Journal of Polymers and the Environment最新文献

{"title":"Enhancing the Bio-epoxy Composites with Oil Palm Fibre as Reinforcement: Assessment of Mechanical, Physical and Thermal Properties","authors":"K. Senthilkumar,&nbsp;M. Chandrasekar,&nbsp;Mohammad Jawaid,&nbsp;Hassan Fouad,&nbsp;Basim Abu-Jdayil","doi":"10.1007/s10924-024-03359-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10924-024-03359-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this work, short oil palm fibre-reinforced bio-epoxy matrix composites were fabricated using the hand-lay-up technique. The effects of oil palm fibre composites on mechanical, physical, and thermal behaviours were examined. This work aimed to identify the optimal fibre loading that enables the oil palm/bio-epoxy composite to have superior thermal and mechanical properties. Fibre loading varied from 30 to 60 wt%. A maximum Young’s modulus of 5.76 GPa was obtained at 60 wt% while a maximum flexural modulus of 5.2 GPa and impact strength of 5.55 kJ/m² was obtained at 50 wt%. However, tensile and flexural strength were not much improved. Regarding the moisture absorption and thickness swelling, the composites followed a similar order: bio-epoxy matrix &lt; 30 wt% &lt; 40 wt% &lt;50 wt% &lt; 60 wt%. The fickian diffusion model was used to describe the thickness swelling behaviour. The major inference from the thermal characterization was that as the fibre loading was increased, there was a substantial improvement in thermal stability evident from the lower damping factor (0.21 at 60 wt.%), better dimensional stability and higher residue % (22.22% at 50 wt%) at elevated temperatures. Besides, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was examined for tested samples to understand the fibre-to-matrix bonding phenomenon. Based on these results, the short oil palm fibre composites can be suggested for some potential applications such as automotive components (e.g., door trims, interior panels), aerospace (e.g., tray tables, overhead bins) and construction materials (e.g., cladding, roofing).</p></div>","PeriodicalId":659,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymers and the Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2024-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141741505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficient and Eco-friendly Chitin Production from Crab Shells Using Novel Deep Eutectic Solvents","authors":"Jinjing Ma,&nbsp;Yu Yu,&nbsp;Deyu Chu,&nbsp;Shaomin Zhu,&nbsp;Qishun Liu,&nbsp;Heng Yin","doi":"10.1007/s10924-024-03354-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10924-024-03354-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Chitin is the second most abundant biopolymer in the world after cellulose and commonly found in crustaceans. It is also the most abundant natural nitrogen-containing polysaccharide. The challenge in separation of chitin directly from snow crab (<i>Chionoecetes opilio</i>) shells is that the solvent used must be versatile in removing calcium carbonate and protein while also being efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective. In this study, chitin was extracted from snow crab shells using a DES consisting of TEBAC and lactic acid. DES successfully removed minerals and proteins, with a deproteinization rate of 95.51% and a decalcification rate of 96.41%, while the purity of chitin was 91.15% and the yield was 21.31%. Furthermore, the extracted chitin has large pores on its surface, making it an ideal matrix for biomedical materials. This study provides an environmentally friendly and cost-effective solution for the utilization of crustacean waste using multifunctional DES.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":659,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymers and the Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2024-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141741507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biogenic Synthesis of Antibacterial and Antioxidant Silver Nanoparticles Using Enterococcus faecium DU.FS-Derived Exopolysaccharides: A Sustainable Approach for Green Nanotechnology","authors":"Parvin Chegini,&nbsp;Fatemeh Salimi,&nbsp;Ehsan Nazarzadeh Zare,&nbsp;Parisa Farrokh","doi":"10.1007/s10924-024-03361-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10924-024-03361-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Green synthesis of nanoparticles is an effective, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly approach to produce biocompatible nanoparticles with broad-spectrum bioactivities. In the current study, lactic acid bacterium-derived exopolysaccharide (EPS) was explored to biologically synthesize green silver nanoparticles (EPS-AgNPs). The antibacterial and antioxidant activities of EPS-AgNPs were investigated by agar well diffusion and DPPH tests, respectively. Subsequently, EPS-AgNPs and chemical AgNPs were characterized, and their physicochemical properties were compared. According to 16 S rRNA gene sequencing, the EPS-producing lactic acid bacterium showed 97.77% similarity to <i>Enterococcus faecium</i>. EPS-AgNPs exhibited inhibitory effects on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. Additionally, EPS-AgNPs showed considerable ability (84%) to quench DPPH free radicals. