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The primary goals of human civilization are sustainable growth and restoration of the ecosystem. Currently, the continuous release of effluents containing heavy metals from tanneries, and the mining, printing, and pharmaceutical industries into the aquatic environment has become a serious issue. Chromium (Cr) and mercury (Hg) pose a major threat to human beings. Several techniques have been employed to mitigate this threat, including adsorption, electrolysis, chemical precipitation, desalination, reverse osmosis, ion exchange, membrane filtration, and photocatalysis. However, photocatalysis is known for its cost-effectiveness and green aspects in the removal of heavy metal ions from solutions. Over the last few decades, there has been a growing interest among researchers worldwide to study this technique. Numerous materials, including conducting polymers (CPs), have been utilized for the removal of heavy metal ions from wastewater/aqueous solutions. Polyaniline (PANI)-based nanocomposites are effective photocatalysts for the removal of various types of heavy metal ions from wastewater/aqueous solutions. Despite its potential, several factors affect the removal efficiency, such as irradiation levels and the type of PANIbased nanocomposite used. Further research is needed to address these challenges and improve the stability and reusability of PANI-based photocatalysts. Given the available water resources in the real world, it is critical that in-depth research be conducted into PANI-based photocatalysts, and the stability and reusability of such catalysts and achieving the primary goals of human civilization, namely sustainable growth and ecosystem restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkaline–surfactant–polymer (ASP) flooding, a recognized method for oil recovery, encounters limited use due to its expense. In addition, ASP's best composition and injection sequence still remains uncertain today. This study explores conventional ASP flooding using PT SPR Langgak's special surfactants, simulating Langgak oilfield conditions in Sumatra, Indonesia. By comparing the outcomes of this flooding technique with that of starch-assisted ASP performed in another study, the benefits of adding starch nanoparticles to flooding are evident. Nano-starch ASP increased oil recovery by 18.37%, 10.76%, and 10.37% for the three configurations investigated in this study. Water flooding preceded ASP flooding, and flooding operations were carried out at 60 °C. This study employed sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), and specialized surfactants from PT SPR. The adopted polymer is solely hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) at 2000 ppm. Starch nanoparticles underwent comprehensive characterization and focused more on charge stability. Purple yam nanoparticles (PYNPs) exhibited remarkable stability at −36.33 mV, unlike cassava starch nanoparticles (CSNPs') at −10.68 mV and HPAM's at −27.13 mV. Surface properties affect interactions with fluids and rocks. Crystallinity, a crucial characterization, was assessed using Origin software 2019b. CSNPs showed 24.15% crystallinity, surpassing PYNPs' 20.68%. Higher crystallinity benefits CSNPs' thermal stability. The amorphous behavior found in PYNPs makes them less suitable if applied in harsh reservoirs. This research correlated with prior findings, reinforcing starch nanoparticles' role in enhancing oil recovery. In summary, this study highlighted conventional ASP flooding using HPAM as the sole polymer and compared it with three formations that used two starch nanoparticles included with HPAM, assessing their impact on charge stability, crystallinity, and recovery rate to emphasize their importance in the oil recovery industry. Starch nanoparticles' benefits and limitations guided further investigation in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to address the challenges faced by mature oilfields in extracting substantial oil quantities. It focused on improving the efficiency of alkaline–surfactant–polymer (ASP) flooding technique, which is a proven tertiary recovery technology, to overcome scaling issues and other hindrances in its large-scale implementation. Appropriate materials and their suitable concentrations were selected to enhance the ASP flooding technique. Special surfactants from Indonesia were introduced to improve the interfacial tension reduction and wettability alteration. Reservoir rock model that resembling Langgak oilfield in Sumatra was utilized, and low-salinity water was employed to mimic the oilfield conditions. Starches derived from cassava nanoparticles (CSNPs) and purple yam nanoparticles (PYNPs) were combined separately with conventional hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) polymer to enhance its performance. Sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate were used as alkaline in final ASP formula. It was demonstrated from this research that only two combinations of ASP formulations have led to improved oil recovery. One combination utilizing PYNPs resulted in 39.17% progressive recovery, while the other combination incorporating CSNPs achieved 35% incremental oil recovery. The ASP combination that resulted in recovery rate of 39.17% was composed of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at a concentration of 1.28 wt.