Characterization and Scalable Production of Industrial Hemp Fiber Filled PLA bio-composites

The use of natural fiber to develop bio-composites has a low impact on the environment because of its renewable resources and biodegradability. This work investigated the feasibility of producing bio-composites of natural hemp fiber (hemp)-filled biopolymer polylactic acid (PLA). A high blend ratio of hemp (up to 30 wt%) was successfully achieved in a scaling up process. This production process was further verified by blending hemp with different PLA types and the mechanical properties of the obtained bio-composites showed repeatable results. In addition, the PLA/hemp composites showed comparable tensile strength as neat PLA (~50 MPa, depending on the PLA types) and a faster degradation ratio than neat PLA. This work provides a scalable, convenient and cost-effective approach to produce high-quality PLA/hemp bio-composites, which paves the way for scaling-up commercial production of PLA/hemp bio-composites toward practical applications.