scholarly journals Value-Added Use of Invasive Plant-Derived Fibers as PHBV Fillers for Biocomposite Development

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1975
Author(s):  
Xiaoying Zhao ◽  
Tolulope Lawal ◽  
Mariane M. Rodrigues ◽  
Talen Geib ◽  
Yael Vodovotz

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) is a promising biobased, biodegradable thermoplastic with limited industrial applications due to its brittleness and high cost. To improve these properties, lignocellulosic fibers from two invasive plants (Phalaris arundinacea and Lonicera japonica) were used as PHBV reinforcing agents. Alkali treatment of the fibers improved the PHBV–fiber interfacial bond by up to 300%. The morphological, mechanical, and thermal properties of the treated fibers were characterized, as well as their size, loading, and type, to understand their impact on performance of the biocomposites. The new biocomposites had improved thermal stability, restricted crystallization, reduced rigidity, and reduced cost compared with PHBV. Additionally, these novel biocomposites performed similarly to conventional plastics such as polypropylene, suggesting their potential as bio-alternatives for industrial applications such as semirigid packaging and lightweight auto body panels.

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1516
Author(s):  
Manggar Arum Aristri ◽  
Muhammad Adly Rahandi Lubis ◽  
Apri Heri Iswanto ◽  
Widya Fatriasari ◽  
Rita Kartika Sari ◽  
...  

Tannins are soluble, astringent secondary phenolic metabolites generally obtained from renewable natural resources, and can be found in many plant parts, such as fruits, stems, leaves, seeds, roots, buds, and tree barks, where they have a protective function against bacterial, fungal, and insect attacks. In general, tannins can be extracted using hot water or organic solvents from the bark, leaves, and stems of plants. Industrially, tannins are applied to produce adhesives, wood coatings, and other applications in the wood and polymer industries. In addition, tannins can also be used as a renewable and environmentally friendly material to manufacture bio-based polyurethanes (bio-PUs) to reduce or eliminate the toxicity of isocyanates used in their manufacture. Tannin-based bio-PUs can improve the mechanical and thermal properties of polymers used in the automotive, wood, and construction industries. The various uses of tannins need to be put into perspective with regards to possible further advances and future potential for value-added applications. Tannins are employed in a wide range of industrial applications, including the production of leather and wood adhesives, accounting for almost 90% of the global commercial tannin output. The shortage of natural resources, as well as the growing environmental concerns related to the reduction of harmful emissions of formaldehyde or isocyanates used in the production of polyurethanes, have driven the industrial and academic interest towards the development of tannin-based bio-PUs as sustainable alternative materials with satisfactory characteristics. The aim of the present review is to comprehensively summarize the current state of research in the field of development, characterization, and application of tannin-derived, bio-based polyurethane resins. The successful synthesis process of the tannin-based bio-PUs was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analyses.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1058
Author(s):  
Hikaru Okubo ◽  
Haruka Kaneyasu ◽  
Tetsuya Kimura ◽  
Patchiya Phanthong ◽  
Shigeru Yao

Each year, increasing amounts of plastic waste are generated, causing environmental pollution and resource loss. Recycling is a solution, but recycled plastics often have inferior mechanical properties to virgin plastics. However, studies have shown that holding polymers in the melt state before extrusion can restore the mechanical properties; thus, we propose a twin-screw extruder with a molten resin reservoir (MSR), a cavity between the screw zone and twin-screw extruder discharge, which retains molten polymer after mixing in the twin-screw zone, thus influencing the polymer properties. Re-extruded recycled polyethylene (RPE) pellets were produced, and the tensile properties and microstructure of virgin polyethylene (PE), unextruded RPE, and re-extruded RPE moldings prepared with and without the MSR were evaluated. Crucially, the elongation at break of the MSR-extruded RPE molding was seven times higher than that of the original RPE molding, and the Young’s modulus of the MSR-extruded RPE molding was comparable to that of the virgin PE molding. Both the MSR-extruded RPE and virgin PE moldings contained similar striped lamellae. Thus, MSR re-extrusion improved the mechanical performance of recycled polymers by optimizing the microstructure. The use of MSRs will facilitate the reuse of waste plastics as value-added materials having a wide range of industrial applications.