%, PSC EOR 2.2 (0.98 wt.%), and a combined polymer consisting of HPAM (0.2 wt.%) and PYNPs nano-starch (0.6 wt.%). The second combination led to 35% recovery rate and involved NaOH also at concentration 1.28 wt.%, PSC HOMF (0.63 wt.%), and a combined polymer comprising from HPAM (0.2 wt.%) and CSNPs nano-starch (0.8 wt.%). These findings of this study highlighted the potential of this modified ASP flooding to enhance oil recovery in mature oilfields, thereby offering valuable insights for oil industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epoxy resin is commonly used in the oil and gas industry due to its excellent toughness, low shrinkage, good adhesive strength, and relatively good thermal resistance. It is used for water shutoff, zonal isolation, cementing, enhanced oil recovery, and preventing leakage in wells. This paper reviews the chemistry aspect of using an epoxy resin system as a sealant to prevent well leakage and it offers insights into the chemistry of the epoxy resin system, as applied in previous studies. The paper also unveils the reasons for the application of this system from the chemistry perspective, allowing this aspect to be better understood. Success in the investigated cases depended on the formulation design. The epoxide and hydroxyl functional groups have been found to contribute substantially to the excellent performance of the sealant system. Furthermore, the amine curing agent triggers the abrupt reaction of the oxirane ring to stabilise when the cured sealant is perfectly applied. Based on the findings, it is suggested that other types of epoxies, namely epoxidised oils, require further study. Finally, in terms of safety and sustainable energy, it is suggested that more curing agent and diluent studies are undertaken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant amounts of oil remain in the reservoir after primary and secondary operations, and to recover the remaining oil, enhanced oil recovery (EOR) can be applied as one of the feasible options remaining nowadays. In this study, new nano-polymeric materials have been prepared from purple yam and cassava starches. The yield of purple yam nanoparticles (PYNPs) was 85%, and that of cassava nanoparticles (CSNPs) was 90.53%. Synthesized materials were characterized through particle size distribution (PSA), Zeta potential distribution, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The performance of PYNPs in recovering oil was better than CSNPs, as found from the recovery experiments. Zeta potential distribution results confirmed the stability of PYNPs over CSNPs (−36.3 mV for PYNPs and −10.7 mV for CSNPs). The optimum concentration for these nanoparticles has been found from interfacial tension measurements and rheological properties, and it was 0.60 wt.% for PYNPs and 0.80 wt.% for CSNPs. A more incremental recovery (33.46%) was achieved for the polymer that contained PYNPs in comparison to the other nano-polymer (31.3%). This paves the way for a new technology for polymer flooding that may replace the conventional method, which depends on partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effect of natural rubber (NR), epoxidised natural rubber (ENR), and core-shell rubber (CSR) as toughening agents for poly(lactic acid) (PLA). PLA/rubber blends were prepared by using melt blending method in a twin-screw extruder, with the content of rubbers was fixed at 5 wt. %. All PLA/rubber blends exhibited lower storage modulus compared to neat PLA. Two-stage storage modulus (E’) was also observed, where the first stage occurred at lower temperature corresponded to the glass transition temperature (Tg) of rubber components, whereas the second E’ corresponded to the Tg of PLA. The impact fracture surface of PLA/rubber blends also exhibited phase-separated morphology where the spherical-shaped rubber particles were clearly present in the PLA matrix.

