Renewable resource-based lightweight biocomposites for sustainable manufacturing

这项申请提出了一项全面的研究计划，用于生产可再生资源型碳质生物复合材料，这些复合材料比汽车零部件制造中基于石油的玻璃纤维复合材料要轻得多(例如~20%)。每减轻一磅重量对汽车制造商都是有利的，因为他们正在努力达到新的企业平均燃油经济性(CAFE)标准，到2025年车队平均每加仑行驶54.5英里。为了利用生物复合材料在重量轻、可再生、低碳足迹和减少温室气体(GHG)排放方面的优势，该计划将应用严谨、创造性的科学来解决关键的技术障碍。 申请人提议通过一种新的多样化方法重新发明生物复合材料，其中将利用热化学生物质转化(热解)来克服与将生物纤维用于复合材料应用相关的挑战。目前天然纤维在生物复合材料应用中的主要制约因素是：成品中不想要的气味和美观，耐低温限制了其在工程塑料增强中的使用，亲水性和供应链问题。除了满足汽车零部件的性能特性要求外，实现从非食品和废物生物质中获得最大价值的新想法的实施，是这里解决供需缺口的重点。 与世界各地其他主要关注能源回收的热解研究活动不同，该计划专注于尖端可持续材料。实验方法是将生物基共混基质体系与生物固化物混杂增强体(低温热解)和纳米和微米生物碳(高温热解)相结合，制备新型生物复合材料。这项研究将创造长期的竞争优势，使新型生物复合材料能够在大量工业应用中使用。 拟议的研究活动是及时的、创新的和处于国际前沿的。研究成果将有助于发现生物复合材料设计和工程领域的基本知识，包括生物聚合物混合物、耐久性的增容和添加剂使用、绿色表面改性、加工技术、分子结构和功能性能。这一跨学科计划将通过激励基于团队的创造性解决方案来开发HQP，以明确定义的技术障碍。通过与业界合作了解放大和其他现实世界的需求，HQP将提高他们的基础知识，以便成为先进生物复合材料科学工业应用的未来领先者。

This application proposes a comprehensive research program for producing renewable resource-based carbonaceous biocomposites that are significantly lighter (e.g. ~20%) than their petro-based glass fiber composite counterparts for automotive parts manufacturing. Every pound of weight saving is beneficial to automakers as they strive to achieve new corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards, a fleet average of 54.5 mpg by 2025. To exploit the benefits of biocomposite materials in terms of their lightweighting, renewability, low carbon footprint and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emission this program will apply rigorous, creative science to solve critical technical barriers. The applicant proposes to re-invent biocomposites through a new diversified approach where thermo-chemical biomass conversion (pyrolysis) will be utilized to overcome the challenges associated with the use of biofibres for composite applications. The dominant constraints for natural fibres in current biocomposite uses are: unwanted odor and aesthetics in their finished products, low temperature resistance limiting their uses for engineering plastic reinforcements, hydrophilicity and supply chain issues. The implementation of novel ideas to exploit maximum value from non-food and waste biomasses for carbonaceous biobased reinforcements is the focus here to address both the supply and demand gap in addition to achieving performance attributes requirements for auto-part uses. Unlike other research activities on pyrolysis across the world that mainly focus on energy recovery, this program focuses on cutting-edge sustainable materials. The experimental method is to fabricate novel biocomposites by combining biobased blend matrix systems with hierarchical (macro-micro-nano) reinforcement obtained from hybrid reinforcements of torrefied biomass (through low temperature pyrolysis) in conjunction with nano- and micro-biocarbon (obtained through high temperature pyrolysis). The research will create long term competitive advantage enabling novel biocomposite uses in high volume industrial applications. The proposed research activities are timely, innovative and at the leading edge internationally. Research outcomes will contribute to fundamental knowledge discovery in the area of design and engineering of biocomposites that encompass biopolymer blends, compatibilization and additive use for durability, green surface modifications, processing technologies, molecular structure and functional performance. This cross-disciplinary program will develop HQP by stimulating team-based creative solutions to well-defined technical obstacles. Through working with industry to understand scale-up and other real world requirements, HQP will improve their fundamental knowledge in order to be future leaders on the leading edge of industrial use of advanced biocomposite science.