Application Of Bio-based Materials Research Articles

Product Ecodesign: An Application of Bio-Based Materials in the Personal Care Packaging Industry

AbstractThe increasing amount of plastic materials produced and their persistence in the natural environment after the use stage makes them highly critical from the environmental viewpoint and human health and much efforts are being made to find valid alternatives worldwide. This is particularly true for the packaging industry where the use of plastics is more intense and products often have a very short useful life. Ecodesign is a recognized approach capable of proposing effective solutions to reduce the impact of plastic materials, including their replacement with alternative ones. In this view, bioplastics have been recognized as a new generation of materials characterized by a potential lower environmental burden, along their life cycle, including the end-of-life phase. The same cannot yet be said for their technological and production performance, both at an industrial level and the use phase, especially for durable products.This article refers to the personal care industry and aims at exploring, in the Circular Economy framework, the Ecodesign of a personal care plastic dispenser. In this specific sector, the use of bio-based materials is still very limited and in an early stage, differently, from other industries (e.g. agri-food) where, instead, the applications are much more widespread. In particular, a material substitution solution drew on bio-based materials has been adopted in respect of conventional polypropylene and polyethylene. The technological performances of such bio-based materials have been evaluated through laboratory, production and use tests; the results obtained highlight that they are reaching levels comparable to conventional plastics. The regulatory, environmental and economic implications of their potential use at an industrial level are also discussed.

Production and Characterization of Bacterial Cellulose Separators for Nickel-Zinc Batteries

The need for energy-storing technologies with lower environmental impact than Li-ion batteries but similar power metrics has revived research in Zn-based battery chemistries. The application of bio-based materials as a replacement for current components can additionally contribute to an improved sustainability of Zn battery systems. For that reason, bacterial cellulose (BC) was investigated as separator material in Ni-Zn batteries. Following the biotechnological production of BC, the biopolymer was purified, and differently shaped separators were generated while surveying the alterations of its crystalline structure via X-ray diffraction measurements during the whole manufacturing process. A decrease in crystallinity and a partial change of the BC crystal allomorph type Iα to II was determined upon soaking in electrolyte. Electrolyte uptake was found to be accompanied by dimensional shrinkage and swelling, which was associated with partial decrystallization and hydration of the amorphous content. The separator selectivity for hydroxide and zincate ions was higher for BC-based separators compared to commercial glass-fiber (GF) or polyolefin separators as estimated from the obtained diffusion coefficients. Electrochemical cycling showed good C-rate capability of cells based on BC and GF separators, whereas cell aging was pronounced in both cases due to Zn migration and anode passivation. Lower electrolyte retention was concluded as major reason for faster capacity fading due to zincate supersaturation within the BC separator. However, combining a dense BC separator with low zincate permeability with a porous one as electrolyte reservoir reduced ZnO accumulation within the separator and improved cycling stability, hence showing potentials for separator adjustment.

A Brief Review on Electrospun Lignin Nanofibres

Application of bio-based materials in various fields is currently gaining momentum; and lignin occupies a prominent place among such materials. Integrating lignin with synthetic plastics is an innovative approach in the development of sustainable polymers. However, blending lignin with other polymers is not an easy process because of its brittleness and low dispersibility. Grafting of lignin with poly(methyl methacrylate) via atom transfer radical polymerisation enhances the miscibility of lignin with other polymers. A number of publications describe the applications of electrospun lignin nanofibres in various fields. Often discarded as an unwanted component this material has a vast potential for various applications. With the advent of electrospinning technique, lignin-based nanofibres used as an alternative to conventional lignin due to its exceptional property and thus find use in various biomedical as well as electronic applications. Antimicrobial properties of these nanofibres could be exploited effectively in the current pandemic situation. Numerous reviews have been lately published on lignin and lignin-based materials. Most of them focus on the applications of lignin, that is why the idea of the present review is to concentrate entirely on lignin-based nanofibres prepared by the electrospinning process and consolidate the applications of these electrospun lignin nanofibres

Novel environment-friendly superhydrophobic bio-based polymer derived from liquefied corncob for controlled-released fertilizer

