Open Access

EDITORIAL

Alfonso Jiménez
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 1-1, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634102
Abstract This article has no abstract. More >

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REVIEW

Talita M. Lacerda^1,2,*, Alessandro Gandini^1,2
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 2-12, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634127
Abstract The inevitable future scarcity of fossil resources, coupled with sustainability considerations, have stimulated the use of renewable resources for material synthesis, and highly effi cient polymerization methods that meet the requirements of green chemistry have drawn attention to fatty acid-based polymers. Additionally, the polymerization of furan monomers and the exploitation of some of the chemical peculiarities of the furan heterocycle have generated a wide diversity of macromolecular materials. A novel approach is reviewed here, calling upon the combined use of both vegetable oils and their derivatives together with furans, as a promising technique to obtain new materials from two renewable… More >

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ARTICLE

L. Poussard^1,*, A. Mecheri¹, J. Mariage¹, I. Barakat¹, L. Bonnaud¹, J.-M. Raquez^1,2, P. Dubois^1,2
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 13-22, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634132
Abstract Biobased oligo(butylene succinate)-based thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) were prepared following a twostep polymerization process: condensation of succinic acid and butanediol and the chain extension of resulting hydroxyl-terminated butylene succinate oligomers (OBS) in the presence of butanediol as chain extender and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) as coupling agent. Mechanical and thermal properties of the elaborated TPUs were evaluated in terms of hard segment and compared with those of commercial polybutylene succinate (PBS), Bionolle 1001. Whatever the compositions, the ultimate tensile properties of OBS-based TPUs and Bionolle 1001 were found to exhibit similar values (ε_r ≈ 400%, σ_r ≈ 40 MPa), which can be… More >

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ARTICLE

Alicia Mujica-Garcia^1,2, Iván Navarro-Baena¹, José Maria Kenny^1,2, Laura Peponi^2,*
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 23-34, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634130
Abstract The main aim of this research is the production of different biopolymeric fi bers by electrospinning and the determination of the optimum working parameters for each polymer analyzed. In particular, three different biopolymers have been studied: poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and a synthesized poly(ester-urethane) based on a synthesized PLA-b-PCL-b-PLA tri-block copolymer. This research is focused on the analysis of the infl uence of the processing parameters, such as the concentration and fl ow-rate of the polymer solution and the applied voltage, as well as the physico-chemical properties of the polymers used, on the fi ber formation and crystallization behavior.… More >

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ARTICLE

Vu Thanh Phuong^1,2, Steven Verstichel³, Patrizia Cinelli^1,4, Irene Anguillesi¹, Maria-Beatrice Coltelli¹, Andrea Lazzeri^1,*
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 35-41, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634136
Abstract Cellulose acetate (CDA) cannot be processed as raw material because it starts to decompose before melting. Triacetin and diacetin were tested to improve CDA processing versus conventional phthalate as environmentally sustainable plasticizers, because of their low toxicity and fast biodegradability. The addition of triacetin and diacetin allowed melt processing of CDA and the results of tensile tests outlined their effect as plasticizers. The values of mechanical properties were compatible with the requirements for applications in rigid packaging. From the results of biodegradation tests it can be concluded that for pure cellulose acetate, complete biodegradation was obtained within 200 days of… More >

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ARTICLE

A. Terenzi¹, A. Iannoni¹, L. Torre¹, A. Jiménez^2,*, J.M. Kenny¹
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 42-51, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634101
Abstract The development of new nano-biocomposites has been one of the main research areas of interest in polymer science in recent years, since they can combine the intrinsic biodegradable nature of matrices with the ability to modify their properties by the addition of selected nano-reinforcements. In this work, the addition of mineral nanoclays (montmorillonites and sepiolites) to a commercial starch-based matrix is proposed. A complete study on their processing by melt-intercalation techniques and further evaluation of the main properties of nano-biocomposites has been carried out. The results reported show an important infl uence of the nano-biocomposites morphology on their fi nal… More >

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ARTICLE

Philippe Evon^1,2,*, Ika A. Kartika³, Luc Rigal^1,2
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 52-65, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634131
Abstract The infl uence of thermo-pressing conditions on the mechanical properties of particleboards obtained from Jatropha press cakes was evaluated in this study. Conditions such as molding temperature and press cake oil content were included. All particleboards were cohesive, with proteins and fibers acting respectively as binder and reinforcing fillers. Generally, it was the molding temperature that most affected particleboard mechanical properties. The most resistant boards were obtained using 200°C molding temperature. Glass transition of proteins then occurred during molding, resulting in effective wetting of the fi bers. At this optimal molding temperature, the best compromise between fl exural properties (7.2… More >

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218

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ARTICLE

D. Puglia^*, R. Petrucci, E. Fortunati, F. Luzi, J.M. Kenny, L. Torre
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 66-76, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634134
Abstract Posidonia Oceanica waste was used as reinforcement in a polyethylene matrix and the obtained composites were characterised by a tensile test and morphological analysis. The fi brous material derived from P. Oceanica wastes was characterised by morphological, thermal and chemical analysis, and a subsequent treatment with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at different weight content (2, 5 and 10 wt%) was considered as an optimised method for surface modifi cation of pristine fi bres (PO). The TGA analysis and morphological investigation of the treated fi bres selected the 5 wt% of NaOH as the best treatment. Matrix compatibilisation with maleic anhydride grafted… More >

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ARTICLE

S.K. Pankaj¹, C. Bueno-Ferrer¹, N.N. Misra¹, L. O’Neill², A. Jiménez³, P. Bourke¹, P.J. Cullen^1,4,*
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 77-84, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634129
Abstract The effects of dielectric barrier discharge plasma treatment on zein fi lm containing thymol as an active ingredient were evaluated. The plasma discharge was optically characterized to identify the reactive species. A signifi cant increase in the fi lm roughness (p < 0.05) was observed due to the etching effect of DBD plasma, which was correlated with the increase in the diffusion rate of thymol in the food simulant. The diffusion of thymol from the zein fi lm was measured in aqueous solution. The kinetics of thymol release followed the Fick’s law of diffusion as shown by the high correlation… More >

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255

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ARTICLE

Supakij Suttiruengwong^1,*, Kanchana Sotho¹, Manus Seadan²
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 85-92, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634135
Abstract A one-step process in an internal mixer was used to prepare Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)/high-loading modifi ed tapioca starch (30–40 wt%) blends with low glycerol content (10–20 wt% of starch) as a plasticizer. To promote a good compatibility, two reactive agents, maleic anhydride (MA)/peroxide and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), were selected and compared. The mechanical properties, morphology, and Molau test of the blends were investigated. The compatibility of PBS/starch blends was improved by both reactive agents at the suitable plasticizer loading (glycerol 10 wt% of starch). It was demonstrated that increasing mechanical properties resulted in good adhesion of PBS/starch interface and… More >

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