Presentation: 2025 ND EPSCoR Annual conference 

October 21, 2025, NDSU Memorial Union, Fargo, North Dakota

Alginate-Oilseed Flax Fibres Biocomposites for Biodegradable Packaging Applications

Plastic packaging continues to be a major contributor to environmental waste, motivating the search for biodegradable alternatives. This project explores the use of oilseed flax (Linum usitatissimum) fibers, an agricultural by-product from flax grown widely in North Dakota, as reinforcement in alginate-based biocomposites for packaging applications. Flax straw fibers were alkali-treated to improve compatibility with the alginate matrix, which was blended with glycerol as a plasticizer. Composite films were prepared and characterized. Tensile testing showed that the optimized formulation containing 2% flax fiber achieved a tensile strength of 45 MPa and a modulus of 3.8 GPa, significantly higher than unreinforced alginate films. The results support the potential use of flax fibres as a renewable reinforcement in biodegradable packaging. Ongoing work includes material characterization to better understand fiber–matrix interactions and optimization of the composite structure.