Get ready for a bananamobile or a pineapple wagon.
Scientists in Brazil say they've developed a way to use fibers from the fruits to make strong, lightweight plastics that could be used to form car parts.
"The properties of these plastics are incredible," the leader of the project, Alcides Leão of Sao Paulo State University, said in a press release. "They are light, but very strong — 30 per cent lighter and three to four times stronger. We believe that a lot of car parts, including dashboards, bumpers, side panels, will be made of nano-sized fruit fibers in the future. For one thing, they will help reduce the weight of cars and that will improve fuel economy."
The product is almost as strong as Kevlar, used in bulletproof vests, Leão said in presenting his team's work to the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, California, over the weekend.
Among the plant products that could provide raw material for the fibers are pineapple leaves and stems, bananas, coconut shells, agave, and cattails, the scientists say.
Besides their light weight and high strength, the new plastics are more resistant to heat, water and spilled gasoline than conventional plastics, the researchers say.
They could find their way into vehicles within two years, Leão said.
Funding for the research came from Brazil's government, Pematec, Toro Industria, Comercio Ltd. and other companies, the scientists said.
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I am a scientist and in particular polymers and plastics are my specialty. However, I hate this kind of research to show the world that it is something fantastic. There are many many natural fibers which are very tough and strong. No need to use bananas. First of all, banana is a staple fruit in many third world countries. People eat this just to survive if nothing is available. Further, the fruit has excellent medicinal properties. There is absolutely no justification to divert the banana harvest for industrial use, especially for use in automobiles that won't help to fight hunger in third world countries. Automobiles do nothing to uplift the poor people. This is very similar to what is going on in this country with ethanol from corn. Most of the harvest is diverted into making alcohol and less is available for animal and human consumption. Very soon once this banana plastic is commercialized, every 'me too enteprenuers' all over the world will start making this plastic and all the banana crop is diverted to this cause. It is about time that these pseudo scientists should stop doing this kind of research on bananas and other valuable fruits and vegetables. Instead they should concentrate on converting agricultural waste into some useful products. I am amazed why and how this 'banana research' was supported by providing funding. Any of you guys lately noticed the price of bananas in our super markets? It went from an average price of $0.45/lb to $0.85/lb within a span of 4 months!
Then you should know that products made from corn have been going on since the 50's and that using food for industrial products is not new. So are we starving because of that practice?
Do not take this car on a camping trip.
You should look into http://wholetreeinc.com this company is also focused on triple bottom line standards and is looking into how their product, which uses resources that are indigenous and naturally plentiful, can help alleviate poverty while creating a sustainable solution for that part of the world
-Eugene
This is not news. Cheech and Chong did this decades ago.
Well we will know when the part's warranty runs out. It'll have black and brown spots on ti.
Alternatively, we could also eat these fruits.
But that would mean that more people survive and we can't drive around the block so cheaply. Probably we don't want that.
I said driving n winter, not driving @ 75.
Driving in snow or mud after a slide same thing a light car is no good.
This raises a few questions:
- Does making these new plastics require the manufacturer to mix some new caustic chemicals with the nanofibers (or 'nanafibers) to make these plastics?
- Will these new plastics be around for thousands of years like the 100% synthetic ones?
- Does this lead to a new excuse to start building more SUVS again, since they will be lighter and have better fuel efficiency?
-
@scientist. I completely agree with your saying that valuable food shouldn't be diverted from mouths to feed corporate gain just as much as the next guy, but the price increase within the last four months probably had something to do with winter... My uneducated guess...
And I thought a lemon car was a bad car.
Industrial hemp is the strongest natural fiber, plus the seeds can be harvested for OIL among other things. Strogest particle board ever! You can build with it, wear it, acquire energy from it and even eat it. AND it requires far less pesticides than cotton, and matures decades before timber. But bananas are a step in the right direction...
Oh yeah, hempseed oil plastics.
A new use for food – what a great idea – and just like everythig else we will binge out on it.... or maybe not.... we need an economy to binge..... better move to a country that HAS an economy so I can buy my plastic banana car
(feeling in a cynical mood today)
look! it's fruit driving a fruit!
Fire men/women would have a party at a hemp car fires.