Pushpa Bhardwaj¹, Susheel Kalia^2,3,*, Amit Kumar¹, Hemant Mittal⁴

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.4, pp. 302-310, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634123

Abstract The objective of the present study is to elucidate the effect of peroxide treatment and graft copolymerization on water absorption behavior of soy protein fi bers in order to make them suitable as a reinforcing material. Grafting of poly(methyl acrylate) and copolymers was successfully carried out on peroxide-treated soy protein fi bers. Different reaction parameters were optimized in order to get maximum percentage grafting. The grafted fi bers were evaluated for water absorption behavior in deionized water. Maximum grafting has been found at 0.219 mol/l of methyl acrylate, 0.0096:0.145 mol/l of FAS:H₂O₂ , 323 K, and 90minutes. Graft copolymerization results… More >

Sihan Wang, Reza Masoodi^*, Janet Brady, Brian R. George

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.1, No.4, pp. 279-288, 2013, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2013.634122

Abstract Recycled natural fi bers and biopolymers with sustainable, eco-friendly, and biodegradable properties are receiving increased attention. The moisture absorption and swelling of natural fi ber composites adversely infl uence their mechanical properties and applications. In this research, bio-based epoxy polymers that are reinforced with recycled woven jute fabrics were subjected to water immersion tests in order to study the effect of water absorption on their mechanical and geometrical properties. For comparison, petroleum-based epoxy polymers that are reinforced with new woven jute fabrics were also subjected to the same tests. The effect of fi ber percentage on water absorption, thickness swelling,… More >

Rosana Moriana^1,2,*, Emma Strömberg¹, Amparo Ribes², Sigbritt Karlsson^1,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.2, No.2, pp. 145-156, 2014, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634103

Abstract The purpose of this work was to study the effect of hydrothermal, biological and photo degradation on natural fi bres reinforced biodegradable starch-based (Mater-BiKE) composites to characterize the structural changes occurring under exposure to different environments. The composites water-uptake rate was hindered by the interfacial interactions between matrix and fi bres. Thermal, structural and morphological analysis provided useful information about the irreversible changes in the properties of the composites caused by degradation in soil and photodegradation, and their synergetic effects. The effects due to the photo-oxidation and degradation in soil on the composites depended on the different chemical composition of… More >

Jorge Neto, Henrique Queiroz, Ricardo Aguiar, Rosemere Lima, Daniel Cavalcanti, Mariana Doina Banea^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.3, pp. 561-589, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2022.017434

Abstract Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites (NFRCs) have demonstrated great potential for many different applications in various industries due to their advantages compared to synthetic fiber-reinforced composites, such as low environmental impact and low cost. However, one of the drawbacks is that the NFRCs present relatively low mechanical properties and the absorption of humidity due to the hydrophilic characteristic of the natural fibre. One method to increase their performance is hybridization. Therefore, understanding the properties and potential of using multiple reinforcement’s materials to develop hybrid composites is of great interest. This paper provides an overview of the recent advances in hybrid… More > Graphic Abstract

Dafni Foti¹, Costas Passialis¹, Elias Voulgaridis¹, Stergios Adamopoulos^2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.9, No.1, pp. 85-96, 2021, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.011868

Abstract Recycled polystyrene in combination with paraffin wax, alkyd resin, and gum rosin were used as components in formulations to investigate their water repellency when applied to cellulosic filter paper substrates. Polystyrene was used in concentration of 5, 10, 15 and 20%, alkyd resin and gum rosin of 5% each and paraffin wax of 0.5%. Totally, twenty four water repellent solutions were prepared. Water repellency was evaluated in terms of water absorption of the cellulosic fibrous mats. The relations between retention of solid substances of the formulations and grammage and water absorption of filter paper samples were also determined. The results… More >

Zinta Zimele^1,*, Ilze Irbe², Juris Grinins², Oskars Bikovens², Anrijs Verovkins², Diana Bajare¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.9, pp. 1067-1076, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.09646

Abstract Novel mycelium-based biocomposites (MBB) were obtained from local agricultural (hemp shives) and forestry (wood chips) by-products which were bounded together with natural growth of fungal mycelium. As a result, hemp mycocomposites (HMC) and wood mycocomposites (WMC) were manufactured. Mechanical, water absorption and biodegradation properties of MBB were investigated. MBB were characterized also by ash content and elemental composition. The results of MBB were compared with the reference materials such as the commercial MBB material manufactured by Ecovative^® Design (EV), hemp magnesium oxychloride concrete (HC) and cemented wood wool panel (CW), manufactured by CEWOOD^®. The mechanical properties of HMC and WMC… More >

Haikuan Wu^1,2, Changwu Liu^1,2,*, Song Shi^1,2, Kangliang Chen^1,2

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.7, pp. 727-738, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.09589

Abstract In order to study the effect of recycled plastic particles on the physical and mechanical properties of concrete, recycled plastic concrete with 0, 3%, 5% and 7% content (by weight) was designed. The compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and the change of mass caused by water absorption during curing were measured. The results show that the strength of concrete is increased by adding recycled plastic into concrete. Among them, the compressive strength and the splitting tensile strength of concrete is the best when the plastic content is 5%. With the increase of plastic content, the development speed of early strength… More >

C. M. Meenakshi, A. Krishnamoorthy^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.7, No.2, pp. 153-169, 2019, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2019.00046

Abstract Natural fiber-reinforced hybrid composites can be a better replacement for plastic composites since these plastic composites pose a serious threat to the environment. The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of surface modification of the natural fibers on the mechanical, thermal, hygrothermal, and water absorption behaviors of flax, sisal, and glass fiber-reinforced epoxy hybrid composites. The mechanical properties of alkaline treated sisal and flax fibers were found to increase considerably.Tensile, flexural and impact strength of glass/flax-fiber-reinforced hybrid samples improved by 58%, 36%, and 51%, respectively, after surface alkaline treatment. In addition, the hygrothermal analysis and water absorption… More >

N. A. Sri Aprilia¹, M. S. Nurul Atiqah², Zhari Ismail³, C. Y. Loo², Chaturbhuj K. Saurabh², Rudi Dungani⁴, Abdul Khalil H.P.S^2*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.5, No.5, pp. 380-387, 2017, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2017.634130

Abstract Due to environmental concerns, green composites have become a highly researched material. In the present study, kenaf fiber was used as reinforcement in epoxy-based composite with weight fraction ranges from 0, 5, 10, and 15% (w/w of resin). The ratio of epoxy to hardener was 65:32.5. Prior to incorporation, kenaf bast fiber underwent Soda-AQ pulping followed by total chlorine-free bleaching (OAZP sequence). The obtained pulp was then subjected to supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SCE) treatment. It was observed that epoxy composite with 10% of fiber loading demonstrated the highest mechanical properties with a tensile strength of 64 MPa, tensile modulus… More >