R. VENKATESAN^*, S. R. DARSON IMMANUEL JOHN, N. RAJESWARI

Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.36, No.3, pp. 261-273, 2019, DOI:10.32381/JPM.2019.36.03.6

Abstract Nanocomposite films of chitosan (CH) incorporated with different wt. % of the polyoligomericsilsesquioxane (POSS) were prepared by solution casting. The thermal, mechanical, morphological and antimicrobial properties of the nanocomposites were examined. TGA analyses of the nanocomposites indicate that the filler enables the enhancement of thermal stability of chitosan. The tensile strength of the nanocomposite films is enhanced (10.9 MPa for neat chitosan to 24.0MPa for 5wt. % filled chitosan) by the addition of POSS while the elongation at break is reduced. The nanocomposite films exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. This activity increases with… More >

Mingxuan He¹, Yahui Zheng¹, Jiaming Shen¹, Jiawei Shi¹, Yongzheng Zhang¹, Yinghong Xiao^2,*, Jianfei Che^1,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.12, No.2, pp. 215-233, 2024, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.043659

Abstract

The abuse of plastic food packaging has brought about severe white pollution issues around the world. Developing green and sustainable biomass packaging is an effective way to solve this problem. Hence, a chitosan/sodium alginate-based multilayer film is fabricated via a layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly method. With the help of superior interaction between the layers, the multilayer film possesses excellent mechanical properties (with a tensile strength of 50 MPa). Besides, the film displays outstanding water retention property (blocking moisture of 97.56%) and ultraviolet blocking property. Anthocyanin is introduced into the film to detect the food quality since it is one natural plant… More > Graphic Abstract

Yifan Liu¹, Shufeng Ma², Feijie Wang¹, Liqiang Wang^1,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.11, pp. 3831-3846, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.028251

Abstract The molded pulp, a product of three-dimensional papermaking technology, is environmentally friendly and has a low environmental impact due to its ability to decompose quickly in the natural environment after disposal. The application of molded pulp for food packaging can replace or reduce the use of plastic food packaging. Researchers extract fibers from plants for the production of safe and hygienic molded pulp for food packaging, and they also study and enhance the qualities of molded pulp to broaden its use in the food industry. This paper reviews the sources and varieties of plant fiber used in molded pulp for… More > Graphic Abstract

Hui Zheng^1,2, Xiaohan Chen², Li Li², Dawei Qi¹, Jiale Wang¹, Jiaying Lou^1,*, Wenjun Wang^1,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.10, pp. 3693-3709, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.027748

Abstract The issue of plastic pollution has attracted widespread social attention. Gelatin is valued as a degradable bio-based material, especially as an edible active packaging material. However, the commonly used solution-casting filmforming technology limits the mass production of gelatin films. In order to improve the production efficiency and enhance the commercial value of gelatin films, in this study, fish gelatin (FG) particles were successfully blended with essential oils (EOs) to prepare active films by melt extrusion technique, a common method for commercial plastics, and applied to bread preservation. FG and EOs showed good compatibility with each other. The elongation at break… More > Graphic Abstract

Jakkid Sanetuntikul¹, Borwon Narupai², Nawadon Petchwattana^3,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.9, pp. 3567-3582, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.029308

Abstract Wastes from polypropylene (PP) packages are accumulating every year because it is one of the most widely consumed and short lifecycle products. This paper aims to develop low thermal conductive and fire-retardant materials from post-consumer PP (pPP) packages. Ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and hollow glass microsphere (HGM) were further added to improve the fire retardancy and thermal conductivity of pPP. The influence of APP and HGM on the mechanical and thermal properties, fire retardancy and thermal conductivity of pPP were investigated and compared with that of virgin PP (vPP). HGM was constantly added at 5 wt% while the content of APP… More > Graphic Abstract

Xiaoyan Liu^1,2, Zhao Qin^1,2,*, Yuxiang Ma^1,2, Huamin Liu^1,2,*, Xuede Wang^1,2

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.8, pp. 3203-3225, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.027613

Abstract Packaging is a food preservation technology widely used in the world. Naturally-sourced, biodegradable polymers are becoming increasingly popular in the food packaging sector. Packaging films prepared using cellulose as raw material would contribute to resource sustainability, but the difficulty of cellulose solubilization limits their further development. In view of this, a series of novel solvent systems (LiCl/DMAc, ILs, TBAH/DMSO, NMMO, alkali/urea solutions, metal-complex solutions) were used to prepare high-strength and high-performance cellulose-based films; their characteristics and the mechanisms involved were investigated. Composite films prepared by blending cellulose with various polymers (synthetic polymers, natural polymers, proteins and enzymes, metal particles, and… More > Graphic Abstract

Xingye Xu¹, Haiyan Song^1,2,*, Lijun Wang^1,2

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.135, No.1, pp. 275-292, 2023, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2022.022637

Abstract The sandwich structure of cushioning packaging has an important influence on the cushioning performance. Mathematical fractal theory is an important graphic expression. Based on Hilbert fractal theory, a new sandwich structure was designed. The generation mechanism and recurrence formula of the Hilbert fractal were expressed by Lin’s language, and the second-order Hilbert sandwich structure was constructed from thermoplastic polyurethane. The constitutive model of the hyperelastic body was established by using the finite element method. With the unit mass energy absorption as the optimization goal, the fractal sandwich structure was optimized, and the best result was obtained when the order was… More >

S.K. Pankaj¹, C. Bueno-Ferrer¹, N.N. Misra¹, L. O’Neill², A. Jiménez³, P. Bourke¹, P.J. Cullen^1,4,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 77-84, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634129

Abstract The effects of dielectric barrier discharge plasma treatment on zein fi lm containing thymol as an active ingredient were evaluated. The plasma discharge was optically characterized to identify the reactive species. A signifi cant increase in the fi lm roughness (p < 0.05) was observed due to the etching effect of DBD plasma, which was correlated with the increase in the diffusion rate of thymol in the food simulant. The diffusion of thymol from the zein fi lm was measured in aqueous solution. The kinetics of thymol release followed the Fick’s law of diffusion as shown by the high correlation… More >

Long Li, Yanan Lu, Yu Chen, Jiayi Bian, Li Wang, Li Li^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.1, pp. 291-307, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.021456

Abstract Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are an effective antibacterial agent, but their application in food packaging is limited due to their easy agglomeration and oxidation. In this study, antibacterial microcapsules were fabricated using Ginkgo biloba essential oil (GBEO) as core material and chitosan and type B gelatin biopolymer as capsule materials. These antibacterial microcapsules were then modified with green-synthesized Ag NPs, blended into the biopolymer polylactic acid (PLA), and finally formed as films. Physicochemical properties and antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were evaluated. Results showed that the prepared antibacterial PLA films exhibited excellent antibacterial… More > Graphic Abstract

Joselito Olalo^*

Energy Engineering, Vol.119, No.2, pp. 555-567, 2022, DOI:10.32604/EE.2022.018864

Abstract Unlike plastic, biomass can also be converted and produce high quality of biofuel. Co-pyrolysis of coconut husk (CH) and laminated plastic packaging (LPP) were done in this study. Synergy between these two feedstock was calculated by using thermogravimetric (TGA) and derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) analysis. Different activation energies of the reactions in the co-pyrolysis of CH and LPP were evaluated using the Coats-Redfern method. Results showed an activation energy ranging from 8 to 37 kJ/mol in the different percentage composition of the co-pyrolysis. Also, thermal degradation happens in two-stages in the copyrolysis of CH and LPP, in which CH degrades at… More >