Syftet med denna studie var att utveckla en biokomposit med både fett-och vattenbarriär. Material med dessa egenskaper innehåller idag ofta PFAS-molekyler (per- och polyfluorerade alkylsubstanser). Det är av stor betydelse att byta ut dessa mot ett biobaserat alternativ då de är giftiga och ackumuleras i naturen. Biokompositen utvecklades genom att kombinera icke-trä pappersmassa (75%) och trä pappersmassa (25%) som matris. Därefter tillsattes olika biobaserade additiv i våtände för att påverka materialets egenskaper. Proverna testades på deras dragstyrka, vattenavvisning och fettavvisning. Den stora utmaningen var att lyckas med fettavisningen. 1% Polysackarid 1 tillsammans med 0.5% sizing komponent var det provet som gav bäst resultat. För att utvärdera denna metod gjordes en jämförelse med ytbehandling. Det gjordes genom att stryka på några av de tidigare använda additiven på ytan av matrisen. Ytbehandlingen visade sig ha en större påverkan på fettavvisningen men med liknande eller sämre påverkan på vattenavvisningen. Nackdelen med denna metod är att den kräver ett flertal extra steg i produktionen. / The aim of this thesis work was to develop a pulp-based biocomposite material with good water and grease barrier properties. It is important to achieve such properties to able to replace PFAS (poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances) molecules due to their toxicity and accumulation. Different types of pulp were evaluated as the matrix and the optimal matrix was based on non-wood pulp (75%) with wood pulp 1 (25%).  This was also combined with several different additives in the wet-end. The samples were tested for their tensile strength, water resistance and grease resistance. The biggest challenge was to achieve adequate grease resistance. 1% Polysaccharide 1 together with 0.5% sizing agent was one of the better samples. It was clear the additives affected each other when used in combination with each other which indicates that wet end chemistry is complex. For a comparison, some additives were also tested as coatings. This technique resulted in better grease resistance but requires several extra steps in the production.

Presently there are two forms of biological fibre extraction, water retting or dew retting, which use bacteria or fungi, respectively. Microbial action results in release of the cellulose fibres due to modification of the pectin, hemicellulose and lignin content from parenchyma cells and the middle lamellae. Water retting results in pollution, high costs associated with labour and drying, as well as significant waste water production, while disadvantages to dew retting include the need for appropriate climates, variable and inferior fibre quality, risks of over-retting as well as health effects due to dust and fungal contaminants. The overall objective of this research was to explore silage retting as a new pre-processing technique allowing use of available farm infrastructure and contained retting conditions to produce plant-derived fibres with improved physical and chemical characteristics suitable for application in biocomposites. The corn processing ability of the hemp retting agents Clostridium felsineum and Bacillus subtilis was also investigated. Pleiotropic and/or crop management practices were assessed by comparing the physico-mechanical properties and the microbial populations during silage fermentation of genetically equivalent conventional, Roundup Ready® (RR) and Bt-Roundup Ready® (Bt-RR) corn isolines. Potential recovery of volatile organic acids in silage retting effluent as value-added chemicals was also explored. The results indicated that C. felsineum is an effective corn retting agent given the effective release of the fibre bundles from the corn pith, with B. subtilis contributing to the retting process by reducing the oxygen content and providing the required anaerobic conditions for clostridial growth. The native microflora present in the plant phyllosphere also showed some retting ability. Composition, thermostability and mechanical properties of the biocomposites produced using the fibres from the retted corn were all found to vary depending on the variety of corn. Specifically, retted Bt-RR cornstalk showed a 15°C increase in onset of degradation. Divergences between corn silage microbial communities analyzed by community-level physiological and enzyme activity profiling indicated that metabolic shifts were time-, region-, and contaminant-sensitive. Acetic and butyric acid production in silage retting effluent was found to be highest under anaerobic conditions and was also influenced by corn hybrid variety, although a specific variety was not identified as most or least favourable for organic acid production due to high variability. Bt-RR cornstalk material was found to have higher cellulose content and better thermostability with an onset of degradation of up to 45°C higher than its genetic RR and conventional counterparts. However, fibres from the RR corn isoline produced biocomposites with the highest flexural strength and modulus. RR cornstalk-reinforced polypropylene showed a 37 and 94% increase in flexural strength and modulus, respectively when compared to the mechanical properties of the pure polypropylene. The Bt-RR and conventional varieties produced biocomposites with an average increase of 26.5% in flexural strength and 83.5% in flexural modulus. The thermostability of ensiled corn biomass was found to be influenced by region, use of inoculants and silage treatment, while the silage treatment accounted for most of the variability in corn biomass composition. Polypropylene matrix biocomposites produced with (30 wt%) pre- and post-silage corn did not show significant differences in mechanical properties. However, ensiled corn resulted in an increase in fibres and potential microbial biomass of smaller particle sizes with more optimal thermostability and purity, producing biocomposites with higher flexural strength and modulus especially at higher extrusion temperatures. Cornstalk is an effective reinforcement material, producing biocomposites with higher flexural strength, flexural modulus and impact strength. Whole corn biomass presents a potential alternative to other plant fibres, especially as filler material. Silage retting resulted in fibres with a higher thermostability and smaller particle size distribution that, given their already smaller aspect ratio, could result in better mechanical properties in thermoplastics with a higher melting temperature or biocomposites requiring higher shear for mixing.

