Arnaud Nicollin¹, Xinjun Li¹, Pierre Girods¹, Antonio Pizzi^1,2,*, Yann Rogaume¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.4, pp. 311-316, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634124

Abstract Experimental investigations have been carried out on the potential use of tannin-furfuryl alcohol resin for biobased composites using vegetal fi ber reinforcement. Results showed that a mixture containing 54% furfuryl alcohol, 45% modifi ed quebracho extract and 0.9% paratoluenesulfonic acid as a catalyst yields a resin that can be used with a nonwoven fl ax fi ber mat to manufacture lightweight composites with good mechanical properties and a very short curing time with a regular hot press. The panels made were tested for tensile and fl exural modulus and strength, water resistance and thermo-degradation. More >

Pushpa Bhardwaj¹, Susheel Kalia^2,3,*, Amit Kumar¹, Hemant Mittal⁴

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.4, pp. 302-310, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634123

Abstract The objective of the present study is to elucidate the effect of peroxide treatment and graft copolymerization on water absorption behavior of soy protein fi bers in order to make them suitable as a reinforcing material. Grafting of poly(methyl acrylate) and copolymers was successfully carried out on peroxide-treated soy protein fi bers. Different reaction parameters were optimized in order to get maximum percentage grafting. The grafted fi bers were evaluated for water absorption behavior in deionized water. Maximum grafting has been found at 0.219 mol/l of methyl acrylate, 0.0096:0.145 mol/l of FAS:H₂O₂ , 323 K, and 90minutes. Graft copolymerization results… More >

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 >

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 >

A. Sauget^1,*, X. Zhou¹, A. Pizzi^1,2

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.3, pp. 173-181, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634128

Abstract Tannin-resorcinol-formaldehyde (TRF) resin shows a good compatibility with natural fl ax fi bers and yields composite materials of good mechanical properties when using paraformaldehyde as a hardener. Different formulations, curing parameters and processes such as high-temperature curing in press or spray-drying have been explored in order to adapt this resin to composite manufacturing and to improve the properties of this new material. Additional testing has been performed on the TRF resin by thermomechanical analysis to observe its reactivity at different pH and with the use of different hardeners. More >

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 >

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 >

Alvaro Iregui¹, Lourdes Irusta^1,*, Loli Martin², Alba González¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.3, No.1, pp. 44-48, 2015, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634128

Abstract In this work, solution electrospinning technique was used to produce biodegradable fi bers using a commercially available polyester (Ecofl ex F Blend C1200). These materials (mats) could be of potential interest in tissue engineering. The effect of polymer concentration and the solvent nature on the obtained morphology was related to the wettability of the mat, characterized by water contact angle measurements. According to the results, the electrospun mats presented water contact angles characteristic of hydrophobic surfaces. More >

Xiaoqing Zhang^*, Simon Schmidt^φ, Nick Rigopoulos, Januar Gotama, Eustathios Petinakis

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.3, No.2, pp. 91-100, 2015, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634135

Abstract The behavior of a biodegradable CO₂ -based polymer polypropylene carbonate (PPC) as polymer matrix of wood fi ber (WF) composites was examined and compared with that of using poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as the matrix. The PPC/WF composites displayed poor mechanical properties as compared to PLA/WF composites because PPC is an amorphous polymer with low T_g and poor thermal stability. However, when PPC was used in conjunction with PLA in WF composites, the mechanical strength and modulus of the composites could match or even exceed the level of PLA/WF composites. The strong intermolecular interactions between PPC and WF and those between… More >

Vikram Yadama^*, Michael P. Wolcott

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.3, No.3, pp. 216-223, 2015, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2015.634103

Abstract The effects of strand undulation angles in wood-strand composites have often been ignored due to the virtual impossibility of experimental determination of their effects on composite material properties, and the diffi culty in modeling localized deviations in angle along the path of a strand. The fi ber undulation model (FUM), that has been previously verifi ed, was applied in this study to predict the elastic constants of laboratory-manufactured oriented strand panels. A stochastic approach was incorporated where a series rule of mixtures with probability density functions of angle distributions was utilized in the model to transform the elastic constants in… More >