RENEWABLE MATERIALS | ScienceGate

Generating compatible and competitive materials that are environmentally sustainable and economically viable is paramount for the success of additive manufacturing using renewable materials. We report the successful application of renewable, modified lignin-containing photopolymer resins in a commercial stereolithography system. Resins were fabricated within operable ranges for viscosity and cure properties, using up to 15% modified lignin by weight with the potential for higher amounts. A four-fold increase in ductility in cured parts with higher lignin concentration is noted as compared to commercial SLA resins. Excellent print quality was seen in modified lignin resins, with good layer fusion, high surface definition, and visual clarity. These materials can be used to generate new products for additive manufacturing applications and help fill vacant material property spaces, where ductility, sustainability, and application costs are critical.

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Lignin-Containing Photoactive Resins for 3D Printing by Stereolithography

10.26434/chemrxiv.6820229 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Jordan T. Sutton ◽

Kalavathy Rajan ◽

David P. Harper ◽

Stephen Chmely

Keyword(s):

Additive Manufacturing ◽

New Products ◽

High Surface ◽

Fold Increase ◽

Print Quality ◽

Renewable Materials ◽

Lignin Concentration ◽

Environmentally Sustainable ◽

Manufacturing Applications ◽

Modified Lignin

Generating compatible and competitive materials that are environmentally sustainable and economically viable is paramount for the success of additive manufacturing using renewable materials. We report the successful application of renewable, modified lignin-containing photopolymer resins in a commercial stereolithography system. Resins were fabricated within operable ranges for viscosity and cure properties, using up to 15% modified lignin by weight with the potential for higher amounts. A four-fold increase in ductility in cured parts with higher lignin concentration is noted as compared to commercial SLA resins. Excellent print quality was seen in modified lignin resins, with good layer fusion, high surface definition, and visual clarity. These materials can be used to generate new products for additive manufacturing applications and help fill vacant material property spaces, where ductility, sustainability, and application costs are critical.

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SEM-PLS Approach to Green Building

Encyclopedia ◽

10.3390/encyclopedia1020039 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 472-481

Author(s):

Nasim Aghili ◽

Mehdi Amirkhani

Keyword(s):

Structural Equation ◽

Green Building ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Assessment Method ◽

Assessment System ◽

Renewable Materials ◽

Sustainable Building ◽

Building Operation ◽

The Impact

Green buildings refer to buildings that decrease adverse environmental effects and maintain natural resources. They can diminish energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, the usage of non-renewable materials, water consumption, and waste generation while improving occupants’ health and well-being. As such, several rating tools and benchmarks have been developed worldwide to assess green building performance (GBP), including the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) in the United Kingdom, German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in the United States and Canada, Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE) in Japan, Green Star in Australia, Green Mark in Singapore, and Green Building Index in Malaysia. Energy management (EM) during building operation could also improve GBP. One of the best approaches to evaluating the impact of EM on GBP is by using structural equation modelling (SEM). SEM is a commanding statistical method to model testing. One of the most used SEM variance-based approaches is partial least squares (PLS), which can be implemented in the SmartPLS application. PLS-SEM uses path coefficients to determine the strength and significance of the hypothesised relationships between the latent constructs.

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Effect of Rot-, Fire-, and Water-Retardant Treatments on Jute Fiber and Their Associated Thermoplastic Composites: A Study by FTIR

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13152571 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 2571

Author(s):

Sweety Shahinur ◽

Mahbub Hasan ◽

Qumrul Ahsan ◽

Nayer Sultana ◽

Zakaria Ahmed ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Product Development ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Mechanical Performance ◽

