Mehdi Chougan (United Kingdom)
Brunel University London
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Dr. Mehdi Chougan is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow at Brunel University London, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Dr Chougan obtained his PhD in “Graphene-engineered cementitious composites” from the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Italy, in 2019. After the PhD completion, he worked as a postdoctoral research associate on “High-Performance Compressed Straw Board (HPCSB): A New Generation of Building Materials” project funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) at Brunel University London. He is an outstanding young researcher in the field of cementitious composite materials, especially in graphene-engineered cementitious composites and additive manufacturing of alkali-activated cementitious composites. His research focuses on three areas: (i) the design and optimisation of 3D printable alkali-activated materials (AAM) and manufacturing strategies, with the aim to enhance the sustainability and productivity of the construction industry. Key topics concern the inclusion of different types of additives, including graphene-based materials, nano clay, and fibres, focusing on rheology modifications and performance optimisation. (ii) Bio-based composites, such as lightweight compressed strawboard (CSB) for the construction industry. (iii) the design and optimisation of low-carbon concrete using cement and natural aggregate replacement procedures to reduce concrete's carbon footprint.

Presenter of 1 Presentation

 Conference Calendar

THE EFFECT OF ECO-FRIENDLY PRE-TREATMENTS ON STRENTHENING OF WHEAT STRAW POLY (LACTIC ACID) BIO-COMPOSITE

Session Name
0330 - Pecha Kuchas - Circular 01: Biobased materials and products, energy & food (ID 61)
Session Type
Pecha Kuchas
Date
02/23/2022
Session Time
02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Room

Hall B

Presenter
Lecture Time
02:10 PM - 02:15 PM

Abstract

Abstract Body

Several superior features of wheat straw biomass, including its renewability, local availability, lightweight, low density, and economic, have made it a suitable, reinforcing-agent material for incorporation into bio-based polymer composites. The growth of straw in a cereal crop or reed bed, converts airborne CO2 into carbon by photosynthesis. Consequently, its incorporation into the fabric of a long-lived building after suitable processing would guarantee the effective capture and long-term storage of atmospheric CO2. It can also ensure the formation of a "closed-loop" cycle of material growth, use, and ultimate safe return to nature. However, emerging applications of wheat straw reinforced bio-composites in the field of construction demand the utilisation of eco-friendly pre-treatment methods to make it high-performance, economically, and environmentally suitable. Our previous research has proven that the micro-architecture of straw stem is critical in bio-refinery process and the products yielded from it. We proved that nodes behave as a defect in straw based composites. Due to the node's morphology and surface chemical functional groups, it is much less structurally competent, and distributions of node and soluble starch from nodes have been found to deteriorate the straw stem's performance when these are reconfigured into a bio-composite material. Therefore, herein, an eco-friendly pre-treatment was applied to mitigate the surface quality deficiencies of wheat straw internode section to be incorporated as an effective reinforcing agent in Polylactic Acid (PLA) matrix. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis indicated that the pre-treatment effectively altered the microstructure of wheat straw to promote entanglement between wheat straw and a polymeric binder. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that hot water followed by steam pre-treated (H+S) effectively reduced silica and wax levels on the wheat outer layer and increased its lignin intensity on the surface. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that the crystallinity index of wheat straw was increased as the result of pre-treatment method. Finally, mechanical testing showed that the tensile strength, elastic modulus, and toughness of bio-composites loaded with H+S pre-treated wheat straw increased by 166%, 68 %, and 285%, respectively.

Hide