MUNDOMATERIAL

Traditionally considered a coarse fibre, kenaf is finding its place in the automotive and electronics market thanks to its use as reinforcement in composites. Its combination with PLA, a bioplastic sourced from corn, may illustrate the new focus of materials’ development nowadays. 2009 has been declared by the FAO the International Year of Natural Fibres. This is post is the third in a series dedicated to natural fibres. What is Kenaf? Kenaf, or Hibiscus Cannabinus, belongs to the Malvacean family and producers are based around the globe, although India and China are the major producers. Often compared with jute and hemp, kenaf applications could be classified as it follows: traditional uses, low value: rope, twine, clothing, animal bedding and feed Innovative Applications, medium value: Paper, engineered wood, environmental mat, oil and liquid absorbent material Kenaf Oil: edible oil, can also be used in cosmetics, lubricants and production of biofuel Composite materials, high value:... 
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After my latest post, which was a brief intro on 2009 being the International Year of Natural Fibres, I’m writing today about fique and its fibre, cabuya (I’ve left these terms untranslated, but I’m open to suggestions). Fique, or Furcrae macrophyla, is grown mainly in Colombia. Much of the information used to write this post has been taken from this report, published by the Observatorio de Competitividad Agrocadenas Colombia. Although I like to provide useful links in my posts, I have to admit that for this post it has been very difficult to find any information in English, so most of the links included are in Spanish. Several semi-finished products are obtained from the fique plant: the fibre, also called cabuya, bagasse, solid residues and juices. Some of the commercial products obtained after further processing are as follows: from the fibre: thread, fabric, packaging and, empaques y biomats from bagasse: paper, reinforced fibre, conglomerates, mattress filler from... 
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The FAO has declared 2009 International Year of Natural Fibres. Within natural fibres we can find materials as important for humanity as wool, cotton or flax, key in our development through history. They are used in a variety of markets, to produce textiles, paper and composite materials. The benefits of their production, sales and export significantly help farmers in deprived areas to secure an income, a rare advantage over other crops and lines of work. For this reason, mundomaterial wants to promote through 2009 the use of natural fibres in their many applications. 2009 has been declared by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,FAO, the International Year of Natural Fibres. With this initiative FAO aims at promoting the use of natural fibres of animal and vegetal origin. Modern manmade synthetic fibres, like nylon, polyester or acrylic fibres are obviously not included. Other natural fibres sourced from trees are not included, as they will be promoted in 2011,... 
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I wanted to write about materials used in cars for a while, in particular about the main uses of plastic. The automotive sector is being hardly punished by the crisis, both OEMs and tiers suppliers. For example, in 2008 in Spain both the automotive and the plastic markets suffered job losses of 39.080 y 11.480 respectively (Source: La voz de Galicia, 16 February 2009). Plastic is essential in cars today, it’s used everywhere. I invite you to have a look at your car and try to guess which parts are made in plastic, apart from the terribly obvious ones. It is not easy, if you consider that around 20% in weight of a car manufactured today is plastic. The advantages that plastic offers are low weight, low cost and ease to mass produce parts. In fact, it is thanks to plastics that our average car consumes less, simply because they make it lighter. Plastic was first used in car interior, in the dashboard, the foam of your seats, the driving wheel, etc. Today it is more difficult to say... 
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While living in England, I bought a bicycle and I used it to move around in my daily errands. To me it’s just a brilliant form of transport, although for many out there is much more than that. But what about the materials used in bicycles, do you know them? I’ve been asking around and it seems a lot is going on in the fascinating world of bicycles. So, let’s do a quick tour looking at materials used in the different parts of a bicycle, to then move to the newest trends in design. Of course, I’ll have some interesting examples of what you can do with the old but never aging bicycle. Looking for general information about bicycles I’ve found this great image in wikipedia, which saves me explaining all the different parts you can find in a modern bike. If you want to look at other great bicycle images, follow this wikimedia commons link. bicycle diagram. Source: wikipedia, author: AI2 Materials There are many available options for a bicycle designer. I asked a... 
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