Dounia Bendahou^1,2, Abdelkader Bendahou¹, Bastien Seantier¹, Bénédicte Lebeau³, Yves Grohens^1,*, Hamid Kaddami^2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.3, pp. 299-313, 2018, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634185

Abstract Hybrid aerogels have been prepared by freeze-drying technique after mixing water dispersions of cellulose microfibers or cellulose nanofibers and silica (SiO2) of type SBA-15 (2D-hexagonal). The prepared composites were characterized by different analysis techniques such as SEM, hot-filament, DMA, etc. These composites are compared to those previously prepared using nanozeolites (NZs) as mineral charge. The morphology studied by SEM indicated that both systems have different structures, i.e., individual fibers for cellulose microfibers WP-based aerogels and films for nanofibrillated cellulose NFC-based ones.... These differences seem to be driven by the charge of the particles, their aspect ratio and concentrations. These hybrid… More >

Rajendran Muthuraj, Abhishek Sachan, Mickael Castro*, Jean-François Feller, Bastien Seantier*, Yves Grohens

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.3, pp. 277-287, 2018, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634182

Abstract In this work, thermally insulating and electrically conductive aerogels were prepared from cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by environmentally friendly freeze-drying process. The thermal conductivity of neat CNF aerogel is 24 mW/(m·K) with a density of 0.025 g/cm3. With the addition of CNTs into CNF aerogel, the electrical conductivity was significantly increased while the thermal conductivity was increased to 38 mW/(m·K). Due to these interesting properties, the Seebeck coefficient and the figure of merit (ZT) of the CNF/CNTs aerogels were measured and showed that CNF/CNTs aerogel thermoelectric properties can be improved. The compressibility and electrical resistance of the… More >

Maxime Pontié^1*, Serge Foukmeniok Mbokou^1,2, Jean-Philippe Bouchara¹, Bienvenue Razafimandimby¹, Sylvie Egloff¹, Ornella Dzilingomo¹, Pierre-Yves Pontalier³, Ignas Kenfack Tonle<

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.3, pp. 242-250, 2018, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634169

Abstract Electrochemical determination of paracetamol (PCT) was successfully performed using carbon paste electrodes (CPEs) modified with treated coffee husks (CHt) or cellulose powder (Ce). Scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize unmodified or modified CPEs prior to their use. The electrochemical oxidation of PCT was investigated using square wave voltammetry (SWV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The oxidation current density of PCT was two-fold higher with the CPE-CHt sensor and 30% higher with CPE-Ce in comparison with the unmodified CPE, and this correlated with the higher hydrophilicity of the modified electrodes. Using SWV for the electrochemical analysis of PCT, carbon paste electrode… More >

Bruno Henrique dos Santos, Karen de Souza do Prado, Asaph Armando Jacinto, Márcia Aparecida da Silva Spinacé*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.2, pp. 176-182, 2018, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2018.634101

Abstract Although thermoplastic starch (TPS) is biodegradable, its low mechanical resistance limits its wide application. Sugarcane bagasse (SB) fibers can be used as reinforcement in TPS matrix composites, but the influence of fiber size on the properties of the composite is still unknown. In this study, TPS composites reinforced with SB short fibers of four sizes were processed and characterized in order to analyze the influence of fiber size on the mechanical properties of the TPS/SB composite. It was observed that the interaction between fiber and matrix was good and optimized when the fibers are sifted in sieves between 30 and… More >

Enih Rosamah¹, Abdul Khalil H.P.S.^2*, S.W. Yap², Chaturbhuj K. Saurabh², Paridah M. Tahir³, Rudi Dungani⁴, Abdulwahab F. Owolabi²

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.1, pp. 75-86, 2018, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634152

Abstract In this study, bamboo nanoparticles in concentration ranges from 0–5% were incorporated along with woven/nonwoven kenaf fiber mat into unsaturated polyester and the developed composites were further characterized. Bamboo chips were subjected to ball milling process for the synthesis of nanoparticles with a particle size of 52.92 nm. The effect that the incorporation of nanoparticles had on various properties of reinforced composites was further observed. Due to the high surface area of nanoparticles, incorporation of 3% of nanofillers contributed towards strong bonding and better wettability with matrix, thus resulting in excellent mechanical properties and thermal characteristics in reinforced unsaturated polyester… More >

M. Asim¹, M. Jawaid^1,4*, K. Abdan², M.R. Ishak³, O.Y. Alothman^4,5

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.1, pp. 38-46, 2018, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634148

Abstract In this study, pineapple leaf fiber (PALF), kenaf fiber (KF) and PALF/KF/phenolic (PF) composites were fabricated and their mechanical properties were investigated. The mechanical properties (tensile, flexural and impact) of the PALF/KF/PF hybrid composites were investigated and compared with PALF/KF composites. The 3P7K exhibited enhanced tensile strength (46.96 MPa) and modulus (6.84 GPa), flexural strength (84.21 MPa) and modulus (5.81 GPa), and impact strength (5.39 kJ/m2) when compared with the PALF/PF and KF/PF composites. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the fracture surfaces of the tensile testing samples. The microstructure of the 7P3K hybrid composite showed good interfacial… More >

N. A. Sri Aprilia¹, M. S. Nurul Atiqah², Zhari Ismail³, C. Y. Loo², Chaturbhuj K. Saurabh², Rudi Dungani⁴, Abdul Khalil H.P.S^2*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.5, pp. 380-387, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634130

Abstract Due to environmental concerns, green composites have become a highly researched material. In the present study, kenaf fiber was used as reinforcement in epoxy-based composite with weight fraction ranges from 0, 5, 10, and 15% (w/w of resin). The ratio of epoxy to hardener was 65:32.5. Prior to incorporation, kenaf bast fiber underwent Soda-AQ pulping followed by total chlorine-free bleaching (OAZP sequence). The obtained pulp was then subjected to supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SCE) treatment. It was observed that epoxy composite with 10% of fiber loading demonstrated the highest mechanical properties with a tensile strength of 64 MPa, tensile modulus… 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 stability evolution of cellulose nanocrystals… More >

Mohamed Ammar¹, Ramzi Khiari^2,3,4*, Mohamed Naceur Belgacem^3,4*, Elimame Elaloui¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.2, pp. 116-123, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634136

Abstract The present study investigated the preparation of biomatrices from Stipa tenacissima L. and its valorization for fiberboard application. Resins were produced by extracting lignin from the Stipa tenacissima L. black liquor by soda process and combining it with glyoxal as crosslinking agent to produce lignin-glyoxal-resin (LGR). The matrix was characterized by several methods, such as FTIR and ATG/ATD, and then mixed with date palm rachis as reinforcing fibers in different proportions of 30 and 50% (w/w with respect to the matrix) to produce biodegradable composite materials. Then, their thermal and mechanical properties were determined, using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and… More >

Meriem Fehri^1,2, Rachid Robleh Ragueh¹, Alexandre Vivet^1*, Fakhreddine Dammak², Mohamed Haddar²

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.1, pp. 38-47, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634123

Abstract The purpose of this work is the improvement of flax fiber-reinforced composites obtained by vacuum molding in order to encourage their insertion into industrial products. The relatively high degree of porosity in these kinds of composites, due to the lack of compatibility between epoxy matrix and flax fibers and the hydrophilicity of flax fiber, remains a major constraint to their use in the industrial world. Hence, we have used a combination of carbon fibers with those of flax in order to optimize the properties of the assembly. Several stacking sequences have been tested in order to analyze the influence of… More >