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EDITORIAL

Hamid Kaddami, Alain Dufresne
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.4, pp. 247-248, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634125
Abstract This article has no abstract. More >

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Amar Boukerrou^*, Dalila Hammiche, Djidjelli Hocine, Hassina Aouat
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.4, pp. 249-257, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634119
Abstract The lack of compatibility between cellulose fi bers and some polymers, such as thermoplastics, is due on one hand to the hydrophilic nature of the vegetable fi bers and on the other hand to the hydrophobic character of the matrix. This incompatibility induces bad dispersion of the fi bers and the formation of a heterogeneous material with mechanical properties which are not very satisfactory. The scope of this article is to describe the possibility of using Olive Husk Flour (OHF) as reinforcement in the elaboration of a composite material based on polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In this context, we used the… More >

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M. Tazi¹, F. Erchiqui^1,*, F.Godard¹, H. Kaddami²
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.4, pp. 258-263, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634120
Abstract This article evaluates the mechanical properties and biodegradability of wood-plastic composite materials made from sawdust and thermoplastic polymer (HDPE). For the preparation of the composites, sawdust in different proportions with Maleic Anhydride grafted Polyethylene (MAPE) as the coupling agent was used. The mechanical properties and biodegradability of the biocomposites were successively characterized. The results indicate that adding sawdust particles to a polymer matrix improves the mechanical strength and stiffness of composites. The tensile strength of a composite with 3% coupling agent was improved by 13%, 34% and 54% respectively when 20%, 30% and 40% wood fi llers were added to… More >

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P. Sittisart^1,*, M.M. Hyland¹, M.A. Hodgson¹, C. Nguyen², A. Fernyhough³
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.4, pp. 264-269, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634123
Abstract A series of composites based on polypropylene with different loadings of nickel-coated cellulose fi bres (NCCF) were fabricated with the aim to create a composite suitable for EMI shielding and/or electrostatic discharge application. Various properties such as EMI shielding effectiveness, surface resistivity, volume resistivity and fl exural strength were characterised according to ASTM standard. Both surface and volume resistivity suggested that the electrical conductivity of NCCF was not high enough and the composite remains electrically non-conducting up to 40 wt% loading of NCCF. However, nickel particles were still able to shield electromagnetic radiation regardless of their connectivity and conductivity. This… More >

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Hedieh Teymoorzadeh¹, Denis Rodrigue^2,*
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.4, pp. 270-277, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634127
Abstract This work investigates the effect of the addition of fl ax fi ber (15, 25, and 40 wt%) on the mechanical, morphological, rheological, and thermal properties of polylactic acid (PLA). In the fi rst step, no coupling agent was used to produce fully biodegradable and biobased composites. In particular, fl exural tests were performed on the composites to evaluate their mechanical properties, while density, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and rheological tests were also carried out. Scanning electron microscopy images (SEM) show good fl ax fi ber dispersion in the PLA matrix along with good contact between both… More >

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Antti Ojala^1,*, Lisa Wikström¹, Kalle Nättinen², Jani Lehmonen³, Karita Kinnunen-Raudaskoski⁴
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.4, pp. 278-284, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634126
Abstract This article presents a new method of producing thermomoldable nonwoven materials based on kraft lignin (KL) and softwood kraft pulp (KP). A mixture of starch acetate (SA) and triethyl citrate (TEC) was used as a water insoluble plasticizer for KL. The thermoplastic lignin (TPL) material with the optimized ratio of KL, SA and TEC was prepared in a twin-screw extruder. The TPL compound was ground and mixed with KP fi bers to produce thermoformable sheets using foam-laid technology. The formed webs were compression molded (CM) into plates and mechanically tested. The foam-laid composites had tensile strengths and modulus of 67… More >

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Aimé S. Fotso Talla^1,2,*, Fouad Erchiqui^1,2, Duygu Kocaefe¹, Hamid Kaddami³
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.4, pp. 285-290, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634122
Abstract The properties of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) reinforced with 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20% (w/w) alkaline-treated hemp fi bers were investigated following a series of processing stages. The fi ber concentration signifi cantly impacts the compounding process, yielding thermostable composites below 300°C. Their elastic moduli varied logarithmically with fi ber concentration, and were increased by up to 20% with respect to the nonreinforced formulation. Such reinforcement was, however, followed by a drastic decrease in the elongation at break, from more than 20 mm for the unreinforced PET to as low as 2.5 mm. Other properties showed closer observations to the… More >

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Marion Noël^1,*, Warren Grigsby², Thomas Volkmer¹
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.4, pp. 291-305, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634118
Abstract Oligomer systems based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(glycolic acid) (PGA), poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and poly(butylene adipate) (PBA) were impregnated in wood and polymerized in situ to improve the dimensional stability of the treated wood. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) was used to characterize the impact on the treated wood properties. Cell wall bulking treatments (PLA and PGA oligomers: OLA and OGA) induced softening and plasticization of wood components. Lumen fi lling treatments (PBS and PBA oligomers: OBS and OBA) led to minor decreases in treated wood stiffness with any softening dependent on the polymer melt temperature. Overall, no oligomer treatment… More >

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Aparecido Junior de Menezes^1,3,*, Elson Longo², Fábio Lima Leite¹, Alain Dufresne³
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.4, pp. 306-313, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634121
Abstract In the work presented in this article surface chemical modifi cation was applied to ramie cellulose nanocrystals by grafting organic acid chlorides presenting different lengths of the aliphatic chain. The objective of this surface chemical treatment was to enhance the nonpolar nature of the grafted nanocrystals and improve their dispersibility in a nonpolar polymeric matrix. The occurrence of the chemical modifi cation was evaluated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, the degree of crystallinity by X-ray diffraction, and the morphology by scanning electron microscopy with fi eld emission gun (FEG-SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The morphology and crystallinity provided… More >

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