1,721,083 research outputs found
Sustainable food packaging from agro waste: from Nature for Nature
No full textWorld plastic production reached 368 million tons in 2019 and about 40% of them is used for the packaging sector. Recently, the problems related to the depletion of oil, from which the 98% of plastics derives, and to the plastic pollution, mainly due to not biodegradable materials, have driven research, industrial and end-user interests towards sustainable plastic products, derived from biomass and responding to the principles of recovery, reuse and recycling. In particular, the creation of a new packaging for the food sector, especially if intended for the packaging of organic food products, cannot ignore the logic of a sustainable development, as also requested by consumers who are increasingly attentive to concepts such as waste reduction, circularity of materials, food safety.
In this perspective, the research activity of the AgriCo.Pack project, funded by the Emilia Romagna Region, concerns the development of a packaging material for fresh fruit and vegetables, that is biobased and biodegradable / compostable and characterized by good performances. In particular, the new packaging is obtained by using a bio-based biodegradable polymer as the matrix and a high amount of fillers derived by agricultural production waste. The fillers are chosen according to their seasonality and availability and properly pre-treated, in order to improve their affinity with the polymeric matrix. The objective of the work is to produce polymeric bio-composites that can replace, in terms of performances and costs, materials derived from non-renewable and non-biodegradable sources. The project covers the full value chain, starting from agricultural companies, for the supply of vegetable waste, to research centers and companies interested in the development of the new packaging, designed also according to LCA analysis, to final end-users that will use a traceability system of the product
Hydroxydes doubles lamellaires organo-modifies et materiaux polymeres composites les comprenant
No full textHydroxide doubles lamellaire organo-modifiespar l'acide 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propionique (HPPA) par l'acide 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethylsulfonique ou par un acide hydroxphenylypropenoique, et materiaux polymeres composites les comprenant. les materiux composites sont avantageusement a base de polymeres biosources comme le poly(butylene succinate). Ces materiaux composites presentent des proprietes ameliorees par rapport aux polymeres entrant dans leur composition, et par rapport aux composites de l'art anterieur
Biocomposites based on poly(butylene succinate) and curaua: Mechanical and morphological properties
No full textBiocomposites based on poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and curaua fibers have been produced by compression molding, and investigated as a function of fiber length and amount. Mechanical tests, water uptake and morphology studies were carried out in order to assess the composite features according to the characteristics of the reinforcing agents. It turns out that the impact and flexural strengths increase with fiber content. Moreover, the fiber length, varying from 1 to 4 cm for the composite reinforced with 20 wt% of fiber, influences impact strength, which is higher for shorter than for longer fibers. However, flexural strength is not greatly influenced by the length of the fibers. Water uptake studies reveal a higher sensitivity of the material to fiber content rather than fiber size. Biocomposites, which are characterized by enhanced mechanical properties as compared to PBS, can have different applications, for example in rigid packaging or interior car parts
Formulation of Green Particulate Composites from PLA and PBS Matrix and Wastes Deriving from the Coffee Production
No full textParticulate composites based on poly(lactic acid) and poly(butylene succinate) biopolymers have been formulated. Silver skin, the by-product derived from the roasting of coffee beans, has been used as a filler up to a 30 wt% of loading. The microstructure, crystallinity, thermal stability, mechanical properties and water absorption of the derived composites have been investigated. Data so far collected underline that a trade-off of the mechanical properties can be obtained by adding the filler, while the overall amount of crystallinity remains constant. Up to the highest filler content, moisture uptake follows a Fichian behaviour while the value of the contact angle is slightly increased by modification. Thus, silver skin, which actually is used for fuel or soil fertilization, finds here a different environmentally friendly valorization into the field of biocomposites
Poly(1,4-dimethylcyclohexane adipate) nanocomposites with organoclays modified with ionic liquid based on phosphonium salt
Full text linkEpoxy composites containing wastes from wine production as fillers
No full textComposites formulated with an epoxy matrix, kenaf fibers, and the residuals of the wine industry are investigated at different compositions. The microstructure and the mechanical properties of the composites have been studied, as well as their moisture uptake. A proper mix design of the composite can allow the waste inclusion as filler either increasing or providing mechanical properties equal to those of the plain matrix. The increase in the water permeability induced by the waste is lower than that of induced by the kenaf fibers. Because of the simple mixing and pretreatment operation, this easy-to-handle recycling route may decrease the overall cost of the material reducing the amount of polymer matrix and offers a valuable alternative to damping. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46234
Use of ionic liquids based on phosphonium salts for preparing biocomposites by in situ polymerization
No full textA sodium montmorillonite, Dellite HPS, was modified with ionic liquids based on phosphonium salts, such as octadecyltriphenylphosphonium
tetrafluoroborate and octadecyltriphenylphosphonium bromide. Thanks to their high thermal stability, these
salts can be used during in situ polymerization, a method that favors the achievement of a good dispersion of the clay. Poly(1,4-dimethylcyclohexane
adipate) (PCHA), was chosen as an example of aliphatic polyester which can be a suitable matrix for new biocomposites
with organo-clays. The organo modified clays prepared were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), ATR-FTIR spectroscopy,
and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) while biocomposites were analyzed in terms of molecular structure, thermal and thermomechanical
properties. The degree of dispersion of the clays in the polymer matrix was studied by XRD. The results show that the clays
are well dispersed in the biocomposites, despite an intercalated structure highlighted by XRD analysis. Moreover, the clays confer a
certain improvement in mechanical properties to the final materials
PLA composites formulated recycling residuals of the winery industry
No full textParticulate composites with polylactide (PLA) as a matrix and wastes deriving from the wine production have been formulated at different compositions. The microstructure and the mechanical properties of the composites, as well as the thermal stability and water uptake have been evaluated. The results showed that the wine waste residue does not compromise the thermal stability of the matrix while improves the impact strength and influences tensile properties. Specifically, tensile strength progressively decreases on addition of the winery waste, while the elastic modulus slightly increases. This behavior was attributed to the inhomogeneity of the filler particle size and morphology, which can partially induce a discontinuous interface at high filler loading and affect the water uptake. An increase in the value of the water contact angle is obtained below a 10% wt content and the mechanism of water uptake is not modified below the 20 wt% of filler. In any case, up to a content of 15 weight percent, winery wastes can be used in the plain matrix as an extender. Since simple and low cost operations are requested to obtain suitable fillers, an overall decrease in the material cost can be envisaged thus partially solving the drawbacks of PLA exploitation in the packaging industry, and leading to cost-effective application. Moreover, the conversion of lignocellulosic wastes as filler in biocomposites would be in favor of waste reduction while adding value to the agro-food chain
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