Preparation of thermoplastics composites using engineering thermoplastics and plant fibers or fillers is a technical challenge because the processing temperature of the thermoplastics is generally above the temperature of degradation of plant fibers of fillers. There have been numerous attempts for processing high melting point engineering thermoplastics like Nylon-6 with plant natural fibers and fillers. Low temperature processing methods, fiber modification or addition of additives which drops polymer melting point are some of proposed solutions for this problem. The objective of this thesis was to develop a formulation using wheat straw (WS) as a reinforcing fiber for Nylon-6. The concentration of WS was 15 wt-%. The thermoplastic composites were prepared by mixing grinded wheat straw and Nylon-6 using a laboratory scale twin-screw extruder; follow by preparation of samples using injection moulding. The strategy investigated in this thesis was utilization of additives to lower the melting point or to decrease the viscosity of Nylon-6. Lithium chloride salt (LiCl) and N-Butyl benzene Sulfon amide plasticizer (N-BBSA) were used as process additives to decrease melting point and to reduce the processing temperature and time. The addition of the wheat straw (15 wt-%) to the Nylon-6 increased modulus by 26.9 % but decreased the strength by 9.9 %. Effect of different level of these two additives on mechanical, thermal, physical properties and processability of the composite runs were studied. Addition of 4 wt-% LiCl was found to decrease the melting point from 222 °C to 191 °C, to increase modulus by 14 % in comparison to Nylon-6/wheat straw (15 wt-%). However, it decreased the processability and strength by 12.7 %. Plasticizer was investigated to easing processability and decreasing the degradation by reducing the residence time in the extruder, it does not affect the melting point of Nylon-6. The addition of 4 wt-% of plasticizer (N-BBSA) increased modulus and strength only by 2.6 % and 3 %, respectively, in comparison to Nylon-6/wheat straw (15 wt-%) composites. The results of mechanical properties were used as a benchmark for comparisons among samples with different formulations (levels of additives) to find out levels of LiCl and N-BBSA for the best mechanical properties. It was found that samples with 2 wt-% LiCl and 2 wt-% of N-BBSA had 29.3 % higher tensile modulus than neat Nylon-6, while its strength was almost same as neat Nylon-6 and 6.3 % higher than Nylon-6/WS (15 wt-%). These results were used to correlate the mechanical properties as a function of percentage of salt and plasticizer in the formulation. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to evaluate the percentage of crystallinity and the melting point of the thermoplastic phase and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to measure the thermal stability of different formulation. The kinetics of crystallization and degradation were evaluated using results from DSC and TGA, respectively. The activation energy for thermal degradation and the percentage of crystallinity of the thermoplastic composites were correlated to mechanical properties using linear regression. It was found that fiber degradation had a significant effect on strength but the effects of percentage of crystallinity on composites strength were insignificant. On the other hand, the percentage of crystallinity affects stiffness and impact strength. The ductility was a function of both crystallinity and thermal stability.

