Non-woven fabric composites from coir fibers
AssigneeBaylor University
InventorsWalter BRADLEY, David Stanton GREER
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A non-woven fabric composite containing coir fibers and a method for producing such composites. The non-woven fabric composite is comprised of coir fibers, which are large diameter, lignin-rich fibers, with a high viscous flow temperature and a high degradation temperature combined with fibers made of a thermoplastic polymer with a lower viscous flow temperature such as polypropylene (“PP”), polyethylene (“PE”), polylactic acid (“PLA”), and polyester (“PET”) or mixtures thereof. A hot-pressed non-woven fabric composite material prepared from the non-woven fabric composite.
Claims16
A non-woven fabric composite material, comprising:
- coir fiber;
- and
- a fiber made from or including a synthetic thermoplastic polymer,
- wherein the synthetic thermoplastic polymer is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene (“PP”), polyethylene (“PE”), polylactic acid (“PLA”), and polyester (“PET”), and mixtures thereof,
- wherein the coir fiber and the fiber made from the synthetic thermoplastic polymer are matted together to form a matted material,
- wherein the coir fiber has a higher viscous flow temperature and a higher degradation temperature than that of the fiber made from the synthetic thermoplastic polymer, and
- wherein the matted material has been heated to a temperature throughout the matted material that is higher than the melt temperature of the fiber made from or including the synthetic thermoplastic polymer but less than the degradation temperature of the coir fiber and hot pressed at that temperature at a compression pressure range of 25 psi or more.
A method of preparing a non-woven fabric composite material comprising:
- obtaining coir fiber;
- milling the coir fiber to a desired fiber length;
- mixing the milled coir fiber with a fiber made from or including a synthetic thermoplastic polymer, wherein the synthetic thermoplastic polymer is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene (“PP”), polyethylene (“PE”), polylactic acid (“PLA”), and polyester (“PET”), and mixtures thereof, and wherein the fiber made from the synthetic thermoplastic polymer has a lower viscous flow temperature than the degradation temperature of the coir fiber;
- creating a matted material from the blended fibers using carding and needle punching, air deposition of fibers sprayed with a light glue, or other processes, to give a matted non-woven fabric composite material;
- heating the matted material to a temperature throughout the matted material that is higher than the melt temperature of the fiber made from or including the synthetic thermoplastic polymer;
- and
- pressing the heated matted material while at that temperature at a compression pressure range of 25 psi or more.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.