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 or 1 wt% microsilica to… More >

M. Kirpluks^1*, D. Kalnbunde¹, Z. Walterova², U. Cabulis¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.3-4, pp. 258-270, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634116

Abstract In this study, polyols with high average functionality were synthesized from a renewable resource, rapeseed oil, as raw material for rigid PU foam production. A well-known method of rapeseed oil fatty acid double bond epoxidation was used to introduce oxirane rings into rapeseed oil structure. The temperature influence on epoxidation reaction conversion rate was studied by volumetric and FTIR spectra analysis. After epoxidation of rapeseed oil, an oxirane ring-opening reaction was carried out to obtain high functionality polyols. Diethylene glycol, a conventional oxirane ring-opening reagent, was compared to amine-based polyfunctional alcohols, diethanolamine and triethanolamine. The introduction of tertiary amine groups… More >

Bernal Sibaja^1,2,3, Camila Pereira Matheus^1,2, Ricardo Ballestero Mendez^1,2,Ramsis Farag^1,2,4, J. R. Vega-Baudrit³, Maria L. Auad^*,1,2

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.3-4, pp. 241-250, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634114

Abstract The thermo-mechanical properties and linear fracture mechanics of acrylated soybean oil and the triglycidylated ether of α-resorcylic acid interpenetrated networks as a function of their weight composition are the focus of Part 2 of this article. Thermo-mechanical characterization showed that the obtained materials behave as thermoset amorphous polymers, and that both the modulus and glass transition are extremely dependent on the epoxy/acrylate weight ratio. Modulus values ranged from 0.7 to 3.3 GPa at 30 °C, and glass transition temperatures ranged from around 58 °C to approx. 130 °C. No synergistic effect on these two properties was observed. Interpenetrating networks containing… More >

Bernal Sibaja^1,2,3, Camila Pereira Matheus^1,2, Ricardo Ballestero Mendez^1,2, J. R. Vega-Baudrit³, Maria L. Auad^*,1,2

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.3-4, pp. 231-240, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634113

Abstract Interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) using an epoxy phase synthesized from chemically modified α-resorcylic acid, and an acrylate phase employing acrylated soybean oil are the main focus of this study. Part 1 details the epoxidation of α-resorcylic acid with epichlorohydrin in alkaline medium, as well as the study of the polymerization and network formation of the generated epoxy-acrylate interpenetrated systems. The epoxy content of the epoxidized α-resorcylic acid was measured by means of a titration using HBr in acetic acid solution, and the functionalization was studied by FTIR. From the obtained results, mainly calorimetry and gel time determination, it was clear… More >

Xiaoying Li¹, Xiaoan Nie^1,2*, Jie Chen¹, Yigang Wang¹, Ke Li¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.2, pp. 154-164, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634101

Abstract Cardanol, an agricultural by-product of the industrial processing of cashew, was used to synthesize epoxidized cardanol laurate (ECDL) plasticizer. The target product was characterized using FTIR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR. The plasticizing effect of ECDL substitution for petroleum-based plasticizer dioctyl phthalate (DOP) in soft poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) was investigated using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and mechanical testing, and compared to PVC incorporated with commercial epoxidized soybean oil (ESBO). When DOP was partially substituted by EDCL, there was a slight increase of 5% in glass transition temperature (Tg) and a maximum increase of 14.55% in the elongation… More >

Ananda S. Amarasekara^*, Muhammad A. Hasan, Eve Larkin

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.1, pp. 62-66, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634129

Abstract Condensation polymerization of renewable resources-based monomers, 4-ketopimelic acid and glycerol, were studied using two different catalysts; p-toluenesulfonic acid and Sb2O3. The highest polymer yield of 96% was achieved by using a 3:4 mole ratio mixture of 4-ketopimelic acid and glycerol, with Sb2O3 (0.5 mol% relative to 4-ketopimelic acid) as catalyst and heating at 23–210 °C, under N2 for 1 h; then 210 °C, vacuum, 12 h. The poly(4-ketopimelic acid-glycerol) formed is insoluble in all common organic solvents and is shown to contain a branched polymeric structure with ketal and ester links by using FT-IR, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. More >

A. Ivdre^1*, G.D. Soto², U. Cabulis¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.4, No.4, pp. 285-293, 2016, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634122

Abstract This study presents the synthesis of novel polyols made from tall oil (TO) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) with different TO/PET molar ratios. Rigid polyurethane foams based on these synthesized polyols were obtained and characterized to evaluate polyols’ suitability for the development of light materials with insulating properties. The effect of TO/PET molar ratios on the physical, morphological and mechanical properties of the obtained foams, as well as their thermal insulation characteristics, were evaluated. Increasing amounts of PET in polyurethane foams resulted in higher compression strength and closed cell content, while water absorption was not affected. Results indicated that certain TO/PET… More >

Facundo I. Altuna¹, Borja Fernández-d’Arlas², M. Angeles Corcuera², Arantxa Eceiza², Mirta I. Aranguren³, Pablo M. Stefani^3*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.4, No.4, pp. 275-284, 2016, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634120

Abstract Mixtures of biomass-derived polyols were used to synthesize rigid polyurethane (PU) foams. A commercial polymerized methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (pMDI) was used as crosslinker, and distilled water served as foaming agent. The morphology and mechanical properties of foams with different glycerol and water contents were compared in order to evaluate the most suitable formulations. The rigid foams with higher water contents had larger and more anisotropic cells, explaining their lower density. Compressive moduli ranged from about 2.5 MPa to above 20 MPa and collapse stresses from 55 kPa to more than 1 MPa for densities between 54 and 143 kg/m3. Densification… More >

Karina Cruz-Aldaco¹, Erika Flores-Loyola², Cristóbal Noé Aguilar-González¹, Nuria Burgos³, Alfonso Jiménez^3*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.4, No.3, pp. 178-184, 2016, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634107

Abstract The use of vegetable oils to replace fossil feedstock has become an area of opportunity and a priority for study in the field of polymer science. Vegetable oils are considered as renewable resources with high potential, low cost and full availability. The aim of this study is the synthesis of biobased polyols from cottonseed oil (Gossypium barbadanse) and corn oil (Zea mays) as feedstock. Their synthesis was successfully performed, as can be concluded from the determination of their hydroxyl index as well as the structural and thermal characterization carried out in this work. Polyurethanes from biobased polyols were synthesized with… More >

Shyamalima Sharma, Pronob Gogoi, Bhaskar Jyoti Saikia, Swapan K. Dolui^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.4, No.2, pp. 158-162, 2016, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2015.634116

Abstract Cadmium sulfi de (CdS) quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized by a standard hydrothermal method with simultaneous desulfurization of kerosene oil. Sulfur containing kerosene oil was treated with cadmium chloride (CdCl2) in the presence of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at 120 °C for 1.5 to 5 h. CdS was formed and sulfur content of oil gradually decreased. Thus, desulfurization of the oil occurred with the formation of the CdS QDs. The concentration of sulfur decreased to a minimum of 0.055% after 5 h of the reaction. In addition, the particle size of QDs increased from 5.4 nm to 8.1 nm as the… More >