Preparation of thermoplastics composites using engineering thermoplastics and plant fibers or fillers is a technical challenge because the processing temperature of the thermoplastics is generally above the temperature of degradation of plant fibers of fillers. There have been numerous attempts for processing high melting point engineering thermoplastics like Nylon-6 with plant natural fibers and fillers. Low temperature processing methods, fiber modification or addition of additives which drops polymer melting point are some of proposed solutions for this problem. The objective of this thesis was to develop a formulation using wheat straw (WS) as a reinforcing fiber for Nylon-6. The concentration of WS was 15 wt-%. The thermoplastic composites were prepared by mixing grinded wheat straw and Nylon-6 using a laboratory scale twin-screw extruder; follow by preparation of samples using injection moulding. The strategy investigated in this thesis was utilization of additives to lower the melting point or to decrease the viscosity of Nylon-6. Lithium chloride salt (LiCl) and N-Butyl benzene Sulfon amide plasticizer (N-BBSA) were used as process additives to decrease melting point and to reduce the processing temperature and time. The addition of the wheat straw (15 wt-%) to the Nylon-6 increased modulus by 26.9 % but decreased the strength by 9.9 %. Effect of different level of these two additives on mechanical, thermal, physical properties and processability of the composite runs were studied. Addition of 4 wt-% LiCl was found to decrease the melting point from 222 °C to 191 °C, to increase modulus by 14 % in comparison to Nylon-6/wheat straw (15 wt-%). However, it decreased the processability and strength by 12.7 %. Plasticizer was investigated to easing processability and decreasing the degradation by reducing the residence time in the extruder, it does not affect the melting point of Nylon-6. The addition of 4 wt-% of plasticizer (N-BBSA) increased modulus and strength only by 2.6 % and 3 %, respectively, in comparison to Nylon-6/wheat straw (15 wt-%) composites. The results of mechanical properties were used as a benchmark for comparisons among samples with different formulations (levels of additives) to find out levels of LiCl and N-BBSA for the best mechanical properties. It was found that samples with 2 wt-% LiCl and 2 wt-% of N-BBSA had 29.3 % higher tensile modulus than neat Nylon-6, while its strength was almost same as neat Nylon-6 and 6.3 % higher than Nylon-6/WS (15 wt-%). These results were used to correlate the mechanical properties as a function of percentage of salt and plasticizer in the formulation. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to evaluate the percentage of crystallinity and the melting point of the thermoplastic phase and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to measure the thermal stability of different formulation. The kinetics of crystallization and degradation were evaluated using results from DSC and TGA, respectively. The activation energy for thermal degradation and the percentage of crystallinity of the thermoplastic composites were correlated to mechanical properties using linear regression. It was found that fiber degradation had a significant effect on strength but the effects of percentage of crystallinity on composites strength were insignificant. On the other hand, the percentage of crystallinity affects stiffness and impact strength. The ductility was a function of both crystallinity and thermal stability.

Presently there are two forms of biological fibre extraction, water retting or dew retting, which use bacteria or fungi, respectively. Microbial action results in release of the cellulose fibres due to modification of the pectin, hemicellulose and lignin content from parenchyma cells and the middle lamellae. Water retting results in pollution, high costs associated with labour and drying, as well as significant waste water production, while disadvantages to dew retting include the need for appropriate climates, variable and inferior fibre quality, risks of over-retting as well as health effects due to dust and fungal contaminants. The overall objective of this research was to explore silage retting as a new pre-processing technique allowing use of available farm infrastructure and contained retting conditions to produce plant-derived fibres with improved physical and chemical characteristics suitable for application in biocomposites. The corn processing ability of the hemp retting agents Clostridium felsineum and Bacillus subtilis was also investigated. Pleiotropic and/or crop management practices were assessed by comparing the physico-mechanical properties and the microbial populations during silage fermentation of genetically equivalent conventional, Roundup Ready® (RR) and Bt-Roundup Ready® (Bt-RR) corn isolines. Potential recovery of volatile organic acids in silage retting effluent as value-added chemicals was also explored. The results indicated that C. felsineum is an effective corn retting agent given the effective release of the fibre bundles from the corn pith, with B. subtilis contributing to the retting process by reducing the oxygen content and providing the required anaerobic conditions for clostridial growth. The native microflora present in the plant phyllosphere also showed some retting ability. Composition, thermostability and mechanical properties of the biocomposites produced using the fibres from the retted corn were all found to vary depending on the variety of corn. Specifically, retted Bt-RR cornstalk showed a 15°C increase in onset of degradation. Divergences between corn silage microbial communities analyzed by community-level physiological and enzyme activity profiling indicated that metabolic shifts were time-, region-, and contaminant-sensitive. Acetic and butyric acid production in silage retting effluent was found to be highest under anaerobic conditions and was also influenced by corn hybrid variety, although a specific variety was not identified as most or least favourable for organic acid production due to high variability. Bt-RR cornstalk material was found to have higher cellulose content and better thermostability with an onset of degradation of up to 45°C higher than its genetic RR and conventional counterparts. However, fibres from the RR corn isoline produced biocomposites with the highest flexural strength and modulus. RR cornstalk-reinforced polypropylene showed a 37 and 94% increase in flexural strength and modulus, respectively when compared to the mechanical properties of the pure polypropylene. The Bt-RR and conventional varieties produced biocomposites with an average increase of 26.5% in flexural strength and 83.5% in flexural modulus. The thermostability of ensiled corn biomass was found to be influenced by region, use of inoculants and silage treatment, while the silage treatment accounted for most of the variability in corn biomass composition. Polypropylene matrix biocomposites produced with (30 wt%) pre- and post-silage corn did not show significant differences in mechanical properties. However, ensiled corn resulted in an increase in fibres and potential microbial biomass of smaller particle sizes with more optimal thermostability and purity, producing biocomposites with higher flexural strength and modulus especially at higher extrusion temperatures. Cornstalk is an effective reinforcement material, producing biocomposites with higher flexural strength, flexural modulus and impact strength. Whole corn biomass presents a potential alternative to other plant fibres, especially as filler material. Silage retting resulted in fibres with a higher thermostability and smaller particle size distribution that, given their already smaller aspect ratio, could result in better mechanical properties in thermoplastics with a higher melting temperature or biocomposites requiring higher shear for mixing.