Natural Fiber ◽

Jute Fiber ◽

Thermoplastic Composites ◽

Ftir Analysis ◽

Renewable Materials ◽

Weight Percentage ◽

Chemical Treatments

Natural renewable materials can play a big role in reducing the consumption of synthetic materials for environmental sustainability. Natural fiber-reinforced composites have attracted significant research and commercial importance due to their versatile characteristics and multi-dimensional applications. As the natural materials are easily rotten, flammable, and moisture absorbent, they require additional chemical modification for use in sustainable product development. In the present research, jute fibers were treated with rot-, fire-, and water-retardant chemicals and their corresponding polymer composites were fabricated using a compression molding technique. To identify the effects of the chemical treatments on the jute fiber and their polymeric composites, a Fourier transformed infrared radiation (FTIR) study was conducted and the results were analyzed. The presence of various chemicals in the post-treated fibers and the associated composites were identified through the FTIR analysis. The varying weight percentage of the chemicals used for treating the fibers affected the physio-mechanical properties of the fiber as well as their composites. From the FTIR analysis, it was concluded that crystallinity increased with the chemical concentration of the treatment which could be contributed to the improvement in their mechanical performance. This study provides valuable information for both academia and industry on the effect of various chemical treatments of the jute fiber for improved product development.

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Energy Retrofitting Opportunities Using Renewable Materials—Comparative Analysis of the Current Frameworks in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13020603 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 603

Author(s):

Darija Gajić ◽

Slobodan Peulić ◽

Tim Mavrič ◽

Anna Sandak ◽

Črtomir Tavzes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Primary Energy ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Resource Exploitation ◽

Renewable Materials ◽

Building Stock ◽

Low Carbon Economy ◽

Eu Member States

Sustainable approaches for retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency are becoming necessary in a time when the building sector is the largest energy consumer. Retrofitting building stock is effective for reducing global energy consumption and decreasing resource exploitation. Less developed EU member states and neighboring developing countries show reluctance towards healthy and renewable materials. Implementation of sustainable materials for energy retrofitting is slowed down due to gaps in legislation and effective strategic programs, availability of bio-based materials, lack of knowledge regarding use and maintenance of renewable products, and marketing lobbies. Use of bio-based materials in refurbishment is important due to their negative or low global warming potential (GWP), low primary energy (PEI) need for production, cost-effective benefits, and recycling/reuse potential. Role of environmentally friendly solutions and low-carbon economy growth is particularly relevant in developing countries, such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, that cannot afford innovative energy recovery systems, yet possess a significant amount of poorly managed building stock. This research aims to analyze frameworks regarding retrofitting of residential buildings in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia. The analysis tackles indirect causes, studies the legal background, and examines strategic frameworks; thus, it indicates potential barriers for implementation of recommended retrofitting solutions based on renewable materials.

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Morphological Analysis of Several Bamboo Species with Potential Structural Applications

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13132126 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 2126

Author(s):

Asier Elejoste ◽

Alfonso Arevalillo ◽

Nagore Gabilondo ◽

Amaia Butron ◽

Cristina Peña-Rodriguez

Keyword(s):

Morphological Analysis ◽

Vascular Bundles ◽

Bamboo Species ◽

Crucial Importance ◽

Renewable Materials ◽

Dendrocalamus Strictus ◽

Structural Applications ◽

Small Structure ◽

Density Surface ◽

Scanning Electron

Bamboo constitutes a family of plants that are very promising and interesting as renewable materials for both large and small structure construction. To be used as an alternative to traditional materials; the understanding of its morphology and mechanical behavior is of crucial importance. As the distribution of fibers and vascular bundles differs for each type of bamboo; several bamboo types have been characterized: Phyllostachys aurea (PA), Arundinaria amabilis (AA) and Dendrocalamus strictus (DS). Morphological analysis has been performed by optical (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Differences in density; surface morphology and wall thickness have been found. In fact; PA and AA have shown a great morphological regularity; while DS presents the greatest thickness; to the point that it can be considered full culm. The plant’s own ducts constitute a very important factor for future impregnations and the optimization of mechanical properties for structure construction.

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Low-Density Insulation Blocks and Hardboards from Amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus) Stems, a New Perspective for Building Applications

Coatings ◽

10.3390/coatings11030349 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 349

Author(s):

