Environment Friendly Composite Materials: Biocomposites and Green Composites

B. C. Mitra

doi:10.14429/dsj.64.7323

B. C. Mitra National Institute of Research on Jute and Allied Fibre Technology, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Kolkata

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14429/dsj.64.7323

Keywords: Polymer, Biocomposite, Biodegradation, Green technology

Abstract

Biocomposites can supplement and eventually replace petroleum-based composite materials in several applications. Several critical issues related to bio-fiber surface treatments is to make it a more suitable matrix for composite application and promising techniques need to be solved to design biocomposite of interest. The main motivation for developing biocomposites has been and still is to create a new generation of fiber reinforced plastics material competitive with glass fiber reinforced ones which are environmentally compatible in terms of products, use and renewal. There is an immense opportunity in developing new biobased products, but the real challenge isto design suitable bio-based products through innovation ideas. Green materials are the wave of the future. Bionanocomposites have very strong future prospects, though the present low level of production, some deficiency intechnology and high cost restrict them from a wide range of applications.

Defence Science Journal, Vol. 64, No. 3, May 2014, pp. 244-261, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.64.7323

Author Biography

B. C. Mitra, National Institute of Research on Jute and Allied Fibre Technology, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Kolkata

Dr B.C. Mitra is a senior professional in field of polymer technology in the country. He obtained his graduation and post graduation with specialization Polymer Science & Technology from Calcutta University in1961. He did his doctoral work in Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science under Professor SR Palit to obtain PhD from Calcutta University. He started his career at HBTI, Kanpur. Later he worked as Sr. Research Officer at Sri Ram Industrial Research Institute, Delhi aswell as R&D Manager at Allied Resins, Kolkata. He was Sr.Project. Coordinator & Head, Product Dev. Division, Indian Jute Industrial Research Association, IJIRA, Kolkata. He was Director of NIRJAFT (a unit of ICAR), Kolkata. At NIRJAFT, he worked on geotextile for soil-erosion control for road and agro-textile for weed-control, mulching etc. His one of the best contributions is to develop Jute Composite and commercialize the product as substitute of wood/ plywood under UNDP project. He was the project leader on jute composite programme (UNDP) at IJIRA since its beginning. He held many senior professional positions. Presently Dr Mitra is a visiting Professor at BESU,presently known as Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology. He has 60 Journal Publications besides 4 patents and has written two Books and Book Chapters. He is entrusted with the responsibility to develop the technology of Bamboo Composite by TIFAC (Advanced Composite Mission), DST, Govt. of India. He is a Fellow of Plastics & Rubber Institute (UK).