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) showed the involvement of EPS’s functional groups, including hydroxyl, carbonyl, and aldehyde groups, in synthesizing nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a quasi-spherical morphology for both the EPS-AgNPs and chemically synthesized AgNPs, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed their crystalline nature. The high metal content of chemical Ag-NPs (89.79%) was in good agreement with its high thermal stability in TGA results. Additionally, lower thermal stability and less Ag content (65.93%) of EPS-AgNPs, along with their smooth surfaces, indicated the capping role of EPS. EPS-AgNPs showed Z-average size, PI value, and zeta potential of 158.31 nm, 0.29, and − 17.75 mV, respectively. Collectively, the present study revealed that <i>Enterococcus faecium</i>-derived EPS acted as reducing, capping, and stabilizing agents in green synthesizing EPS-AgNPs with potential applications in medical and food-packaging industries.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":659,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymers and the Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2024-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141741504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the Potential of Bio-plasticizers: Functions, Advantages, and Challenges in Polymer Science","authors":"Felipe Martins de Souza,&nbsp;Ram K. Gupta","doi":"10.1007/s10924-024-03353-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10924-024-03353-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Plasticizers are core components utilized in plastics processing. They are additives applied to improve and, in some cases, make possible the processing of a polymer. Thus, plasticizers have an impact on lowering production costs, improving productivity, and other properties of the polymer. Yet, there are issues related to the toxicity of phthalic-based components used in traditional plasticizers. One of the emerging alternatives consists of using raw materials from bio-renewable sources that have low toxicity, are more readily available, and are mostly biodegradable. Such starting raw materials can be used for the synthesis of bio-plasticizers which can serve as a feasible alternative to traditional ones. The large number of raw materials from renewable sources along with their chemical versatility offers a broad variety of reactions that can be performed to obtain various bio-plasticizers that can present efficiencies that are comparable to or even surpass those of petrochemical-based ones. Following that, this review is divided into five parts. First, the introduction provides the main concepts, importance, and progress of the development of bio-plasticizers. The second part covers the main types of plasticizers, compounds utilized, and commercially available bio-plasticizers. The third part discusses the mechanism involved with plasticization and how that process can be improved based on the plasticizer’s chemical structure. The fourth part covers the main advantages of bio-plasticizers and the benefits they can offer for manufacturing. Lastly, the future perspectives and challenges within the field are discussed. Through that, this review provides detailed discussions covering the main aspects related to bio-plasticizers to facilitate the readers’ understanding of the main concepts while also providing a vast number of reports from the recent literature to aid them in the generation of novel ideas. In this way, readers can potentially have novel insights to tackle the main current challenges related to the use of plasticizers in polymers.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":659,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymers and the Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2024-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141741350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Towards the Development of an In-Process Quality Monitoring System for Polyethylene Recyclates by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Ion Mobility Spectrometry","authors":"André Ahrens,&nbsp;Madina Shamsuyeva,&nbsp;Hans-Josef Endres,&nbsp;Stefan Zimmermann","doi":"10.1007/s10924-024-03362-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10924-024-03362-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Over the past few decades, the topic of recycling has become increasingly prominent in the field of sustainable materials and circular economy. One significant challenge is the physical separation of different types of plastics to obtain recyclates of one plastic type as pure as possible with comparable quality and properties to those of virgin material. Given the substantial effort involved in such separation, small amounts of contamination from other plastics may be tolerated. However, these contaminations must be monitored to ensure high-level recyclate quality. In recent years, compact, low-cost ion mobility spectrometers (IMS) with high analytical performance have been developed, and have thus become widely used in a variety of sensing applications. Due to their high sensitivity, IMS are particularly suited for detecting lowest concentration levels of various compounds, as required for the detection of impurities in recyclate quality monitoring. When coupled to a miniature gas chromatograph (GC), GC-IMS reach even higher separation power while being still compact. To bring recyclate samples to the gas phase, pyrolysis (Py) is used in this work. A first feasibility study was conducted to assess the potential of such a pyrolysis–gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometer (Py-GC-IMS) with the objective of detecting contaminations of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in polyethylene (PE) recyclates. The study clearly demonstrates the ability to identify PET-related fingerprints while suppressing the PE background matrix by design so that Py-GC-IMS seems a promising approach for in-process monitoring PET contaminations in PE recyclates.