The Development of Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)-Based Blends and Modification Strategies: Methods of Improving Key Properties towards Technical Applications-Review.

The widespread use of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) from packaging to engineering applications seems to follow the current global trend. The development of high-performance PLA-based blends has led to the commercial introduction of various PLA-based resins with excellent thermomechanical properties. The reason for this is the progress in the field of major PLA limitations such as low thermal resistance and poor impact strength.

Processing plastic waste via pyrolysis-thermolysis into hydrogen and solid carbon additive to ethylene-vinyl acetate foam for cushioning applications.

A strategy for enhancing value creation from pyrolysis gas and oil, derived from plastic waste, through the generation of two additional outputs of solid carbon and hydrogen was investigated. Three types of hard-to-recycle plastic waste (marine plastic litter, household mixed plastics and cosmetic products packaging) were thermally treated in two stages: (i) decomposition of feedstock into gas and oil via pyrolysis at 600 °C; and (ii) thermolytic conversion of the pyrolysis gas and a fraction of oil into hydrogen and solid carbon at 1300 °C separately. The thermolysis of both pyrolysis gas and oil fractions predominantly resulted in the production of solid carbon (39-70 wt% per plastic feedstock and carbon content of 91.

Nanocomposite Foams with Balanced Mechanical Properties and Energy Return from EVA and CNT for the Midsole of Sports Footwear Application.

Polymer foam that provides good support with high energy return (low energy loss) is desirable for sport footwear to improve running performance. Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) foam is commonly used in the midsole of running shoes. However, EVA foam exhibits low mechanical properties.

Reinforcing canola protein matrix with chemically tailored nanocrystalline cellulose improves the functionality of canola protein-based packaging materials.

Canola protein derived from the canola industry byproduct is a potent biopolymer source to develop sustainable food packaging materials, but it has limitations due to its poor mechanical and barrier properties. Nanomaterials such as nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) have shown promising potential in improving material properties. The current study aimed to enhance the functionality of canola protein-based films using TEMPO ((2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl) modified nanocrystalline cellulose (TM-NCC).

Extrusion Based 3D Printing of Sustainable Biocomposites from Biocarbon and Poly(trimethylene terephthalate).

Three-dimensional (3D) printing manufactures intricate computer aided designs without time and resource spent for mold creation. The rapid growth of this industry has led to its extensive use in the automotive, biomedical, and electrical industries. In this work, biobased poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) blends were combined with pyrolyzed biomass to create sustainable and novel printing materials.

Lignin derived nano-biocarbon and its deposition on polyurethane foam for wastewater dye adsorption.

Historically, lignin has been produced as a waste by-product in industrial processes. In this study, lignosulfonate nanoparticles were fabricated and freeze-dried for use as a precursor material for carbonization. The use of the carbonized lignins for the adsorption of textile effluent as a value-added application is demonstrated.

Flame synthesis of carbon nanoparticles from corn oil as a highly effective cationic dye adsorbent.

Carbon nanoparticles (CNP) were synthesized through flame deposition method from a sustainable corn oil precursor. The morphology, particle size, surface chemistry, thermal stability, and zeta potential of the CNP were characterized. The batch adsorption of a cationic dye, methylene blue (MB), by the CNP at various concentrations, pH, and temperatures was evaluated to investigate the CNP's efficacy in industrial wastewater treatment applications.

Studies on durability of sustainable biobased composites: a review.

Global concerns over environmental issues have led to a tremendous growth in sustainable materials emerging from biobased plastics and their composites (biocomposites). This class of materials can be an alternative to traditional composite materials to reduce the carbon footprint and strain on the environment. Many studies and reviews have been focused on enhancing the mechanical performance of biocomposites with the aim for them to compete with traditional composites and expand their applications.

Underutilized Agricultural Co-Product as a Sustainable Biofiller for Polyamide 6,6: Effect of Carbonization Temperature.

Polyamide 6,6 (PA66)-based biocomposites with low-cost carbonaceous natural fibers (i.e., soy hulls, co-product from soybean industry) were prepared through twin-screw extrusion and injection molding.

Strategy To Improve Printability of Renewable Resource-Based Engineering Plastic Tailored for FDM Applications.

This work features the first-time use of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT), a biobased engineering thermoplastic, for fused deposition modeling (FDM) applications. Additives such as chain extenders (CEs) and impact modifiers are traditionally used to improve the processability of polymers for injection molding; as a proof of concept for their use in FDM, the same strategies were applied to PTT to improve its printability. The filament processing conditions and printing parameters were optimized to generate complete, warpage-free samples.

Novel sustainable biobased flame retardant from functionalized vegetable oil for enhanced flame retardancy of engineering plastic.

The flame retardancy of an engineering plastic, poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT), with a biobased flame retardant (FR) made from phosphorylated linseed oil (PLO) and phosphorylated downstream corn oil (PCO) was studied. Different phosphorus moieties were incorporated into the vegetable oil backbone through a ring-opening reaction. The chemical structure of the phosphorylated oil was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear resonance magnetic (NMR) spectroscopy.

Tuning the compatibility to achieve toughened biobased poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene terephthalate) blends.

A series of sustainable biobased polymer blends from poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) were fabricated and characterized. These blends are engineered to achieve optimal mechanical properties and toughness with a reactive epoxidized styrene-acrylic copolymer (ESAC) compatibilizer, and an ethylene--butyl-acrylate--glycidyl methacrylate (EBA-GMA) elastomer-based compatibilizer. The results showed that the tensile strength, modulus, flexural strength and modulus of the PBT increase, while the elongation at break and notched impact strength decrease after blending with the biopolymer PLA.