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Review
. 2023 Jul 4;15(13):2939.
doi: 10.3390/polym15132939.

Sustainable Alternatives for the Development of Thermoset Composites with Low Environmental Impact

Patricia Ares-Elejoste  1 , Ruben Seoane-Rivero  1 , Iñaki Gandarias  2 , Aitziber Iturmendi  1 , Koldo Gondra  1
Affiliations
Review

Sustainable Alternatives for the Development of Thermoset Composites with Low Environmental Impact

Patricia Ares-Elejoste et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

The current concerns of both society and the materials industries about the environmental impact of thermoset composites, as well as new legislation, have led the scientific sector to search for more sustainable alternatives to reduce the environmental impact of thermoset composites. Until now, to a large extent, sustainable reinforcements have been used to manufacture more sustainable composites and thus contribute to the reduction of pollutants. However, in recent years, new alternatives have been developed, such as thermosetting resins with bio-based content and/or systems such as recyclable amines and vitrimers that enable recycling/reuse. Throughout this review, some new bio-based thermoset systems as well as new recyclable systems and sustainable reinforcements are described, and a brief overview of the biocomposites market and its impact is shown. By way of conclusion, it should be noted that although significant improvements have been achieved, other alternatives ought to be researched.

Keywords: bio-based; biocomposites applications; sustainability; sustainable reinforcements; thermoset composites.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Benzoxazine structure.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Renewable sources for the synthesis of bio-based epoxy resins.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Classification of sustainable fibers.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Sandwich construction configurations.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Schematic representation of the vitrimer system.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Recycling process of epoxy-based resin crosslinked with Recyclamine™.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Biocomposites market development.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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