Accelerating the Biodegradation of Poly(lactic acid) through the Inclusion of Plant Fibers: A Review of Recent Advances.

As the global demand for plastics continues to grow, plastic waste is accumulating at an alarming rate with negative effects on the natural environment. The industrially compostable biopolymer poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is therefore being adopted for use in many applications, but the degradation of this material is slow under many end-of-life conditions. This Perspective explores the feasibility of accelerating the degradation of PLA through the formation of PLA-plant fiber composites.

Bio-composites from spent hen derived lipids grafted on CNC and reinforced with nanoclay.

A novel cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)-grafted macromonomer containing both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids was synthesized from spent hen lipids, which was further homopolymerized and copolymerized with styrene and in-situ nano-reinforced into nanocomposites. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of CNC-grafting and nanoclay as filler at different ratios on the thermal, mechanical and water absorption behavior of the developed composites. The chemical grafting on CNC, its polymerization and effect of nanofiller were characterized and investigated by various analytical techniques.

Valorization of Hemp Hurds as Bio-Sourced Additives in PLA-Based Biocomposites.

Sourced from agricultural waste, hemp hurds are a low-cost renewable material with high stiffness; however, despite their potential to be used as low-cost filler in natural fiber reinforced polymer biocomposites, they are often discarded. In this study, the potential to add value to hemp hurds by incorporating them into poly(lactic acid) (PLA) biopolymer to form bio-based materials for packaging applications is investigated. However, as with many plant fibers, the inherent hydrophilicity of hemp hurds leads to inferior filler-matrix interfacial interactions, compromising the mechanical properties of the resulting biocomposites.

1-Ethyl-4-{2-[1-(4-methyl-phen-yl)ethyl-idene]hydrazinyl-idene}-3,4-dihydro-1H-2λ(6),1-benzothia-zine-2,2-dione.

In the title compound, C(19)H(21)N(3)O(2)S, the dihedral angle between the aromatic rings is 6.7 (2)° and the C=N-N=C torsion angle is 178.0 (2)°.

6-Bromo-4-(2-cyclo-hexyl-idenehydrazin-1-yl-idene)-1-methyl-2,2-dioxo-3,4-dihydro-1H-2λ(6),1-benzothia-zine.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C(15)H(18)BrN(3)O(2)S, contains two independent mol-ecules in both of which the (thia-zine)C=N-N double bond exhibits an E conformation. The cyclo-hexyl rings adopt chair conformations while the thia-zine rings are in sofa conformations. The mean planes of these rings are oriented at dihedral angles of 64.

Spiraeamide, new sphingolipid from Spiraea brahuica.

Spiraeamide, a new sphingolipid, has been isolated from the ethyl acetate-soluble fraction of the methanolic extract of the whole plant of Spiraea brahuica, along with marrubiin, 19-acetylmarrubenol, and 6-acetylmarruenol. Their structures were elucidated by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra, and COSY, NOESY, HMQC, HMBC, EI-MS, and FAB-MS experiments.

Cytotoxic geranylflavonoids from Bonannia graeca.

The analysis of the aerial parts of Bonannia graeca led to the isolation and characterization of polar geranylated flavonoids (6 and 7). The structure elucidation was performed by extensive spectroscopic methods (1D and 2D NMR) and comparison with literature data. All natural flavonoids isolated from B.

Structural determination of crotamides A and B, the new amides from Croton sparsiflorus.

Two new amides crotamides A and B, have been isolated from the n-hexane soluble fraction of Croton sparsiflorus in addition to salisomide and N-(4-hydroxyphenethyl)-octacosanamide reported for the first time from this species. Their structures were assigned from spectral data including 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data.

Asphorodin, a potent lipoxygenase inhibitory triterpene diglycoside from Asphodelus tenuifolius.

Asphorodin (1), a new diglycoside, has been isolated from the ethyl acetate-soluble fraction of Asphodelus tenuifolius. It showed significant inhibitory activity against the enzyme lipoxygenase in a concentration-dependent manner. The Lineweaver-Burk and Dixon plots indicated that the nature of inhibition was non-competitive.