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No. of bitstreams: 1 oliveira_dm_dm_guara.pdf: 10110047 bytes, checksum: 86cc594889112132d78452c96ef59879 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-07-30 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Maior conscientização em relação as questões ambientais, atrelada a escassez de recursos, problemas ambientais globais e a políticas ambientais cada vez mais fortes influenciaram indústrias e pesquisadores a apreciar, estudar e desenvolver novos materiais a partir de fontes renováveis e novas tecnologias de fabricação. Entretanto, na literatura é reportado que a adesão interfacial entre fibras naturais e matriz polimérica é um fator que afeta as propriedades mecânicas do biocompósito, podendo ser melhorada por diversos tipos de tratamentos superficiais. Assim sendo, mantas de fibra de coco foram tratadas superficialmente por jato de plasma atmosférico, considerado menos agressivo ao meio ambiente quando comparado a tratamentos químicos, com o intuito de melhorar a adesão interfacial do biocompósitos. As fibras de coco foram caracterizadas com o objetivo de verificar a influência do tratamento nas propriedades físicas, químicas e térmicas. Verificou-se que o tratamento modificou a superfície das fibras e, consequentemente, sua hidrofilicidade e energia superficial, diminuindo o valor da permeabilidade. Parâmetros de processamento e o ciclo de cura mais adequado foram determinados como 80 ºC por 210 min, 135 ºC por 180 min e 160 ºC por 120 min, sem a aplicação de vácuo durante o processo e com fração volumétrica de fibras de aproximadamente 40 %. Inspeção acústica por ultrassom permitiu avaliar o processamento das placas dos biocompósitos verificando possíveis imperfeições causadas pela impregnação da fibra pela resina e sua homogeneidade. As análises termogravimétricas indicaram que a temperatura inicial de degradação dos biocompósitos é de 175 ºC. A temperatura de transição vítrea, determinada por DMA, é de aproximadamente 80 ºC. Os ensaios mecânicos apresentaram maiores valores de resistência à tração e de resistência à flexão para os biocompósitos reforçados com fibras tratadas quando comparados aos biocompósitos reforçados com fibras in natura. Maiores valores do módulo em tração e módulo em flexão, bem como os módulos de perda e armazenamento calculados por DMA para os biocompósitos reforçados com fibras tratadas sustentaram melhores propriedades mecânicas como resultado do tratamento a plasma. A morfologia da fratura dos biocompósitos indicou uma melhor adesão reforço-matriz para os biocompósitos com fibras tratadas. / Greater awareness regarding environmental issues, coupled with scarcity of resources, global environmental problems, and increasingly strong environmental policies have influenced industries and researchers to appreciate, study and develop new materials from renewable resources and new manufacturing technologies. However, literature reports that interfacial adhesion between natural fibers and polymeric matrix is a factor that affects the biocomposite mechanical properties, able to be improved by several types of surface treatments. Thus, coconut fiber mats were surface treated by atmospheric plasma jet, considered less aggressive to the environment when compared to chemical treatments, in order to improve interfacial adhesion with the polymer matrix to obtain biocomposites. Data from coconut fiber characterization shown that the treatment modified the fibers surface and consequently their hydrophilicity and surface energy, decreasing their permeability value. Processing parameters and most appropriate curing cycle were determined and defined as 80 °C for 210 min, 135 °C for 180 min and 160 °C for 120 min, without application of vacuum during the process and approximately 40 % fiber volume fraction. Ultrasonic acoustic inspection allowed evaluating the biocomposite plates processing by verifying possible imperfections caused by impregnation of the coconut fiber by the resin and its homogeneity. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that the initial biocomposite degradation temperature is 175 °C. Glass transition temperature, determined by DMA, is approximately 80 °C. Mechanical tests presented higher values of tensile strength and flexural strength for the biocomposites reinforced with treated fibers when compared to the biocomposites reinforced with untreated fibers. Higher values of tensile and flexural modulus, as well as DMA loss and storage modulus for biocomposites reinforced with treated fibers sustained better mechanical properties because of the plasma treatment. Fracture morphology indicated better reinforcement-matrix adhesion for biocomposite reinforced with treated fibers / 136348/2016-5

