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We analyzed the problematic textile fiber waste as potential precursor material to produce multilayer cotton fiber biocomposite. The properties of the products were better than the current dry bearing type particleboards and ordinary dry medium-density fiberboard in terms of the static bending strength (67.86 MPa), internal bonding strength (1.52 MPa) and water expansion rate (9.57%). The three-layer, four-layer and five-layer waste cotton fiber composite (WCFC) were tried in the experiment, the mechanical properties of the three-layer WCFC are insufficient, the five-layer WCFC is too thick and the four-layer WCFC had the best comprehensive performance. The cross-section morphology of the four-layer WCFC shows a dense structure with a high number of adhesives attached to the fiber. The hardness and stiffness of the four-layer cotton fiber composite enhanced by the high crystallinity of cellulose content, and several chemical bondings were presence in the composites. Minimum mass loss (30%) and thermal weight loss rate (0.70%/°C) was found for the four-layer WCFC. Overall, our findings suggested that the use of waste cotton fiber (WCF) to prepare biocomposite with desirable physical and chemical properties is feasible, and which can potentially be used as building material, furniture and automotive applications. • We study the potential use of waste cotton fiber in different-layer composites. • We used water, hot pressing and epoxy adhesives to fabricate the novel composite. • Cell wall collapses and chemical bonds enhanced the mechanical bonding. • It showed better mechanical properties compared to existing medium density boards. • Four-layer waste cotton fiber composite are the best preparation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composites containing bio-based materials, like banana fiber and poly(lactic acid) (PLA), are potential food-packaging materials. We carried out an environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) of coffee jar lids made from high density polyethylene (HDPE), PLA, and banana fiber to assess their environmental performance. We considered differences in the type of blend (content of PLA and banana fiber in the composite), origin of the banana fiber feedstock (considered as either biowaste or as a co-product from banana production) and banana fiber pretreatment conditions (either no pretreatment or pretreatment using chemicals). Irrespective of the scenario, a lid made from 40% banana fiber and equal amounts of HDPE and PLA performed significantly better in all 18 impact categories when compared to a lid made from 100% PLA. By contrast, the same lid performed significantly better in 3 impact categories only (climate change, photochemical oxidant formation and fossil depletion) when compared to a lid made from 100% HDPE. Thus, environmental performance of the biocomposite strongly depends on which polymer base is replaced by the banana fiber in the composite. Replacing PLA with banana fiber is generally expected to bring environmental benefits. Image 1 • Environmental performance of new biocomposite lids strongly depends on polymer base. • 40% banana fiber lid performs environmentally better than poly(lactic acid) one. • 40% banana fiber lid performs better in 3 impact than high density polyethylene lid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]