Green Raw Materials Research Articles

Enhanced thermal and mechanical properties of flame-retardant expandable graphite modified silk fibroin-based rigid polyurethane foam

At present, in order to reduce the environmental pollution caused by the use of petrochemical products, the preparation of flame-retardant polyurethane foam (PUF) using green raw materials is increasingly attracting widespread attention. A biomass protein-based green flame-retardant rigid PUF (RPUF) with expandable graphite (EG) and silk fibroin (SF) was prepared in a one-step process. Thermal stability, combustion characteristics and compression properties of modified RPUFs were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis, cone test, limiting oxygen index (LOI) test, UL-94 vertical burning test and mechanical compression test. The RPUF with 10 wt% EG (RPUF-SF/EG10) exhibited superior heat resistance, with the highest initial decomposition temperature (Ti), integral programmed decomposition temperatures (IPDT) and activation energy (E). And RPUF-SF/EG10 had the lowest peak heat release rate (PHRR) and total heat release (THR), and it also showed the highest LOI and had a flammability rating of V-0. In Addition, the apparent density and compressive strength of RPUF-SF/EG10 were the largest among the four EG-added materials. The results indicated that RPUF-SF/EG10 had excellent thermal stability, flame retardancy and compression resistance, which was attributed to the synergistic effect of SF and EG in the system. This provided a valuable reference for the development of new, environmentally friendly and high-performance RPUFs.

Anions mediated electron-rich metalloporphyrin ionic framework as recyclable catalyst for conversion of urea into cyclic carbonates

As CO2 typical derivative, urea has the potential to be uniquely economical and green raw materials in generating cyclic carbonates via alcoholysis. Nonetheless, the existing processes for obtaining cyclic carbonates from urea alcoholysis reaction pose considerable challenges in achieving efficient catalyst recycling. Functional organic heterogeneous compounds are emerging materials for catalysis and enhanced reusability due to their large number of coordination sites, but they still fall short of effectively modulating the charge distribution of metal ions. Herein, drawing inspiration from the capacity of ionic liquids (ILs) to effectively control the distribution and transfer of spatial charges within materials, metalloporphyrin ionic framework catalysts were developed by combining metal ions and ILs for the transformation of urea into cyclic carbonates. This heterogeneous catalyst, featuring an adjustable structure and stable metal coordination sites on its surface, exhibits remarkable stability, resulting in a 2.7-fold reduction in catalyst dosage compared to other reported supported catalysts. Based on detailed experiments and DFT calculations, this tunable performance can be mainly explained by the effect of porphyrin zinc (II) and IL anions via molecular engineering. These atom-economical transformations provide a direct and selective access to valuable compounds from cheap and available urea using an efficient organic heterogeneous catalyst.

Green composite colorimetric and “Turn-on” fluorescent material for the detection of Al3+ ion in blood serum and herbal tea

In the present investigation, we fabricated an ecologically sustainable green composite material derived from green raw materials, including cellulose nanomaterials and Morin. This innovative material underscores its commitment to environmental friendliness and boasts distinctive surface properties that render it an ideal substrate. The selection of this material was motivated by its intricate network structure and inherent capacity for surface modifications. The crux of our methodology involved the integration of the organic probe 2-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,5,7-trihydroxychromen-4-one, commonly known as Morin, onto the surface of the cellulose nanocomposite. This strategic embedding of Morin conferred the composite material with exceptional attributes, enabling preconcentration, spectrophotometric determination, and fluorometric turn-on sensing of Al3+ ions. This unique property facilitated the ion-sensing of Al3+ ions in diverse samples, including blood serum and herbal tea.The resultant Morin green composite material exhibited remarkable sensitivity toward Al3+ ions in aqueous solutions, accomplishing extraordinary LOD as low as 0.26 ppb. This heightened sensitivity permits for precise and efficient ion-sensing and enables the detection to be perceptible to the naked eye. Notably, the Morin green composite material displayed a rapid and distinct color change within a brief span of less than two minutes when exposed to varying concentrations of Al3+ ions. Beyond its analytical prowess, the developed Morin green composite material demonstrated significant efficacy in practical applications. Specifically, it showcased remarkable performance in detecting Al3+ ions in serum samples and herbal tea samples.

