IIT Mandi team innovates eco-friendly fibre-reinforced plastics from jute and kenaf through microwave energy

In the name of development and innovation, we are depleting our natural resources faster than ever. Reports suggest that by 2050, earth will become uninhabitable, and we might be forced to colonise space as our alternative home.

Looking at the alarming rate at which we are exhausting Earth’s natural resources, many institutes and scientists are finding ways to develop materials that are closer to nature, and are environmentally friendly.

A team led by Sunny Zafar, Assistant Professor at IIT Mandi, and his research student, Manoj Kumar Singh, has developed thermoplastic fibre-reinforced composites using jute and kenaf, through a process called 'microwave curing'.

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Zafar and his team are looking to use this as a replacement for conventional fibres such as fibre reinforced plastic (FRP), as they are biodegradable and reduce greenhouse gas emission.

Today, FRP mostly finds its use in various applications, ranging from aerospace systems to automotive, industrial, and consumer products. It is light in weight, and has better mechanical properties such as strength and hardness. Some of the common FRP materials include glass, carbon, and aramid.

But due to the high cost of production, and non-biodegradability, scientists across the world are looking to replace the existing FRPs.

Speaking to YourStory about his research, Zafar said,

Natural fibres aren’t strong when compared to synthetic fibres like carbon fibre, and others. But now, we are using the microwave curing method, which is cheap, and offers a high temperature to allow better-processed products.

Manoj says manufacturing these composites with natural fibres has a lot of advantages, including job creation in rural India. These materials also consume less energy, and are cheap to produce.

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Speaking on the relevance of their work in the Indian context, Manoj said,

Thermoplastic-based natural fibre-reinforced composites undoubtedly offer advantages like biodegradability, but the greater incentive for developing such FRPs in India is the availability of a variety of fibres, possibility of job creation in rural areas, low energy utilisation and consumption, and low cost.

According to Zafar, more studies are required to overcome obstacles such as moisture absorption and reduced long-term stability in natural fibre-reinforced composites. As of now, the composites have the potential to be used in many non-demanding applications that do not require very high load-bearing capabilities or high-temperature working capacity, with little environmental impact.

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