Renewable resource-based lightweight biocomposites for sustainable manufacturing

该申请提出了一项综合研究计划，用于生产基于可再生资源的碳质生物复合材料，这种材料比汽车零部件制造中的石油基玻璃纤维复合材料轻得多（例如约20%）。每减轻一磅重量都有利于汽车制造商，因为他们正在努力达到新的企业平均燃油经济性（CAFE）标准，即到2025年，车队的平均燃油经济性为54.5英里/加仑。为了利用生物复合材料在轻量化、可再生、低碳足迹和减少温室气体（GHG）排放方面的优势，该计划将应用严格的、创造性的科学来解决关键的技术障碍。***申请人建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）来克服与复合材料应用中使用生物纤维相关的挑战。天然纤维在当前生物复合材料应用中的主要限制是：成品中的有害气味和美观性，低温性限制了其在工程塑料增强材料中的应用，亲水性和供应链问题。除了满足汽车零部件使用的性能属性要求外，实现从非食物和废物生物质中挖掘最大价值的新想法是解决供需缺口的重点。***与世界上其他主要关注能源回收的热解研究活动不同，该计划侧重于前沿的可持续材料。实验方法是将生物基共混基质体系与碳化生物质（通过低温热解）混合增强得到的层次（宏观-微-纳米）增强与纳米和微生物碳（通过高温热解得到）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在大批量工业应用中得到应用。***拟议的研究活动及时、创新，并处于国际领先地位。研究成果将有助于生物复合材料设计和工程领域的基础知识发现，包括生物聚合物混合物，增容和耐久性添加剂的使用，绿色表面改性，加工技术，分子结构和功能性能。这个跨学科的项目将通过鼓励团队创造性地解决定义明确的技术障碍来发展HQP。通过与工业界合作，了解规模扩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前沿的未来领导者

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.**