Interest in composites from renewable and sustainable resources is expanding rapidly. Even if research and innovation in plant fibre composites (PFCs) is growing fast, in particular in well-established application sectors (such as automotive and plastic industries, building and construction), the development of structural PFCs is still a result expected but not yet fully achieved. The penetration of PFCs in the market of structural composite is low. Until now, most of the effort has been devoted to the development of short-fibre and non-woven based composites, which are not suitable for structural applications. The main challenges are related to the development of sustainable methods to expand purpose-grown biomass, service-life and long-term durability, design and engineering of bio-based materials that can exhibit tolerance against various external factors. Beyond this, there is also a strong need to develop all-green composites with a good durability and cost efficiency.
In such a context, SSUCHY aimed at exploiting the intrinsic and differentiating properties of plant fibres (in particular, hemp) and biopolymers derived from lignocellulosic feedstock to develop fully bio-based composites with high structural properties and advanced functionalities. The main driver behind this project is not only to substitute conventional fossil-based materials with more sustainable bio-based ones but also to achieve improved functionalities that surpasses those of fossil-based ones. Enhanced functionalities are, in addition to load-bearing resistance and weight reduction of structures, enhanced durability, vibration damping, vibro-acoustic control and fire retardancy. Such developments would provide to the composite industry a significant value and functions added products with high socio-economic impacts and minimized environmental impact. It will create opportunities to expand market applications for bio-based composites to semi-structural and functional applications in transportation along with new opportunities in high added value niches. In addition to the use of renewable constituents, this project also proposes to measure and minimize the environmental impact and energy consumption of the processes. A complete Life Cycle Analysis of the developed products is provided. The proposed methodology was implemented within the framework of a multi-level eco-efficiency approach which covers experimental aspects, as well as process optimization, modelling and design. It comprises three main research axis:
(i) development and optimization of a competitive hemp fibre reinforcements for composite applications,
(ii) development and optimization of two fully bio-based polymers with advanced functionalities, a thermoplastic aliphatic polyester and a thermoset epoxy mainly synthetized from lignin-derived building blocks,
(iii) implementation of advanced functionalities in plant-based materials and structures to prove the concept at the scale of demonstrators.