Polypyrrole (PPy) nanoparticles are reliable conducting polymers with many industrial applications. Nevertheless, owing to disadvantages in structure and morphology, producing PPy with high electrical conductivity is challenging. In this study, a chemical oxidative polymerization-assisted ultra-sonication method was used to synthesize PPy with high conductivity. The influence of critical sonication parameters such as time and power on the structure, morphology, and electrical properties was examined using response surface methodology. Various analyses such as SEM, FTIR, DSC, and TGA were performed on the PPy. An R2 value of 0.8699 from the regression analysis suggested a fine correlation between the observed and predicted values of PPy conductivity. Using response surface plots and contour line diagrams, the optimum sonication time and sonication power were found to be 17 min and 24 W, respectively, generating a maximum conductivity of 2.334 S/cm. Meanwhile, the model predicted 2.249 S/cm conductivity, indicating successful alignment with the experimental data and incurring marginal error. SEM results demonstrated that the morphology of the particles was almost spherical, whereas the FTIR spectra indicated the presence of certain functional groups in the PPy. The obtained PPy with high conductivity can be a promising conducting material with various applications, such as in supercapacitors, sensors, and other smart electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of fluidization assistance can greatly enhance the fluidization hydrodynamics of powders that exhibit poor fluidization behavior. Compared to other assistance techniques, pulsed flow assistance is a promising technique for improving conventional fluidization because of its energy efficiency and ease of process implementation. However, the inlet flow configuration of pulsed flow can significantly affect the bed hydrodynamics. In this study, the conventional single drainage (SD) flow strategy was modified to purge the primary flow during the non-flow period of the pulse to eliminate pressure buildup in the inlet flow line while providing a second drainage path to the residual gas. The bed dynamics for both cases, namely, single drainage (SD) and modified double drainage (MDD), were carefully monitored by recording the overall and local pressure drop transients in different bed regions at two widely different pulsation frequencies of 0.05 and 0.25 Hz. The MDD strategy led to substantially faster bed dynamics and greater frictional pressure drop in lower bed regions with significantly mitigated segregation behavior. The spectral analysis of the local and global pressure transient data in the frequency domain revealed a pronounced difference between the two flow strategies. The application of the MDD inlet flow strategy eliminated the disturbances from the pulsed fluidized bed irrespective of the pulsation frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the world strives for sustainable development, renewable energy emerged as one of the crucial energy resources for daily consumption. Hydrogen is well known as a new renewable source that is clean and regarded to be low cost. Hence, the method to produce hydrogen in the cleanest way is in pursuit. Thermodynamic modelling using Gibbs free energy minimization is widely used in predicting various products including hydrogen. In this study, steam reforming reaction of methane combined with glycerol, a co-product from biodiesel production was performed to determine the hydrogen production trend as well as other possible products (CO, CO2, C, CH4, C2H4 and C2H6. The equilibrium composition was determined at reaction temperatures 573 K-1,273 K, pressure 1-5 bars and molar ratios glycerol-methane-steam (GMS) 1:1:1 - 12:1:1, 1:3:1-1:12:1, 1:1:3 - 1:1:12. The optimum process parameters for H2 production was attained at 1,023 K with 1 bar pressure and the molar ratios for GMS at 1:1:1. It was discovered that greater GMS ratio instantly reduced the formation of hydrogen. The knowledge from the thermodynamic analysis of glycerol-methane steam reforming is a great method to aim for highest hydrogen yield and at the same time lowering the tendency of coking process that could poison the catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bed collapse experiments provide vital information about fluidized bed hydrodynamics. In this study, the region-wise bed collapse dynamics of glass beads, titania (TiO2), and hydrophilic nanosilica (SiO2) particles with widely different voidages (ε) of 0.38, 0.80, and 0.98, respectively, were carefully investigated. These particles belonged to different Geldart groups and exhibited varied hysteresis phenomena and fluidization indices. The local collapse dynamics in the lower, lower-middle, upper-middle, and upper regions were carefully monitored in addition to the distributor pressure drop to obtain greater insight into the deaeration behavior of the bed. While the collapse dynamics of glass beads revealed high