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":659,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymers and the Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2024-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10924-024-03362-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141718941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Salt Spray Resistant Acrylic Copolymers Containing Bio-based Cardanol Molecules with Hybrid Thermoplastic-Thermoset Characteristics","authors":"Cemil Dizman,&nbsp;Semiha Eral,&nbsp;Levent Babayi̇ği̇t,&nbsp;Nilhan Kayaman Apohan","doi":"10.1007/s10924-024-03358-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10924-024-03358-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this study, a novel bio-based acrylic monomer derived from cardanol was synthesized and used in order to prepare acrylic copolymers that can be applied as thermoplastic polymers alone initially and then curable with the help of some driers to get a crosslink network similar to thermosetting polymers with their hydrophobic long alkyl chains having double bonds in their chemical structure. The synthesized polymers have the ability to be used in the paint or varnish formulations with or without paint driers. The synthesized monomers and polymers were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H NMR). Thermal properties of the polymers and obtained coatings therefrom were studied by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The varnish’s thermal and coating characteristics, such as its adhesion, gloss, hardness, salt spray resistance, and touch and hard drying times, were examined and analyzed. The results showed that the bio-based cardanol moieties improved the coatings’ resistance to chemicals and saltwater exposure as well as their thermal and mechanical characteristics through the incorporation aromatic and long linear alkyl chains. The block copolymers with cardanol units were used both on its own to produce thermoplastic polymeric films and in conjunction with driers to get thermoset crosslinking networks. The contact angle of thermoset polymeric films with driers measured as 77° but in case of thermoplastic blank polymer, it was 61°. Furthermore, the Tg of blank polymer was 13.37 °C, but with the addition of 10% cardanol units and a small amount of driers, the Tg was increased to 53.12 °C.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":659,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymers and the Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2024-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141641217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Design and Fabrication of Co([CHITOSAN-AMPS-AA]/PEI-MBA) Nanocomposite Hydrogel as an Effective Solution for Removing Tin and Platinum Ions in Wastewater Treatment Applications: Selective Recovery of Platinum","authors":"Farnoosh Khademi,&nbsp;Mahsa Baghban Salehi,&nbsp;Hamid Reza Mortaheb,&nbsp;Ali Asghar Nozaeim,&nbsp;Seyyed Hamid Ahmadi","doi":"10.1007/s10924-024-03356-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10924-024-03356-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A nanocomposite hydrogel Co([CHITOSAN-AMPS-AA]/PEI-MBA) was synthesized using silica and graphene oxide nanoparticles by a free radical polymerization method. The hydrogel was used to adsorb tin and platinum from wastewater produced during production of a commercial dehydrogenation process. The adsorbed platinum could be selectively released from the adsorbing hydrogel platinum. Various tests including FTIR, XRD, TGA, and Rheology were conducted to identify the hydrogel’s three-dimensional structure. The adsorption performance was evaluated using ICP, SEM, and EDS tests. The ability of hydrogel for multiple adsorptions was also assessed. The thermodynamical study and adsorption isotherms were investigated, and the possible structure of the synthesized adsorbing hydrogel was presented. The results showed that while the hydrogel could adsorb platinum physically in three consecutive cycles from wastewater, tin is chemically adsorbed during the process. The physically-adsorbed platinum could then be released selective. The adsorption isotherm of platinum and tin ions followed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model while the adsorption rate represented a pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The hydrogel had an adsorption capacity of 263.16 mg/g for platinum and 188.88 mg/g for tin with the Gibbs free energy of − 1710.86 J/mol and − 4521.08 J/mol, respectively. It was found that the hydrogel can be reused for practical and large-scale wastewater treatment as less than 10% decrease in the adsorption capacity was observed after three consecutive adsorption–desorption cycles.