Renewable Natural Materials Research Articles

Muro panel térmico estructural compuesto en guadua y cartón. Modelo experimental aplicado al clima de la zona cafetera

Se propone un prototipo de panel compuesto, tipo SIP (Structural Insulated Panel), panel termico estructural, como muro envolvente de vivienda, elaborado con materiales de origen natural renovables, especificamente guadua y carton reciclados. El panel se compone de dos tableros externos OSB (Oriented Strand Board), tablero de virutas orientadas, y un aislante intermedio de carton. En el estudio se elaboran dos modelos SIP experimentales con procesos de fabricacion diferentes, los cuales son analizados y comparados con cuatro referentes comercializados a nivel mundial. Todos los paneles son simulados termica y acusticamente en condiciones climaticas y meteorologicas de la ciudad de Pereira (Risaralda), con el fin de evaluar y comparar los resultados, lo que demuestra la viabilidad y competitividad del panel propuesto. Este estudio espera servir, ademas, como referencia de futuras investigaciones en la busqueda de mejores materiales sustentables para la construccion.

X-ray diffraction study on new organic- natural building materials

Sustainable constructions aim to use recycled products and renewable natural materials to minimize resource consumption and primary energy, but also to enhance the quality of life. The development of new organic natural products based on renewable resources which connect the environment with buildings is a must. The reason for bringing new organic materials on the market is because of the building sector becoming the largest consumer of natural resources. The focus of this study is on the hemp based materials. The hemp plant is a renewable natural resource with an annual regeneration. Hemp has the capacity to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in the entire period of its existence. However, a deeper understanding of the interaction between the raw materials of the composites materials based on hemp shiv and white cement is needed. An X –ray diffraction for identifying the mineral composition was made on the raw materials, but also on the composite materials resulted.

A Green and Sustainable Route to Carbohydrate Vinyl Ethers for Accessing Bioinspired Materials with a Unique Microspherical Morphology.

Synthesizing chemicals and materials from renewable sources is one of the main aims of modern science. Carbohydrates represent excellent renewable natural raw materials that are ecofriendly, inexpensive, and biologically compatible. A green procedure has been developed for the vinylation of carbohydrates by using readily available calcium carbide. Various carbohydrates were utilized as starting materials, resulting in mono-, di-, and tetravinyl ethers in high to excellent yields (81-92 %). The synthesized biobased vinyl ethers were utilized as monomers in free radical and cationic polymerizations. A unique combination of a smooth surface and intrinsic microcompartments was achieved in the synthesized materials. Two types of biobased materials were prepared involving microspheres and intrinsic hollow compartments in polymers. Scanning electron microscopy with built-in ion beam cutting was applied to reveal the spatial hierarchical structures in 3D space.

Adsorption of aquaculture pollutants using a sustainable biopolymer.

Intensive aquaculture needs to adopt techniques that are able to contribute towards sustainability. Closed systems that employ water recirculation can combine intensive production with environmental sustainability, since there is no exchange of water or discharge of effluents into the environment. In order to achieve this, effective filtration systems are required to ensure that the water quality is satisfactory for the cultivation of aquatic organisms. Chitosan, an industrial waste material derived from crustacean farming, is a renewable natural material that is biodegradable and possesses adsorbent characteristics. In this work, chitosan foam was incorporated in filters and was evaluated as an adsorbent of aquaculture pollutants, adding value to the material and at the same time providing a use for industrial waste. The foam was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy, apparent density, and water absorption capacity. It was used to remove ammonia, nitrite, orthophosphate, and turbidity from aquaculture effluents. The foam consisted of a bilayer with smooth and porous sides, which presented low density, flexibility, and high water absorption capacity. The best proportion of the foam, in terms of the mass of foam per volume of solution (%mv-1), was 0.10, which resulted in removal of 32.8, 57.2, 89.5, and 99.9% of ammonia, nitrite, orthophosphate, and turbidity, respectively. This biopolymer produced is biodegradable, and when saturated with organic compounds from aquaculture, and no longer suitable for reuse as a filter material, it can be employed as a fertilizer, hence closing the sustainability cycle of the aquaculture production chain.

Facile Synthesis of Novel Amino Acids Derivatives as Potential Antibacterial Agents using Sustainable Materials

Following the principles of green chemistry, cardanol derivatives have been used as renewable, low‐cost, and available natural starting materials to construct a variety of protected and unprotected amino acids derivatives. The reaction of cardanol derivatives with different phthaloylamino acids including glycine, alanine, phenylalanine, and valine in the presence N,N'‐dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) as coupling reagent afforded high yields of the target compounds. Deprotection of phthaloylamino acids derivatives was achieved by heating with hydrazine hydrate. The chemical structures of all products were confirmed by spectral data (IR, MS, 1H NMR, 13C NMR) and elemental analyses. Antibacterial evaluation of the synthesized products was performed, which exhibited potent to weak activity in comparison with a standard drug.