Coatings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 583
Author(s):  
Yangyang Pan ◽  
Bo Liang ◽  
Yaran Niu ◽  
Dijuan Han ◽  
Dongdong Liu ◽  
...  

In this study, a new coating material for thermal barrier coating (TBC) or environment barrier coating (EBC) application, Ca3ZrSi2O9 (CZSO), was synthesized and prepared by atmospheric plasma spray (APS) technology. The evolution of the phases and microstructures of the coatings with different thermal-aged were characterized by XRD, XRF, EDS and SEM, respectively. The thermal stability was measured by TG-DTA and DSC. The mechanical and thermal properties, including Vickers hardness (HV), fracture toughness (KIC), thermal conductivity () and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) were focused on. It was found that the as-sprayed CZSO coating contained amorphous phase. Crystalline transformation happened at 900–960 ∘C and no mass changes took place from room temperature (RT) to 1300 ∘C. The phenomena of microcrack self-healing and composition uniformity were observed during thermal aging. The of coating was very low at about 0.57–0.80 Wm−1K−1 in 200–1200 ∘C. The combined properties indicated that the CZSO coating might be a potential T/EBC material.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Alejandro Rodríguez-Ramírez ◽  
Alain Dufresne ◽  
Norma Beatriz D'Accorso ◽  
Nancy Garcia

Abstract In this work, from an endemic and non-significant value-added bamboo argentine, nanofibrils (CNFs) of 20 nm in width were obtained. These nanofibrils were chemical modified in surface with three simple steps using a noncommercial low molecular weight polylactic acid. The success of modification was confirmed by FTIR, TGA, DSC and XRD analysis. The modified nanofibrils were taken up for changing surface properties in films based on commercial PLA. The results show that dispersive (γ D/S) component of films increase of 34.7 mN/m to 36.1 mN/m after the addition of modified nanofibrils from 2 to 5% in formulation of the films, comparing with a physical blend. Interesting others result in physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of the nanocomposites, were reported.


RSC Advances ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (34) ◽  
pp. 26998-27002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Hyo Kim ◽  
Moo Sung Kim ◽  
Yoong Ahm Kim ◽  
Kap Seung Yang ◽  
Seung Jo Baek ◽  
...  

Carbon fibers are considered as one of the promising heating elements in various industrial applications because of their excellent thermal stability and electrical conductivity.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-160
Author(s):  
Arjun C.P ◽  
Anoop V.K ◽  
Tijo K.J ◽  
Anoopkumar T.K ◽  
Roshnath R

Butterfly diversity was recorded from Nov (2013) - May (2014) in Pookode region. A total number of 128 species recorded from the five families; Nymphalidae (46 species) Lycaenidae (28 species), Hesperiidae (22 species), Pieridae (17 species) and Papilionidae (15 species) respectively. During the survey invasive plant species were also recorded. There were 36 species of invasive plants from 18 families identified from the study area. More butterflies were attracted towards nectar offering invasive plants. Chromolaena odorata, Ipomea cairica, Lantana camara, Merremia vitifolia, Mikania micrantha, Mimosa diplotricha, Pennisetumpolystachyon, Pteridium aquilinum, Quisqualis indica and Sphagneticola trilobata were the major invasive plants found in the Pookode region and their flower attracts butterfly for pollination. Even though nectar offered by the plants are supportive for growth, in long run these species can affect butterfly population bydeclining native host larval plant species for butterfly reproduction. Invasive species compete with the native flora and reduce its population. Management practices like physical, chemical and modern bio control measures could be used for eradicating of invasive plants. Wise use of invasive plants for other economical purpose such as bio-fuel, medicinal purpose, bio-pesticide and handicraft could be suggested. Successful management of invasive species are needed for conserving Lepidoptera fauna and other native biota of the area.


Catalysts ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 983
Author(s):  
Wahhida Latip ◽  
Victor Feizal Knight ◽  
Ong Keat Khim ◽  
Noor Azilah Mohd Kasim ◽  
Wan Md Zin Wan Yunus ◽  
...  