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":659,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymers and the Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2024-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141647427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biodegradable Films Added with Conjugates from Residual Agave vinasses: Chemical and Mechanical Characterization","authors":"M. A. Lorenzo-Santiago, Edgar García-Hernández, R. Rendón-Villalobos, J. Rodriguez-Campos, D. A. Tuesta-Popolizio, S. Contreras-Ramos","doi":"10.1007/s10924-024-03352-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-024-03352-z","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":659,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymers and the Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2024-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141646459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"MWCNT-Loaded PCL/PXS-PCL Bilayer Cardiac Patch for Myocardial Regeneration: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study","authors":"Faraz Sigaroodi,&nbsp;Safieh Boroumand,&nbsp;Mahya Rahmani,&nbsp;Shahram Rabbani,&nbsp;Simzar Hosseinzadeh,&nbsp;Masoud Soleimani,&nbsp;Mohammad-Mehdi Khani","doi":"10.1007/s10924-024-03355-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10924-024-03355-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Recent progress in developing cardiac patches for regenerating the myocardium has opened a new hope after myocardial infarction (MI). Herein, we introduce a novel bilayer nanofiber cardiac patch composed of polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(xylitol sebacate) (PXS), and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). First, we electrospun different monolayer scaffolds, including PCL, PCL/MWCNT, PCL/PXS, and PCL/PXS/MWCNTs, and characterized their physical, mechanical, and biological performance to determine the interaction effects of different material compositions on their scaffold properties. In vitro examinations confirmed the cooperative effect of PXS and MWCNT in blending with PCL to fabricate conductive and well-organized nanofibers with good biocompatibility. Subsequently, a bilayer nanofiber scaffold composed of PCL/PXS/MWCNT nanofibers electrospun over a PCL fibrous layer was fabricated to achieve an efficient structure capable of providing the desirable characteristics of a cardiac patch. The bilayer nature increased the mechanical performance of the PCL/PXS/MWCNT monolayer while preserving its appropriate wettability and acceptable conductivity. Excellent viability and proliferation of H9c2 cells on the bilayer scaffolds were observed in the live/dead assay. Moreover, cell-matrix interaction confirmed that bilayer nanofibers decrease myofibroblast differentiation of seeded NIH3T3 cells, which may be beneficial for cardiac repair post-MI. After transplantation of the bilayer nanofiber onto the infarcted heart of the MI rats for 4 weeks, the ischemic zone decreased, cardiac function significantly improved and very slightly activated macrophages were observed. These findings suggested a potentially durable nanofiber cardiac patch containing PXS for myocardial repair post-MI.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":659,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymers and the Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2024-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141645209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Coated Electrospun Nanofibrous PLA Membranes: Properties and Application","authors":"R. Jeeshma,&nbsp;V. V. Arya Lakshmi,&nbsp;Anjana James,&nbsp;Ranimol Stephen","doi":"10.1007/s10924-024-03350-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10924-024-03350-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) membrane is fabricated through electrospinning, which effectively absorbs oil from the oil/water mixture. The prepared PLA electrospun membrane is hydrophobic with a water contact angle (WCA) of 117.2⁰. Introduction of POSS (polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane) particles as nanofiller into the PLA matrix, as well as a coating on the electrospun membrane, appreciably enhances the hydrophobicity and thermal stability of the nanofibrous membranes. The membranes become dense, less porous, and crystalline after heat treatment. The unannealed nanofibrous membrane with a highly porous, oleophilic surface helps to impart higher oil absorption properties than that of annealed membranes, which are 60.45 g/g and 66.03 g/g for palm oil and used engine oil respectively. The as-prepared PLA fibrous membranes can absorb oil from the oil-water interface, showing excellent recyclability and separation efficiency &gt; 70%.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":659,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Polymers and the Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2024-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141611865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}