bed homogeneity, the upper middle region controlled the collapse process in the case of titania due to the size-based segregation along the bed height. The segregation behavior was very strong for nanosilica, with the slow settling fine agglomerates in the upper bed regions controlling its collapse dynamics. The collapse time of the upper region was 25 times slower than that of the lower region containing mainly large agglomerates. The spectral analysis confirmed the trend that was observed in the pressure transients. The clear presence of high frequency events at 20 and 40 Hz was observed in the nanosilica due to agglomerate movements. The residual air exiting the plenum was strongly affected by the bed voidage, being lowest for the nanosilica and highest for the glass beads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The commercial utilization of bulk nanosilica is widespread in concrete, rubber and plastics, cosmetics and agriculture-related applications, and the market of this product is projected to exceed USD 5 billion by 2025. In this investigation, the local dynamics of a nanosilica bed, excited with sinusoidal acoustic waves of different frequencies, were carefully monitored using sensitive pressure transducers to obtain detailed insights into the effectiveness of sound waves as a means of energy transport inside the bed. The evolution of wave patterns and their frequency and power distributions were examined both in the freeboard and in the static bed. These results were compared with those obtained by using an empty column. The acoustic frequency strongly affected the signal power. The average power of the acoustic signal in the freeboard region was twice higher than that for the empty column, whereas the same (power) ratio decreased to approximately 0.03 inside the bed for 300 Hz. However, at 360 Hz, the power ratio was substantially lower at 0.24 and 0.002 for the freeboard and the granular bed, respectively, thereby indicating tremendous attenuation of acoustic waves in the granular media at all frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, there has been an emphasis on the improvement of novel materials for photocatalytic processes for practical application in treating wastewater. In this sense, the ultrasonic‐assisted in‐situ chemical polymerization route was used to synthesize polypyrrole‐multiwall carbon nanotubes (PPy‐MWCNTs) nanocomposites. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and ultraviolet visible (UV–vis) analysis were employed to study the impact of MWCNTs on the properties of PPy. TEM showed that the PPy‐MWCNTs nanocomposites consist of spherical PPy with 80 nm particle size, while the MWCNTs showed inner and outer diameters of 7 nm and 13 nm, respectively. XRD analysis showed that the crystallinity of the PPy increased with MWCNTs loading. The potential of PPy‐MWCNTs nanocomposites as photocatalysts was evaluated via the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) dyes. The photodegradation efficiency was found to have improved with increasing MWCNTs loading. Almost 99.36% and 78.30% of RhB and MB dye degradation were achieved after 35 min of reaction for the highest loading of MWCNTs. The remarkable nanocomposite photocatalytic activity was attributed to the optical bandgap energy (Eg) reduction with the addition of MWCNTs. These results foreshadow the potential use of the PPy‐MWCNTs nanocomposites for water purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation of the graphene (GN) performance in improving mechanical properties of recycled polypropylene with crosslinkedpolyaniline (rPP-g-PANI) was prepared via ultrasound extrusion. The concentration of GN in the research was varied from 0.5 to 3 phr, while polyaniline (PANI) and dycumil peroxide(DCP) were fixed at 4 wt. % and 1 phr loading, respectively. The morphological structure of the nanocomposites was investigated using fill emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and confirmed a good dispersion of PANI and GN on rPP matrix. The increasing loading of GN has promoted a slight improvement in tensile modulus and tensile strength at 1.5 and 2 phr of GN loadings, respectively. However elongation at break showed a decrease at all PANI loadings due to lack of interfacial addition between PANI/GN particles and the rPP matrix.

