Biocomposites




 * Biocomposites**

Biocomposites are materials, usually for building and construction, formed by a resin matrix and reinforced by natural fibers (usually derived from plants or cellulose) rather than artificial petrochemical fillers (1).


 * General Pros and Cons (To be expanded):**

Pros Cons
 * Relatively cheap compared to traditional composite materials like fiberboard
 * Biodegradable
 * Have a high strength-to-weight ratio that makes them competitive with traditional composite materials (2)
 * Decomposition in alkaline environment
 * High moisture absorption
 * variability in mechanical and physical properties (3)


 * Properties (Coming Soon)**


 * Applications** (4)
 * Furniture
 * Automotive insulation/interior trim
 * Carpeting
 * Packing Material
 * Radiation Shielding
 * Lightweight structural uses
 * Decks/Docks
 * Window Frames
 * Silicon/Polyimide replacement in circuit boards
 * Cosmetics

There are many companies that offer biocomposite materials. Iowa-based MCG BioComposites, LLC., for example, provides corn fiber and polyethylene pellets for use in injection-molding.(5) More relevant for our team is the type of biocomposite produced by e2e Materials, a growing company based out of Ithaca, NY. e2e produces furniture, cabinetry, and wood products from petroleum-free mixtures of "soy proteins and grass fibers such as jute, flax, and kenaf." (6)
 * Production:**


 * Availability:**

e2e is in the process of expanding to a larger manufacturing facility, so production status and availability is uncertain as of February 2012.


 * Links:**


 * [|e2e Materials]**


 * [|MCG Biocomposites, LLC.]**

Sources: (1) "Biocomposite," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biocomposite (2) Maya, John Jacob, and Thomas Sabu. "Biofibres and Biocomposites." //Carbohydrate Polymers// 71.8 (2008): 343-64. //Science Direct//. School of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, India. Web. 28 Feb. 2012. . (3) Golbabie, Mahsa. "Applications of Biocomposites in Building Industry." Web. . (4) Maya and Sabu, "Biofibres and Biocomposites." (5) http://www.mcgbiocomposites.com/materials.html (6) "No Compromises Biocomposites," http://www.e2ematerials.com/?action=no_compromise_biocomposites