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The characterization of natural fiber composites has become of paramount importance. The aim of this work is to prepare, produce, and investigate the mechanical, nanomechanical, and physical properties of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) reinforced with short sugar palm fiber (SSPF) composites. Preparation involves successive phases: a melt-mixing approach and a hot/cold compression molding procedure. The mechanical test examines the flexural and tensile strengths. This work introduces nanomechanical testing through the quasistatic nanoindentation to measure the hardness, fracture toughness, stiffness, and Young's modulus. Physical properties are analyzed by measuring the composites' density, water absorption, moisture content, and thickness swelling. Mechanical properties displayed good flexural and tensile enhancements. The use of short fiber led to adequate interfacial bonding between the fiber and matrix. Composites exhibited high compatibility, strength, and a homogenous structure in the fiber-matrix. Nanomechanical test displayed a dynamic modulus mapping on the fiber. The scan line analysis and in-situ scanning probe microscopy (SPM) imaging presented improved hardness, Young's modulus, stiffness, and fracture phenomena. The composites exhibited outstanding physical properties and excellent resistance to water absorption, moisture content, and thickness swelling. The novel findings provide insight on how biocomposite materials can be utilized in various engineering applications. This signifies their high competency and applicability for green production.

A new approach to manufacture biocomposite sandwich structure is introduced with all materials naturally derived, including jute, flax and cellulose textile as reinforcement skin; mycelium-bound agricultural waste as lightweight cores; and a soy-based bioresin as a matrix. This new material could be used to replace many of the plastic products that are widely used today and therefore preventing the production of waste, while increasing efficiencies in the use of nonrenewable resources. This paper focuses on the final step of the seven-step manufacturing process: resin infusion followed by curing in place for the grown then deactivated mycelium sandwich beams. Specific process details that are highlighted include designing and building the preliminary transparent resin transfer molding for resin flow behavior study, design and fabrication of the aluminum permanent mold prototype, three-point bending flexural tests of the resin infused then cured sandwich beams to determine their strengths, and finally, finite element simulation using Abaqus software to simulate the three-point bending process. To obtain the skin reinforcements' Young's and shear moduli, tensile and V-groove shear tests were performed based on corresponding ASTM standards. It is concluded that although the skin material is the one that carries most of the loads, the strength of the sandwich structure appears to largely depend on the degree of fungal colonization within the core and bonding between the skin and core. The cured resin increased the beams' core shear ultimate stress, core shear yield stress, skin ultimate stress and flexural strengths of the sandwich beams by factors of 1.5–6.5, and the finite element simulation results agreed with the actual situations, which well explained the beams' most common failure mode in flexural bending.

Bio-based materials have emerged in the last years as an attractive alternative for sustainable products elaboration. Nevertheless the environmental performance of these materials should be quantified through representative and reliable indicators. This study provides a bibliographic review of the environmental considerations regarding bio-based materials. It scope was focused on bio composites as raw material for the elaboration of sustainable products and the application of the carbon footprint as a comprehensive indicator to assess environmental burdens of these products. Following the review, all the major stages of a product life cycle were analyzed in order to establish the main considerations for a carbon footprint assessment following a case based scenario. In order to validate the impact of the incorporation of bio composites on the development of products, every Carbon footprint evaluation should be reported for each case scenario highlighting the applied variables, the stages boundaries and the carbon quantification used for the study Introduction. Methods and scope. Challenges for bio based materials. Environmental aspects of bio-based materials. Carbon footprint indicator. Carbon footprint evaluation of a bio based material. Concluding remarks. Acknowledgements. References