Novel uses of wheat gluten (WG) proteins, obtained e.g. as a coproduct from bio-ethanol production, are presented in this thesis. A flame-retardant foam was prepared via in-situ polymerization of hydrolyzed tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in a denatured WG matrix (Paper I). The TEOS formed a well-dispersed silica phase in the walls of the foam. With silica contents ≥ 6.7 wt%, the foams showed excellent fire resistance. An aspect of the bio-based foams was their high sensitivity to fungi and bacterial growth. This was addressed in Paper II using a natural antimicrobial agent Lanasol. In the same paper, a swelling of 32 times its initial weight in water was observed for the pristine WG foam and both capillary effects and cell wall absorption contributed to the high uptake. In Paper III, conductive and flexible foams were obtained using carbon-based nanofillers and plasticizer. It was found that the electrical resistance of the carbon nanotubes and carbon black filled foams were strain-independent, which makes them suitable for applications in electromagnetic shielding (EMI) and electrostatic discharge protection (ESD). Paper IV describes a ‘water-welding’ method where larger pieces of WG foams were made by wetting the sides of the smaller cubes before being assembled together. The flexural strength of welded foams was ca. 7 times higher than that of the same size WG foam prepared in one piece. The technique provides a strategy for using freeze-dried WG foams in applications where larger foams are required. Despite the versatile functionalities of the WG-based materials, the mechanical properties are often limited due to the brittleness of the dry solid WG. WG/flax composites were developed for improved mechanical properties of WG (Paper V). The results revealed that WG, reinforced with 19 wt% flax fibres, had a strength that was ca. 8 times higher than that of the pure WG matrix. Furthermore, the crack-resistance was also significantly improved in the presence of the flax. / <p>QC 20170524</p>

Sustainability and eco-innovation trends in business are increasingly diffused globally. The quest for sustainable materials to overcome the alarming global tendency of plastic ubiquity is one of the main reasons for such trends. It draws the attention of international actors in the business ranging from a big incumbent multinational company to a small but international firm. The phenomenon of a small firm that quickly becomes global is pervasive and contributes crucially to the global economy. Due to the born global (BG) novelty, internationalization in BG firms has been elaborated primarily in a general context, excluding the firms and industry-particular characteristics. The study aims to understand the internationalization process of a BG firm equipped with an eco-innovation context at the early stage in the biocomposite industry, using an effectual approach as conceptual lenses. The conceptual lens creates interplay among the combined international business area,  international entrepreneurship, and emerging eco-innovation field through the embedded effectuation principles. The study embraces an inductive case study approach which involves 12 participants from international actors and members of BG firms in semi-structured interviews. Furthermore, the industrial context of the study revolves around the biocomposite industry and its network to view eco-innovation nuance. The research found that Eco-innovation technology competence becomes the available means to internationalize for BG firm. Moreover, it is concluded that the effectuation theory is reliable both to be used by researchers in analyzing the phenomenon and dominantly used by the entrepreneur in internationalizing their business in uncertain time such as the early stage of internationalization. BG firm utilizes the contingencies through a learning process iteratively but at a quick pace due to their alliance with the network, but the business form is more effectually transformed instead of incrementally changing and well-planned.  The use of a formal causation approach was present yet limited during the process. The findings of this study add to the existing literature of internationalization by incorporating eco-innovation, as well as bridging the gap between eco-innovation, international business, and entrepreneurship literature.

