30. Apr 2014

Spinning plastic from straw

A Chinese manufacturer has announced the invention of a straw-based plastic that is suitable for 3D printing, without compromising price or performance. The new material is made from rice and wheat stalks mixed with plastic and plastic additives, by a company called Jiangsu Jinghe Hi-Tech Co., Ltd.

The company has reportedly developed a patent pending technology in which the straw is first shredded and then mixed with polypropylene, a silane coupling agent and ethylene bis(stearamide). The mixture can then be extruded into evenly sized pellets using a twin-screw extruder. The granulate is suitable for injection molding, but using special filament extruders, the company has processed the granules into filament for 3D printers.
Straw-based filament
China has made no secret of the fact that it aims to become the world's leading innovator in 3D printing. The country has invested heavily in R&D in this area, the results of which are starting to show. Already, China has built the world’s largest 3D printer, which has been used to produce - in one piece – the titanium alloy landing-gear and a large main force-bearing frame for the C919 commercial jet aircraft. And only days ago, a Chinese construction firm announced that it was able to 3D print components made from cheap construction waste for housing. The company said that with this technology, which makes use of mammoth-sized printers, it was able to construct ten houses a day.

Jiangsu Jinghe Hi-Tech has taken advantage of this huge interest in 3D printing to develop a new material that is both cheap and comes with environmental benefits. In China, every year large amount of straw are generated from the production of crop plants such as wheat, rice, and cotton. In the past, most of this biomass was burned, fueling air pollution and wasting a potential carbon feedstock. Today, straw burning has been banned by the government.

The company has reportedly signed several cooperation agreements with villages in the area, in order to ensure supply. The farmers are enthusiastic. "This is a good way to get rid of straw wastes from our crops and still earn some income," said Mr. Pu, a local farmer.

Compared with traditional petroleum-based plastic, the new straw-based plastic costs less to produce and generates much fewer carbon emissions. According to the company, producing 14,000 tons of the straw-based plastic can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 22,400 tons every year.

ABS raw material costs around 15,000 RMB ($2,400) per ton in the market. PLA requires a more complex production process and costs more, around 20,000 RMB ($3200). The new straw-based  material is projected to cost about 10,000 RMB ($1,600) per ton - just  half of the current PLA filament price.




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