JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #67 - August/September 2011 - 21

industry. Additionally, it becomes necessary to use carbon fibre in the new generations of wind turbine blades with lengths of over 50 metres where, for weight reasons, it replaces part of the glass fibre. Although China’s production of carbon-fibre-based composites is based mainly on imported fibre, this situation is likely to change over the next two years as multiple carbon fibre plants come on stream in China. One of the major challenges in obtaining high-quality carbon fibre is the technical performance of the precursor and, for this reason, most of the carbon fibre lines being started up are linked to existing producers of acrylic fibre.

Natural-fibre-based composites continue to grow
The global production of natural-fibre-based composites grew an estimated 11% in 2010 to reach 1.8 mln. tons, equal to the most recent peak of 2008. This market is dominated by the

fibre-based composites production is the USA, with almost 50% of global production recovering by 4% to 815 kt in 2010, but still not at the most recent 2008 peak of 1.1 mln. tons. This sector has been particularly hard hit by the difficult situation in the US Fig.4 : 2010e share of global naturalfibre-based composites production housing market. The World total 2010 (est.): 1.8 mln tons bulk of the market is in very large wood polymer WPC end uses. composite (WPC) segment China has been steadily (extruded products for decking increasing its production of and fencing particularly strong WPC for the past several years in the USA) and the carded mat and its production grew by 39% sector, which up to now mainly in 2010. A significant part of the supplies automotive and production was destined for construction parts. Carded mats export to the USA but, due to can either be made with 100% the market situation, more focus natural fibres and then presshas been given to exports to moulded with liquid resins such Europe and developing as epoxy, or they can be made consumption in the domestic with a blend of natural and Chinese market. So far, not polypropylene fibres which can much development has taken then be hot-stamped, with the place for the natural-fibre-based PP fibres melting to form the mats segment but China has a matrix. large production of flax and it is The largest region for naturallikely this sector will develop in

the future. EU27 production of naturalfibre-based composites grew by a high 25% in 2010 to reach 225 kt, the bulk of this growth coming from the WPC sector. The rest of the word’s production of natural-fibrebased composites grew an estimated 4% in 2010 to reach 408 kt. This region has registered an unbroken steady growth of these products in recent years and, with many countries in this group being large growers of natural fibres and the high focus on sustainable materials, it is likely that this segment will grow especially in these countries.
More information: am@connectra.biz This article is based on an extract of information from a presentation given at the JEC Composites Economic Conference held during the JEC Exhibition held in March 2011. The proceedings of that conference are available from JEC.

No67 August - September 2011 / jec composites magazine

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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #67 - August/September 2011

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