Detailed life cycle assessments for industrial products of the future
Safe motorcycle helmets – made of carrot fibers?
![https://www.empa.ch/documents/56164/253620/a592-2015-08-06-b1x-MM-R%C3%BCeblifasern.jpg/21968f1c-f28e-4128-a359-2578d2965bba?t=1448295596000&doAsUserId=mLYofz1ofIc4z2qdMCjTcg%3D%3D%3F_NewsPortlet_categoryId%3D56975](https://www.empa.ch/documents/56164/253620/a592-2015-08-06-b1x-MM-R%C3%BCeblifasern.jpg/21968f1c-f28e-4128-a359-2578d2965bba?t=1448295596000&doAsUserId=mLYofz1ofIc4z2qdMCjTcg%3D%3D%3F_NewsPortlet_categoryId%3D56975)
Motorcycle helmets consist of fiber-reinforced synthetic material. Instead of glass fibers, a biological alternative is now also possible: plant fibers from the production of carrot juice. Empa researchers are now able to analyze whether this kind of production makes sense from an ecological and economical perspective – before money is actually invested in production plants. |
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All over the world, research is being conducted into biodegradable and recyclable synthetics. However, fiber-reinforced components remain problematic – if glass or carbon fibers are used. Within the scope of an EU research project, the Scottish company Cellucomp Limited has now developed a method to obtain nanofibers from carrot waste. These fibers would be both cost-effective and biodegradable. However, is the method, which works in the lab, also marketable on a large scale? |
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Three-step analysis |
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Industrial production on a five-ton scale – calculated theoretically The MPAS approach enables individual scenarios for a future production to be calculated with an extremely high degree of accuracy. In the case of the carrot waste nanofibers, for instance, it is crucial whether five tons of fresh carrots or only 209 kilograms of carrot waste (fiber waste from the juicing process) are used as the base material for their production. The issue of whether the solvent is ultimately recycled or burned affects the production costs. And the energy balance depends on how the enzymes that loosen the fibers from the carrots are deactivated. In the lab, this takes place via heat; for production on an industrial level, the use of bleaching agents would be more cost-effective. |
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Conclusion: six possible applications for “carrot fibers“ |
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