S.H. Hassan^1,2, Lee Hwei Voon^1*, T.S. Velayutham^2*, Lindong Zhai³, Hyun Chan Kim³, Jaehwan Kim³

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.1, pp. 1-25, 2018, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634173

Abstract Cellulose is a renewable biomass material and natural polymer which is abundantly available on Earth, and includes agricultural wastes, forestry residues, and woody materials. The excellent and smart characteristics of cellulose materials, such as lightweight, biocompatibility, biodegradability, high mechanical strength/stiffness and low thermal expansibility, have made cellulose a high-potential material for various industry applications. Cellulose has recently been discovered as a smart material in the electroactive polymers family which carries the name of cellulose-based electroactive paper (EAPap). The shear piezoelectricity in cellulose polymers is able to induce large displacement output, low actuation voltage, and low… More >

Ying Hu^1,2, Qinfei Ke¹, Zhe Li², Wanli Han³, Zhiyong Yan^2,*

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.56, No.3, pp. 517-527, 2018, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2018.03608

Abstract Cellulose nanofibers were synthesized by acetobacter xylinum (xylinum 1.1812). The cellulose nanofibers with 30-90 nm width constructed three-dimension network gel, which could be used as a wound dressing since it can provide moist environment to a wound. However, cellulose nanofibers have no antimicrobial activity to prevent wound infection. To achieve antimicrobial activity, the cellulose nanofibers can load cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) particles on the surface. The cuprous oxide is a kind of safe antibacterial material. The copper ions can be reduced into cuprous oxides by reducing agents such as glucose, N₂H₄ and sodium hypophosphite. The cellulose nanofibers network… More >

Kabir Fardad¹, Bahman Najafi¹, Sina Faizollahzadeh Ardabili¹, Amir Mosavi^2,3, Shahaboddin Shamshirband,^4,5,*, Timon Rabczuk²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.55, No.3, pp. 381-392, 2018, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2018.01803

Abstract Glycyrrhiza glabra, Mint, Cuminum cyminum, Lavender and Arctium medicinal are considered as edible plants with therapeutic properties and as medicinal plants in Iran. After extraction process of medicinal plants, residual wastes are not suitable for animal feed and are considered as waste and as an environmental threat. At present there is no proper management of waste of these plants and they are burned or buried. The present study discusses the possibility of biogas production from Glycyrrhiza Glabra Waste (GGW), Mentha Waste (MW), Cuminum Cyminum Waste (CCW), Lavender Waste (LW) and Arctium Waste (AW). 250 g… More >

Weijun Yang^1†, Xiaomin Zhao^2†, Elena Fortunati¹, Franco Dominici¹, Jose M. Kenny¹, Debora Puglia^1*, De-Yi Wang^2*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.5, pp. 423-434, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634146

Abstract Presented herein is a deep investigation of the fire, mechanical and thermal performances of poly(lactic acid) (PLA)-based nanocomposites, which were obtained by combining cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) with various contents of N,N’-diallyl-phenylphosphoricdiamide (P-AA) via a two-steps masterbatch melt extrusion process (glycidyl methacrylate grafting on PLA and CNC premixing with PLA). Results have shown that the value of the limiting oxygen index (LOI) increased to 28.8% and a V-0 rating in UL94 test was obtained when 2 wt% of P-AA was added in the presence of cellulose nanocrystals (3 wt%). The incorporation of CNC induced a decrease More >

Liqing Wei¹, Shupin Luo², Armando G. McDonald², Umesh P. Agarwal¹, Kolby C. Hirth¹, Laurent M. Matuana³, Ronald C. Sabo^1* , Nicole M. Stark^1*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.5, pp. 410-422, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634144

