How Possible to Replace or Reduce Synthetic Materials?
Mechanical design and life assessment of engineering applications strongly depend on the stiffness-rigidity balance of materials. The composite industry used to rely on only synthetic fibers as load-carrying reinforcements. However, the green deal paves the way for sustainable choices in composite materials. Here comes the good news; recent research has demonstrated that natural fibers are sustainable alternatives to either replace glass fibers or reduce carbon fibers in certain applications via design.
Natural fiber composites, especially the ones consisting of aligned fibers, have the potential to meet demands in terms of high stiffness and reasonable strength as well. Besides performance and sustainability, much better noise-vibration-harshness properties and easy-handling are the bonus! The key point is the accurate design of both reinforcement and the final product. BPREG offer required expertise and integrative engineering in natural fibers to enable the successful application.
Why Natural Fibers?
In BPREG, we focus on plant fibers, flax & hemp, as substitutes to traditional synthetic composite reinforcements. The rationale behind our choice is obvious: both plants perform high mechanical properties if they are cultivated, harvested, processed, and engineered correctly. High-quality flax and hemp are cultivated throughout the centuries in Anatolia; where BPREG is located. Together with our R&D Cooperative named Dongu (means `circular` in Turkish), we already have the know-how and experience to control the value-chain from seed to advanced composite.
The fiber production from flax & hemp is carbon-neutral, and producing zero waste as all parts of the plant are used. These plants consume only 1/5 of the energy used in the production of glass fiber and do not require irrigation water; in another saying suitable for dry agriculture. The use of pesticides is not necessary, as these plants have no pests. Finally, several life-cycle assessment (LCA) studies have reported that natural fiber-reinforced composites are environmentally superior to glass and carbon fiber-reinforced composites.
Our prepregs and fabrics are compatible with thermoplastic and thermoset applications; there is no need for new tooling, equipment, or machinery.
Our unidirectional and woven prepregs are thermoplastic composites. They are suitable for all thermoforming processes such as compression molding, vacuum molding, injection overmolding, and automated tape laying.
Our UD tapes can be processed with tape weaving, tape placement, and braiding.
Our dry fabrics can be processed with either thermoset resins via vacuum
infusion and resin transfer molding (RTM) or thermoplastic film/sheet/powder via compression molding.
We offer partly bio-based (up to 70%) material solutions combining natural fibers with polypropylene (PP) which offer total recyclability with optimized industrial cost and performance. We can also offer biodegradable material solutions combining natural fibers with biodegradable polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA).
None of our natural fiber reinforced composites release VOC emission and unpleasant odor. According to test results, there is no unpleasant odor after aging in humidity, both at 38C degree/ 95%RH/ 1000h and 70C degree /55%RH/ 1000.
Natural fibers can withstand UV light. The polymers we use in EcoRein/W are UV-resistant grades.
Our natural fiber reinforced composites are compatible with varied materials such as non-woven and wovens (natural, glass, or carbon fiber based), decorative fabrics, and honeycomb structures.
Simply no! Neither Turkish nor European flax is grown by competing directly with food crops. Quite the opposite, flax & hemp are good crop rotation plants that reduce the use of fertilizers and the phosphate load in the soil.