Kai Su^1,*, Shaoqi Deng¹, Linxiao Li¹, Qirui Qin¹, Jingyu Yang¹, Yan Chen^2,3, Shengli Zhang¹, Junming Chen¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.3, pp. 653-663, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.018556

Abstract Hydrogen production through solar energy is one of the most important pathways to meet the growing demand of renewable energy, and photocatalyst participation in solar hydrolytic hydrogen production has received great attention in recent years in terms of low cost, high efficiency, and flexible design. Particularly, g-C₃N₄ (Graphitic-like carbon nitride material), as a unique material, can catalyze the hydrogen production process by completing the separation and transmission of charge. The easily adjustable pore structure/surface area, dimension, band-gap modulation and defect have shown great potential for hydrogen production from water cracking. In this review, the most recent advance of g-C₃N₄ including… More > Graphic Abstract

Yujie Huang¹, Yifan Zhang¹, Zheng Wang^1,*, Assima Dauletbe², Yao Lu¹, Zhaoyu Shen¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.3, pp. 849-870, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.018515

Abstract To describe the dynamic cracking process of the CLT vertical layer, the correlation between a load-displacement curve, specimen cracking, and planar shear failure mechanism of the CLT were explored. A three-point bending test and an improved planar shear test are used to evaluate the shear performance of the CLT. In this study, the load-displacement curve is recorded, the experimental part is synchronized with the video, the dynamic process of cracking of the vertical layer is observed and analyzed throughout the test. From the load-displacement curve, the image characteristics of the initial cracking and the sudden increase of the cracking of… More > Graphic Abstract

Yecheng Xu¹, Chaojie Xu¹, Mingsong Chen¹, Jianzhang Li¹, Ling Zeng², Jing Luo³, Qiang Gao^1,*, Sheldon Q. Shi^4,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.3, pp. 639-652, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.018509

Abstract Soy protein-based composite film is a potential replacement for petroleum-based film with multipurpose applications and cleaner production. It is difficult to improve both the tensile strength and toughness of a protein-based film without sacrificing its elongation. In this study, inspired by the hierarchical structure of nacre, a facile yet delicate strategy was developed to fabricate a novel bio-based film with excellent toughness and high strength. Triglycidylamine (TGA) crosslinked soy protein (SPI) as hard phase and thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU) as soft phase comprise an alternative lay-up hierarchical structure. The interface of these two phases is enhanced using triglycidylamine (TGA) surface-modified… More >

Abderrezzaq Benalia^1,2, Kerroum Derbal^2,*, Amel Khalfaoui¹, Antonio Pizzi³, Ghouti Medjahdi⁴

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.3, pp. 625-637, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.017848

Abstract The purpose of this work is the study the ability of the plant material Aloe vera to act as natural coagulant using raw water obtained from a drinking water treatment plant (Mila, Algeria). Different solvents such as: NaCl; NaOH and HCl were used as chemical activators to extract the active components from the Aloe vera plant, and different coagulation-flocculation experiments were conducted in a jar test apparatus to evaluate the performance of the extracted coagulant. Also, the effect of coagulant dose on some water parameters such as turbidity, pH, total alkalinity and organic matter were investigated. The results showed that… More > Graphic Abstract

Zhipeng He^1,2, Junqi Xue^1,2, Yanzi Ke^1,2, Ying Luo^1,2,*, Qiming Lu^1,2, Yuehua Xu^1,2, Chaoqun Zhang^1,2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.3, pp. 591-604, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.017790

Abstract Nowadays, waterborne polyurethanes (WPUs) prepared from renewable resources has attracted more and more attention. However, due to its structure, the prepared films easily swells in water and greatly affects the application range of WPUs. Therefore, solving the problem of water resistance is a way to improve the application range of WPUs. In this study, a series of WPU dispersions were prepared using castor oil as the bio-based polyol. Besides, the thiol-ene photo click reaction was carried out on the WPU films for silane modification. The effect of the silane modification on the chemical structures of the WPU dispersions and the… More > Graphic Abstract

