Your mother told you a million times: fruit is good for you. Other than the nutritional benefits, did you know that fruit is also an excellent source of car material? A team of Brazilian scientists concluded that banana and pineapple fibres could be used to build bodies, bumpers and dash boards.
Dr. Alcides Leao and his colleagues at the University of Sao Paulo extracted cellulose fibre to create a plastic that is 30% lighter and four times more resistant than the plastics generally used for our vehicles, and is more impervious to heat, spilled gasoline, water and oxygen as well.
As the majority of manufacturers are trying to optimize the fuel efficiency of their models, the lightweight and extreme resistance of the plastic may pique the interest of several of them in the not so distant future.
Leao believes that one day they “may be able to replace steel and aluminum automotive parts”, and could also serve in medical applications such as artificial heart valves.
Source : Daily Mail
Dr. Alcides Leao and his colleagues at the University of Sao Paulo extracted cellulose fibre to create a plastic that is 30% lighter and four times more resistant than the plastics generally used for our vehicles, and is more impervious to heat, spilled gasoline, water and oxygen as well.
As the majority of manufacturers are trying to optimize the fuel efficiency of their models, the lightweight and extreme resistance of the plastic may pique the interest of several of them in the not so distant future.
Leao believes that one day they “may be able to replace steel and aluminum automotive parts”, and could also serve in medical applications such as artificial heart valves.
Source : Daily Mail