Ecological assessment of circularly produced biodegradable hemp fibre composite components

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Poster Number:  05 

Main Presenter:    Teresa Weber 

Co-Authors:   Julika Knapp     Anke Bockreis                                          

Due to their light weight and high strength, carbon- and glass fibre reinforced composites (CFRC & GFRC) are very popular in vehicle construction. They provide the necessary stability, while their low weight contributes to fuel-saving operation. However, they require a significant amount of electricity during production, rely on fossil resources, and cannot be recycled or disposed of in an ecologically sustainable way after their use phase (Lopez-Arraiza et al., 2025; Zhang et al., 2020). One approach to addressing these problems is the increasing use of natural fibre reinforced composites (NFRC), in which fibres of organic origin provide stability. However, most NFRCs still contain a fossil-based matrix material, which causes challenges in the recycling or ecologically suitable disposal of those materials (FNR, 2019).

In the ongoing research project FALCON, two parts for the interior design of vehicles are being produced. These parts consist of a completely biobased NFRC made of hemp fibre and the biodegradable and biobased polylactic acid (PLA), to replace the reference parts that consist of CFRC and GFRC. To close material loops, recycling strategies are applied at the design phase.

In a comprehensive LCA, the actual ecological effects of these parts are calculated and compared to those of the reference parts over their whole life cycle. For the LCA, primary data collected during the production phase of the parts and datasets from the ECOINVENT database are used. The LCA is carried out according to the EN ISO standards 14040 and 14044, and using the Environmental Footprint 3.1 (EF 3.1) method with the software EASETECH (Clavreul et al., 2014). A special focus lies on the climate change potential, measured in kg CO2 equivalents (kg CO2-eq.). Preliminary results show that the NFRC emits approximately eight times less CO2-eq. than CFRC and around two times less than GFRC per kg of material. But due to thicker fibres, the hemp-PLA composite requires more material, which makes lightweight design the most influential factor for the results of the final parts.

In addition to the LCA, laboratory tests will be carried out to test the hemp-PLA composite in terms of possible biodegradation and ecotoxicological safety. These tests will start in spring 2026 and should offer first insights before the LCIC takes place.

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