Alcides Leão, a Brazilian research scientist and the study leader for this particular project, has found value in agro-waste. Leão addressed the National American Society in a meeting a couple of weeks ago. Apparently the properties of Banana’s and Pineapples are proving to be very beneficial for the Automotive industry at the moment. According to Leão, the leaves and stems of fruit with tough skins such as these could play a massive part in the future of Automotive plastics for the future. The unique fibers in these particular fruits have remarkable properties and nano-cellulose that can help to reinforce plastic by making them more sustainable, stronger and lighter. Leão said at the meeting “the properties of these plants are incredible”. The fibers from the fruit can reinforce plastic to build dashboards, bumpers and side panels.
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| Not just a juicy, fruity, refreshing snack... |
It is costly - less than one-half kilo of nano-cellulose is needed to produce 45 kilos of super-strong light weight plastic material. However, the nano-cellulose-reinforced plastic is 30% lighter and as much as four times stronger than petroleum-based plastic and easily matches carbon fiber and fiberglass.
However expensive, this makes the car more durable and because it will make the car lighter, it will also improve fuel economy. Not to mention more resistant to damage from heat, spilled gasoline, water and oxygen.
Leão goes on to explain how the fibers will help to make plastics even more eco-friendly than ever before. "Before it [plastic] was 50 percent non-biodegradable, non-renewable, that was the plastic based on oil and now we end up with 100 percent bio-degradable, bio-renewable material."
So what could this mean for the future? At the moment, Leão is only focusing on replacing automotive parts for the automotive industry, which he thinks will be available within 2 years time. Parts have already been tested by automotive companies who have said that the results have been “favourable”. But certainly in the future Leão explains how he would like to use this nano-cellulose technology for use in other industries such as medicine and medical equipment; lightening the load for artificial hips for example. He also believes that eventually this technology could possibly replace aluminium and steel automotive parts in the future.
