Slashdot Mirror
Biodegradable Fibers As Strong As Steel Made From Wood Cellulose
Zothecula writes "A team of researchers working at Stockholm's KTH Royal Institute of Technology claim to have developed a way to make cellulose fibers stronger than steel on a strength-to-weight basis. In what is touted as a world first, the team from the institute's Wallenberg Wood Science Center claim that the new fiber could be used as a biodegradable replacement for many filament materials made today from imperishable substances such as fiberglass, plastic, and metal. And all this from a substance that requires only water, wood cellulose, and common table salt to create it. The full academic paper is available from Nature Communications."
Is this a Carbon Fiber competitor?
Stronger than steel is cool and all, but that doesn't necessarily mean "all the same properties of steel". Durability, heat tolerance, reaction to moisture and a host of other things are likely to mean it's not a drop-in replacement for fibreglass/plastic/metal.
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face
When was the last time someone made a bridge out of fibreglass?
That's the kind of material its designed to replace.
My question would be how biodegradable is it when it's covered in epoxy?
Look, it's a bird, it's a plane, its PulpMan!!!!
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
Now that's an achievement.
Well, that's how I first read it anyway.
When was the last time someone made a bridge out of fibreglass?
http://www.scsolutions.com/fib...
http://www.ettechtonics.com/
There are resin based replacements in development to solve that problem too.
It would often still need a thin waterproofing application so the product doesn't rot while in use. When the product is shredded for biodegradation that thin layer is only a small problem.
Well, I might have a way, but it only works on a semi spherical planet in a vacuum.
I was thinking about the fiberglass, and realized it doesn't necessarily refer to fiber-reinforced resin sheets. Fiberglass insulation has very little in the way of other ingredients in it...
And cellulose has a long history as an insulation material (it has pluses and minuses), anything that would make it lighter on a volume basis would improve it's insulation properties.
Peace on earth is within our reach.
... and the wars, I take it, are in the asteroid belt?
Someone flopped a steamer in the gene pool.
Actually, wood would sort of imply lignine, wouldn't it? This seems more papery than woody, although even that would be a gross simplification.
Ezekiel 23:20
Many man made materials are just as strong as steel, but the resilliency is the important part. steel can be wet, hot, dry, cold, and in many cases still be within an acceptable performance range for its intended use. particle board for example is often as strong as steel, but degradation under humidity makes it unsuitable for most applications.
Good people go to bed earlier.
More like the carbon, isn't it? But I suspect that in the long run (I don't know, tens of thousands of years?), the problem with steel will be that after we mine out all the highly concentrated ores, all that will remain will be widely dispersed rust from existing steel structures. Even with recycling, there will be always losses, and I'm not sure how feasible trying to concentrate iron from the environment would be, so we'd probably have to look for other sources. Let's hope well have the psyche to do that. ;)
Ezekiel 23:20
The first rain storm should do it.
Biodegradable Fibers, As Strong As Steel, Made From Wood Cellulose
Now I know why trees can withstand tactical nukes in games, but my futuristic super armor can't handle a direct hit from a rocket.
Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
Probably time to re-read Jules Verne. His character Robur built the Albatross out of paper...
Sure, if it's cheaper, great, but is the "imperishability" of steel really a problem? Iron is the most recycled material on the planet....
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
Not sure that the use case is very compelling. Usually things made strong, say fiber reinforced plastic, are meant to be durable. Furthermore, if the cellulose fibers don't degrade uniformly, you would end up with very unpredictable failure modes.
"Consensus" in science is _always_ a political construct.
Many of the things built out of steel are things we don't want degrading any time soon.
This was my first reaction. This new material may not be suitable all on its own, but rather become an element in a composite structure - like carbon fiber and fiberglass. In that case, it probably won't be biodegradable at all, because it will be encased in epoxy, which is pretty much permanent.
Fiberglass is actually a composite made of epoxy (or other) resin, with glass fibers embedded in it for tensile strength.
Until you have a biodegradable epoxy to go with your biodegradable cellulose cloth, there isn't any point.
I don't think fiberglass itself is used for strength in other applications, but for its fire-retardant properties (insulation wool, glass cloth). Good luck with cellulose there.
I suppose its possible to make steel from wood cellulose (and iron ore) but you're going to need more energy input.
Generally the carbon used to make steel comes from coal, so using a renewable source of carbon is betteer for the environment, but where do you get the extra energy?
The US has certainly done a disservice to the world with it's Reefer madness.
Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.
replacement for many filament materials made today from imperishable substances such as fiberglass, plastic, and metal. And all this from a substance that requires only water, wood cellulose, and common table salt to create it
I would hate to be the poor bastard in the factory whose job it is to stand there shaking the salt cellar all day.
The big question is: strong enough to tether the space elevator?
+1 damn it, where are my mod points?
The sails used by Columbus, the jeans created by Levi, and who knows what else used hemp materials. The parchment the Constitution was written on could have been created using hemp fibers (it wasn't, it was animal skin-based, but it could have been). Hemp fibers are stronger and longer than many other plants out there that the US is "allowed" to use in manufacturing. Even after a modified version of the plant that didn't get you high was created the laws banning it's use didn't go away.
It's that kind of artificial limitations holding us back that has this country in trouble right now. Stem cells anyone?
/rant
People have used banana fibers to create car parts. Today I heard that Ford and Heintz are working on using tomato fibers for car parts. It is my understanding (and I admit that I'm not an expert) that hemp would be a much better material.
I refuse to sign
I recall wood structures work by compressing wood, while steel structures extends steels. Does that mean there are situations where this new fibers cannot replace steel? Or is it always possible to swap extension for compression for any design?
Ford is using destroyed cash from the Treasury in their materials research for this exact reason.
Never heard of this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I...