Optimal strategies for green supply chains with competition between green and traditional suppliers

We consider a green supply chain that consists of a traditional supplier, a green supplier, and a manufacturer. We investigate the optimal strategies for the suppliers’ raw material prices, and the manufacturer’s production and green raw material ordering. In particular, we consider three price competition models: the traditional supplier-led model, the green supplier-led model, and the Nash game model. The results indicate that the more dominant the green supplier, the more likely the green material price will be higher than the traditional material price. In addition, the manufacturers’ product greenness level is the lowest under the green supplier-led model and the highest under the traditional supplier-led model. We also find that, as the manufacturer’s yield uncertainty increases, the prices of traditional and green raw materials both decrease with respect to the manufacturer’s product greenness level. Moreover, as customers’ green preference increases, the price of green raw materials increases, the price of traditional raw materials decreases, and the product greenness level increases.

Coating effect of renatured triple-helix lentinan on the morphology and antimicrobial activity of ZnO synthesized by hydrothermal method.

Polysaccharides are considered to be ideal green raw materials for enhancing biocompatibility and dispersion effects of nanoparticles. In this study, we coated and dispersed ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) using the denaturation-renaturation process of a triple helix glucan lentinan (LNT), induced by changes in pH value within the reaction system. Various ZnO/LNT composites with different particle sizes and crystal morphologies were prepared and characterized. The results demonstrated that renatured LNT (r-LNT) effectively encapsulated the {101̄0} crystal planes of ZnO, preventing crystal growth during the renaturation process and resulting in smaller, uniformly dispersed nanoparticles. Among the samples, ZnO/r-LNT-2 exhibited significantly higher antimicrobial activity, and it had a certain inhibitory effect on various plant pathogens. It also displayed the highest inhibitory effect against Candida albicans, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of up to 8 μg mL-1. Consistently, ZnO/r-LNT-2 generated the highest amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thus exhibiting the most effective antimicrobial activity. However, excessive introduction of the dispersant LNT may reduce these activities. This study provides a foundation for further exploring the detailed mechanism of ROS generation catalyzed by ZnO and for harnessing the full potential of this type of antimicrobial agent.

Flexible wearable piezoresistive physical sensors with photothermal conversion and self-cleaning functions for human motion monitoring.

Flexible wearable sensors can mimic the sensing ability of the skin and transform deformation stimuli into monitorable electrical signals, making them favorable in the fields of personalized healthcare, human motion monitoring, and remote monitoring systems. Here, an innovative piezoresistive physical sensor based on fluorine-free superhydrophobic dodecyltrimethoxysilane/polypyrrole/carbon nanotube (DTMS/PPy/CNT) cotton fabrics (DPC-CFs) was assembled via an environmentally safe and simple dip-coating method. The flexible wearable sensor exhibits self-cleaning capability (high water contact angle of 158.3°), good electrical conductivity (45.43 S m-1), photo-thermal conversion (surface temperature up to 94.8 °C), rapid response/recovery time (60 ms/50 ms), and excellent stability (>2400 cycles), and was successfully applied to dynamic monitoring of a series of human activities such as wrist pulse, voice recognition, and finger bending. Furthermore, the development of the superhydrophobic piezoresistive physical sensor derived from biodegradable cotton fabrics means an important step forward in the evolution of wearable sensors, which not only provide better coverage of three-dimensional irregular surfaces to capture mechanical stimulation signals but also demonstrate better comfort, flexibility and versatility. It is foreseen that such sensors, which are fabricated by utilizing abundant renewable and biodegradable green raw materials, have a broad application prospect in the next generation of biomedical systems, fitness, and human-computer interactive devices.

Lithium storage of SnP2O7 anode coated by N-doped carbon and anchored on P-doped carbon framework

N-doped carbon-coated SnP2O7 anodes anchored on P-doped carbon framework (SPO/C-P@C-N) have been successfully synthesized via a novel and environmentally friendly method, using a green raw material of phytic acid as phosphorus and carbon sources, and dimethylimidazole as the second carbon source and nitrogen source. N-doped carbon coating and P-doped carbon framework inhibit the volume shrinkage and expansion, improve the electronic conductivity and diffusion coefficient of Li+ ions as well as capacitive contribution ratio, reduce the charge transfer resistance and the particle size, and then enhance the electrochemical performance of SPO/C-P@C-N. SPO/C-P@C-N-1.2 with the carbon content of 18.5 wt% exhibits excellent electrochemical performance. The discharge specific capacity is 416.6 mAh/g at 0.5 A/g after 200 cycles. 234.3 mAh/g is kept at 2 A/g for the 1000th cycle. In addition, the discharge specific capacity of the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4//SPO/C-P@C-N-1.2 full cell is 206.6 mAh/g for the 200th cycle at 0.5C in 1.4–4.4 V. The full cell can power green, red, blue, and orange light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, as well as LED small light strings and heart-shaped circuit boards. It is the first report on SnP2O7 successfully applied to full cells, demonstrating the potential application.

