Open Access
ARTICLE
Isamar Rosa1, Henning Roedel1, Maria I. Allende1, Michael D. Lepech1,*, David J. Loftus2
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.8, pp. 845-861, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.09844
(This article belongs to this Special Issue: Bio-composite Materials and Structures)
Abstract Biopolymer-bound Soil Composites (BSC), are a novel bio-based construction material class, produced through the mixture and desiccation of biopolymers with inorganic aggregates with applications in soil stabilization, brick
creation and in situ construction on Earth and space. This paper introduces a mixture design methodology to produce maximum strength for a given soil-biopolymer combination. Twenty protein and sand mix designs were investigated, with
varying amounts of biopolymer solution and compaction regimes during manufacture. The ultimate compressive strength, density, and shrinkage of BSC samples are reported. It is observed that the compressive strength of BSC materials
increases proportional to tighter particle packing… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Toshifumi Yui1,*, Takuya Uto2
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.8, pp. 863-878, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.010830
(This article belongs to this Special Issue: Nanocellulose and Nanocellulose-Derived Functional Materials)
Abstract We report the systematic survey of the binding free energies at the interface between a carbohydrate binding module (CBM) of Cel7A and the cellulose
IIII crystal model using grid docking searches and molecular dynamics simulations. The two hydrophobic crystal surfaces were involved in the distinct energy
minima of the binding free energy. The complex models, each with the CBM at
the minimum energy position, stably formed in the solution state. The binding
free energies of the cellulose IIII complex models, based on both static and
dynamics states, were comparable to those of the native cellulose complex models. However, the cellulose… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Jialin Lv1, Rao Fu1, Yinan Liu1,2,*, Xuelian Zhou1, Weihong Wang1,*, Pengbo Xie1, Tingwei Hu1
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.8, pp. 879-890, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.010728
(This article belongs to this Special Issue: Polymeric Composites Based on Sustainable Technologies and Renewable Materials)
Abstract Wood-plastic composite is an environmentally friendly material, due to
its use of recycled thermoplastics and plant fibers. However, its surface lacks
attractive aesthetic qualities. In this paper, a method of decorating wood fiber/
high-density polyethylene (WF/HDPE) without adding adhesive was explored.
Canvas or polyester fabrics were selected as the surface decoration materials.
The influence of hot-pressing temperature and WF/HDPE ratio on the adhesion
was studied. The surface bonding strength, water resistance, and surface color
were evaluated, and observation within the infrared spectrum and under scanning
electron microscopy was used to analyze the bonding process. The results showed
that the fabric… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Plínio B. Mundim1, Rondinele A. R. Ferreira1, Leila A. C. Motta1, Mariana A. Henrique2, Daniel Pasquini2,*
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.8, pp. 891-903, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.010655
(This article belongs to this Special Issue: 15th Brazilian Polymer Conference (15th CBPol))
Abstract The objective of this work was to evaluate different superficial treatments of sisal fibres employing lignin, and their use as a reinforcement agent
in cementitious composites. The treatments consisted of superficially impregnating sisal fibres (S) with organosolv lignin (LO), organosolv lignin and glutaraldehyde (LOG), Kraft lignin (LK) and Kraft lignin and glutaraldehyde (LKG). The
fibre modifications were verified by FTIR-ATR and SEM analyzes, and the presence of lignin on the surface of the fibres was evidenced, confirming the effectiveness of the treatments. The mechanical, thermal (by TGA) and water
absorption properties of the fibres before and after the modifications were… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Weili Wu*, Fengyu Chen
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.8, pp. 905-913, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.010558
(This article belongs to this Special Issue: Renewable materials for sustainable development)
Abstract Corn stalk cellulose (CS)/used rubber powder (RP) composites were
prepared by mixing, the silane coupling agent 3-Mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane
(KH590), r-Aminopropyltrieth oxysilane (KH550), isopropyl dioleic (dioctylphosphate) titanate (HY101) and bis-(γ-triethoxysilylpropyl)- tetrasulfide (Si69) were
used to modify the interface of composites. The effects of the CS and coupling
agents on the mechanical properties, thermal properties, interfacial morphology
