The study investigated the effectiveness of the combination of chemical and physical methods of natural fibers’ modification. The long flax fibers were subjected to various types of modification. These were silanization, plasma... more
The study investigated the effectiveness of the combination of chemical and physical methods of natural fibers’ modification. The long flax fibers were subjected to various types of modification. These were silanization, plasma modification and a combination of these methods. For the silanization process, two types of silanes were used: amino- and vinylsilane. The application of structurally different compounds allowed us to acquire knowledge about the effect of the modifier structure on its properties. Various properties of flax fibers were investigated, comparing the results before and after different modification processes. The flammability of prepared samples were tested by pyrolysis combustion flow calorimeter (PCFC). In the effect of the natural fibers’ modifications, flammability was reduced even by 30%. The thermal stability of modified fibers increased. The FTIR tests of the gases released during thermal degradation of the tested fibers allowed us to determine the important...
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The salinity of European soil is increasing every year, causing severe economic damage (estimated 1–3 million hectares in the enlarged EU). This study uses the biomass of halophytes—tall fescue (grass) and hemp of the Białobrzeskie... more
The salinity of European soil is increasing every year, causing severe economic damage (estimated 1–3 million hectares in the enlarged EU). This study uses the biomass of halophytes—tall fescue (grass) and hemp of the Białobrzeskie variety from saline soils—for bioenergy, second generation biofuels and designing new materials—fillers for polymer composites. In the bioethanol obtaining process, in the first stage, the grass and hemp biomass were pretreated with 1.5% NaOH. Before and after the treatment, the chemical composition was determined and the FTIR spectra and SEM pictures were taken. Then, the process of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) was carried out. The concentration of ethanol for both the grass and hemp biomass was approx. 7 g·L−1 (14 g·100 g−1 of raw material). In addition, trials of obtaining green composites with halophyte biomass using polymers (PP) and biopolymers (PLA) as a matrix were performed. The mechanical properties of the composites (ten...
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The aim of the research is to reduce the flammability of textile materials using a nanocomposite polymer back-coating. Montmorillonite and carbon nanotubes were introduced into the resin using an ultrasonic disintegrator and a high speed... more
The aim of the research is to reduce the flammability of textile materials using a nanocomposite polymer back-coating. Montmorillonite and carbon nanotubes were introduced into the resin using an ultrasonic disintegrator and a high speed homogenizer, and then fabric was covered by the obtained composites. A homogeneous dispersion of carbon nanotubes in polyurethane resin and a polymer intercalation into the montmorillonite platelets were obtained. Coated fabrics showed a significant decrease of the maximum heat release rate, ie about 30 – 40%. Compositions with the addition of organically modified montmorillonite or with carboxylated nanotubes showed the greatest decrease in the rate of heat release.
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Aim of the study is to research influence of additives on the effectiveness of a new fire retardant composition for textiles backcoating. New fire retardant composition mentioned above is based on Expander FR (fire retardant agent... more
Aim of the study is to research influence of additives on the effectiveness of a new fire retardant composition for textiles backcoating. New fire retardant composition mentioned above is based on Expander FR (fire retardant agent previously developed in Institute of Natural Fibres & Medicinal Plants) and mixture of flexible siloxane resin with a vinyl chloride ethylene copolymer. Composition was developed in order to deal with problem of fire protection of fabrics used in upholstery. Due to the the application of this type of fabric it was decided to secure it from the bottom by backcoating. The choice of this method should ensure the greatest durability of fire protective layer. Purpose of the study was to investigate the possibility of improving fire retardant efficiency of mentioned composition by introduction of additives such as: nanosilica, montmorillonite, carbon nanotubes and graphite. Effect of each of the additives on the efficiency of the composition were examined separa...
The aim was to modify products made of natural fibres in order to reduce the composite porosity, reduce flammability and improve the mechanical properties of epoxy laminates. In order to obtain desired properties chemical modification of... more
The aim was to modify products made of natural fibres in order to reduce the composite porosity, reduce flammability and improve the mechanical properties of epoxy laminates. In order to obtain desired properties chemical modification of roving and fabric with use of silanization and flame retardant treatment was conducted. For this purpose different types of silanes and flame retardant compounds were used. Flammability of prepared fibre - samples were tested by microcalorimeter (PCFC). In the effect of natural fibres modifications flammability of reinforcing fibres was reduced even by 400%. Investigations of porosity in natural fibre composites were carried out by X-ray tomography. Improvements of composites flammability was tested according to UL94. Mechanical tests with quasi-static loads according to DIN EN ISO 178 were carried out, to identify optimized modifications in fibre and matrix. By combining flame retardancy and improvement of fibre impregnation, one of the modificatio...
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Nowadays, more and more attention is paid to the development and the intensification of the use of renewable energy sources. Hemp might be an alternative plant for bioenergy production. In this paper, four varieties of Polish industrial... more
Nowadays, more and more attention is paid to the development and the intensification of the use of renewable energy sources. Hemp might be an alternative plant for bioenergy production. In this paper, four varieties of Polish industrial hemp (Białobrzeskie, Tygra, Henola, and Rajan) were investigated in order to determine which of them are the most advantageous raw materials for the effective production of bioethanol. At the beginning, physical and chemical pretreatment of hemp biomass was carried out. It was found that the most effective is the alkaline treatment with 2% NaOH, and the biomasses of the two varieties were selected for next stages of research: Tygra and Rajan. Hemp biomass before and after pretreatment was analyzed by FTIR and SEM, which confirmed the effectiveness of the pretreatment. Next, an enzymatic hydrolysis process was carried out on the previously selected parameters using the response surface methodology. Subsequently, the two approaches were analyzed: separ...