Abstract
Composite materials, such as carbon fibre reinforced epoxies, provide more efficient structures than conventional materials through light-weighting, but the associated high energy demand during production can be extremely detrimental to the environment. Biocomposites are an emerging material class with the potential to reduce a product’s through-life environmental impact relative to wholly synthetic composites. As with most materials, there are challenges and opportunities with the adoption of biocomposites at the each stage of the life cycle. Life Cycle Engineering is a readily available tool enabling the qualification of a product’s performance, and environmental and financial impact, which can be incorporated in the conceptual development phase. Designers and engineers are beginning to actively include the environment in their workflow, allowing them to play a significant role in future sustainability strategies. This review will introduce Life Cycle Engineering and outline how the concept can offer support in the Design for the Environment, followed by a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of biocomposites throughout their life cycle.
Highlights
It has been reported that Natural Fibre Reinforced Polymer (NFRP) consume around 63% less energy than glass fibre reinforced polymers (GFRPs) during their entire life cycle [19]
Design for Repurpose (DeRp)—Repurposing a structure for a secondary role, with the least amount of processing and transportation possible to minimise the environmental impact (EI). This has been limited to predominantly low technology readiness levels (TRL) demonstrators to date, there has been some success with repurposing end of life (EOL) wind turbine blades into urban furniture
The biodegradability and potential for thermoplastics to be reformed mean that they remain strong candidates for suitable NFRP pairing, but the low mechanical performance and creep drawback of bio-based thermoplastics are the main barriers to wider uptake [111]
Summary
Fibre reinforced polymer composites have been pursued as light-weighting solutions for commercial industries for decades, with their versatility and specific properties offering valuable technical advantages over traditional engineering materials, such as steel or aluminium. The benefits of adopting BCs over FRP composites are evident within the academic literature They are produced from naturally-renewable and abundant precursor feedstocks, and possess properties equivalent, on a weight basis, to their synthetic counterparts. Whilst they are potentially biodegradable at the end of their service lives, it is important to note that composites containing bio-based constituents will not guarantee biodegradability, a topic covered in more detail in the work of Sahari and Sapuann [11]. Their market uptake has been limited to date, and this review presents the challenges to commercialisation and explores promising opportunities for design with greener materials within the composites industry
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