Developing Local Agave Natural Fibre Composites (DLANComp)

Abstract

The project is highly relevant in at least three thematic areas namely Environment and Climate Change, High Value-Added Manufacturing and Aerospace and Maritime Transport.

The overall objective of DLANComp is to replace the carbon and glass fibres in fibre composites with natural fibres successfully extract natural fibres from locally growing agave plants. These plants can thrive when left unattended in poor soil conditions with little irrigation and can utilise barren land not suitable for agriculture. The fibres are processed into yarns and mats for use in bio composites using an epoxy-based bio resin. The work examines the fibres’ mechanical characteristics and optimises the fibre volume fraction to produce a fit for purpose bio-composite. The project increases economic activity in the agricultural area, in processing the natural fibre into different forms, in designing eco-friendly components and in fibre and eco composite component exports. The project is multidisciplinary in nature namely plant biology for studying different types of agaves, chemistry for studying the fibre/resin adhesion properties and mechanical engineering for developing and optimising the material and mechanical components utilising the eco composite.

The main outputs of the project will be natural fibre products that can be used for the different techniques to fabricate fibre composite components. These techniques can be hand layup, resin infusion or filament winding. The expected impact is a reduction in the use of synthetic fibres and greenhouse gas emissions and increased agricultural, processing and engineering design activities.

The main beneficiaries will be the maritime, aerospace and automotive industries but other applications can be found in the renewable energy sector, components for the offshore and land-based wind turbines, in architecture, in home and commercial interior design, and for non-structural and possibly even structural applications.