The new development will save fuel in the field of private and commercial vehicles, as well as reduceHarmful
The researchers started with kraft lignin, a byproduct of the conventional pulping process. Kraft lignin is one of the main waste products of the paper industry, accounting forWaste lignin is usually burned for heat, but it also releases CO2 into the environment.Chemical recycling of kraft lignin into a more useful material will increase the environmental friendliness of paper production as a whole.
“We have carried out chemical modification of the polymercraft lignin, namely acetylation, explains the study's first author, Laszlo Szabo. "Optimizing the degree of acetylation was critical to our research."
Контролируемая реакция была важна для оптимизации the ability of kraft lignin to be compatible with another polymer - polyacrylonitrile. The goal is to obtain high-quality carbon fibers for creating an artificial composite. If the acetylation is not performed correctly, the carbon fibers will be of poor quality.
Fine carbon fiber mesh madeunder optimized conditions (from left to right: electrospinned fibers, heat-stabilized fibers, carbon fibers). Credit: Kanazawa University.
As a result, scientists managed to create thin homogeneousfibers without heat treatment, which degrades the quality of the fiber. When using the modified polymer, the fibrous mat showed an almost three-fold improvement in mechanical strength.
Similar engineering composites are widely usedin spacecraft, cars, plastics, concrete, and many other products and technologies. When these researchers minimize the cost of making their new carbon fibers, the cars of the future may be lighter, more durable, and more economical. Given that every industry uses transportation, everyone will save money and every business will be more environmentally friendly.
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