Immobilization is a method for making an enzyme more robust in the environment, especially in terms of its stability and reusability. A mutant phosphotriesterase (YT PTE) isolated from Pseudomonas dimunita has been reported to have high proficiency in hydrolyzing the Sp and Rp-enantiomers of organophosphate chromophoric analogs and therefore has great potential as a decontamination agent and biosensor. This work aims to investigate the feasibility of using Fuller’s earth (FE) as a YT PTE immobilization support and characterize its biochemical features after immobilization. The immobilized YT PTE was found to show improvement in thermal stability with a half-life of 24 h compared to that of the free enzyme, which was only 8 h. The stability of the immobilized YT PTE allowed storage for up to 4 months and reuse for up to 6 times. The immobilized YT PTE showed high tolerance against all tested metal ions, Tween 40 and 80 surfactants and inorganic solvents. These findings showed that the immobilized YT PTE became more robust for use especially with regards to its stability and reusability. These features would enhance the future applicability of this enzyme as a decontamination agent and its use in other suitable industrial applications.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-53
Author(s):  
Miftahul Mukarromah ◽  
Ari Hayati ◽  
Hasan Zayadi

Balekambang Beach is the most visited beach destination in Malang Regency until the end of 2015. One of the invasive pathways of invasive plants is Tourism. The purpose of this study was to identify invasive plant species, diversity and compare the value of the diversity index with abiotic factors.This research method is descriptive with systematic sampling techniques using Belt Transect, and measurements of abiotic factors include edafic factors and climatic micro factors. Invasive alien plant species found in the Balekambang coastal forest are identified as seventeen species namely (Hemighraphis glaucescens), (Oplismenus sp), (Amomum coccineum), (Arenga obtusifolia), (Leucaena leucochephana), (Mimosa sp), (Cassia siamea), (Eupatorium odoratum), (Hyptis capitata), (Cynodon dactylon), (Sida rhombifolia), (Synedrella nudiflora), (Chromolaena odorata),  (Leucaena leucochepala), (Mimosa pudica), and (Ruellia tuberosa) with the index value of invasive plant diversity in protected forests and production classified as high compared to mangroves. The results of the diversity index value with abiotic factors showed a positive (+) direction on soil sailinity where the R2 value was 0.5606 or 50%, which means it showed a relationship between soil salinity and an abundance of invasive plants in Balekambang coastal forest area of 50%.  Keywords:invasive plants, Balekambang beach, belt transect, diversity ABSTRAK Pantai Balekambang adalah destinasi wisata alam pantai di Kabupaten Malang yang paling banyak dikunjungi hingga akhir tahun 2015.Salah satu jalur invasi dari tumbuhan invasif adalah Tourism (Wisata). Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah mengidentifikasi jenis tumbuhan invasif, keanekaragaman dan membandingkan nilai indeks keanekaragaman dengan faktor abiotik. Metode penelitian ini deskriptif dengan tehnik pengambilan sampling secara sistematis menggunakan Belt Transect, dan pengukuran faktor abiotik meliputi faktor edafik dan faktor mikro klimatik. Jenis spesies tumbuhan asing invasif yang terdapat di hutan pantai Balekambang diidentifikasi sebanyak tujuh belas spesies yaitu Hemighraphis glaucescens, Oplismenus sp, Amomum coccineum, Arenga obtusifolia, Leucaena leucochephana, Mimosa sp, Cassia siamea, Eupatorium odoratum, Hyptis capitata, Cynodon dactylon, Sida rhombifolia, Synedrella nudiflora.Chromolaena odorata, Leucaena leucochepala, Mimosa pudica, dan Ruellia tuberose dengan nilai indeks keanekaragaman tumbuhan invasif pada hutan lindung dan produksi tergolong tinggi dibanding mangrove. Hasil analisis uji korelasi nilai indeks keanekaragaman dengan faktor abiotik menunjukkan arah positif (+) pada salinitas tanah dimana nilai R2 sebesar 0.5606 atau 50%, yang artinya menunjukkan hubungan antara salinitas tanah dengan kelimpahan tumbuhan invasif di kawasan hutan pantai Balekambang sebesar 50%. Kata kunci: tumbuhan invasif, pantai Balekambang, belt transect, keanekaragaman


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