M.C. Basso^1,2, A. Pizzi^1,3,*, A. Celzard⁴

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.4, pp. 273-278, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634125

Abstract : Simultaneously monitoring the variation of temperature, foam rising rate, internal foam pressure and dielectric polarisation, the latter being a direct measure of setting and curing of a thermosetting foam, has allowed the comparison of the dynamic variation of determinant parameters of polyurethane foams and of tannin/furanic foams of different formulation and characteristics. This monitoring provides a good description of the process and possible characteristics of the prepared foam and constitutes an invaluable tool for foam formulation. Such a comparison indicates that fundamental differences, but also similarities, exist between the foaming processes of the two classes of foam. The dynamics… More >

Sudhakar Muniyasamy¹, Andrew Anstey², Murali M. Reddy¹, Manju Misra^1,2, Amar Mohanty^1,2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.4, pp. 253-272, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634117

Abstract Lignocellulosic composites have attracted interest from both academia and industry due to their benefi cial environmental and sustainability attributes. The lignocellulosic industry has seen remarkable improvements in the development of composites for high performance applications. Both biodegradable as well as non-biodegradable polymers are used in the design and engineering of lignocellulosic composites. Biodegradability studies of lignocellulosic composites in soil and composting environments help in planning their end-life management. Biodegradability tests are complex and dependent on the environment in which the testing is carried out. Due to this, standards have been developed by international agencies such as the American Society for… More >

M.Thébault^*, A.Pizzi, E.Fredon

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.4, pp. 242-252, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634121

Abstract Sunfl ower oil was subjected to a fl ow of compressed air containing ozone for different time periods. The addition of α-D-Glucose was used to increase the aldehyde content by reduction of the intermediate ozonides of the ozonation reaction. These new oils were analyzed by FTIR and GC-MS spectrometry, and their relative aldehyde groups content measured by the Henick method. They were then mixed with an aqueous solution of Radiata Pine tannin to form resins, subsequently analyzed by ¹³C NMR and MALDITOF mass spectrometry. Wood particleboards were then made using some of these resins as the adhesive, and their internal… More >

David Grewell^*, Sean T. Carolan, Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.4, pp. 231-241, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634120

Abstract : Soy protein plastic formulations were developed through iterative experimental stages to produce waterstable, soy protein isolate (SPI)-based plastic resins. The protein polymer-based materials are glycerol and water plasticized resins that have been described as thermoplastics [1] by some researchers and have been described as materials that behave similar to thermoplastics upon application of heat and pressure [2]. Previous researchers have developed SPI plastic for various applications, all of which were adversely effected by water absorption. The formulations in this research included anhydride chemistries, such as maleic anhydride (MA), phthalic anhydride (PA), and bifunctional chemistries, such as adipic acid in… More >

Supakij Suttiruengwong^1,*, Kanchana Sotho¹, Manus Seadan²

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 85-92, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634135

Abstract A one-step process in an internal mixer was used to prepare Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)/high-loading modifi ed tapioca starch (30–40 wt%) blends with low glycerol content (10–20 wt% of starch) as a plasticizer. To promote a good compatibility, two reactive agents, maleic anhydride (MA)/peroxide and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), were selected and compared. The mechanical properties, morphology, and Molau test of the blends were investigated. The compatibility of PBS/starch blends was improved by both reactive agents at the suitable plasticizer loading (glycerol 10 wt% of starch). It was demonstrated that increasing mechanical properties resulted in good adhesion of PBS/starch interface and… More >

S.K. Pankaj¹, C. Bueno-Ferrer¹, N.N. Misra¹, L. O’Neill², A. Jiménez³, P. Bourke¹, P.J. Cullen^1,4,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 77-84, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634129

Abstract The effects of dielectric barrier discharge plasma treatment on zein fi lm containing thymol as an active ingredient were evaluated. The plasma discharge was optically characterized to identify the reactive species. A signifi cant increase in the fi lm roughness (p < 0.05) was observed due to the etching effect of DBD plasma, which was correlated with the increase in the diffusion rate of thymol in the food simulant. The diffusion of thymol from the zein fi lm was measured in aqueous solution. The kinetics of thymol release followed the Fick’s law of diffusion as shown by the high correlation… More >

D. Puglia^*, R. Petrucci, E. Fortunati, F. Luzi, J.M. Kenny, L. Torre

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 66-76, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634134

Abstract Posidonia Oceanica waste was used as reinforcement in a polyethylene matrix and the obtained composites were characterised by a tensile test and morphological analysis. The fi brous material derived from P. Oceanica wastes was characterised by morphological, thermal and chemical analysis, and a subsequent treatment with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at different weight content (2, 5 and 10 wt%) was considered as an optimised method for surface modifi cation of pristine fi bres (PO). The TGA analysis and morphological investigation of the treated fi bres selected the 5 wt% of NaOH as the best treatment. Matrix compatibilisation with maleic anhydride grafted… More >

Philippe Evon^1,2,*, Ika A. Kartika³, Luc Rigal^1,2

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 52-65, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634131

Abstract The infl uence of thermo-pressing conditions on the mechanical properties of particleboards obtained from Jatropha press cakes was evaluated in this study. Conditions such as molding temperature and press cake oil content were included. All particleboards were cohesive, with proteins and fibers acting respectively as binder and reinforcing fillers. Generally, it was the molding temperature that most affected particleboard mechanical properties. The most resistant boards were obtained using 200°C molding temperature. Glass transition of proteins then occurred during molding, resulting in effective wetting of the fi bers. At this optimal molding temperature, the best compromise between fl exural properties (7.2… More >

A. Terenzi¹, A. Iannoni¹, L. Torre¹, A. Jiménez^2,*, J.M. Kenny¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 42-51, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634101

Abstract The development of new nano-biocomposites has been one of the main research areas of interest in polymer science in recent years, since they can combine the intrinsic biodegradable nature of matrices with the ability to modify their properties by the addition of selected nano-reinforcements. In this work, the addition of mineral nanoclays (montmorillonites and sepiolites) to a commercial starch-based matrix is proposed. A complete study on their processing by melt-intercalation techniques and further evaluation of the main properties of nano-biocomposites has been carried out. The results reported show an important infl uence of the nano-biocomposites morphology on their fi nal… More >

Vu Thanh Phuong^1,2, Steven Verstichel³, Patrizia Cinelli^1,4, Irene Anguillesi¹, Maria-Beatrice Coltelli¹, Andrea Lazzeri^1,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 35-41, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634136

Abstract Cellulose acetate (CDA) cannot be processed as raw material because it starts to decompose before melting. Triacetin and diacetin were tested to improve CDA processing versus conventional phthalate as environmentally sustainable plasticizers, because of their low toxicity and fast biodegradability. The addition of triacetin and diacetin allowed melt processing of CDA and the results of tensile tests outlined their effect as plasticizers. The values of mechanical properties were compatible with the requirements for applications in rigid packaging. From the results of biodegradation tests it can be concluded that for pure cellulose acetate, complete biodegradation was obtained within 200 days of… More >