A. MADHAN KUMAR¹, K. JAYAKUMAR^2,*, M. SHALINI³

Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.39, No.3-4, pp. 269-281, 2022, DOI:10.32381/JPM.2022.39.3-4.7

Abstract Polylactic acid (PLA) is the most popular thermoplastic biopolymer providing a stiffness and strength alternative to fossil-based plastics. It is also the most promising biodegradable polymer on the market right now, thus gaining a substitute for conservative artificial polymers. Therefore, the current research focuses on synthesizing and mechanical characterization of particlereinforced PLA composites. The hot compression molding technique was used to fabricate PLA-based composites with 0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5 weight % of sawdust, rice husk, and bagasse particle reinforcements to enhance the performance of the PLA. The pellets of PLA matrix were taken with an average size of 3… More >

Waleed Awadalseed¹, Honghua Zhao¹, Hemei Sun², Ming Huang³, Cong Liu^4,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.4, pp. 1911-1935, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.025100

Abstract This study examined the effects of using bagasse ash in replacement of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) in the treatment of expansive soils. The study concentrated on the compaction characteristics, volume change, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, microstructure, California bearing ratio (CBR) value, and shear wave velocity of expansive soils treated with cement. Different bagasse ash replacement ratios were used to create soil samples. At varying curing times of 7, 14, and 28 days, standard compaction tests, unconfined compressive strength tests, CBR tests, Brazilian split tensile testing, and bender element (BE) tests were carried out. According to X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigations,… More >

Febrina Dellarose Boer^1,2,3, Jérémy Valette^1,2, Jean-Michel Commandré^1,2, Mériem Fournier^3,4, Marie-France Thévenon^1,2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.9, No.1, pp. 97-117, 2021, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.013147

Abstract Sugarcane bagasse was pyrolyzed using a laboratory fixed bed reactor to produce char and its by-product (pyrolysis liquid). The pyrolysis experiments were carried out using different temperatures (400°C and 500°C), heating rate (1 °C/min and 10 °C/min), and holding time (30 min and 60 min). Char was characterized according to its thermal properties, while the pyrolysis liquid was tested for its anti-fungal and anti-termite activities. Pyrolysis temperature and heating rate had a significant influence on the char properties and the yield of char and pyrolysis liquid, where a high-quality char and high yield of pyrolysis liquid can be obtained at… More >

Louis Francois Marie^1,*, Sunkara Prudhvi Raj², Policherla Venkata Sai³, Tara MacLeod¹, Morapakala Srinivas², K. Srinivas Reddy³, Tadhg Seán O’Donovan⁴

Energy Engineering, Vol.117, No.5, pp. 323-342, 2020, DOI:10.32604/EE.2020.011035

Abstract Non-centrifugal cane sugar (NCS), known as Jaggery, is a form of unre- fined sugar which contains molasses. The integration of renewable energy resources in the production of NCS, have been analysed. The work investigates the energy requirements of a system incorporating a freeze-concentrator and a solar thermal heater to reduce the reliance on the combustion of bagasse or other fuels in a Jaggery production process. Depending on the extent to which freeze concentration can be incorporated into the process, results show that the minimum theoretical energy required to produce Jaggery can be reduced by 91.30% overall. Although difficult in practice,… More >

Dzun Noraini Jimat^*, Sharifah Shahira Syed Putra, Parveen Jamal, Wan Mohd Fazli Wan Nawawi, Mohammed Saedi Jami

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.7, pp. 739-757, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.010357

Abstract Increasing usage of foams in various industry sectors had causing serious disposal problems once it reaches the end of its life-cycle. Herein, PVA-MFC foam was prepared by freeze-drying using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) as a reinforced material from sugarcane bagasse (SCB). In this study, the PVA-MFC foam was chemically silylated with Y-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). The wetting ability and mechanical strength of the silylated _2,20PVA-MFC foam was greatly enhanced compared with unmodified _2,20PVA-MFC foam. The silane chemicals (MPS and TEOS) had been confirmed grafted on _2,20PVA-MFC foam due to the presence of Si-C and Si-O-C stretching… More >

Manh Khai Nguyen^1,*, Minh Trang Hoang^1,2, Thi Thuy Pham¹, Bart Van der Bruggen²

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.7, No.5, pp. 415-428, 2019, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2019.04371

Abstract This paper evaluates the adsorption capacity of chemically sugarcane bagasses with sodium hydroxide (SHS), citric acid (CAS), tartaric acid (TAS) and unmodified sugarcane bagasse (SB) for cadmium adsorption in water environment. The results prove adsorption capacity for Cd (II) increases after chemical modification and the adsorption fits perfectly with the Langmuir isotherm. CAS had the highest maximum adsorption capacity of 45.45 mg/g followed by TAS with 38.46 mg/g and SHS with 29.41 at optimum pH 5.0 and 120 minutes equilibrium time while 1 g SB removed 18.8 mg Cd (II) in the same conditions. The kinetics study of the process… More >

Galia Moreno, Karla Ramirez, Marianelly Esquivel, Guillermo Jimenez*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.4, pp. 362-369, 2018, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634167

Abstract Cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose and nanocellulose were prepared from three agricultural waste resources: pineapple leaf (PALF), banana rachis (BR), and sugarcane bagasse (SCB). Each waste resource was first converted into microcrystalline cellulose which was subsequently converted into cellulose nanoparticles by using mild (30% w/v) and strong (60% w/v) sulfuric acid concentrations for extraction. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to characterize each waste resource and extracted cellulosic materials. Furthermore, nanocelluloses were studied by zeta potential, size analysis, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Cellulose nanowhiskers were successfully obtained and isolated with a 33% average… More >

Rafael Grande^1*, Eliane Trovatti², Maria Tereza B. Pimenta³, Antonio J. F. Carvalho¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.2, pp. 195-202, 2018, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2018.634109

Abstract Research involving the preparation of microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) from sugarcane bagasse is a relevant topic to the production of new nanomaterials and more accessible cellulose substrates for the production of second generation ethanol. Regarding the transformation of cellulose into glucose, the precursor of second generation ethanol, this nanosized cellulosic substrate represents a more appropriate material for the chemical hydrolysis process. The high aspect ratio of MFC improves hydrolysis, requiring mild conditions and decreasing the generation of by-products. Here, MFC was prepared from sugarcane bagasse by ultrasound defibrillation. This material was oxidized with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (TEMPO) to produce negatively charged high defibrillated… 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 >

Kênia F. R. Lamounier¹, Patrisia O. Rodrigues¹, Daniel Pasquini^2*, Milla A. Baffi¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.2, pp. 169-175, 2018, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634151

Abstract This study investigates the efficiency of a crude enzymatic extract produced by Aspergillus fumigatus SCBM6 by solid state fermentation (SSF) in the hydrolysis of alkali pretreated sugarcane bagasse (PTB). After SSF using in natura sugarcane bagasse (SCB), the enzymatic extract presented 21.33 U.g–1 of β-glucosidase and 544.46 U.g–1of xylanase. The alkaline pretreatment with sodium hydroxide (2% NaOH (w/v) removed 43% of the lignin from PTB and the cellulosic fraction increased to 75%. The hydrolysis was optimized as a function of time, temperature, and concentration of PTB. After hydrolysis, the maximum yield (30.05%) of total released reducing sugars (TRS) was obtained… More >