Advanced flame-retardant biocomposites: Polylactic acid reinforced with green gallic acid‑iron‑phosphorus coated flax fibers.

This study introduces a sustainable approach for enhancing the fire retardancy and smoke suppression of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites, contributing to addressing one of the major challenges in biocomposites that limits their application in various engineering fields, as automotive and construction sectors. Flax fibers (FF) were surface functionalized with a novel organic-inorganic hybrid flame retardant (FR), offering a sustainable bioinspired approach that mitigates potential mechanical properties impairment and FR leaching, which can cause environmental concerns and reduced composite durability. The process involves a three-step coating procedure.

Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Organic Waste Model Compounds: The Effect of the Heating Rate on Biocrude Yield and Quality from Mixtures of Cellulose-Albumin-Sunflower Oil.

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a promising technology for the conversion of high-moisture biomass into a liquid biofuel precursor without predrying treatment. This study investigated the effects of the heating rate (20-110 °C/min) and feedstock composition on phase repartition of the HTL products. HTL tests were carried out using as feedstocks cellulose, egg albumin, and sunflower oil as model compounds for carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, alone and in binary mixtures.

Facile and Bioinspired Approach from Gallic Acid for the Synthesis of Biobased Flame Retardant Coatings of Basalt Fibers.

A sustainable, bioinspired approach to functionalize basalt fibers with an innovative gallic acid (GA)-iron phenyl phosphonate complex (BF-GA-FeP), for the purpose of improving the flame retardancy in composite materials, is developed. BFs were at first pretreated with O, obtaining surface free hydroxyl groups that allowed the subsequent covalent immobilization of biosourced GA units on the fiber through ester linkages. Phenolic -OH groups of the GA units were then exploited for the complexation of iron phenyl phosphonate, resulting in the target-complex-coated BF fiber (BF-GA-FeP).

Anaerobic biodegradation of disposable PLA-based products: Assessing the correlation with physical, chemical and microstructural properties.

In the present study commercial Polylactic Acid-based disposable cups and plates were selected for lab scale anaerobic degradability tests. The experiments were carried out under thermophilic conditions at different inoculum to substrate ratios and test material sizes, and the specific biogas production and associated kinetics were evaluated. Maximum biogas production was comparable for almost all the experimental runs (1620 and 1830 NmL/gTOC) and a biodegradation degree in the range 86-100% was attained.

Physical-Chemical Characterization of Different Carbon-Based Sorbents for Environmental Applications.

Biochar has been used in various applications, e.g., as a soil conditioner and in remediation of contaminated water, wastewater, and gaseous emissions.