Like so many new materials and processes, natural fiber reinforced plastics were first developed out of necessity, when there was a steel shortage in the former DDR. Cotton from Central Asia was in contrast plentiful. This is the reason why it came to be that all the bodywork of Trabant cars was made from cotton fiber reinforced plastic, at the time a most novel material. Almost 100,000 tonnes of natural fiber reinforced plastics are processed today in Europe. Some 95% of this is in the automotive industry. Milan Kelch, now a Fraunhofer IFAM employee but an erstwhile member of the Biological Materials work group of Professor Müssig at Bremen University of Applied Sciences, developed cotton fiber reinforced plastics working with an international research team. The potential of these fascinating materials will be presented during the 3rd Bremen Fiber Composite Days on 27 and 28 March 2019.
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