As the environmental concern grows, researchers try to find material which can be environmental friendly and biodegradable to some extent. At present, flax fibre cannot fully replace glass fibre. Some attempts have been made to replace the glass fibre.<p> Studies show the physical and mechanical properties of natural fibres are comparable with glass fibre, so it can replace glass fibre in the process of making biocomposites. <p> The properties of biocomposites depend on the fibre used. Research shows that to get a better biocomposite, the fibre has to be chemically treated to improve adhesion between fibre and polymer matrix. After the chemical treatment, the fibre has to be dried to minimum moisture content so the drying of flax fibre is essential in the process of making biocomposites. <p> In this research, oilseed flax fibre is dried and drying characteristics were investigated. After drying, the physical properties of the fibre were tested and analysed.<p> The fibre was dried using three different drying methods, namely, microwave, microwave-convection, and microwave-vacuum environments. Curve fitting with four empirical methods has been carried out to determine the drying constant, coefficient of determination and standard error values. The results showed that microwave-vacuum drying method is more efficient (in terms of final moisture content) than microwave and microwave-convection drying. Although microwave-vacuum drying took the most time and did not result in promising colour values, the maximum moisture removal is achieved because fibres can be dried for a longer period of time with a comparatively low temperature.<p> The results of physical properties were analysed for untreated and treated and dried flax fibre. The tensile strength and elastic modulus of untreated and treated fibre did not show any significant change. Because the diameter of flax fibre cannot be consistent, a range of values can be obtained. The diameter range of fibre bundle 30-300 µm was examined for these tests. The tensile strength obtained from these fibre bundles ranged between 16 to 667 MPa and elastic modulus values were 2 GPa up to 63 GPa.<p> The scanning electron micrograph (SEM) was also analysed for untreated and treated-dried fibre. The fibre which was dried with high power or longer period of time showed black spots, probably due to local heating. The fibre dried with microwave-vacuum developed some black spots which were clearly seen in the SEM.<p> Differential scanning calorimetric data showed a shift in temperature of degradation. In this research, degradation temperature of cellulose was found 350(+/-10)°C for the treated and dried flax fibre.<p> In conclusion, the flax fibre has a potential to be used in biocomposite production. The microwave-vacuum works best for drying where the fibre can be dried up to a less than 1% of moisture content.

As the environmental concern grows, researchers try to find material which can be environmental friendly and biodegradable to some extent. At present, flax fibre cannot fully replace glass fibre. Some attempts have been made to replace the glass fibre.<p> Studies show the physical and mechanical properties of natural fibres are comparable with glass fibre, so it can replace glass fibre in the process of making biocomposites. <p> The properties of biocomposites depend on the fibre used. Research shows that to get a better biocomposite, the fibre has to be chemically treated to improve adhesion between fibre and polymer matrix. After the chemical treatment, the fibre has to be dried to minimum moisture content so the drying of flax fibre is essential in the process of making biocomposites. <p> In this research, oilseed flax fibre is dried and drying characteristics were investigated. After drying, the physical properties of the fibre were tested and analysed.<p> The fibre was dried using three different drying methods, namely, microwave, microwave-convection, and microwave-vacuum environments. Curve fitting with four empirical methods has been carried out to determine the drying constant, coefficient of determination and standard error values. The results showed that microwave-vacuum drying method is more efficient (in terms of final moisture content) than microwave and microwave-convection drying. Although microwave-vacuum drying took the most time and did not result in promising colour values, the maximum moisture removal is achieved because fibres can be dried for a longer period of time with a comparatively low temperature.<p> The results of physical properties were analysed for untreated and treated and dried flax fibre. The tensile strength and elastic modulus of untreated and treated fibre did not show any significant change. Because the diameter of flax fibre cannot be consistent, a range of values can be obtained. The diameter range of fibre bundle 30-300 µm was examined for these tests. The tensile strength obtained from these fibre bundles ranged between 16 to 667 MPa and elastic modulus values were 2 GPa up to 63 GPa.<p> The scanning electron micrograph (SEM) was also analysed for untreated and treated-dried fibre. The fibre which was dried with high power or longer period of time showed black spots, probably due to local heating. The fibre dried with microwave-vacuum developed some black spots which were clearly seen in the SEM.<p> Differential scanning calorimetric data showed a shift in temperature of degradation. In this research, degradation temperature of cellulose was found 350(+/-10)°C for the treated and dried flax fibre.<p> In conclusion, the flax fibre has a potential to be used in biocomposite production. The microwave-vacuum works best for drying where the fibre can be dried up to a less than 1% of moisture content.