Jorge Neto, Henrique Queiroz, Ricardo Aguiar, Rosemere Lima, Daniel Cavalcanti, Mariana Doina Banea^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.3, pp. 561-589, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.017434

Abstract Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites (NFRCs) have demonstrated great potential for many different applications in various industries due to their advantages compared to synthetic fiber-reinforced composites, such as low environmental impact and low cost. However, one of the drawbacks is that the NFRCs present relatively low mechanical properties and the absorption of humidity due to the hydrophilic characteristic of the natural fibre. One method to increase their performance is hybridization. Therefore, understanding the properties and potential of using multiple reinforcement’s materials to develop hybrid composites is of great interest. This paper provides an overview of the recent advances in hybrid… More > Graphic Abstract

Meng Xiang¹, Zhou Yang¹, Jingjing Yang¹, Tong Lu¹, Danqi Wu¹, Zhijun Liu¹, Rongjie Xue¹, Shuang Dong^2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.3, pp. 821-831, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.017347

Abstract Influenced by recent COVID-19, wearing face masks to block the spread of the epidemic has become the simplest and most effective way. However, after the people wear masks, thousands of tons of medical waste by used disposable masks will be generated every day in the world, causing great pressure on the environment. Herein, conductive polymer composites are fabricated by simple melt blending of mask fragments (mask polypropylene, short for mPP) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). MWNTs were used as modifiers for composites because of their high strength and high conductivity. The crystalline structure, mechanical, electrical and thermal enhancement effect of… More >

Shoukai Chen^1,4,5, Chunpeng Xing¹, Mengdie Zhao^2,*, Junfeng Zhang³, Lunyan Wang^1,4,5,*, Qidong He⁶

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.3, pp. 799-819, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.017285

Abstract

Pervious concrete is recommended, which is of great benefit to the ecological environment and human living environment. In this paper, the influences of five water-cement ratios and four fly ash contents to replace the cement by mass with a water-cement ratio of 0.30 on the properties of Recycled Aggregate Pervious Concrete (RAPC) were studied. Following this, based on the Grey relational-Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) optimization method, the strength, permeability, abrasion loss rate, and material costs of RAPC were adopted as evaluation indices to establish a mix proportion optimization model. The results show that… More >

Jiawei Jiang, Yizhou Shen^*, Jie Tao^*, Zhenfeng Jia, Xinyu Xie, Chaojiao Zeng

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.3, pp. 781-797, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.017230

Abstract A new type of microstructure inspired by the cross section of barchan dunes was proposed to reduce windage, which was considered as a passive drag reduction technology in aerospace manufacturing field. Computational fluid dynamics method was carried out to discuss the effect of the microstructure on the skin friction reduction under high velocity flow condition. Different microstructure heights were employed to survey the reduction of drag. The results illustrated that the appearance of microstructure led to a generation of pressure drag in non-smooth model (with microstructures inspired by cross section of barchan dune) in contrast to smooth model. However, the… More > Graphic Abstract

Xiaozheng Sun^1,*, Yu Yang¹, Qiang He², Jianye Li¹, Rui Li¹, Haitao Chen¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.3, pp. 751-766, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.016933

Abstract The accumulation of Cu²⁺ in water is a potential threat to human health and environment. Dicarboxylic nanocellulose (DNC) with rich carboxyl groups was prepared through the NaIO₄–NaClO₂ sequential oxidation method to efficiently remove copper ions, and the Cu²⁺ adsorption properties and cost were studied. The maximum adsorption capacity reached 184.2 mg/g at pH 6 and an adsorbent dose of 5 g/L. Theoretically, the maximum adsorption capacities of monocarboxylic nanocellulose (MNC), DNC, and tricarboxylic nanocellulose (TNC) with carboxyl groups as the main adsorption sites were calculated to be 228.7, 261.3, and 148.1 mg/g, respectively. The Cu²⁺ adsorption costs of MNC, DNC, and TNC were… More > Graphic Abstract