Sustainability of Traditional Buildings Located in Rural Area

In this days, sensitivity to environmental issues of people increased together with the awareness of the concept of sustainability. The structures, which are built in a rural residential area, are integrated with the natural environment. In Turkey, local traditional structures are structures that can be produced easily in place and materials are being used wisely. These houses which are used renewable natural materials carries a lot of features of the sustainable approach. Traditional structures have been shaped by the region where they are, because of the necessity. In this study, materials and construction systems of the traditional buildings which are located in rural areas are discussed and the buildings have been evaluated the context of ecology and sustainability.

Characterization and acid-catalysed depolymerization of condensed tannins derived from larch bark

Condensed tannins from larch bark extracts are a natural renewable and eco-friendly material and are potential substitutes for phenolic petrochemicals.

Guar gum-grafted poly(acrylonitrile)-templated silica xerogel: nanoengineered material for lead ion removal

Polysaccharides are renewable biodegradable natural materials and are accounted for to control the formation of hybrid silica nanocomposites by sol gel process. The synthesis of templated silica xerogel essentially includes two critical steps of hydrolysis and polycondensation reaction that are started by catalyst and silica precursor solution. Aside from this Saponification guar-graft-polyacrylonitrile (s-GG-g-PAN) as a copolymer are included in the precursor solution for providing a novel templating environment for silica matrix formation. The s-GG-g-PAN acts as a template for the silica produced in the blended framework because of the hydrogen bonding between the hydroxyl groups at silanols and hydroxyl group and carbonyl groups at the copolymer surface. Connected silanol groups can further hydrolyze and after that take part in the condensation reaction. Accordingly, the s-GG-g-PAN template gets trapped inside the resulting silica system, which on calcining at 900 °C is lost, producing pores of shape and size of the template. The surface area and pore volume of the developed templated silica xerogel have been determined. The surface area and pore volume of the template silica xerogel (H900) were observed to be (240 m2 g−1) and (0.286 ccg−1) respectively. The conditions for the adsorption by adsorbent had been enhanced, and kinetics and thermodynamic studies were performed. The best result in terms of lead adsorption was obtained with templated silica xerogel calcined at 900 °C. The % Pb2+ removal is observed to be 96% when H900 adsorbent was treated under ideal adsorption states of measurements 0.05g dose, 500mgL−1 Pb2+ concentration, time 2 h, pH 5 at 30 °C. The adsorption information fitted satisfactorily to Langmuir isotherms, showing unilayer adsorption. In view of the Langmuir model, Qmax was calculated to be 2000 mgg−1. Theadsorption demonstrated pseudo-second-order kinetics. The thermodynamic study revealed the endothermic and spontaneous nature of the adsorption. The adsorbent demonstrated good thermal stability and high reusability. The present study highlights the possibility of silica xerogel derived from saponified guar gum-grafted poly (acrylonitrile) toward its potential application as superior adsorbent for removal of Pb2+ from aqueous solution.

Measuring the Environmental Footprint of Leather Processing Technologies

SummaryThe selection of materials and manufacturing processes often determines most of the environmental impact that a product will have during its life cycle. In directing consumption toward products with the least impact on the environment, measuring and comparing material alternatives with site‐specific data is a fundamental prerequisite. Within the apparel and footwear industry, some famous brands have recently been basing their advertising on the claim that vegetable‐tanned leather is more environmentally friendly than chromium‐tanned leather. However, there is a lack of scientific research assessing and comparing vegetable‐ and chromium‐tanned leather in a wider context than the toxicity of chromium. To fill this gap, this study measured and compared the carbon, water, and energy footprint of vegetable and chromium leather processing technology and intermediate processing stages in 12 selected tanneries in seven different countries worldwide. Each tannery proved to be very individual, and therefore attempting to perform this type of analysis without simply producing meaningless generalities is a challenge for companies, researchers, and regulators. The variability in results demonstrates that secondary data for the tanning phase should be utilized with caution in a decision‐making context. The use of primary data would be advisable for life cycle assessment studies of leather goods. No significant differences were found in the footprint of vegetable and chromium leather processes, but these are only indicative findings and need confirmation in further studies. An important area needing investigation is then how a fair comparison can be made between renewable natural materials and nonrenewable materials used in both leather‐processing technologies.

