Kinetics Study of Hydrothermal Degradation of PET Waste into Useful Products

Kinetics of hydrothermal degradation of colorless polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste was studied at two temperatures (300 °C and 350 °C) and reaction times from 1 to 240 min. PET waste was decomposed in subcritical water (SubCW) by hydrolysis to terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG) as the main products. This was followed by further degradation of TPA to benzoic acid by decarboxylation and degradation of EG to acetaldehyde by a dehydration reaction. Furthermore, by-products such as isophthalic acid (IPA) and 1,4-dioxane were also detected in the reaction mixture. Taking into account these most represented products, a simplified kinetic model describing the degradation of PET has been developed, considering irreversible consecutive reactions that take place as parallel in reaction mixture. The reaction rate constants (k1-k6) for the individual reactions were calculated and it was observed that all reactions follow first-order kinetics.

Comparison of zirconia degradation in dental implants and femoral balls: an X-ray diffraction and nanoindentation study

Background New tetragonal zirconia polycrystal dental implants stabilized with yttria (Y-TZP) have appeared in the implantology market in the form of single piece or two-piece zircona implant system. These new type of implants improve the aesthetical properties compared to conventional commercially pure (c.p.) titanium used for implants, although the long term mechanical behavior of these new implants is not yet well known. In orthopaedics, the application of zirconia as femoral balls presented an important controversial use due to the premature fracture once implanted. Y-TZP dental implants can be affected by hydrothermal degradation and its behavior should be analysed to avoid a premature fracture. The scientific question behind the study is to analyse if the degradation mechanism observed in orthopaedics applications of Y-TZP is similar to that of Y-TZP for dental applications. Materials and methods For this purpose, 30 original Y-TZP dental implants and 42 Y-TZP femoral balls fractured in vivo have been studied. Dental implants were submitted to an accelerated hydrothermal degradation to compare with the femoral balls fractured in vivo. Phase transformation as well as the mechanical behaviour of the degraded samples was studied by X ray diffraction and nanoindentation tests, respectively. Results Results have shown that the fracture mechanism of dental implants does not resemble the mechanism observed in orthopaedic samples, presenting a good long-term behaviour. Conclusion The results ensure the good performance of zirconia dental implants, because the degradation of the ceramic is very limited and does not affect the mechanical properties.

Mechanical Performance Under Various Conditions of 3D Printed Polylactide Composites With Natural Fibers

In the study, polylactide-based (PLA) composites modified with natural particles (wood, bamboo, and cork) and with different levels of infilling (100%, 80%, and 60%) obtained by additive methods were tested. The effect of type fiber, infill level and crystallization rate on the mechanical properties were investigated by using tensile, flexural, and impact tests. The materials were subjected to mechanical tests carried out at 23 and 80 °C. Furthermore, hydrothermal degradation was performed, and its effect on the properties was analyzed. The addition of natural fillers and different level of infilling result in a similar level of reduction in the properties. Composites made of PLA are more sensitive to high temperature than to water. The decrease in Young's modulus of PLA at 80 °C was 90%, while after 28 days of hydrodegradation ~ 9%. The addition of fibers reduced this decrease at elevated temperatures. Moreover, the impact strength has been improved by 50% for composites with cork particles and for other lignocellulosic composites remained at the same level as for resin.

Hydrothermal Degradation of Biobased Poly(butylene succinate)/Nanofibrillated Cellulose Composites

Biobased polymers and composites have gained increased global attention due to their abundance, renewability, and biodegradability. Natural fillers such as cellulose-based fillers improve the mechanical properties of biopolymers, extending their application range, while maintaining the eco-friendly characteristics of the materials. Mowing towards engineering applications, requirements imposed on materials’ durability with regard to their environmental impact and high performance is necessary. Variations of ambient humidity and temperature could essentially reduce the service lifetime of biobased polymer composites. This study is focused on the hydrothermal degradation of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) filled with nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) by up to 50 wt.% aimed at identifying the most efficient PBS/NFC composition, while maintaining a reasonable balance between the reinforcement effect and accelerated degradation that is inherent for most natural fillers. Water absorption and its effect on the structure, thermal, mechanical, and thermomechanical properties were studied. High reinforcement and adhesion efficiency is obtained for PBS/NFC composites and their properties are reasonably retained after hydrothermal ageing. Their water absorption capacity and diffusivity increased significantly with the NFC content in PBS. The degradation of the mechanical properties occurs to a greater extent with an increased NFC content in the polymer matrix. PBS, filled with 20 wt.% of NFC, is identified as the most efficient composition, for which the negative environmental degradation effects are counterbalanced by the positive reinforcement effect.

An extensive parameter study of hydrotropic extraction of steam-pretreated birch

Efficient fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass is an important step toward the replacement of fossil-based products. However, the utilisation of all of the components in biomass requires various fractionation techniques. One promising process configuration is to apply steam explosion for the recovery of hemicelluloses and a subsequent hydrotropic extraction step for the delignification of the remaining solids. In this work, the influence of residence time, temperature and biomass loading on lignin recovery from birch using sodium xylene sulphonate as a hydrotrope was investigated. Our results show that residence time, temperature and biomass loading correlate positively with lignin extraction, but the effects of these parameters were limited. Furthermore, when steam explosion was implemented as the initial step, hydrotropic extraction could be performed even at room temperature, yielding a lignin extraction of 50%. Also, hydrothermal degradation of the material was necessary for efficient delignification with sodium xylene sulphonate, regardless of whether it occurs during steam explosion pretreatment or is achieved at high temperatures during the hydrotropic extraction.

Effect of Accumulative Recycling of Aqueous Phase on the Properties of Hydrothermal Degradation of Dry Biomass and Bio-Crude Oil Formation

For hydrothermal liquefaction of dry biomass to produce liquid fuels, water needs to be added or the aqueous phase products can be recycled. This paper focuses on understanding the relationship between hydrothermal degradation of the dry biomass and oil formation under the condition of accumulative recycling of the aqueous phase. Completely dried corn stalk and deionized water were used for the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) experiment. The aqueous products for subsequent recycling were not diluted. It was demonstrated that the recycling of the aqueous can promote the enrichment of organic acids and the conversion of ketones and phenols in the aqueous, improving the yield and quality of Bio-crude oil. After recycling, the yield of Bio-crude oil increased from 20.42% to 24.31% continuously, and the oxygen content decreased from 13.34% to 9.90%. Although the process was accompanied by solid deposition and had a negative impact on the hydrothermal degradation efficiency, the formation of carbon microspheres during the deposition enhanced the utilization of nondegradable solids, while the formation of metal salt particles had a positive impact on oil production. After three rounds of recycling, the solid deposition effect was weakened. At this time, oil production and solids degradation can be promoted simultaneously.