Nowadays the recovery of low-molecular soluble aromatic hydrocarbons (HCs) released into natural bodies of water continues to be a challenging task. These contaminants bring sever consequences to the environment and to the human health. Biosorption on macroalgae (Ma) biomass seem to be a potential alternative due to low costs and high availability, but the low strength and density are important drawbacks to handle, start up and operate continuous biosorption units. In this study, chitosan (Ch) and pectin (Pe) were employed as precursors to synthesize a new Ma−Ch−Pe composite with regard to enhance the stability and applicability of macroalgae biomass towards the removal of soluble HCs pollutants. The biocomposite synthesis was based on a factorial design and a posterior response surface methodology. The optimized biocomposite (75.4%, 19.8 and 4.8% for macroalgae biomass, chitosan and pectin, respectively), was characterized and evaluated under different ionic strengths, pH values and organic load to determine their potential as biosorbents and to elucidate the adsorption mechanisms involved. Removal capacities were 58.68, 16.64 and 6.13 mg g−1 for benzene, toluene and naphthalene, respectively. The adsorption capacity was slightly influenced by the pH (3–9), and diminished with ionic strength values up to I > 0.6 M. The presence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) enhanced the removal of HCs by providing hydrophobic sites to the biosorbents. Moreover, the biosorption data was well-described by Sips adsorption isotherm, and the pseudo-second order equation represented the best fitting model for the biosorption kinetics. The biosorption mechanisms included hydrophobic effect by the algae fraction and London forces between the HC and the diverse of functional groups present offered by the precursors.

The development of eco-friendly materials requires a deep knowledge of physical, chemical and functional properties of biopolymers and fillers. Soy protein (SPI), which is one of the cheapest protein in global markets, was used in combination with montmorillonite (MMT-Na+) to obtain fairly attractive green biocomposite superabsorbent materials, leading to biodegradable superabsorbent materials. Natural MMT-Na+ was used since it is widely available as micron-size tactoids and gives rise to highly functional nanoparticles. However, the dispersion of such particles within a polymer structure is complex, showing a high impact on techno-functional properties. An easy-scalable processing technique was used with a mixing stage to obtain dough-like materials which were subjected to an injection-moulding process that led to biodegradable biocomposite materials. The structure of dough-like materials was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-Ray diffraction, whereas mechanical properties of green biocomposites were evaluated by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and tensile tests. Moreover, the techno-functionality of the new materials obtained was determined by means of water uptake capacity (WUC). Results suggested that the addition of nanoclay led to an increase of the elastic modus although the overall improvement of mechanical properties is not clear. Interestingly, water uptake capacity was greatly enhanced. In this sense, these green biocomposites could be considered as an excellent candidate for the development of novel bio-based superabsorbent materials.

Taking advantage of the low-cost carbon and manganese sources of the spent battery anode waste (SB), porous biocomposites were synthesized by co-pyrolyzing of SB with sawdust. Synthesis method was optimized, and potential biocomposite application in the aspect of Pb(II) removal in the wastewater was investigated and the related possible mechanism of Pb(II) removal was discussed. Composite derived at 750 °C with 10% SB loading amount had high Pb(II) adsorption capacity with negligible influence of ion strength. The maximum Pb(II) adsorption capacity was around 183.82 mg/g at 298 K and pH 4, and the increase of the temperature favored Pb(II) adsorption. Pb(II) adsorption behavior fitted the intraparticle diffusion model and Redlich-Pearson model. Pb(II) removal was governed by precipitation, complexation and Cπ−Pb(II) bond interaction combined processes. Co-pyrolysis of sawdust with SB not only explores an approach for the SB utilization but also provides an excellent biocomposite for solution Pb(II) ion adsorptive removal.

A novel adsorbent (MPN-Bet) with antibacterial and magnetic properties was synthesized via the functionalization of peanut husk (a low-cost material) with Fe3O4 and betaine. Results from the characterization studies confirmed that the enhanced efficiency of peanut husk as an adsorbent was due to the alteration in its surface nature and physicochemical properties by these modification agents. MPN-Bet possessed good efficiency for the sequestration of trimethoprim (TMP) from solution. The experimental adsorption capacity of 20.3 ± 0.9 mg g−1 was recorded with the process being exothermic in nature. The physisorption and chemisorption processes were found play active roles in the adsorption process albeit the latter being the dominant. Regeneration studies showed MPN-Bet loaded TMP was highly reusable after treatment with 0.1 mol L−1 NaCl. The assessment of the antibacterial properties of MPN-Bet indicated that MPN-Bet could effectively limit the growth of E. coli and S. aureus without causing damage to other living organisms (i.e. biocompatible). These excellent properties of MPN-Bet coupled with its good reusability, high stability and easy separation from mixtures promote its prospects for practical wastewater remediation.