Eco-efficiency evaluation of binder-free green composites made from bamboo fibres extracted with a machining centre

A natural resource, bamboo, is widely distributed in Asia. Bamboo grows faster than other renewable natural material. Further, bamboo fibre has high specific strength and stiffness. We draw attention to this bamboo as a sustainable and environmentally superior material. We propose a sustainable manufacturing system using bamboo. A self-adhesive fibreboard has been fabricated by end-milling and hot press forming. This paper describes the environmental evaluation of this system using life cycle assessment.

Chemical Composition and Content of Lipophilic Seed Extractives of Some Abies and Picea Species.

The chemical content and composition of the lipophilic extracts from seeds of some fir species: Abies alba, A. cephalonica, A. concolor, and A. koreana, as well as of a few spruce species: Picea abies, P. orientalis, and P. pungens, were examined. The amount of lipophilic extractives is diverse among the tree species and it varies from 9.8% to 41% of seeds. The chemical characterization showed significant differences, not only in the content, but also in the composition of extractives. However, most of the identified compounds like resin alcohols, -aldehydes, and -acids, as well as fatty acids, were detected in the seed extracts of all the examined tree species. The dominating identified compound group was esterified fatty acids (2.5 - 55.4% w/w of dry extract), occurring mainly as tri- and diglycerides, as well as free acids. The main representatives of this group were linoleic and oleic acids. The resin acids, among which the main were abietic, neoabietic, dehydroabietic, and palustric acids, were also detected at high levels, from 1.8% to 16.9% of the dry seed extracts. Phytosterols, tocopherols, resin hydrocarbons, and resin esters, as well as fatty alcohols were also identified. The coniferous tree seeds, as a renewable natural material, could represent a prospective raw material for producing valuable chemicals.

Whey protein polymerisation and its applications in environmentally safe adhesives

Whey protein is a group of globular proteins from cheese whey. It is a safe, degradable, renewable and abundant natural material compared with synthetic polymers. Native whey proteins do not exhibit good adhesive properties due to their low molecular weights and compact globular structures; however, under thermal treatment, these globular structures can be unfolded to form polymers or aggregates through intermolecular disulphide bonds via a thiol–disulphide interchange. Heat‐induced whey protein polymer exhibits good adhesive properties. With the addition of a cross‐linker, stabiliser or co‐binder, different types of wood and paper adhesives can be formulated using polymerised whey protein.

Low-Waste Technology of Production of Epychlorgydrin from Glycerol

Glycerol is a byproduct of the rapidly developing in the world of production from renewable natural raw materials (fats and oils) biodiesel, liquid motor fuel. Promising direction of its recovery is the production of epychlorgydrin (EHC), a valuable intermediate of organic synthesis. In production of 1 t of EHC from glycerol formed to 6.3 tons salt aqueous solutions containing 0.8 – 0.9 of sodium chloride. It has been proposed and carried out energotechnolgical calculations of block schematical diagrams of isolation from the reaction mixture dried by isotropic distillation EHC and sodium chloride recovery by evaporation crystallization. It was shown that in Russia the industrial production of epychlorgydrin from glycerol fits perfectly into the structure of modern production of chlorine by electro membrane process followed vinyl chloride obtain by chlorine balanced method. Two-stage evaporation crystallization scheme allows you to return into production cycle of 89 – 91% by-produced sodium.

Structure and Properties of Natural Surfactant Based Oleogreases

The results of study of the structure and properties of high-temperature oleogreases containing thickener components that can be derived from renewable natural materials are presented. The constitution of the primary structures of the oleogreases prepared by using calcium soaps of fatty acids of poultry fat and palm oil as the organic component of the thickener is established. It is proved that the distinctive properties of the oleogreases are ensured by the thickener system based on a dispersion of calcium carbonate and a natural surfactant. In bulk-mechanical, antioxidative, tribological, and protective properties, the obtained oleogreases are not inferior to commercial superalkaline sulfonate lubricant.

Cardanol-based thermoset plastic reinforced by sponge gourd fibers (Luffa cylindrica)

A growing global trend for maximum use of natural resources through new processes and products has enhanced studies and exploration of renewable natural materials. In this study, cardanol, a component of the cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL), was used as a building block for the development of a thermosetting matrix, which was reinforced by raw and modified sponge gourd fibers (Luffa cylindrica). DSC and TG results showed that among biocomposites, the one reinforced by sponge gourd fibers treated with NaOH 10 wt% (BF10) had the highest thermal stability, besides the best performance in the Tensile testing, showing good incorporation, dispersion, and adhesion to polymer matrix, observed by SEM. After 80 days of simulated soil experiments, it has been discovered that the presence of treated fiber allowed better biodegradability behavior to biocomposites. The biobased thermoset plastic and biocomposites showed a good potential to several applications, such as manufacturing of articles for furniture and automotive industries, especially BF10.

