Rosana Moriana^1,2,*, Emma Strömberg¹, Amparo Ribes², Sigbritt Karlsson^1,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.2, pp. 145-156, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634103

Abstract The purpose of this work was to study the effect of hydrothermal, biological and photo degradation on natural fi bres reinforced biodegradable starch-based (Mater-BiKE) composites to characterize the structural changes occurring under exposure to different environments. The composites water-uptake rate was hindered by the interfacial interactions between matrix and fi bres. Thermal, structural and morphological analysis provided useful information about the irreversible changes in the properties of the composites caused by degradation in soil and photodegradation, and their synergetic effects. The effects due to the photo-oxidation and degradation in soil on the composites depended on the different chemical composition of… More >

A. Paberza^*, L. Stiebra, U. Cabulis

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.3, No.1, pp. 19-27, 2015, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634138

Abstract Rigid polyurethane foams were obtained from pulp production byproducts. Three different polyols were used—tall oil polyol, lignopolyol and commercially available polyol for comparison. The obtained rigid polyurethane foams underwent photodegradation at 60°C temperature and at 0.89 W/m² intensity of UV light radiation up to 1000 h. Changes in chemical structure were observed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy was used to study changes in cell morphology. Spectrophotometery was used to determine yellowing of the foams. Results showed that the thickness of degraded layer for rigid polyurethane foams obtained from pulp production byproducts was ~25% less than for… More >

Dehong Teng^1,#, Jing Zhang^1,#, Xinzhi Luo¹, Fei Jing¹, Hengwei Wang¹, Jing Chen^1,* , Chao Yang¹, Shaohong Zang^1,*, Yingtang Zhou^1,2

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.9, pp. 2378-2391, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.019209

Abstract Semiconductor photocatalysis is a novel highly efficient and low-cost method for removing organic pollutants from wastewater. However, the photoreduction performance of semiconductors on organic pollutants is limited due to the weak absorption of visible light caused by its wide band gap and low carrier utilization rate resulting from severe electron-holes recombination. In the present study, flower-like NH2-UiO-66 (NU66)/ZnO nanocomposites were prepared using a facile method and exhibited high efficiency under visible light driven photocatalysts. The X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmitor electron microscope (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the prepared samples, indicating that… More > Graphic Abstract

Danaé Samara Sánchez-Sandoval^#, Omar González-Ortega^#, Mara Fernanda Navarro-Martínez, Juan Marcos Castro-Tapia, Ramón Fernando García de la Cruz, Ruth Elena Soria-Guerra^*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.90, No.5, pp. 1519-1533, 2021, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2021.015087

Abstract The emerging contaminants (ECs) are organic compounds including pharmaceuticals. These products are consumed in large quantities, favoring their continuous entrance to the environment and affecting the health of living beings. Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with analgesic properties of prolonged release. It is the commonest postoperative analgesic, and it is highly consumed without prescription. In recent years, the capability of microalgae to remove pharmaceuticals in water has been tested as a promising tool. In this work, the removal efficiency of diclofenac (16 µg/mL) by the microalga Nannochloropsis oculata CCAP 186/7 was evaluated. The major nutrient concentrations in Bold’s Basal… More >