Ionic liquids (ILs) pretreatment has emerged as a promising technology toward environmentally benign conversion of lignocellulosic residues into high value cellulosic fiber as sustainable raw material for biocomposite fabrication. This study presents a comparison of ILs-assisted pretreatment of oil palm fronds (OPF) fiber with dilute acid, alkaline, and hot compressed water pretreatments on the mechanical and thermal properties of their fabricated thermo-molded biocomposites with thermoplastic starch as a biopolymer binder. A comparison of energy consumption for ILs pretreatment with other pretreatment methods was also performed and the comparative impact of ILs pretreatment on OPF fiber was investigated by lignocellulosic composition, crystallinity and thermal stability analysis for untreated and all pretreated fibers. Results indicate that ILs pretreatment is superior in terms of delignification of OPF and produces cellulose rich fiber (CRF) with 48–50% reduced crystallinity as compared to those of acidic, alkaline, and hot water pretreated fibers. However, the flexural strength of the IL [emim][dep] treated composite (13.8 MPa) was significantly improved over that of untreated composite with value of 5.3 MPa, but was slightly higher than acidic and hot water pretreatments which were 13.5 MPa and 10.8 MPa, respectively. ILs pretreatment consumed about 0.5–2.0 folds more energy per kg of OPF residue as compared to other methods. In the premises of the present findings, we believe that ILs-based pretreatment could be a new, clean and promising alternative processing approach for conversion of a wide variety of agro-based lignocellulosic waste materials into cellulose-rich fibers for manufacturing of engineered biocomposite panels.

The sustainable materials back the trio of economy, environment, and energy because as a renewable source it has numerous positive affects on employment and it fuels the economic activities in the world. The building materials can be produced from sustainable sources recycled, re-used or harmlessly disposed on end use. In this paper, the thermal and mechanical characteristics of the insulation materials obtained from different waste (fly ash-FA) and natural (modified corn oil-MCO, perlite-P and clay-C) raw materials, as sustainable building wall's components are analyzed within the framework of a simulation model developed for the purpose of this research. A novel bio-composite material is obtained from these materials as its components. These materials' suitability as insulation materials for sustainable buildings is investigated through a software programme. For the period of January in Ankara province, the temperature distributions of the diverse wall types insulated together with only the Modified Corn Oil (MCO)-based block wall are evaluated with heat flow formulations by the ANSYS software programme. For this simulation, the construction-insulation material produced with the lowest thermal conductivity coefficient is applied to the diverse wall surfaces. This sustainable material's practicability is evaluated. It can be concluded that using fly ash-modified corn oil-perlite-clay in the specimen, allows obtaining a biocomposite with good mechanical and thermal characteristics, which can be used in structural components as a novel renewable material for energy performance in construction industry.

Composite materials based on renewable agricultural and biomass feedstocks are increasingly utilized as these products significantly offset the use of fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in comparison with conventional petroleum-based materials. However, the inclusion of natural fibers in polymers introduces several challenges, such as excess water absorption and poor thermal properties, which need to be overcome to produce materials with comparable properties to the conventional composite materials. Instead of using rather expensive chemical and physical modification methods to eliminate these aforementioned challenges, a new trend of utilizing waste, residues, and process by-products in natural fiber-polymer composites (NFPCs) as additives or reinforcements may bring considerable enhancements in the properties of NFPCs in a sustainable and resilient manner. In this paper, the effects of waste materials, residues or process by-products of multiple types on NFPCs are critically reviewed and their potential as NFPC constituents is evaluated.

International audience; As part of the efforts to reduce the environmental impacts caused by the aviation sector, the use of bio-based instead of fossil-based materials has been proposed as one possible mitigation option. Natural Fibre Polymer Composites have proven to have a higher environmental performance in the automotive sector and are emerging as an option for weight reduction in aircrafts. This study quantifies, through Life Cycle Assessment, the environmental performance of specific flax-based composite panels intended for aircrafts as interior fitting elements (i.e. partition panels, tray tables, baggage compartments) compared to a glass fibre/epoxy composite with a honeycomb core. Through system expansion, the fate of co-products issued from the production of the flax fibre technical textile used as reinforcement in the biocomposite material was considered in the assessment.Results showed that for an application in the aeronautics sector, the weight of the panels is the upmost critical parameter shaping the overall environmental performance of panels. Focusing on the panel production only, the biocomposite panel showed a higher environmental performance in the categories of climate change and marine eutrophication compared to the conventional panel, and the fire suppressant agent was identified as the main contributor to the environmental impacts of the bio-based panel. Yet these gains were negligible when considering the full life cycle of the panels, due to the higher weight (14%) of the bio-based panels; which is linked to the bio-based panel being still at the prototype stage.In order to improve the environmental performance of the biocomposite panel and thus reduce its weight, it was shown relevant to optimize the geometry of the panel itself, especially its core, so less resin could be used..

