Purnendu, Soumitra Satapathi^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.2, pp. 96-102, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634134

Abstract Graphene-based 3D porous xerogel was designed through molecular self-assembly of graphene oxide on chitosan matrix and its application in removal of different heavy metal ions from wastewater was investigated. The synthesized xerogel was characterized through FTIR, SEM, XRD and BET surface area analysis. Heavy metal ions, including Pb(II), Cd(II), and Hg(II), were removed from wastewater using this graphene-chitosan (GO-Cs) xerogel and the removal efficiency was monitored through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The effect of GO-Cs composition and pH on adsorption efficiency as well as the kinetics of adsorption was studied in detail. The More >

Elena Fortunati^1*, Francesca Luzi¹, Chiara Fanali², Laura Dugo², Maria Giovanna Belluomo², Luigi Torre¹, José Maria Kenny¹, Luca Santi³, Roberta Bernini³

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.2, pp. 81-95, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634132

Abstract Hydroxytyrosol (HTyr), a biophenol found in extra-virgin olive oil or olive oil by-products, well known for its strong antioxidant activity, was used as active ingredient for poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix to develop film formulations by solvent casting process. The effect of HTyr on the morphological, thermal stability, optical, mechanical and release properties of PVA were investigated, while water absorption capacity, migration with food stimulants, water vapor permeability and antioxidant properties were tested taking into account the final application as food packaging systems. Morphological investigations evidenced homogeneity of all PVA/HTyr films, while the presence of HTyr More >

Louis C. Muller^1*, Sanette Marx¹, Hermanus C.M. Vosloo²

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.1, pp. 67-80, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634130

Abstract This work reports a study of polyol synthesis through liquefaction of technical lignins in crude glycerol by means of 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopy. The polyols are intended for preparation of polyurethane foam; thus, it is important to know how different lignin types as well as crude glycerol influence and contribute to the final polyol hydroxyl contents. Polyols prepared from organosolv lignin, kraft lignin and lignosulphonate had hydroxyl numbers suitable for rigid foam of 435, 515 and 529 mgKOH/g, respectively. The polyols differed in composition with glycerol, showing significant variation. During liquefaction the glycerol content 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 More >

Abha Dubey^1*, Anuradha Mishra²

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.1, pp. 54-61, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634127

Abstract Biosorption effectively removes heavy metal ions by using inexpensive biosorbents. In this study, Portulaca oleracea plant waste biomass was used as environmentally friendly biosorbent for the removal of copper ions from aqueous solution. This article includes the study of the effects of various important parameters on the biosorption process. Maximum biosorption was found to occur under slightly acidic conditions (pH 6). Small particle size, moderate agitation speed, and moderate temperature favor the biosorption process. The Langmuir model was most suitable, showing the biosorption capacity to be 85.470 mg/g. Pseudo-secondorder model best described the kinetics of More >

María Cecilia Basso^1*, Antonio Pizzi^1,2

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.1, pp. 48-53, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634124

Abstract New aldehyde-free and isocyanate-free biofoams have been obtained by reacting albumin chicken egg white and dimethyl carbonate (DMC). The optimized formulations yielded lightweight foams whose densities were evaluated as 0.016–0.16 g/cm3. Mechanical resistance was 0.023–0.34 MPa and residual pH nearly neutral. The new foams presented up to 57% of closed cells as measured by helium pycnometry and good thermal insulation. These new natural foams are environmentally friendly materials and show very promising properties. More >

Meriem Fehri^1,2, Rachid Robleh Ragueh¹, Alexandre Vivet^1*, Fakhreddine Dammak², Mohamed Haddar²

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.1, pp. 38-47, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634123

Abstract The purpose of this work is the improvement of flax fiber-reinforced composites obtained by vacuum molding in order to encourage their insertion into industrial products. The relatively high degree of porosity in these kinds of composites, due to the lack of compatibility between epoxy matrix and flax fibers and the hydrophilicity of flax fiber, remains a major constraint to their use in the industrial world. Hence, we have used a combination of carbon fibers with those of flax in order to optimize the properties of the assembly. Several stacking sequences have been tested in order More >

Miguel Ángel Ramírez¹, Patricia González², Juan Reinerio Fagundo², Margaret Suarez³, Clara Melian³, Tania Rodríguez¹, Carlos Peniche^4*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.1, pp. 30-37, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634121

Abstract The inorganic components of crustacean shells are usually removed using HCl solutions. This provokes undesirable modifications in the extracted chitin. In the present procedure, deproteinized lobster shells were demineralized with CO2 and a cationic resin (cationite). The resulting chitin (CHI-CO2) is compared in terms of degree of acetylation (DA), crystallinity index (CrI) and thermal stability with chitins obtained by demineralization procedures with HCl (CHI-HCl) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (CHI-EDTA). The ash content of chitins demineralized with CO2 was similar to that of chitins prepared using HCl or EDTA. However, the resultant DA and CrI of CHI-HCl More >

M. Thébault^1,2, A. Pizzi1^3*, F.J. Santiago-Medina¹, F.M. Al-Marzouki³, S. Abdalla³

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.1, pp. 21-29, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634116

Abstract Isocyanate-free polyurethane resins biosourced to a very high percentage level were prepared by the reaction of aminated mimosa tannin extract with commercial mimosa tannin extract prereacted with dimethyl carbonate. The reaction took place with ease at ambient temperature. Indications were that the polyurethanes obtained formed a hard film when cured at a temperature higher than 100 °C. Furthermore, the carbohydrate fraction of the tannin extract also appeared to be carbonated and reacted to generate isocyanate-free polyurethane linkages with the aminated tannins. This indicated that not only the polyphenolic fraction of the tannin extract, but also More >

S.K. Pankaj¹, C. Bueno-Ferrer¹, N.N. Misra¹, L. O’Neill², Paula Bourke¹, P.J. Cullen^3*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.1, pp. 14-20, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634105

Abstract This work aims to analyze the effects of cold atmospheric air plasma treatment of antimicrobial chitosan film with different levels of thymol. Optical characterization of the dielectric barrier discharge showed the generation of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species by the system. A significant increase (p < 0.05) in the surface roughness was observed after cold plasma treatment of the films. No significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed in the thermal profile of the plasma-treated films. A significant increase (p < 0.05) in the thymol diffusion coefficient was observed after the plasma treatment for all More >