Abstract Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are renewable and sustainable filler for polymeric nanocomposites. However, their high hydrophilicity limits their use with hydrophobic polymer for composite materials. In this study, freeze-dried CNCs were modified by transesterification with canola oil fatty acid methyl ester to reduce the hydrophilicity. The transesterified CNCs (CNCFE) were compounded with PLA into nanocomposites. CNCFE with long-chain hydrocarbons plays a role as plasticizer. Increasing CNCFE loadings resulted in clear plasticizing effects. Lower Tg and Tm were achieved for CNCFE-based nanocomposites. Plasticizing nanocomposite melt with CNCFE can mitigate the degradation of CNCs during thermal processing. The More >

Poonam Trivedi¹, Jens Schaller², Jan Gustafsson¹, Pedro Fardim^1,3*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.5, pp. 400-409, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634143

Abstract In the present study, we report the supramolecular design of cellulose-sulfonate hydrogel beads by blending water soluble sodium cellulose ethyl sulfonate (CES) with the pretreated cellulose in sodium hydroxide-ureawater solvent system at −6 °C followed by coagulation in the 2M sulfuric acid system. The increasing of CES amount from 10% to 90% had a substantial effect on the viscosity and storage (G′) and loss (G″) moduli of the blended solutions. The CES concentration up to 50% in blends led to the formation of physically stable hydrogels after coagulation in acidic medium at pH-1 and showed… More >

G. Mondragon, C. Peña-Rodriguez, A. Eceiza, A. Arbelaiz^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.5, pp. 345-356, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634124

Abstract In this work, the main chemical reactions conditions of a succession of specific chemical treatments used for the isolation of nanocellulose from sisal fibers were evaluated. The novelty of this work is the study done to analyze the effect of different reaction conditions (time or concentration) in fiber structure and composition as well as in the characteristics of obtained cellulosic samples. In order to achieve this goal different physicochemical, thermal and morphological characterization techniques were used after each chemical treatment and the most suitable reaction conditions were selected for the subsequent treatment. Moreover, the thermal More >

Melissa Camacho¹, Yendry Regina Corrales Ureña^*,1, Mary Lopretti², Leonel Bustamante Carballo¹, Galia Moreno¹, Brian Alfaro¹, Jose Roberto Vega Baudrit^1,3

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.5, pp. 271-279, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634117

Abstract Pineapple peel biomass was used as raw material for nanocellulose extraction. The raw material is a residue from the Costa Rican fruit industry. The nanocellulose was obtained by a two-step hydrolysis process. Firstly, the cellulose was hydrolyzed with HCl to obtain microcrystalline cellulose. In the second step, the hydrolysis was carried out using H2SO4 to obtain smaller fragments and decrease the lignin content. A timedependent study was carried out to determine the particle size decrease depending on the contact time with the H2SO4. The chemical, thermal and morphological properties were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared More >

Nicole Segura Salas¹, Felipe Orozco Gutiérrez³, Luis Daniel Mora Murillo², Yendry Corrales Ureña³, Shakira Johnson¹, José Vega Baudrit³, Rodolfo Jesús González-Paz^3*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.3-4, pp. 313-322, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634122

Abstract Vegetable oils are being used for the production of biodegradable polymers, opening new possibilities for the synthesis of greener materials that could compete in national markets with petroleum-based polymers. In this study, castor oil and a catalyst (cobalt[II] naphtenate as promotor and MEKP as initiator) from local stores and styrene in different ratios were used to produce thermostable polymers. The kinetics of the polymerization reaction was followed by infrared spectroscopy. A polymeric material was synthetized which presents good mechanical properties. Therefore, composites were produced using 1 wt% of microcellulose extracted from biomass waste as reinforcement More >

A. Delgado-Lima, M. C. Paiva^*, A. V. Machado

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.2, pp. 145-153, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634104

Abstract Cellulose acetate (CA) is produced from a natural polymer and presents excellent properties, finding applications in a variety of areas. Unlike cellulose, CA is melt processable and may be molded into parts and formed into fibers or films. In this context, the production of conductive CA composites that may be processable and integrated into parts to provide specific functionalities is an area of increasing interest. The present work aims to prepare electrically conductive composites based on CA and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by melt mixing. The nanocomposites were produced with pure and pyrrolidine-functionalized nanotubes, using a More >