Natural green raw-based Biochar@Co/C composites: Simple water bath synthesis and excellent electromagnetic wave absorption properties

Over the last few years, wave absorbing materials synthesized based on green and eco-friendly natural materials were less studied. Carbon materials derived from natural materials, for example, have a limited absorption performance due to impedance mismatch in electromagnetic wave absorption applications. In this work, composites of MOF derivatives and biochar with strong wave absorbing capability were prepared by biochar and MOF. Biochar was green raw material originated from kapok trees in the school. Then it was compounded with MOF derivatives by pretreatment and water bath to form Biochar@Co/C composites. The effect of annealing temperature on the absorption properties was investigated by varying the annealing temperature. According to the results of the transmission line theory analysis, Biochar@Co/C-700 have RLmin value of −55.22 dB at 5.43 GHz and 3.69 mm. Also, the effective absorption bandwidth EAB can reach 6.37 GHz at 1.94 mm. And the above absorption properties were measured when the filling ratio was only 15 %. Electromagnetic parameter analyses showed that the combination between biochar and MOF derivatives greatly improves the impedance matching of the carbon-based materials, which is a vital factor that enables Biochar@Co/C-700 to have excellent wave-absorbing properties. In addition, the loss mechanism of the complexes to electromagnetic waves was also analyzed and summarized. These results provide a reference path for the preparation of high-performance electromagnetic wave absorption composites from green materials.

Enhanced adsorption selectivity of Au(III) over Cu(II) from acidic chloride solutions by chitosan/palm kernel fatty acid distillate/magnetite nanocomposites

This work aimed to develop a modified chitosan adsorbent with enhanced adsorption selectivity for Au(III) over Cu(II) from acidic chloride solutions using low-cost and green raw materials. Various adsorbents, i.e., chitosan powder, chitosan microbeads, chitosan/palm kernel fatty acid distillate (PKFAD) microcomposites, magnetite nanoparticles, and chitosan/PKFAD/magnetite nanocomposites (CPMNs), were first evaluated for their ability to adsorb Au(III) and Cu(II) from single- and binary-metal solutions across different pH levels, followed by parametric analysis of Au(III) and Cu(II) adsorption from binary- and multi-metal solutions onto CPMNs, Au(III) desorption from Au(III)-loaded CPMNs, and reusability of CPMNs. Finally, Au(III)-loaded CPMNs were characterized with SEM-EDX, XRD, FTIR, and XPS to confirm the proposed adsorption mechanisms. Among all the adsorbents studied, CPMNs exhibited outstanding performance in adsorbing Au(III) from an equimolar binary Au(III)-Cu(II) solution, achieving the highest equilibrium adsorption capacity of 0.479 mmol/g (94.4 mg/g) without reaching saturation. Under optimal adsorption conditions of pH 3, 1 g/L CPMN dosage, and 90 min contact time, CPMNs adsorbed 96 % of Au(III) with a selectivity over Cu(II) exceeding 99 %. CPMNs demonstrated excellent reusability, maintaining over 80 % adsorption and desorption efficiencies for 5 cycles. The proposed adsorption mechanisms of CPMNs for Au(III) encompass electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, solvation, and reduction.

1.89 $ kg-1 Lake-Water-Based Semisolid Electrolytes for Highly Efficient Energy Storage.

Solid electrolytes with fast ion kinetics and superior mechanical properties are critical to electrochemical energy devices; however, how to design low-cost, high-performance solid electrolytes has become a critical challenge in the energy field, and significant progress has not been achieved until now. Here, lake-water-based semisolid electrolytes with a low cost of 1.89 $ kg-1 have been put forward for the purpose of market promotion. By virtue of the palygorskite dopants and lake water source, the electrolytes display satisfying mechanical, electrical, and electrochemical properties as well as economic benefits. The application potential of electrolytes has been demonstrated by employing a polyelectrolyte with ionic conductivity of 0.82 × 10-4 S cm-1 in flexible supercapacitors. The as-assembled devices give a high energy density of 54.72 Wh kg-1 and excellent cycling stability with a capacity retention of 94.8% over 20 000 cycles. The flexibility of devices has been verified through 5000 repetitive bending tests. Our work presents insight into the design of flexible solid electrolytes based on cheap and green raw materials.

