COTTON-BASED COMPOSITES FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS

摘要

The rationale behind this research has been to produce compostable cotton fiber-based composites that can be safely disposed off after their intended use without polluting the environment,in an environmentally safe manner.It is evident from studies being done at the University of Tennessee,University of Bremen,Germany and USDA,New Orleans,that by suitably combining cotton,with an appropriate thermoplastic biodegradable fiber in the right combination,a moldable fabric can be produced.These cotton-based nonwovens are being manufactured using blends of cotton,flax and a biodegradable thermoplastic fiber.Cellulose acetate,Eastar. Biomax,and other thermoplastic polymers/fibers will function as the binders,thus eliminating the use of any nonbiodegradable synthetic fiber or a chemical binder.Preliminary studies have shown that composites with good tensile properties can be produced from such combinations.