Biomaterials have gained attention in automotive industries for their renewability and environmental benefits. This study evaluates the life cycle environmental impacts and benefits of the automotive component produced from biocomposite (biomaterials, i.e., polypropylene (PP) reinforced with biocarbon and Miscanthus fiber) relative to the component produced from conventional composite (PP reinforced with talc and colorant; hereafter referred to composite) using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. To accomplish this study, the LCA software (SimaPro 8.0.4.26) and the Ecoinvent database (v3.1) are used. Miscanthus, an energy crop grown on the marginal land in Ontario, Canada, is used for producing biocarbon. Then PP is reinforced with biocarbon for producing biocomposite and the automotive components. The functional unit is considered to be an automotive component (441 cm3). Among the materials used in automotive components, colorant has the highest environmental impacts for each unit mass, followed by Miscanthus fiber, PP, talc, and biocarbon, respectively. Interestingly, each unit mass of biocomposite has slightly greater environmental impacts compared with composite. However, the innovative component is emerged to be environmentally favorable over the conventional component. The global warming potential (GWP) of innovative components and conventional components are 11.08 kg CO2 eq. and 12.53 kg CO2 eq., respectively. Consequently, any replacement of conventional components with innovative components would lead to meeting the fuel economy emission regulations of the automotive industries.

In this study, the application of hydrocolloid and fiber industry wastes and their transformation in biochar and biocomposite as biosorbents for emerging pollutants effective removal was carried out. Initially, the adsorption ability of six different wastes was ascertained in single and competitive removal of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and methylparaben (MePa). Among them, fiber extraction process wastes presented the best result attaining maximum uptakes with removal levels up to 23 and 48% of MePa and SMX, respectively. The adsorption capacity was enhanced by fiber waste biochar preparation at 500 °C and 30 min under nitrogen atmosphere, and improved by the preparation of laccase-biocomposites, achieving maximum uptakes more than ten-fold the obtained using raw material. The simultaneous removal of the pollutants by the biocomposite followed a pseudo-second order kinetic and resulted in maximum uptakes of 24.06 and 23.15 mg/g for SMX and MePa, respectively. Finally, raw material and laccase-biocomposite behaviours were simulated by homogeneous surface diffusion model. Previously, the isotherms were studied fitting well to Freundlich model. The obtained results remarked the feasibility of laccase-biocomposite in which reactive groups incorporation on the biochar surface could be responsible for facilitating the pollutants removal from the aquatic environment.

Waste based activated biochar was used to manufacture wood/polypropylene biocomposites. The biochar used had no surface functional groups, however, possessed high surface area (335 m2/g). Therefore, it was hypothesised that less than usual amount (3–5 wt%) of compatibiliser (maleic anhydride) could be used, to reduce production costs, while maintaining similar mechanical and flammability properties of the biocomposite. The biocomposites were characterised mechanically through tension, flexural, impact, and micro–hardness tests. The flammability and thermal behaviours were determined using cone calorimetry and thermogravimetry, respectively. Infrared spectroscopy and X–ray diffraction were also employed to comprehend the chemical changes occurring in the biocomposites. It was found that the amount of compatibiliser could be reduced to 1 wt% (from 3 wt%) without compromising on the mechanical performance (especially, tensile strength/modulus, impact strength, and micro–hardness) and flammability properties of the biocomposites. Electron microscopy revealed that the lack of compatibiliser in the biocomposites was compensated by well–dispersed biochar particles whose pores were infiltrated by the polymer causing a mechanical interlocking. In general, addition of biochar improved the mechanical and fire performance of the biocomposites compared to the neat polymer. Reduction of compatibiliser to 1 wt% from 3 wt% in conjunction with biochar saves ∼18% of the biocomposite production costs.