Strategy formulation path towards zero-waste of municipal solid waste: A case study from Shanghai

Achieving zero-waste of municipal solid waste (MSW) is not only a vision of policymakers but also an aspired topic of scholars. Although many countries and regions have formulated ambitious zero-waste strategies, relatively few scholars have studied how these strategies were developed and implemented. This study summarized a strategy formulation path towards zero-waste of MSW, and built a zero-waste system dynamic model to simulate the zero-waste situation of Shanghai’ MSW from 2000 to 2050. There are primary, intermediate and advanced stages towards zero-waste of MSW. Reaching these three stages needs to follow the goals of “zero landfill at the end, more recycling at the middle, and less generation at the source”. Additionally, this study compared 13 scenarios to give MSW zero-waste strategy formulation path for Shanghai from 2025 to 2050. The simulation results show that the amount of MSW generated in Shanghai will continue to increase, reaching 16 million tons MSW and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will reach 1.7 million tons by 2050. Shanghai’ MSW will achieve zero-waste by 2050 only if recycling rate can increase to 70%, proportion of green raw materials increase to 50%, resident waste disposal reducing by 10%, and resident consumption reducing by 10%. Shanghai will reduce MSW by 30%–60% and GHG emissions by 50%–90% under zero-waste scenario. Laws and regulations to strengthen the construction of a green supply chain, promotion and education to enhance residents’ active zero-waste awareness, and mandatory policies to push forth zero-waste awareness are the focus of future zero-waste strategies. Although it is difficult to achieve zero-waste goal, continuous adherence to zero-waste action is still urged, which is very important for the sustainable development of the environment.

Effect of silicate modulus and alkali content on the microstructure and macroscopic properties of alkali-activated recycled powder mortar

The use of recycled powder (RP) as a green raw material to prepare alkali-activated materials provides a promising approach for the sustainable utilization of construction waste. However, limited attention has been paid in the literature to the impact of silicate modulus and alkali content of alkaline activators on the performance of alkali-activated recycled powder mortar (AAM). Therefore, this study investigates the influence of different silicate modulus and alkali content on the microstructure, mechanical properties, water absorption and porosity of AAM. The results revealed that the RP exhibits irregular shapes, comprising hydrated products and inert materials like quartz and calcite, and can participate in polymerization reactions under the influence of alkaline activators. Suitable silicate modulus and alkali content can promote further dissolution of RP to form C-A-S-H/N-A-S-H gels, which benefits the development of the alkali-activated recycled powder paste microstructure. When the silicate modulus is constant, the mechanical performance of AAM initially improves with increasing alkali content, but eventually decreases beyond a certain threshold, especially at an alkali content of 8%. The 28-d compressive strength of M1.8N8 decreased by 4.92% compared to M1.8N6. Meanwhile, water absorption and porosity decline with increasing alkali content. When alkali content is constant, increasing the silicate modulus is beneficial for the development of the microstructure of the alkali-activated recycled powder paste, and improves the AAM mechanical performance. The 28-d flexural strength of N6M1.8 increased by 17.63% compared to N6M1.2. The addition of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) can reduce the porosity and water absorption of AAM and significantly improve its mechanical properties, with the best performance enhancement achieved by metakaolin (MK). Therefore, RP can be used as a raw material to prepare environmentally friendly alkali-activated materials with excellent macroscopic performance.

