Lanxess Develops Bio-based Composite

Lanxess Develops Bio-based Composite

Lanxess has developed a new composite made from natural flax fibers and bio-based polylactic acid as part of its Tepex continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material range. According to the company, flax fibers have lower density than glass fibers, and composites made with these fibers are therefore lighter than their glass fiber-reinforced equivalents. When combined with transparent matrix plastics such as polylactic acid, the reinforcing flax fabric produces surfaces with a brown natural carbon fiber appearance. Dr. Stefan Seidel, Head of Research and Development, said: "We combined fabrics made from the matrix material and thus developed a composite produced entirely from natural sources. We can now produce at a quality suitable for large-scale production." Lanxess states that biocomposites as thermoplastic systems are fully recyclable. Seidel said: "Short parts and production waste can be regranulated and easily injection molded or extruded either alone or mixed with new materials reinforced without reinforcement or with short fiber reinforcement."