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Sustainable Development of Composite Materials: From Smart Production to Optimal Operation

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Dear Colleagues,

Composite materials are nowadays broadly used across various engineering applications and continuous efforts are being made by research centres and industries worldwide to optimize their performance. In addition to mechanical perspectives, the sustainable production and operation of composites has come to be seen as being of great importance, in order to allow for the wider absorption of composite materials into different domains and the replacement of more traditional materials.

With this in mind, this Special Issue aims to gather innovative research papers related to the sustainability of all types of composite materials, including green approaches to their production, development, and usage in different applications. Topics that fall within the scope of this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, issues dealing with renewable energy systems, energy-efficient manufacturing, sustainable materials, waste reduction and recycling, the Internet of Things (IoT), AI and machine learning approaches, digital twins, circular economy solutions, and non-destructive testing towards proactive maintenance and limited-energy-consuming repair methods. Review papers, as well as numerical, experimental, and analytical works, are welcome.

The purpose of the Special Issue is to join forces towards creating a collection of novel research works related to the sustainability of composite materials. These can be used as reference for further research and integration in real applications from various industries. Moreover, the benefits of composite materials and their great potential for further development and investment will be showcased.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Kalliopi-Artemi Kalteremidou
Guest Editor

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16 pages, 2195 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Analysis of Mechanical Property Enhancement of Paper-Pulp-Based Packaging Materials Using Biodegradable Additives

by Amalka Indupama Samarathunga, Watagoda Gedara Chathura Madusanka Kulasooriya, Horawala Mahawaththage Dona Umesha Sewwandi, Vimukthi Vithanage, Ashan Induranga, Buddhika Sampath Kumara and Kaveenga Koswattage

Sustainability 2024, 16(23), 10310; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162310310 - 25 Nov 2024

Viewed by 1380

Abstract

Generally, paper-pulp-based materials are emerging in the packaging industry due to their high degree of biodegradability. Along with agricultural byproducts as an alternative, using additive or secondary materials in various processes and products has been a solution for implementing sustainability in material utilization. However, biodegradable materials still need to be improved due to the lack of properties which are essential for their use as packaging material. Currently, a number of research attempts have focused on enhancing the mechanical and thermal properties to increase the effectivity of those biodegradable materials for use as packaging material. The objective of this study is to analyze the effectivity of using sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) and wheat flour (starch) as a strengthening and thermal resistive additive. Due to its proven nano range particle size and fibrous nature, this material could positively affect the material properties. A total of twelve samples were prepared by varying the weight fraction of SCBA, white flour, and paper pulp. A compression molding method was used to prepare cylindrical samples with a diameter of 50 mm and a height of 55 mm under a compression load of 2 tonnes. Wet molded cylindrical blocks were oven-dried at 105 °C for 48 h to remove excessive moisture from the samples. Subsequently, all the samples were dried further until no significant weight loss was observed after the drying process to ensure their uniform moisture conditions. The prepared samples were tested for compressive strength using a Universal Testing Machine (UTM). Both load and compressive stress acting on each sample were plotted against the deflection of the sample. For the analysis, the deflection of each sample was measured at 8.6 kN load and the sample with 10% SCBA and 12.5% starch exhibited the least displacement among all additives. The results show that the samples with 10% SCBA and 12.5% starch also had the highest compressive strength compared to the other samples. Further, samples with the same amount of SCBA were analyzed for thermal resistivity and to obtain the thermal behavior of samples which is crucial in food packaging.Overall, most of the SCBA and starch mixed samples showed superior compressive strength compared to the pure paper-pulp-based sample. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Development of Composite Materials: From Smart Production to Optimal Operation)

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