Richard C. Ferguson, Sharathkumar K. Mendon, James W. Rawlins^*, Shelby F. Thames

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.3, pp. 166-172, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634133

Abstract Commercial particleboards are currently synthesized by blending wood furnish with formaldehyde-based resins and curing them under a combination of heat and pressure. Particleboards manufactured with urea-formaldehyde resin are known to liberate formaldehyde during their service lives. Formaldehyde’s carcinogenicity has prompted the search for environmentally-friendly resins for wood composite manufacture. Soybean protein-based adhesives have been developed as a renewable and formaldehyde-free replacement for urea-formaldehyde resins. Particleboards processed using the soybean protein adhesive matched or exceeded performance criteria of M-2-grade commercial particleboards when evaluated as per American National Standards Institute (ANSI) specifi cations. More >

Arne Rüdiger^1,2, Peter Hendil-Forssell³, Cecilia Hedfors³, Mats Martinelle³, Stacy Trey^4,5,*, Mats Johansson^1,4

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.2, pp. 124-140, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2012.634109

Abstract The present study describes the use of an epoxy functional fatty acid, 9,10-epoxy-18-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid (EFA), extracted from birch (Betula pendula) outer bark to produce thermosets. The purifi ed epoxy fatty acid was polymerized by enzyme-catalyzed polycondensation utilizing Candida antarctica lipase B (CalB) to form oligomers with targeted degrees of polymerization (DP) of 3, 6, and 9 and obtained DPs of 2.3, 5.9 and 7.3, respectively. It was determined that it is possible to fi rst enzymatically polymerize and aliphatically endcap the epoxy functional fatty acid resulting in controlled oligomer lengths while also maintaining the epoxy functionality… More >

Andrea Morelli, Dario Puppi, Federica Chiellini^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.2, pp. 83-112, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2012.634106

Abstract Polymers, particularly those susceptible to undergoing biodegradation under physiological environments, can be considered the materials of choice for biomedical applications such as tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and controlled and targeted drug delivery. The development of these relatively new fi elds of biomedical research represents the driving force towards the exploitation of renewable resources for the obtainment of biobased polymeric biomaterials. This perspective article reports on the biomedical applications of three major categories of biobased polymeric materials obtained from renewable resources, namely, polysaccharides, proteins and polyesters of natural origins. Particular emphasis is given to biobased polymers More >

Donglin Tang^1,2, Shanmugam Thiyagarajan^2,3, Bart A.J. Noordover^1,*, Cor E. Koning¹, Daan S. van Es³, Jacco van Haveren

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.3, pp. 222-230, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634116

Abstract A series of fully renewable poly(ester urethane urea)s (PEUs) were synthesized from bio-based starting materials, e.g., the polyester diol, the diisocyanates including L-lysine diisocyanate (LDI) and isoidide diisocyanate (IIDI), the chain-extenders including 1,4-diaminobutane (bDA), diaminoisoidide (iDA) and di(aminobutyl) urea (b2 DA). It is found that the PEU based on the novel diisocyanate, IIDI, exhibits satisfactory thermal and mechanical properties. The LDI-based PEUs show less favorable thermal and mechanical properties than the IIDI-based counterpart, since the chemical structure of LDI is less regular than that of IIDI. However, by introducing a urea-containing dimeric diamine (b2 DA) More >

Rodolfo J. González-Paz, Gerard Lligadas^*, Juan C. Ronda, Marina Galià, Virginia Cádiz

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.3, pp. 187-194, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634114

Abstract A thiol-reactive linear polyurethane was synthesized from a vinyl-sulphide-containing diol and a commercial diisocyanate. The diol was obtained from 10-undecynol, an alkyne-derivatized fatty compound, using hydrothiolation as a key reaction step. 10-Undecynol was prepared by reduction of 10-undecinoic acid methyl ester, which was prepared by successive bromation, dehydrobromination of the corresponding alkenic fatty acid. Solution and surface polymer modifi cation with a fl uorescent thiol was successful. More >