Abstract
In the EU, sheep bred for dairy and meat purposes are of low quality, their economic value is not even enough to cover shearing costs, and their wool is generally seen as a useless by-product of sheep farming, resulting in large illegal disposal or landfilling. In order to minimize environmental and health-related problems considering elemental compositions of discarded materials such as waste wool, there is a need to recycle and reuse waste materials to develop sustainable innovative technologies and transformation processes to achieve sustainable manufacturing. This study aims to examine the application of waste wool in biocomposite production with the help of a sustainable hydrolysis process without any chemicals and binding material. The impact of superheated water hydrolysis and mixing hydrolyzed wool fibers with kraft pulp on the performance of biocomposite was investigated and characterized using SEM, FTIR, tensile strength, DSC, TGA, and soil burial testing in comparison with 100% kraft pulp biocomposite. The superheated water hydrolysis process increases the hydrophilicity and homogeneity and contributes to increasing the speed of biodegradation. The biocomposite is entirely self-supporting, provides primary nutrients for soil nourishment, and is observed to be completely biodegradable when buried in the soil within 90 days. Among temperatures tested for superheated water hydrolysis of raw wool, 150 °C seems to be the most appropriate for the biocomposite preparation regarding physicochemical properties of wool and suitability for wool mixing with cellulose. The combination of a sustainable hydrolysis process and the use of waste wool in manufacturing an eco-friendly, biodegradable paper/biocomposite will open new potential opportunities for the utilization of waste wool in agricultural and packaging applications and minimize environmental impact.
Highlights
The paper and board sector has been considered the most economically sensitive sector due to a high consumption of energy and water and its being extensively dependent on the forest ecosystem as a source of wood fibers
Among temperatures tested for superheated water hydrolysis of raw wool, 150 ◦C seems to be the most appropriate for the biocomposite preparation regarding physicochemical properties of wool and suitability for wool mixing with cellulose
The use of waste biomass such as raw wool that would otherwise be unused or would form a material to be disposed of in a landfill can find its application to produce a biocomposite with the incorporation of kraft pulp
Summary
The paper and board sector has been considered the most economically sensitive sector due to a high consumption of energy and water and its being extensively dependent on the forest ecosystem as a source of wood fibers. The most significant is a scarcity of raw material resources, primarily due to a mismatch between the raw material’s structure and the structure of fiber resources [5,6]. Considering these challenges, clean technologies, sustainable consumption, bioeconomy, and resource efficiency with the introduction of non-wood fibers are the probable solutions to overcoming these crucial challenges. These solutions will ensure efficient production with low waste of resources and minimal environmental impact along with maximizing recyclability and reusability. Efficient, and abundant resources of non-wood-based fibers from agricultural waste such as straw, hemp, grass, etc.; biomass; non-wood plant species; and low-grade animal fibers can be considered as a profitable and sustainable alternative to overcome the shortage of conventional fibers and reduce deforestation [7,8,9,10]
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