A high-performance, full-degradable bioinspired newspaper-based composite enhanced by borate ester bonds

Sustainable construction materials with high performance serve as an important role in our dairy life. However, constructing strong, green and cost-effective structural materials from waste feedstocks is still challenging. Inspired by the borate chemistry in natural plant cell walls, a high-performance, full-degradable and multifunctional newspaper (NP)-based laminated composite was successfully fabricated by boric acid (BA) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) via borate ester bonds and hydrogen bonds under simple hot-pressing process. Owing to the strong covalent borate ester bonds and abundant hydrogen bonds crosslinking, the resultant b-NP/PVA/BA composite exhibited outstanding tensile strength (147.83 ± 1.60 MPa), elongation at break (15.43 ± 0.56%) and toughness (17.80 ± 0.78 MJ/m3), which exceeded most wood-based composites and all reported NP-based composites. The b-NP/PVA/BA composite also showed excellent self-healing property and could be biodegraded completely within 4 months in soil. Furthermore, the obtained composite was useful for panel overlayers due to its excellent mechanical enhancement effect, antimildew and healthy properties. Notably, the cost-effective and green raw materials, as well as the facile and eco-friendly preparation, offered a competitive strategy to develop high-performance and full-biodegradable composites from waste resources, which can be extensively utilized in the fields of building, furniture and packaging.

Purified Glycerine from Biodiesel Production as Biomass or Waste-Based Green Raw Material for the Production of Biochemicals

Glycerine (glycerol) is a polyol consisting of three carbon atoms bonded to hydroxyl groups. It is a by-product of the transesterification of triglycerides, such as animal fats, vegetable oils, or used cooking oils during the biodiesel production process. Crude glycerine is subject to purification processes resulting in distilled glycerine containing at least 99.5% glycerol. Currently, produced high-quality distilled glycerine is used in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Recently, technologies for converting glycerol to other chemicals through catalytic processes have been intensively developed, e.g., production of bio-based 1,2-propanediol. In the near future, glycerol will certainly become a promising renewable raw material in many modern biorefineries for the synthesis of biofuels, chemicals, and bioenergy production. This paper presents the possibility of using ion exchange resins to remove impurities with trace amounts of sulphur and nitrogen compounds from crude and distilled glycerine, produced during the biodiesel production process from used cooking oils. It was determined that using ion exchange resins at the preliminary purification stage (before distillation) was ineffective. Using cationite resins to purify distilled glycerine produced from waste materials enables the removal of impurities in the form of sulphur and nitrogen compounds.

Development of BioPolyurethane Coatings from Biomass-Derived Alkylphenol Polyols-A Green Alternative.

Bio-based polyols were obtained from the thermochemical liquefaction of two biomass feedstocks, pinewood and Stipa tenacissima, with conversion rates varying between 71.9 and 79.3 wt.%, and comprehensively characterized. They exhibit phenolic and aliphatic moieties displaying hydroxyl (OH) functional groups, as confirmed by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) analysis. The biopolyols obtained were successfully employed as a green raw material to produce bio-based polyurethane (BioPU) coatings on carbon steel substrates, using, as an isocyanate source, a commercial bio-based polyisocyanate-Desmodur® Eco N7300. The BioPU coatings were analyzed in terms of chemical structure, the extent of the reaction of the isocyanate species, thermal stability, hydrophobicity, and adhesion strength. They show moderate thermal stability at temperatures up to 100 °C, and a mild hydrophobicity, displaying contact angles between 68° and 86°. The adhesion tests reveal similar pull-off strength values (ca. 2.2 MPa) for the BioPU either prepared with pinewood and Stipa-derived biopolyols (BPUI and BPUII). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were carried out on the coated substrates for 60 days in 0.05 M NaCl solution. Good corrosion protection properties were achieved for the coatings, with particular emphasis on the coating prepared with the pinewood-derived polyol, which exhibited a low-frequency impedance modulus normalized for the coating thickness of 6.1 × 1010 Ω cm at the end of the 60 days test, three times higher than for coatings prepared with Stipa-derived biopolyols. The produced BioPU formulations show great potential for application as coatings, and for further modification with bio-based fillers and corrosion inhibitors.

Algae-based green AgNPs, AuNPs, and FeNPs as potential nanoremediators

Abstract This review addresses green algae-based gold (Au), iron (Fe), and silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) as eco-friendly nanomaterials to deal with biological, organic, and inorganic environmental contaminants. Among nanotechnological tools that can fully degrade, adsorb, and/or convert pollutants into less harmful structures, AgNPs, AuNPs, and FeNPs deserve highlight for their efficiency and low cost. However, green protocols are preferable to produce them in an eco-friendly manner. Although phycosynthesis is still in its infancy, algae present various advantages as green raw materials to NPs’ synthesis; fast growth rate, low-energy input requirement, low costs, easy and eco-friendly cultivation, and high tolerance to metals are examples. To allow their large-scale application, however, challenges regarding obtaining sufficient biomaterial with good reproducibility, designing protocols to achieve desirable features on NPs, and recovering the biocompatible nanomaterial after use still need attention. Perspectives for the field involve surpassing these limitations, broadening knowledge on synthesis mechanisms, protocols, and new species useful to offer, in the future, commercial eco-friendly, and low-cost phycosynthesized AuNPs, AgNPs, and FeNPs to nanoremediation. The potential of these NPs to deal with environmental contaminants, their advantageous characteristics and biocompatibility, the main limitations associated with their large-scale application, and future prospects for the field will receive attention.

