In this study, fully biobased epoxy resins were prepared by entirely replacing bisphenol A with unmodified technical lignins and using biobased epichlorohydrin (from glycerol) and biobased curing agent (from cashew nutshell). The epoxy content of the developed biobased resins were measured using <sup>1</sup>H NMR and titration. The prepared water dispersion resins were mixed with 25% bamboo fiber, and the thermomechanical properties of the developed lignin-based biocomposite were measured and compared with biocomposite made with petroleum-based epoxy resin (Epon 828, BPA-based resin) as cured with the same curing agent. Although the cured pure lignin-based epoxy had a lower storage modulus than the BPA-based epoxy, the lignin-based biocomposite made with 25% bamboo fiber had over 80% higher storage modulus than the Epon-based biocomposite (containing 25% bamboo fiber). This is due to the inherent compatibility of lignin (a natural glue in plants) with bamboo fiber, making this fully biobased epoxy potentially a great candidate to replace biocomposite parts in automotive and construction applications.

Fully biobased biocomposite using lignin-based epoxy resin and bamboo fiber

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ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.