JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #63 - March 2011 - 33

fibre

Hemp:
fibres meant for composites
Natural fibres are destined to develop in the composite sector, to judge by the Maprofi project on “Controlling hemp fibre properties for use in polymer-based agro-composites”, which was officially launched in France in late November 2010.
Franche-Comté regions, giving rise to three main types of resources: long fibres from the outer stem, which are used in the paper industry and in composite materials; shive, consisting of the stem’s inner woody part and which is used for animal bedding, mulch or in the building industry; and the seeds, which are used to produce oil. Champagne-Ardenne regional council, the Aube departmental council and the Champagne-Ardenne bureau of the European regional development fund (ERDF).

he launch of the Maprofi research project was made official last November. The aim of the project is to succeed in controlling the quality of the hemp fibres used in composite materials.

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A dedicated development platform
The Fibres Recherche Développement (FRD®) company is an R&D competence centre and an engineering platform for industrial projects. FRD® works to facilitate new ways to use plant fibres effectively in materials. The company has expertise in the full range of plant-fibre processing procedures, from the initial plant through to the composite material, and plays a central role within the “Industries and Agro-Resources” cluster as the benchmark structure in the sector for plant-fibre-reinforced materials. FRD® especially targets professionals in the building, transportation, and sports & leisure industries who wish to innovate. n
More information: www.f-r-d.fr

Weighty support A project in the making
With a budget of €1.1 M over a period of four years, the Maprofi research project will focus on the influence of cultivation practices, on the links between fibre microstructure and performance, and on fibre behaviour during plastic processing. Hemp fibres have a special appeal in the transportation sector, as their mechanicalreinforcement and low-weight characteristics enable the production of lighter, more environment-friendly composite materials. But apart from these attractive intrinsic properties, you have to gain a better understanding of all the variability factors, such as climate and the growing methods, extraction processes and processing methods used, just as you would for any other plant materials, in order to ensure that there will be high-value-added applications for the fibres. Maprofi will also provide the tools needed for better control over the industrial production. In France, technical hemp is cultivated in the Champagne-Ardenne and
Hemcrete® – a bio-composite material based on hemp to create a zero, or less than zero, carbon rating

The ambitious project is sponsored by the Fibres Recherche Développement (FRD®) company, which is an industrial platform that specializes in developing the use of plant fibres in materials. The project brings together five partners: FRD®; AFT Plasturgie; the UMR FARE joint research unit of the French national agricultural research institute INRA and the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne; the UMR SADV joint research unit of INRA and the University of Lille Nord de France, Lille 1); and LASMIS (French national scientific research institute CNRS/Technology University of Troyes). These partnerships between industry and universities are on the rise, and guarantee the complementarity of the skills needed for the success of such projects. The Maprofi project was selected as part of the “Contrat de Projets Etat/Région 20072013 Recherche Champagne-Ardenne” (a contract for national/regional research projects). It has also been approved by the international “Industries & Agro-Resources” competitive cluster (www.iar-pole.com). It receives financial support from the

No63 March 2011 / jec composites magazine

In brief

FRD® was created in 2008 at the joint request of ten fibre producers and stakeholders in the industry. Its field of activity extends from service providing to joint research projects, including project management, financial engineering, the supply of suitable fibres and availability analyses, materials design and development, technology transfer, life cycle analysis (LCA) and economic feasibility studies.

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Feature sustainability
http://www.f-r-d.fr http://www.iar-pole.com
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #63 - March 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #63 - March 2011
