Determinant morphological features of flax plant products and their contribution in injection moulded composite reinforcement

Abstract

The use of biomass in injection moulded or extruded thermoplastic composites is an important issue, especially when trying to add value to low-cost co-products. The objective of this work was to conduct a complete study on the morphological characterisation and carbohydrate analysis of a range of co-products obtained during the processing of flax straw. Thus, the morphology of (i) cut flax fibres, (ii) fragmented shives, and (iii) scutching and carding dusts is characterised using a dynamic image analyser with a sieving approach. These different fractions are then used to produce injection moulded composite materials. Their mechanical performances are discussed in relation to the morphology of the reinforcements, as well as their carbohydrate compositions and fine particle contents. Co-products, based on their reinforcement properties, can be classified into three categories. In all cases, a reinforcing effect is demonstrated for the tensile Young's modulus with an increase from +24 to +137% depending of the material. A linear relationship was observed between the cellulose content of reinforcing material and the tensile strength at break of the injection moulded composites. The results are promising for adding value to all flax co-products in plastics processing, targeting industrial applications in line with their intrinsic performances.