The application of bio-based materials as coatings for fertilizers is sustainable and environmentally-friendly compared to petroleum-based materials. However, these hydrophilic bio-materials often have undesired release characteristics for controlled-release fertilizers. Superhydrophobic modified bio-based materials, mostly synthesized with nanoparticles, could be used to enhance the release characteristics, but the presence of nanoparticles usually needs more complex technology and adds to the production cost. In this work, bio-based polyurethane was synthesized from liquefied corncob to coat urea. Subsequently, polydimethylsiloxane (organosilicon-PDMS) modified bio-based polyurethane was developed to increase the hydrophobicity of the coating. Furthermore, the bio-based material was dual modified with nano-silica and organosilicon-PDMS to achieve superhydrophobicity through decreasing the surface energy and improving the nanoscale surface roughness. The dispersion and application process of nanomaterials was simplified to reduce the production cost. The release characteristics of the superhydrophobic organosilicon-PDMS and nano-silica dual modified bio-based polyurethane coated urea (SSBCU) were significantly enhanced compared to unmodified bio-based polyurethane coated urea (BCU). This is because the superhydrophobic coating reduces the number of micropores, and can prevent water from entering the inner shell. The superhydrophobic coating shows great potential for application in controlled-release fertilizers.

One-Step Synthesis of Novel Renewable Vegetable Oil-Based Acrylate Prepolymers and Their Application in UV-Curable Coatings.

With the rapid development of social economy, problems such as volatile organic compound (VOC) pollution and the excessive consumption of global petroleum resources have become increasingly prominent. People are beginning to realize that these problems not only affect the ecological environment, but also hinder the development of the organic polymer material industry based on raw fossil materials. Therefore, the modification and application of bio-based materials are of theoretical and practical significance. In this study, a series of vegetable oil-based acrylate prepolymers were synthesized by one-step acrylation using palm oil, olive oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, canola oil, and grapeseed oil as raw materials, and the effect of different double bond contents on the product structure and grafting rate was investigated. Furthermore, the as-prepared vegetable oil-based acrylate prepolymers, polyurethane acrylate (PUA-2665), trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA), and photoinitiator (PI-1173) were mixed thoroughly to prepare ultraviolet (UV)-curable films. The effect of different grafting numbers on the properties of these films was investigated. The results showed that as the degree of unsaturation increased, the acrylate grafting number and the cross-linking density increased, although the acrylation (grafting reaction) rate decreased. The reason was mainly because increasing the double bond content could accelerate the reaction rate, while the grafted acrylic groups had a steric hindrance effect to prevent the adjacent double bonds from participating in the reaction. Furthermore, the increase in grafting number brought about the increase in the structural functionality of prepolymers and the cross-linking density of cured films, which led to the enhancement in the thermal (glass transition temperature) and mechanical (tensile strength, Young’s modulus) properties of the cured films.

Sonication amplitude and processing time influence the cellulose nanocrystals morphology and dispersion

The application of bio-based materials is becoming impellent owing to the increasing demand for alternatives to petroleum-based analogs. In this regard, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with unique properties have received a significant interest, while their hydrophilic character poses a challenge to their commercial applications. Ultrasonication treatment is one of the most commonly used methods to improve CNCs’ dispersion in different solvents and polymer matrices. In this work, the effectiveness of ultrasonication treatment in the dispersion of CNCs in a water-soluble polymer (polyvinyl alcohol, PVA) was studied. An aqueous suspension of polyvinyl alcohol and CNCs was prepared using different ultrasonication times and amplitudes. The morphology, particle size and dispersion of CNCs were studied using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. The results indicated that with increase in the sonication amplitude, there was a substantial decrease in nanoparticle length, while long sonication times gently affected the nanoparticle length. Furthermore, improved dispersion was observed in samples prepared using longer sonication time.

Constriction flow of cellulose laden air-aqueous foam

Foams are encountered in everyday life across wide applications, e.g., in foods and cleaning products. They have also been widely used in different industries in processes such as flotation and oil recovery. The application of bio-based materials is a novel interest, and foam forming enables these materials to be used more flexibly. For efficient industrial usage, the flow of such materials must be well understood and characterized. This work measured the velocity field of nanocellulose laden foam in a two-dimensional Hele-Shaw cell with a constriction, using optical imaging and particle image velocimetry. The measurements showed that the addition of cellulose increased the effective viscosity of the liquid films. In a numerical simulation using the Giesekus polymer model, the experimental trend was reproduced through increasing the fluid’s viscosity. Adding highly viscoelastic nanofibrillated cellulose suspension to foam affected only the viscous component of the foam. The delayed elastic response did not change.