Mori L)

Paja Spider Silk

(Araneus Diadematus)
(Carludovica Palmata)

Jukka
(Yucca L)
Natural Fibers:
• Taboa (Typha domingensis)
• Sisal
Newcomers:
• Jute Piaçava
• Fique Imbira
• Abaca Caroá
• Pineapple
• Curaua
• Banana
• Coir
• Pulp & Paper sludge
• Peanut shells and
• Rice Husk
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Totora – Huros at Lake Titicaca
Big Cat footstep nearby
a curaua plantation

Curaua fruits where

are extracted seeds
for in vitro
reproduction
Curaua in
Consortium
with
Eucalyptus

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18
Chemical Composition of Some
Vegetable Fibres
Main physical properties of cellulose based fibres
compared with conventional synthetic fibres
 Fibers Composition
Item Taboa Curaua Pineapple Banana Coir

Extractives 8.5 5.5 2.5 10.6 6.4

Hot Water (%)
Lignin Klason 16.4 11.1 8.5 18.4 32.8
(%)
Holocellulose 71.3 81.2 89.0 68.6 58.4
(%)
Cellulose 35.0 70.4 82.4 64.2 44.2
(%)
Ashes 3.8 2.2 2.0 2.4 2.4
(%)
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 Scientific and Technological
Research?
50 50
45
40
35 Important:
35
30 Proprietary
25 Technology
20
15 Make
15
10 available for
5 LDC
0
Patents Papers Meetings
countries

SciFnder
 Natural Fibers in Science
• First publication word: 1892
• Natural Fibers: 8945 articles and books
• Natural Fibers Composites: 980
• Biobased Composites: 94
• Nanocellulose: 29
• Patents: 4,400

So, reinventing the wheel?

No: Aiming the State of the art!!!!!!!!
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 Challenges Against NF
• Mand made materials
• Low technology image
• Campbell Triangle
• Wood cellulose
• Pulp and Paper residues
• Biofuel
• LCA (Life Cycle Assessment)
• Funding for R&D, (CNPq, FINEP and FAPESP)
• People awareness (< 2%... Trex Corp.)
• Social, Political and Economical Unrest
• Subsidies and xenophoby 24
• ....
Itens Importance (Trex, 2011)

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 Introduction

Global natural fiber composites market reached

$2.1B in 2010, with compound annual growth
rate of 15% in last five years
Automotive & Construction were largest
segment among all natural fiber composite
applications
Bast fiber such as flax, Kenaf, hemp, etc. were
the material of choice for automotive, whereas
wood plastic composite was most preferred by
building and construction players 26
 Introduction

 By 2016, natural fiber composite market

expected to reach $ 3.8B (10% CAGR)
 Rising prices of petroleum based
products, strong government support to
eco-friendly products, higher acceptance
and positive growth of end use industries,
new housing numbers will drive natural
fiber composites growth to new horizon
 Performance improvement in materials
will drive growth for natural fiber
composites in new application areas
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Evolution of Natural Fiber Composites
External Forces Shaping the Natural
Fiber Composites Industry
Growth Opportunities of Natural Fiber Composites