Researchers Turn Paper, Bio-Oil Byproducts Into Strong, Stiff Carbon Fiber
Researchers at Iowa State University have come up with a way to turn low-value byproducts from the production of paper and bio-oil into valuable carbon fiber — avoiding the usual use of pricey petroleum-based precursors and their environmental impact.
"We’re taking lignin, considered a low-value byproduct of the paper and pulp industry, and aqueous bio-oil, also considered to be a low-value product," explains Xianglan Bai, professor of mechanical engineering and associate director of Iowa State's Bioeconomy Institute, "and putting them together to come up with a high-value product. This is where chemistry and materials science beautifully meet."
Researchers Tannon Daugaard (L), Abdulrahman A. B. A. Mohammed, and Xianglan Bai (R) have turned manufacturing byproducts into carbon fiber. (📷: Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University)
Carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, which offer a valuable combination of strength and stiffness combined with a low weight, are used in everything from aircraft and wind turbine blades to racing...
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