Philippe Evon ◽

Guyonne de Langalerie ◽

Laurent Labonne ◽

Othmane Merah ◽

Thierry Talou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aerial Part ◽

Low Density ◽

Renewable Materials ◽

Fractionation Process ◽

Amaranthus Cruentus ◽

Cosmetic Industry ◽

New Perspective ◽

The One ◽

Promising Source ◽

Amaranth Oil

Nowadays, amaranth appears as a promising source of squalene of vegetable origin. Amaranth oil is indeed one of the most concentrated vegetable oils in squalene, i.e., up to 6% (w/w). This triterpene is highly appreciated in cosmetology, especially for the formulation of moisturizing creams. It is almost exclusively extracted from the liver of sharks, causing their overfishing. Thus, providing a squalene of renewable origin is a major challenge for the cosmetic industry. The amaranth plant has thus experienced renewed interest in recent years. In addition to the seeds, a stem is also produced during cultivation. Representing up to 80% (w/w) of the plant aerial part, it is composed of a ligneous fraction, the bark, on its periphery, and a pith in its middle. In this study, a fractionation process was developed to separate bark and pith. These two fractions were then used to produce renewable materials for building applications. On the one hand, the bark was used to produce hardboards, with the deoiled seeds acting as natural binder. Such boards are a viable alternative to commercial wood-based panels. On the other hand, the pith was transformed into cohesive and machinable low-density insulation blocks revealing a low thermal conductivity value.

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Characterization of Unripe and Mature Avocado Seed Oil in Different Proportions as Phase Change Materials and Simulation of Their Cooling Storage

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26010107 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 107

Author(s):

Evelyn Reyes-Cueva ◽

Juan Francisco Nicolalde ◽

Javier Martínez-Gómez

Keyword(s):

Phase Change ◽

Phase Change Materials ◽

Seed Oil ◽

Energy System ◽

Maturity Stage ◽

Natural Environments ◽

Renewable Materials ◽

Scanning Calorimetry ◽

Avocado Seed

Environmental problems have been associated with energy consumption and waste management. A solution is the development of renewable materials such as organic phase change materials. Characterization of new materials allows knowing their applications and simulations provide an idea of how they can developed. Consequently, this research is focused on the thermal and chemical characterization of five different avocado seed oils depending on the maturity stage of the seed: 100% unripe, 25% mature-75% unripe, 50% mature-50% unripe, 75% mature-25% unripe, and 100% mature. The characterization was performed by differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The best oil for natural environments corresponded to 100% matured seed with an enthalpy of fusion of 52.93 J·g−1, and a degradation temperature between 241–545 °C. In addition, the FTIR analysis shows that unripe seed oil seems to contain more lipids than a mature one. Furthermore, a simulation with an isothermal box was conducted with the characterized oil with an initial temperature of −14 °C for the isothermal box, −27 °C for the PCM box, and an ambient temperature of 25 °C. The results show that without the PCM the temperature can reach −8 °C and with it is −12 °C after 7 h, proving its application as a cold thermal energy system.

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A Versatile Method for Preparing Polysaccharide Conjugates via Thiol-Michael Addition

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13121905 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 1905

Author(s):

Junyi Chen ◽

Xutao Ma ◽

Kevin J. Edgar

Keyword(s):

Michael Addition ◽

Quaternary Ammonium ◽

Synthetic Approach ◽

Renewable Materials ◽

Fast Reaction ◽

Michael Additions ◽

Antimicrobial Performance ◽

A Charge ◽

Post Modification ◽

Fast Reaction Rate

Polysaccharide conjugates are important renewable materials. If properly designed, they may for example be able to carry drugs, be proactive (e.g., with amino acid substituents) and can carry a charge. These aspects can be particularly useful for biomedical applications. Herein, we report a simple approach to preparing polysaccharide conjugates. Thiol-Michael additions can be mild, modular, and efficient, making them useful tools for post-modification and the tailoring of polysaccharide architecture. In this study, hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) and dextran (Dex) were modified by methacrylation. The resulting polysaccharide, bearing α,β-unsaturated esters with tunable DS (methacrylate), was reacted with various thiols, including 2-thioethylamine, cysteine, and thiol functional quaternary ammonium salt through thiol-Michael addition, affording functionalized conjugates. This click-like synthetic approach provided several advantages including a fast reaction rate, high conversion, and the use of water as a solvent. Among these polysaccharide conjugates, the ones bearing quaternary ammonium salts exhibited competitive antimicrobial performance, as supported by a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) study and tracked by SEM characterization. Overall, this methodology provides a versatile route to polysaccharide conjugates with diverse functionalities, enabling applications such as antimicrobial activity, gene or drug delivery, and biomimicry.

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