Although the world is turning to renewables as a clean alternative source of energy, reliance on oil is expected to continue for more decades. Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is an efficient way to recover oil after implementing initial methods. Alkali–surfactant–polymer flooding (ASP) has acquired much interest together with nano-fluid that involves using nano metallic oxides in EOR. Nanoparticles have proved their effectiveness in reducing interfacial tension at the interface between the oil and water and have been used with water, polymers, surfactants, alkaline, or a mixture of these components. Incremental oil recovery from applying ASP floods has exceeded 20% OOIP, and this is considered promising performance for unlocking oil reserves for many years to come. Despite that, ASP flooding nowadays faces big challenges presented by fluctuating oil prices, scaling and corrosion of the lifting system, and the formation of relatively strong emulsions that need high-cost treatment after oil production. This review emphasizes ASP flooding and the ASP flooding and the implementation of nanoparticles in extracting more oil using different chemical agents and sheds light on improving the recovery ratio. This study also explains the challenges that face each process and the steps that should be taken in order to overcome these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of various molar ratios of monomer (aniline), oxidant (ammonium peroxydisulfate), and dopant (hydrochloric acid) on the polymerization of polyaniline (PANI) were investigated using direct ultrasonic irradiation technique. The effects of varying molar ratio of dopant and oxidant on the structural stability, morphology, and electrical conductivity of the prepared PANI were studied. Firstly, a scheme derived from electrical conductivity point of view, by varying the molar ratio of ammonium peroxydisulfate (APS). As the molar ratio of APS to aniline (ANI) varied from 0.1 to 1.25, the conductivity of PANI reached a maximum of 0.24 S/cm at a ratio of 1. Thereafter, by fixing the optimized molar ratio of APS and aniline the molar ratio of hydrochloric acid (HCl) was varied. The conductivity of PANI increased with an increase of HCl concentration and reached a maximum of 0.5 S/cm at an HCl concentration of 2 M. Finally, the formation mechanism for polymerization of PANI were discussed using Fourier transform infrared spectra, ultraviolet–visible spectra, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction spectroscopy. The final product is in protonated form, possessing structural stability and electrically conductive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polypyrrole (PPy) has unique features such as easy synthesis, environmental stability, and high electrical conductivity (approximately 105 S/cm and even >380 S/cm) for bulk and thin‐film materials. Thus, PPy is applied in numerous well‐established applications, such as in sensors, supercapacitors, and resonators. These applications take advantage of the unique properties achieved through the structure and properties of PPy. This article comprehensively elaborates the methods used to synthesize conductive PPy, along with the important factors affecting its conductivity. Emphasis is given to versatile and basic approaches that enable control of the microstructural features that eventually determine PPy conductivity. Despite the intensive research in this area, no previous study has presented all possible relevant information about PPy fabrication and the important factors influencing its electrical conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ascorbic acid was used for the first time to synthesize cellulose nanoparticles (CNP) extracted from okra mucilage. The physical properties of the CNP including their size distribution, and crystalline structures were investigated. The rheological properties of the cellulose nanofluid (CNF) were compared with the bulk okra mucilage and commercial polymer xanthan. The interfacial properties of the CNF at the interface of oil-water (O/W) system were investigated at different concentrations and temperatures. The effects of the interaction between the electrolyte and ultrasonic were determined. Core flooding experiment was conducted at reservoir condition to justify the effect of the flow behaviour and disperse phase behaviour of CNF on additional oil recovery. The performance of the CNF was compared to conventional EOR chemical. The combined method of ultrasonic, weak-acid hydrolysis and nanoprecipitation were effective in producing spherical and polygonal nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 100 nm, increased yield of 51% and preserved crystallinity respectively. The zeta potential result shows that the CNF was stable, and the surface charge signifies long term stability of the fluid when injected into oil field reservoirs. The CNF, okra and xanthan exhibited shear-thinning and pseudoplastic behaviour. The IFT decreased with increase in concentration of CNF, electrolyte and temperature. The pressure drop data confirmed the stability of CNF at 120°C and the formation of oil bank was enough to increase the oil recovery by 20%. CNF was