Study on the preparation of C4 olefins by ethanol coupling based on multiple regression analysis

With the continuous development of the current chemical industry, the demand for olefins as raw materials for the production of chemical products and pharmaceutical intermediates is increasing. Compared with traditional fossil energy, ethanol is an excellent green raw material for the production of C4 olefins. In the preparation process, the selectivity of C4 olefins and the conversion rate of ethanol depend to a certain extent on the reaction temperature and the catalyst of the reaction, so the reasonable selection of catalyst and temperature becomes very important. In order to study the effects of different catalyst combinations and temperatures on ethanol conversion and C4 olefin selectivity, a multiple regression model was established and its endogeneity was tested by Monte Carlo simulation. The stepwise regression method was used to select the appropriate independent variables, and then the model was optimized to reduce the dimension, and the first optimized linear regression equation was obtained. Finally, in order to test and eliminate the heteroscedasticity of the model, this paper uses the combination of White test and Wls least squares estimation and robust variance error to obtain the second optimized linear regression equation.

Color integration in biomass-derived carbon dots to realize one-step white light

ABSTRACT In this work, the extract of mango leaf was chosen as a green raw material, and ethylenediamine (EDA) as a supporting material for a controllable one-step reaction to realizing white light. During the reaction, EDA could balance the precursor consumption, and participated in the formation of the carbon dots (CDs). The final integrated emitting color of the materials could be adjusted to white light with a one-step hydrothermal treatment. The composite solution was directly coated on a commercial 365 nm light-emitting diode (LED) chip without a polymer matrix and showed a stable white light with CIE coordinates of (0.326, 0.328). This work developed an interesting method for tuning the reaction process in a complex system and provided a simple way of realizing an integrated white light with a single wavelength excitation.

Sustainability Green Raw Material Inventory with Continuous Replenishment Method: A Case Study Housing Construction Company

The company is engaged in housing construction. Every year their production increase using green materials, from 2018 to 2021. This growth emerges problems such as overstock and dead stock. So the company has to determine the best Inventory Control Method to help the company get so much lost in stock and dead stock. In another way, the company can calculate the total cost for all the inventory activities. In the first calculation, we find the best solution forecast method for the next year in moving averages. The best forecast fit in best criteria, such as Mean Absolute Deviation, Mean Absolute Percentage Error, CFE, and Mean Square Error. Calculating the Inventory Control Method employing continuous replenishment, it is interpreted that the customer is still waiting for the product that has not been fulfilled. This Continuous Replenishment Method can calculate Safety Stock, Reorder Point, and Stock Out to minimize the total cost.

The Pro-Environmental Producer Behavior on Food Small and Medium Enterprises in Malang, Indonesia

Pro-environmental producer behavior is increasingly important to realize an environmentally friendly business. The research aimed to identify the knowledge, attitudes, religiosity, and behavior of the food small and medium enterprises (SME) producers towards the environment; and to analyze the influence on the SMEs’ performance. The research object was SMEs of “Tempe chips” in Malang City, East Java Province, Indonesia. The results show that the majority of producers already have knowledge of the green raw materials and production process, but only a few of them know about green packaging. The producers’ attitude supported the environmentally friendly production process, although it was still at a lower level than religiosity. The producers’ behavior is still less pro-environment in terms of raw materials usage, production process, and packaging. They have implemented water and energy saving, but have not been able to avoid plastic packaging. The SEM results showed that the producer’s attitude influences their behavior toward environment, meanwhile, religiosity negatively moderates the attitude in affecting producer behavior. The producer’s behavior positively influenced the SME’s performance. The recommendation given is to socialize the use of environmentally friendly packaging to sell at a premium price targeted to the middle to upper consumer segments.