Water Absorption Of Materials Research Articles

Hemp Shives Mycelium Composites - An Alternative Material for Traditionally Used Plastic Packaging

Plastic waste is an ever-growing concern, causing harm to many ecological and human health aspects, one of the major contributors to this problem being packaging. Mycelium composites (MC) are ecologically safe materials, well suited for the short-life usage as packaging materials. In our study we made MC using fine and coarse granulometry hemp shives applying them in 3 substrate variants – with added bran, with added bran and birch bark, and as the sole substrate. We assessed material's water absorption and mechanical properties, chemical decomposition, biodegradability, mold resistance and fungal biomass. Granulometric effect was observed only when using shives as the sole substrate, where larger particle size gave poorer results. Bran did not significantly improve mechanical properties or water uptake. Bark reduced water uptake by ~200 %, but lowered mechanical properties, and provided no benefits to mold resistance which was low for all specimens. Overall, hemp MC showed complete biodegradability after 12 weeks, mechanical properties up to 0,235 MPa, compatible with expanded polystyrene, but very high water uptake of up to 1000 %. Future studies are needed to reduce water absorption and improve mold resistance, as well as invent consensus methodology for better cross-study comparison.

Influence of Biomass Absorptivity on the Process of Sinter Charge Pelletisation

Capillary water absorption of materials is a very important factor in the process of pre-treatment of fine-grained materials. Materials that are in a moisturized state capable of forming a firm, compact pellet are, thanks to this particular physical property, suitable for utilisation in sinter charge preparation within the process of sintering iron-ore raw materials. The pelletising ability of coke dust is generally known and coke dust exhibits good pelletisability. From the ecological point of view, an alternative to coke dust is currently biomass, which has a great potential for industrial applications, including use in the agglomeration process. Understanding of how biomass behaves during pre-pelletisation is very important and for the sintering process, it is essential. The purpose of pre-pelletisation of the sinter charge is to achieve its optimal permeability in the sintering process. The experiment described in the article was carried out using wood biomass—oak and pine sawdust, as well as plant biomass—Miscanthus sinensis and Lavandula angustifolia. The evaluation was carried out by applying the capillary water absorption test and the free-fall drop test. As different types of biomass have different chemical compositions, heating capacities, grain morphologies, and chemical and physical properties, the testing was carried out with several types of biomass. The capillary water absorption was examined in terms of different granulometries, and the impact of the type of liquid medium was analysed. It was observed that different types of biomass differ in their ability to absorb liquids. Another finding was that the type of a liquid medium had a significant effect on the pelletising ability of biomass, which was determined by the surface tension and the ability to form liquid bridges between the grains. Research results indicate an excellent pelletising ability of the Miscanthus sinensis grass. The wettability of oak and pine sawdust determines its application in the pelletising process. It may be concluded, based on the research, that Lavandula angustifolia is not a suitable alternative to coke dust due to its low ability to form pellets.

Assessment of influence of disperse filler polarity on structure and water absorption of epoxy compositions

Introduction. Composite materials on the basis of epoxy resin find wide application as adhesives, coatings and structural materials whose properties it is possible to regulate by introduction of various additives including disperse fillers in the epoxy binder. Positively influencing properties of epoxy materials, the disperse fillers can reduce water resistance of the materials. This work is aimed at studying of influence of polar and nonpolar disperse fillers on structure and water absorption of the epoxy materials. Materials and methods. When obtaining composite materials, the following components were used: ED-20 epoxy resin (state standard GOST 10587-84), dibutylphthalate (state standard GOST 8728-88) plasticizer, polyethylenepolyamine (specification TU 2413-357-00203447-99) hardener, marshallite (state standard GOST 9077-82) and graphite (state standard GOST 17022-81) disperse fillers. The structure of samples was investigated by means of IR-spectroscopy method. Water absorption was determined in boiling water using the standard gravimetric method (state standard GOST 4650-2014 (ISO 62:2008)) and evaluated by sample mass variation within 120 days. Results. As a result of the conducted researches, the optimum content of the marshallite and graphite fillers in epoxy materials is established. When mass filler-to-binder ratio is equal to 15/85, water absorption of the materials is minimum. The IR-spectroscopy method showed that introduction of the marshallite polar filler in the epoxy binder promotes ordering of material structure due to formation of hydrogen bond between reactive groups of the filler and resin. Localizing in amorphous areas, particles of the graphite nonpolar filler lead to weakening of the hydrogen-bond system. Interaction of marshallite-filled samples with water is accomplished at the swelling mode, with equilibrium degree of swelling about 1 %. The mechanism of interaction of graphite-filled samples with water includes the alternating stages of dissolution and swelling, which are more expressed as compared with check samples. Conclusions. Water resistance of epoxy materials filled with disperse fillers is defined by a microstructure of the cured resin. Introduction of the marshallite polar filler in the epoxy binder leads to ordering of material structure that results in increasing of water absorption. Introduction of the graphite nonpolar filler in the epoxy binder leads to disordering of material structure that results in reducing of water absorption. Lower value of water absorption of graphite-filled epoxy material is connected with partial dissolution of the sample. Using nonpolar fillers is inexpedient for epoxy materials contacting with water.

