Natural fiber reinforced composite panel and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11180891-B2
Application number	US-201816219305-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2018
Priority date	Aug 9, 2013
Publication date	Nov 23, 2021
Grant date	Nov 23, 2021

Abstract

A method of making a natural fiber composite panel includes extracting bamboo fibers from bamboo and embedding the extracted bamboo fibers in a polymer matrix material. The bamboo includes bamboo fibers and lignin, and the step of extracting includes mechanically scraping the bamboo fibers to remove at least some of the lignin. In some cases, the bamboo is steamed, soaked in water, soaked in an acidic solution and/or soaked in an alkaline solution before mechanical scraping.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of making a natural fiber composite panel, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) extracting bamboo fibers from bamboo, wherein the bamboo includes bamboo fibers and lignin; and
(b) embedding the extracted bamboo fibers in a polymer matrix material,
wherein step (a) includes mechanically scraping the bamboo fibers to remove at least some of the lignin.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of steaming the bamboo before mechanically scraping the bamboo fibers.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of removing non-fibrous cellulosic material during the step of mechanically scraping.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of treating the bamboo before mechanically scraping the bamboo fibers, wherein the step of treating includes soaking the bamboo in liquid water, steaming the bamboo, soaking the bamboo in an acidic solution, soaking the bamboo in an alkaline solution, or any combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the bamboo fibers embedded in the polymer matrix material in step (b) include bamboo fibers having a length that is the same as a length before the step of treating.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein after lignin removal, the bamboo fibers include bamboo fibers having a length that is the same as a length before lignin removal.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bamboo fibers embedded in the polymer matrix material in step (b) have an average length at least 50 times a thickness of the panel.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of bamboo fiber length to panel thickness is in a range from 50 to 100.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (b) includes combining the bamboo fibers with the polymeric matrix material in pellet form, and bamboo fiber length is at least one order of magnitude greater than a length of the pellets.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bamboo fibers are wet during the step of mechanical scraping.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising treating the bamboo to obtain bamboo fiber strips, wherein the step of mechanically scraping the bamboo fibers is performed on said strips.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of treating includes treating the bamboo with a liquid and/or a vapor comprising a solvent before the step of mechanically scraping.

Assignees

• Univ Michigan Regents
• Optimal Inc

Inventors

• Banu Mihaela
• Hu Shixin Jack
• Kim Tae Hyung
• Young Song Ling

Classifications

• B27N3/12 Primary

  from fibres · CPC title

• D21C5/00

  Other processes for obtaining cellulose, e.g. cooking cotton linters (obtaining fibres for spinning D01C); {Processes characterised by the choice of cellulose-containing starting materials} · CPC title

• D21C3/04

  with acids, acid salts or acid anhydrides {(D21C3/003 and D21C3/222 take precedence)} · CPC title

• D21H23/24 Primary

  during paper manufacture · CPC title

• Y02B10/30

  Wind power · CPC title