The effect of Poly-ethylene-co-glycidyl methacrylate efficiency and clay platelets on thermal and rheological properties of wood polyethylene composites.

Global ecological concerns have resulted in an interest in renewable natural materials. Composites based on high density polyethylene (HDPE), wood fiber (Veneer) and containing coupling agents like nanoclay (NC) and poly-ethylene-co-glycidyl methacrylate (PEGMA) were made by melt compounding and then injection molding. In this study, the effects of two variable parameters namely nanoclay and coupling agent on the rheological and thermal properties of wood polyethylene composites (WPECs) were investigated. The study investigates the morphology phase, rheology behaviors and thermal properties by scanning electron microscope, capillary rheometer and thermal gravimetric analyzer. The SEM micrographs of the composites showed that the outer surfaces of the wood were coated by a section of amorphous lignin. The state of dispersion in HDPE/pine/clay composites was improved by EGMA because it could interact with pine flour in addition to clay. The interaction of reinforcement with coupling agent and HDPE matrix is strong based on the observation of the fracture surface of composites when EGMA is present. However the addition of 2.5% clay slightly lowered the initial degradation temperature (Td) but did not improve the thermal stability. Obviously, all the composites materials exhibit viscoelastic values greater than those of neat HDPE.

Utilization of Renewable and Waste Materials for Biodiesel Production as Catalyst

The efficient and economic utilization of natural renewable and waste materials of various industries and biomass having non-homogeneous composition is a new dimension of research for biodiesel pro- duction. A combination of these renewable, waste materials and traditional heterogeneous catalyst can also be looked after for the possible solution of heterogeneous catalytic transesterification. This review discusses industrially derived and naturally occurring materials containing calcium, sodium, potassium etc, which were found instrumental for biodiesel production. About 60 research articles and patents have been reviewed and the findings are analysed in this article for developing industrial scale heterogeneous catalytic pilot plant facilities for biodiesel production. © 2015 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

Effect of pore texture on performance of activated carbon supercapacitor electrodes derived from olive pits

Activated carbon electrodes for electrochemical capacitors have been prepared by the chemical activation of a natural renewable and by-product material precursor – olive pits – from the olive oil production industry. The careful adjustment of the synthesis conditions has allowed synthesizing a series of microporous carbon electrodes with an optimized microporosity, enabling a gravimetric and volumetric capacitance in basic aqueous medium up to 260Fg−1 and 140Fcm−3, respectively, with good rate capability. A relation amongst capacitance, specific surface area, accessible average pore size and effective dielectric permittivity has been established, demonstrating that there is not just a single parameter decisively impacting the capacitance value. The collective analysis of experimental data suggests that solvation imposes an optimum pore size for each ion with regard to rate capability: moderate solvation contributes to enhancing capacitance in pores slightly exceeding solvated ion size while excessive solvation deteriorates the high-rate response of supercapacitor electrodes having pores much wider than ion size.

1601 Fabrication of Complex Shape Products Made of Binder-free Green Composite using Bamboo Fibers Extracted with a Machining Center

Bamboo grows faster than other renewable natural materials. Bamboo fiber is recognized as an environmentally superior material. Therefore, we propose a sustainable manufacturing system using bamboo. A method is also proposed for extracting bamboo fibers end-milled using a machining center with in-situ measurement. The method enables the acquisition of bamboo fibers with highly precise shapes. Previously, we proposed the fabrication of a binder-free composite by a hot press forming method that only uses bamboo fibers extracted by a machining center. We experimentally demonstrated various hot press forming conditions and achieved proper ones to optimal conditions for the forming process. However, we have not attempted to fabricate more complex three dimensional shape. Therefore, in the present study, we attempted to produce products with hemisphere shell shapes in our sustainable manufacturing system.

Wooden House from Natural Renewable Materials

The article deals with the issue of wooden buildings in terms of their critical details. Specifically, the details such as the bottom corner in connection with the foundation and the external wall corners or at the level of spatial bracing. Incorrectly performed details may considerably affect the properties of the whole structure both in terms of thermal technical engineering and mechanical stability. In particular, the condensation of water vapor in the construction may cause serious problems.