Skip to main content
Article
Properties of Distillers Grains Composites: A Preliminary Investigation
Journal of Polymers and the Environment (2008)
  • Vanessa Cheesbrough, United States Department of Agriculture
  • Kurt A. Rosentrater, United States Department of Agriculture
  • Jerry Visser, South Dakota State University
Abstract

Interest in renewable biofuel sources has intensified in recent years, leading to greatly increased production of ethanol and its primary coproduct, Distillers Dried Grain with Solubles (DDGS). Consequently, the development of new outlets for DDGS has become crucial to maintaining the economic viability of the industry. In light of these developments, this preliminary study aimed to determine the suitability of DDGS for use as a biofiller in low-cost composites that could be produced by rapid prototyping applications. The effects of DDGS content, particle size, curing temperature, and compression on resulting properties, such as flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, water activity, and color were evaluated for two adhesive bases. The composites formed with phenolic resin glue were found to be greatly superior to glue in terms of mechanical strength and durability: resin-based composites had maximum fiber stresses of 150–380 kPa, while glue composites had values between 6 kPa and 35 kPa; additionally, glue composites experienced relatively rapid microbial growth. In the resin composites, both decreased particle size and increased compression resulted in increased mechanical strength, while a moderate DDGS content was found to increase flexural strength but decrease Young’s modulus. These results indicate that DDGS has the potential to be used in resin glue-based composites to both improve flexural strength and improve potential biodegradability.

Keywords
  • Biofillers,
  • Bioplastics,
  • Composites,
  • Mechanical properties,
  • Physical properties,
  • Testing
Publication Date
January, 2008
Publisher Statement
Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted.
Citation Information
Vanessa Cheesbrough, Kurt A. Rosentrater and Jerry Visser. "Properties of Distillers Grains Composites: A Preliminary Investigation" Journal of Polymers and the Environment Vol. 16 Iss. 1 (2008)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/kurt_rosentrater/155/