Open Access

EDITORIAL

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.1, pp. 1-2, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2012.634110
Abstract This article has no abstract. More >

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REVIEW

Ying Xia¹, Rafael L. Quirino², Richard C. Larock^3,*
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.1, pp. 3-27, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2012.634103
Abstract Vegetable oils are promising renewable resources for polymers, due to their low cost, ready availability, and versatile applications. Recently, increasing attention has been paid to vegetable oil-based polymeric materials due to both economic and environmental concerns. This review focuses on the latest developments in vegetable oil-based thermosets prepared by a variety of polymerization methods. The thermosets obtained exhibit a wide range of thermomechanical properties from soft and fl exible rubbers to rigid and hard plastics. Some of the thermosets have properties comparable to petroleum-based analogs and show promise as replacements, providing possible solutions to environmental and energy concerns. More >

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ARTICLE

Eliane Trovatti^*
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.1, pp. 28-41, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2012.634104
Abstract Biobased polymers have been gaining the attention of society and industry because of concerns about the depletion of fossil fuels and growing environmental problems. Cellulose fi bers are one of the most promising biopolymers to be explored as a component of composite materials with emergent properties for new applications. Bacterial Cellulose (BC), a special kind of cellulose produced by microorganisms, is endowed with unique properties. In this context, this perspective offers an overview about the properties of BC that would enable it to become a commodity. This includes an appraisal of the current BC market, as compared with other available… More >

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ARTICLE

Sebastián Muñoz-Guerra^*, Montserrat García-Alvarez, José A. Portilla-Arias
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.1, pp. 42-60, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2012.634105
Abstract Poly(γ-glutamic acid) (PGGA) is an edible polypeptide excreted by certain bacteria that is presently accessible on a semi-industrial scale. Chemically, it is a nylon 4 derivative bearing a carboxylic side group attached to the fourth carbon of the repeating unit. Although this biopolymer is being exploited in the food, agriculture and cosmetic sectors, its use in massive applications as packaging or coating is still unknown mainly due to its instability in wet environments and unsuitability to be processed by common techniques. Chemical modifi cation of PGGA involving esterifi cation or amidation of the carboxylic group is the approach explored the… More >

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ARTICLE

Daan S. van Es
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.1, pp. 61-72, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2012.634108
Abstract In this perspectives paper we will look at the state-of-the-art in rigid renewable building blocks for biobased materials, with a focus on two types of carbohydrate-based difunctional monomers, i.e.,isohexides and furan- 2,5-dicarboxylic acid (FDCA). More >

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ARTICLE

Leendert W. Schwab, Wouter M. J. Kloosterman, Jakob Konieczny, Katja Loos^*
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.1, pp. 73-78, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2012.634102
Abstract The papain catalyzed enzymatic synthesis of amido amines catalyzed from aromatic diamines and N-carbobenzyloxy (Z) protected amino acids (Gly, L-Leu, L-Phe) is described. The amides precipitate (yield 19–47 % depending on the amino acid used) from the reaction mixture after one amide bond is formed thus preventing the formation of diamides in all cases. Papain retains its activity in buffers with a higher pH (9 and 12) observable by the amide bond formation between 1,3-phenylene diamine and Z-L-Gly and Z-L-Phe. Aliphatic diamines (1,4-butanediamine and 1,6-hexanediamine) were used as well but amide formation could not be observed in buffers of pH… More >

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ARTICLE

T. Ganier, J. Hu, A. Pizzi^*
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.1, pp. 79-82, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2012.634101
Abstract Linear vibration welding of extractive rich Paduk wood from central Africa containing a high proportion of a native mixture of water-insoluble extractives, or of low water solubility, has been shown to yield joints of much upgraded water resistance. This has been shown to be due to the protecting infl uence the extractives from the wood itself has on the welded interphase, due to their inherent water repellence. Joints of unusually high percentage wood failure but modest strength were obtained; Paduk wood brittleness apparently yielding weld line strengths always higher than that of the surrounding wood itself. This indicated that Paduk… More >

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