U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Liu, Linshuitem
                                            Finkenstadt, Victoriaitem
                                            Liu, Cheng Kungitem
                                            Coffin, Daviditem
                                            Willett, Juliousitem
                                            Fishman, Marshallitem
                                            Hicks, Kevin
  Submitted to: Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 1/30/2007
                                    Publication  Date: 12/1/2007
                                    Citation: Liu, L.S., Finkenstadt, V.L., Liu, C., Coffin, D.R., Willett, J.L., Fishman, M., Hicks, K.B. 2007. Properties of poly(lactic acid) and sugar beet pulp green composites. II. Structural and mechanical properties analysis. Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy. 1(3):323-330.Interpretive Summary: Enormous amounts of sugar beet pulp are generated from U.S. beet sugar production that either is subsequently sold as low value animal feed or must be disposed in an environmentally acceptable manner with additional expense.  To profitably utilize this biorenewable processing by-product, we have used sugar beet pulp to reinforce poly(lactic acid) to form thermoplastic composite materials using a process called compression-heating.  The resultant composites showed suitable mechanical properties for the use as lightweight construction materials and they cost less than materials made with pure poly(lactic acid),(J Agr Food Chem 2005;53:9017-9022).  As a continuation of study, this paper explored the possibility of making these useful materials by a different process that can be done more cheaply and on a large-scale commercial basis.  This process is called twin-screw extrusion with injection molding. We found that this twin screw extrusion process produced composites that were as good or better than those produced by compression-heating. Sugar beet growers and processors will benefit from this research by the creation of valuable new products from sugar beet pulp that will increase demand and value for this byproduct.
                                Technical Abstract: Composite materials of sugar beet pulp (SBP) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were evaluated for structural, mechanical, and moisture resistant properties.  Microscopic analysis revealed that the SBP filler was evenly distributed in the PLA matrix phase. At lower SBP content, the filler was surrounded by the PLA matrix.  As the SBP fraction increased, filler particles aggregated in the matrix although PLA remained the continuous phase. Due to the rigid nature of SBP, the PLA-SBP composites showed enhanced stiffness as the SBP fraction increased.  However, as characterized by small deformation dynamic mechanical analysis and tensile strength testing, the PLA composites with higher SBP weight fraction were less fracture resistant and more moisture sensitive.  Acoustic emission analysis further suggested the role of filler-matrix debonding during fracture at higher SBP content. Thus, the improvement of filler-matrix adhesion is a strategy to enhance the mechanical properties of composites with a higher SBP/PLA ratio.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov