Natural fibres, or ecomaterials, are slowly but surely coming out into the open.
A breakfast debate was organised on the 11th of July, to review their development in Lower Normandy.

The escalating price of fossil fuels, along with increased consumer awareness on sustainable development, should logically boost research in the field of ecomaterials. Ultimately, the concept is to replace everyday objects made from petroleum, by objects produced using more “environmentally friendly” fibres. The Lower Normandy Region adopted its own Agenda 21 last June, involving deliberation on insulation materials from this growing industry sector. “The solidarity aspect of our sustainable development approach must take into account energy bills received in the most underprivileged households, those in public sector housing for example,” highlights Fabienne Allag-Dhuisme, Director of Environmental Affairs and Sustainable Development at the Lower Normandy Regional Council, continuing, “It’s a matter of equity.” Furthermore, within the framework of its DéfiNergie programme, launched in partnership with the ADEME to improve the thermal performance of existing buildings, the Region aims at supporting and encouraging the use of ecomaterials. “Which implies, first and foremost, identifying them,” adds Fabienne Allag-Dhuisme. A painstaking business. Painstaking indeed; however the CRBN provides private individuals (via Espace Info Energie points) likely to benefit from funding, references on ecomaterials which can otherwise prove difficult to obtain.

There are hurdles, however.

Today, there are serious hurdles to be crossed before ecomaterials can truly pit against high performance composite materials. “The offer from manufacturers is lacking, communication on the sector and on products is poor and certain preconceived ideas on natural fibres persist,” highlights Christophe Poilâne, associate professor and researcher at the Research Laboratory on New Material Properties (LRPMN) and also a specialist in materials derived from linen fibre. “Similarly, there is no standard product (high production costs), product standardisation is time-consuming and there is very little fundamental research on fibres…” Nevertheless, hope is on the horizon. Several businesses are already offering everyday products made from ecomaterials, such as Linéo, in partnership with the LRPMN (see Connexions n°31 - July 2008).
Similarly, Pierre-Jean Madec’s team has been working for several years on improving the performance of such materials. The “Polymer Materials” group he is in charge of, within the Laboratory for Molecular and Thio-organic Chemistry (LCMT), works on perfecting tomorrow’s polymers (biopolymers, thermoplastic polymer nanocomposites) in order to expand their potential use or to improve their physical properties. “Sectors as diversified as health, automobile, aeronautics, packaging, leisure, electronics, wiring… are already calling on the Caen-based laboratory’s skills in the field of characterisation,” adds the researcher.

Pierre-Jean Madec
Tel: 02 31 45 13 30

Christophe Poilâne
Tel: 02 33 80 85 01

Fabienne Allag-Dhuisme
Tel: 02 31 06 96 91

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