T. J. Jaber¹, M. Z. Saghir¹

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.2, No.3, pp. 175-190, 2006, DOI:10.3970/fdmp.2006.002.175

Abstract The study deals with three-dimensional numerical simulations of fluid flow and heat transfer under the effect of a rotating magnetic field (RMF) during the growth of Ge_0.98Si_0.02 by the traveling solvent method (TSM). By using a RMF, an attempt is made to suppress buoyancy convection in the Ge_0.98Si_0.02 solution zone in order to get high quality and homogeneity with a flat growth interface. The full steady-state Navier-Stokes equations, as well as the energy, mass transport and continuity equations, are solved numerically using the finite element method. Different magnetic field intensities (B=2, 4, 10, 15 and 22 mT) for different rotational… More >

Jie Xu^1,3, Jiayao Yang¹, Peng Lin², Xiaohuan Liu^1,*, Jinjie Zhang¹, Shenyuan Fu^1,*, Yuxun Tang^2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.7, No.12, pp. 1333-1346, 2019, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2019.07905

Abstract It is essential to design economic and efficient tougheners to prepare high-performance epoxy resin; however, this has remained a huge challenge. Herein, an eco-friendly, low-cost, and facile-fabricated bio-based hyperbranched toughener, carboxylic acid-functionalized tannic acid (CATA), was successfully prepared and applicated to the preparation of solvent-free epoxy resins. The mechanical performance, morphology, structural characterization, and thermal characterization of toughened epoxy resin system were studied. The toughened epoxy resin system with only 1.0wt% CATA reached the highest impact strength, 111% higher than the neat epoxy resin system. Notably, the tensile strength and elongation at break of toughened epoxy resin systems increased moderately… More >

Laura Ribba, Jonathan Cimadoro, Silvia Goyanes^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.7, No.4, pp. 355-363, 2019, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2019.04083

Abstract In this work, conductive polymer nanocomposites were developed based on a biodegradable and biobased polymer (poly (lactic acid)), with the incorporation of only 0.3 wt% of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to be used as volatile solvent sensors. The correct dispersion of the nanofiller was achieved thanks to a CNT non-covalent modification with an azo-dye (disperse orange 3) which allowed to reach the percolation for electric conduction in values as low as 0.3 wt%. The chemo-resistive properties of the developed sensors were investigated by exposure to organic vapors (ethanol, tetrahydrofuran and toluene) and water vapor, showing good selectivity. In addition, considering the… More >

Yang Yu¹, Ramiz Boy^1,2,*, Richard Kotek¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.7, No.1, pp. 41-55, 2019, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2019.00105

Abstract Current industrial methods for dissolution of cellulose in making regenerated cellulose products are relatively expensive, toxic and dangerous and have environmental problems coming with the hazard chemical wastes. To solve these problems, a novel ethylenediamine and potassium thiocyanate (ED/KSCN) solvent system was developed, that is economical, ecofriendly, and highly efficient. The ED/KSCN solvent system was proven to be a suitable solvent for fabricating cellulose (blended with other polymers) membranes. In this study, gluten was used to develop nonporous membranes with cellulose. The method of casting these membranes provided better ones than the former researchers’ techniques. These composite membranes’ physical and… More >

Min Fan^1,2,3*, Qiaoling Hu⁴

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.6, No.5, pp. 457-463, 2018, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634178

Abstract The absorption behavior of chitosan in alkaline solution by freeze-blasting was studied. The influence of alkaline type, concentration, and small molecules was investigated, as well as the different roles of LiOH and NaOH in the absorption. Chitosan reached its maximum absorption rate when LiOH concentration was 4.8 wt% and NaOH 4.0 wt%, respectively. Chitosan showed better absorption capacity in LiOH solution. Urea could improve the absorption when its concentration was more than or equal to 4.0 wt%, and the improvement was greater in NaOH solution. Thiourea showed no obvious effect in LiOH solution, but showed an effect when NaOH concentration… More >

Szczepan Bednarz^*, Angelika Wesołowska, Magdalena Trątnowiecka, Dariusz Bogdał

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.4, No.1, pp. 18-23, 2016, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2015.634131

Abstract New methods of preparation of crosslinked polymers from itaconic acid as a renewable monomer have been explored. Synthesis of hydrogels and xerogels from the acid in deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are described and some basic properties of the materials are reported. Most importantly, a surfactant-free method of creation of macroporous poly(itaconic-co-bisacrylamide) by phase separation polymerization in binary mixture of the DES and poly(ethylene glycol) is demonstrated. More >

Hameed Muhamad¹, Simant Upreti ², Ali Lohi³, Huu Doan⁴

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.12, No.3, pp. 111-123, 2016, DOI:10.3970/fdmp.2016.012.111

Abstract Heavy Oil is an up and coming energy resource that is aggressively being sought after as the world’s energy demand increases. As technology continues to improve, this once costly energy source is quickly becoming a more viable alternative. Vapor extraction (Vapex) process is an emerging technology for viscous oil recovery that has gained much attention in the oil industry. The vapor extraction of heavy oil system is presented to describe experimental setups and procedures used to perform different experiments of vape extraction process. The generated experimental data were used to calculate the live oil maximum interfacial solvent concentration as function… More >

A.A. Ivanova¹, V.G. Kozlov^1,2,3, D.A. Polezhaev¹, D. Pareau³, M. Stambouli³

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.4, No.3, pp. 211-220, 2008, DOI:10.3970/fdmp.2008.004.211

Abstract The problem for the optimization of mass-transfer on the interface of two immiscible liquids by means of vibrational hydromechanics is studied experimentally. A new vibrational cell of Lewis's type expressly conceived for such purposes is described. Flow is generated by activators in the form of disks inducing translational axial oscillations near the opposite end faces of the cavity. It is shown that such vibrating disks can lead to the onset of a large-scale toroidal whirlwind effectively mixing the liquid throughout the volume. According to the experiments, in particular, axisymmetrical radial flows are generated on both sides of the horizontal liquid… More >

M. Sohail¹, M. Z. Saghir¹

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.2, No.2, pp. 127-140, 2006, DOI:10.3970/fdmp.2006.002.127

Abstract A numerical simulation study is carried out for the crystal growth of Ge1-xSixby the Traveling Heater Method (THM). The effects of a geometrical misalignment on the crystal growth are investigated. The full Navier-Stokes equations together with the energy, mass transport and continuity equations are solved numerically using the finite element technique. The application of a misalignment is shown to have a considerable effect on the buoyancy induced flow. An optimal misalignment is determined, that weakens the convective flow, provides a uniform concentration along the growth interface and gives symmetrical characteristics to the three-dimensional buoyancy induced flow. More >