Accumulation of residual plastics and the biomass wastes from agricultural sectors are causing serious global environmental problems if not addressed effectively. Cellulose with polypropylene as biocomposite material is an elegant strategy for value-added utilization of wastes. In this study, green isolation of cellulose from oil palm empty fruit bunches by autoclave-based and ultrasonication pre-treatments were developed to replace the non-green chlorite method. Ultrasonic treatment with hydrogen peroxide yielded 49% cellulose with 91.3% α-cellulose content and 68.7% crystallinity, as compared to 64% cellulose with autoclave treatment. Based on field emission scanning electron microscope, the ultrasonic and the autoclave-treated fibers showed complete separation of cellulose fibrils, with punctures and pores on the surface. High resolution transmission electron microscope and X-ray diffraction studies suggested monoclinic unitary crystal structure. The cellulose/polypropylene composite fabrications were achieved by using injection-molding technique where the composites with 25% cellulose loading gave high tensile strength of 27 MPa, without any addition of coupling agents. Thermogravimetric analysis study showed that the thermal stability of composites was enhanced by 150 °C as compared to singular cellulose and polypropylene. The low water and diesel uptake suggested the compact structure of the composites. This study has developed green techniques combining heat and eco-friendly chemical treatment for cellulose extraction from agro-lignocellulosic wastes. The cellulose/polypropylene composites developed with high tensile strength, high thermal stability, and low water and diesel sorption have great potentials for conversion into eco-composite products such as polymeric material insulated cables for high voltage engineering, automotive parts, sports tools and other household or office items.

The use of lignocellulosic biomass-based composite materials over petro-materials has received increased attention due to growing environmental awareness, concerns for environmental sustainability, an increasing global waste problem and depletion of fossil fuels. Effective pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass is an important and challenging task for production of engineered composite panels. In the present work, the effect of ionic liquids (ILs) pretreatment on the properties of thermo-molded biocomposite board fabricated from oil palm frond (OPF) lignocellulosic residue and thermoplastic starch (TPS) binder was studied. OPF fiber was pretreated with ILs [bmim][Cl] (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride) and [emim][dep] (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium diethyl phosphate). Mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of the biocomposite board prepared from untreated and ILs -treated OPF fibers were investigated. Moreover, lignocellulosic characterization, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were performed to understand the effect of IL pretreatment on OPF fiber. It was noted that thermal stability of the biocomposite board was improved as a result of IL pretreatment. Flexural testing evidenced that biocomposite board fabricated from IL-treated fiber exhibited superior strength and modulus compared to that of untreated composite board. The study clearly indicates that IL-assisted pretreatment could be a highly promising and green technology for effective utilization of lignocellulosic biomass in the biocomposite field.

In this paper, the comparative environmental assessment of a plastic pallet produced from selected biocomposites and composites based on the ReCiPe Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) method is presented. Five scenarios of pallet production were analyzed depending on the materials used. The system boundary considered in the analyses included the production of the particular materials and the injection molding to obtain a plastic pallet of complex properties. Environmental assessment was conducted in accordance with ISO 14044:2006. Life cycle assessment (LCA) analyses were related to the same functional unit (FU) – one heavy-duty plastic pallet made by an injection molding process. The results of the environmental assessment of a plastic pallet produced from biocomposites and composites based on polypropylene (PP), glass fibers (GF) and natural fibers – cotton fibers (CF), jute fibers (JF), and kenaf fibers (KF) – were shown. The share of the fillers in the polymer matrix ranged from 10 to 30 wt. % to achieve the required mechanical properties of a plastic pallet. A life-cycle assessment of the biocomposite production systems was performed using SimaPro 8 software (Pre Consultants B.V) and the Ecoinvent database 3.1. The highest environmental impact was observed in the case of the use of cotton fibers and glass fibers as a reinforcement of the analyzed biocomposites and composites. In the case of natural fillers, the highest environmental impact in all damage and impact categories was indicated for the cotton fibers. This situation can be caused by the industrial cultivation of cotton on a large scale. The lowest environmental impact was observed in the use of kenaf and jute fibers as reinforcement. For all analyzed materials (PP, PPGF composite and biocomposites: PPCF, PPJF, PPKF), it is impossible to assess unequivocally which material is the most environmentally friendly and has the lowest impact on the environment. The results of the environmental assessment were used for quantification of the eco-efficiency. The obtained results show that there is a relationship between the applied environmental impact categories for the evaluation of the analyzed materials and the eco-efficiency results.