and structure of the composites were investigated, respectively. The results
showed that the addition of CS could effectively improve the mechanical properties of the composites. Compared with the untreated composites, the interfacial
bonding between CS and RP was significantly improved by the coupling modifi-
cation… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Xibo Qi1, Yijie Huang2,3,*, Xiaowei Li1, Zhenhua Hu1, Jingwei Ying3, Dayong Li1
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.8, pp. 915-937, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.010991
Abstract The mechanical properties of modified sea water sea sand coral concrete (SWSSCC) under axial compression were experimentally studied. Two different parameters were considered in this test: types of cement and fiber. An
experimental campaign was developed involving uniaxial compression tests and
the use of digital image correlation (DIC) method to analyze the strain distribution
and crack propagation of specimen. Test results indicated that the compressive
strength and elastic modulus of SWSSCC were improved by adding stainless steel
fibers (SSF), while polypropylene fibers (PF) enhanced the SWSSCC peak deformation. It was found that the elastic modulus and strength of SWSSCC using… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Shuaishuai Zhu1, Zhigang Pan1,2, Yaqiu Tao1,2,*, Yue Chen1,2
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.8, pp. 939-946, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.011197
Abstract Hydrogen is recognized as a promising energy scours in the close
future. Online hydrogen preparation from formic acid under mild reaction conditions causes extensive interests. Mo2C and metal (Fe, Ni, Co, K) doped Mo2C on
granular activated carbon (GAC) were prepared and used as heterogeneous catalysts for H2 generation from formic acid on a fixed bed reactor at 100–250°C. The
formic acid conversions on doped Mo2C-Me/GAC are clearly improved, especially at lower reaction temperatures. Co doping presents outstanding effect on
H2 selectivity and conversion rate compared to Ni and Fe. A 56.3% formic acid
conversion was reached on Mo2C-Co/GAC at… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Xiaofu Wang1,*, Xiong Zhang1, Yan He2, Chunming Lian3
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.8, pp. 947-968, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.011327
Abstract In order to solve the problem of urban surface runoff, it is necessary to
study permeable brick deeply. Tensile test and DMA test were used to study the
binder material of permeable brick, and a material with the best mechanical properties was selected as the binder of resin based permeable brick; The permeable
brick with single gradation and continuous gradation and porosity of 0.1–0.5 gradient is constructed by 3D modeling method. The particle composition and the
seepage simulation results of permeable brick under different design parameters
were analyzed; A resin-based permeable brick with micro-pores was prepared
using the selected binder… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Kang He1, Yu Chen1,*, Jian Wang2
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.8, pp. 969-992, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.09573
(This article belongs to this Special Issue: Bio-composite Materials and Structures)
Abstract The behaviour of timber columns subjected to freeze-thaw cycles under
axial compression is presented in this paper. A total of forty specimens, including
twenty circular timber columns and twenty square timber columns, were tested
under axial compression. The failure modes, ultimate bearing capacity, ductility
coefficient, load-displacement curves and load-strain curves were obtained and
analyzed. The number of freeze-thaw cycles (from 0 to 80) and the specimens’
height (from 225 mm to 360 mm) were considered as the main parameters. After
freeze-thaw cycles, there was no obvious change on the surface of the timber columns. The test results showed that freeze-thaw… More >
Open Access
REVIEW
Zhen Wang1, Haitao Li1,2,*, Rodolfo Lorenzo3, Ileana Corbi4, Ottavia Corbi4, Changhua Fang2
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.8, pp. 993-1018, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.012488
Abstract Retrofitting of existing ancient and modern timber structures has been
an important project recently. And it triggers a need of excellent strengthening
methods, so does the strengthening of newly built architecture. Traditional
strengthening methods have shortcomings such as high costing and destroying
the aesthetic of the structure, many of which can be overcome by means of using
fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. However, the behavior of FRP-towood systems has yet to be thoroughly researched compared with their FRP-toconcrete or FRP-to-steel counterparts. As FRP retrofitting and strengthening timber structures has a promising future, better understanding of their failure modes
will enable… More >