I-Corps: Toward commercializing cellulose fiber-reinforced polymer composites

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is commercialization of a method of making superior composites with enhanced benefits that are sustainable and environmentally friendly. The new technology could revolutionize the composite industry, especially manufacturing sectors that rely on these materials, such as building, construction, automobiles, and aircraft. Greater use of wood fibers in producing composites also could be a boost to the paper industry by providing an important new use for wood pulp, since cellulose fiber extracted from paper is a raw material for the product of this project. Because the cellulose (or wood) is renewable and based on agricultural products, the composite materials would biodegrade after their service life without harming the environment. The project will impact the demand in the U.S. composites market that is projected to reach over $10 billion by 2019, at a compound annual growth rate of about seven percent, and provide training to the project participants in the process of converting the new technology into a market-ready product.This I-Corps project addresses a long lasting goal of developing new environmentally friendly and sustainable materials by creating high-performance polymer composites reinforced by natural fibers with superior load-bearing properties. The project involves a new technology that uses natural cellulose (or wood) fibers to reinforce plastic materials. Using cellulose (or wood fibers) in the direct conversion of the polymer building blocks called monomers allows manufacturers to eliminate the melting stage, which is when the materials are shaped, then later solidified into various products. The new processing technology involves taking the wood fibers, usually within paper, and placing them in a mold, then injecting a "reaction" mixture used to make the polymers. The process is down a low relative temperature thus leaving the fibers with their intrinsic structural integrity and mechanical strength and stiffness.