Bio-based epoxies and composites as environmentally friendly alternative materials

This chapter outlines our recent R&D efforts to develop bio-based epoxy resins and their biocomposites for use in critical applications (e.g., aircraft fabrication, rail transportation, and construction). The work was initially motivated by the fact that, on one hand, environmental and resource-related benefits of bio-sourced materials are still compromised by limited standards of technical performance and material service life. On the other hand, in the aircraft and ground transportation sectors, new environmental regulations and societal concerns have triggered a search for new products and processes that complement resources and the environment. To address this issue, novel bio-sourced materials, including bio-sourced epoxies, continuous plant fibers, and biocomposites as symmetrical laminates, were developed. It has been found that developing plant-fiber-reinforced biocomposites appears to be essential and feasible. In this chapter, the use of biocomposites in aircraft, rail transportation, and civil engineering sectors is also demonstrated.