An improvement of criteria for assessing the quality of clay raw material for architectural and construction ceramics

The study analyzes the existing methods for assessing the suitability of clay raw materials for the production of architectural and construction ceramics and substantiates the need for their improvement in the direction of developing an indicator based on an analysis of the mineral composition of clays. Using the compositions of the kaolinite – montmorillonite – hydromica – quartz system, which simulate the composition of polymineral clays, the effect of clay-forming minerals and quartz impurities on the properties of the clinker ceramic materials has been established. It has been determined that the montmorillonite component of the compositions has a positive effect on the water absorption of materials, and kaolinite produces a favourable effect on the mechanical strength and frost resistance. The increase in the content of quartz in the composition of compositions from 30 % to 50 % leads to an increase in water absorption of materials, reducing their strength and frost resistance to a level unacceptable for ceramic clinker. It has been established that to obtain clinker ceramics, the quartz content in the compositions cannot exceed 40 %. A diagram of the mineral composition was developed, clearly illustrating the ratios of the main rock-forming minerals in clays with a quartz content of 30 % and 40 %, acceptable for the production of modern clinker products. The diagram shows areas of the mineral composition of clays suitable for the production of facing, paving and road clinker of the M200–300 grades and road clinker of the M400 grade at a firing temperature of 1,100 °С. The diagram of the mineral composition complements the existing indicators of the suitability of clay raw materials for the production of architectural and construction ceramics and can serve as an additional criterion for assessing their technological quality. The diagram can be used to analyze the suitability of clays for the production of ceramic clinker, provided that only the mineral composition of clays is determined without establishing their chemical and particle size distribution

A strategy for controlling degradation in vitro of carbon fiber-reinforced polylactic acid composites (by combining fiber modification and pulsed electromagnetic fields)

Carbon fiber-reinforced polylactic acid (C/PLA) composites are a human bone-fixation material, but control of the material’s degradation remains a major factor hindering its widespread use. In this study, a combined method for controlling the degradation performance in vitro of C/PLA composites was designed. In this strategy, carbon fibers for C/PLA composite reinforcement were prepared in both modified and unmodified forms. A pulsed electromagnetic field (PEF) was then selectively applied during the subsequent degradation process. Results and analysis showed that the interfacial ester bonding between modified carbon fibers and PLA matrices significantly affected degradation in vitro of C/PLA composite. However, PEF affected the degradation performance of C/PLA composites and, after PEF treatment, the material's water absorption, mass retention, and bending and shearing strengths were changed to varying degrees. This method, by combining fiber modification and pulsed electromagnetic fields (abbreviated as CMP) provided a new strategy for the controlled degradation of C/PLA composites in human skeletal fixation.

Thermo-mechanical and hydrophilic properties of polysaccharide/gluten-based bioplastics

The influence of adding different polysaccharides (locust bean gum, LBG; methyl cellulose, MC; and carboxymethyl cellulose, CMC) to gluten-based biodegradable polymeric materials was assessed in this work. Gluten/polysaccharide/plasticiser bioplastics were prepared at different polysaccharide concentrations (0–4.5%) and pH values by mixing in a two-blade counter-rotating batch mixer (at 25°C under adiabatic conditions) and thermomoulding at 9MPa and 130°C. Bioplastic probes were evaluated through dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, tensile strength and water absorption capacity tests. Results pointed out that a moderate enhancement of the network structure may be achieved by adding polysaccharide at a pH close to the protein isoelectric point (pH 6), which also conferred a further thermosetting capacity to the system. Moreover, the addition of MC and CMC was found to significantly enhance material elongation properties. However, the presence of charges induced by pH leaded to a higher incompatibility between the polysaccharide and protein domains forming the composite. The pH value played a relevant role in the material water absorption, which significantly increased under acidic or basic conditions (particularly at pH 3).

Graft Copolymerization of Soybean Protein Isolate and Methyl Methacrylate

New thermoplastic soy protein isolated (SPI) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) copolymers (T-SPI) were prepared using graft copolymerization and initiated with ammonium persulfate (APS). The reaction conditions such as initiator concentration and temperature on the graft percentage (GP) were investigated. The single factor experimental showed that the optimal conditions of the graft reaction. The products were characterized by means of FT-IR and DSC. The results indicated that the monomer was grafted successfully on SPI and the T-SPI had a glass transition at 122°C, and the most important, the water absorption of materials declined obviously.

Effect of highly dispersed silica on water absorption of gelatin materials

Composites with different ratios of gelatin and silica are prepared. The water absorption of these materials from the gas and liquid phase and the water release from the composites under heating are studied. It is shown that the addition of silica decreases the water absorption of gelatin materials and makes it possible to control their rate of dissolution in aqueous media.