found to be very effective in mobilizing residual oil at high-temperature high-pressure (HTHP) reservoir condition. The energy and cost estimations have shown that investing in ultrasonic-assisted weak-acid hydrolysis is easier, cost-effective, and can reduce energy consumption making the method economically advantageous compared to conventional methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel sonochemical method has been applied to prepare Polyaniline (PANI) from aniline monomers. PANI was synthesized via ultrasonic irradiation (U.I) by varying the sonication (reaction) time. Surface morphology and electrical conductivity were studied using FESEM and Four-probe conductivity meter and structural properties were examined using FT-IR and UV-VIS. The presence of characteristic bonds of PANI was observed from FTIR spectroscopy technique. The findings of this study reveal the importance of sonication time in shaping the morphology, particle sizes and electrical conductivity of the PANI. The morphology of the generated PANI indicated granular structure. On the other hand, the electrical conductivity of the nanocomposite increased up to 1.78 S/cm at 30 min of sonication and then decreased with further increase in sonication time. Sonochemical synthesis route is a multifaceted technique using which nanostructured materials with different physical and chemical characteristics can by produced. This can be achieved by just varying the treatment condition (e.g., ultrasonic irradiation time, amplitude, temperature) during sonication. Therefore, this study provides the optimized sonication time for PANI synthesis. The output of this research clearly shows that, ultrasonication is a one of the fast, versatile, emerging, and promising non-destructive green technology which still needs to be understood completely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, pharmaceutical compound has been detected in small concentration in our surface and ground water. This detection raises a lot of concern as is it reported that pharmaceutical compound can bring adverse effect to the environment even at low concentration. Besides that, there is a growing fear that this compound will eventually end up in human drinking water, thus effecting human health. This prompt a lot of research on the removal method for this particular compound. Adsorption is seen as the most viable option because of its high efficiency, low cost and it is environmentally friendly. In this study, the adsorbent used is carbon black derived from tyre waste via pyrolysis at 800 °C. The carbon black was treated with 6 M of nitric acid (HNO3) at 90 °C for 0.5 h before being subjected to thermal treatment at 600 °C for 1 h. The response of the adsorption study is the removal of aspirin. There were five adsorption parameters that were varied in this study which are the contact time (until equilibrium), initial pH of aspirin solution (pH 3, pH 7, pH 11), temperature (30, 50, 70 °C), initial concentration (10-100 mg/L) and adsorbent dosage (0.1 g, 0.5 g, 1.0 g). The best removal capacity obtained was 40.40 mg/g of aspirin at pH 3, temperature of 30 °C, 100 mg/L initial concentration and 0.02 g adsorbent dosage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work was aimed at evaluating the characteristics of activated carbons derived from rubber seed shell through physical activation using CO2 for phenol removal. Two activated carbons were obtained at different retention times of 30 min (AC1) and 90 min (AC2) at fixed temperature of 900 °C. Activated carbons were characterized for specific surface area, surface functional groups and morphology. The values of specific surface area were recorded as 852 m²/g and 606 m²/g for AC2 and AC1. AC2 shows a higher phenol removal capacity of 302 mg/g than AC1 (112 mg/g) that is directly related to the specific surface area of activated carbons. The equilibrium data fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm, suggesting monolayer coverage of phenol molecules on the homogeneous surface of activated carbons. The kinetics data obeyed pseudo-first-order model, indicating the external diffusion as the rate-limiting step in adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The effects of natural rubber (NR) on the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanocomposites prepared by melt blending were investigated. A PLA/NR blend and PLA/CNT nanocomposites were also produced for comparison. The tensile strength and Young's modulus of PLA/CNT nanocomposites improved significantly, whereas the impact strength decreased compared to neat PLA. The incorporation of NR into PLA/CNT significantly improved the impact strength and elongation at break of the nanocomposites, which showed approximately 200% and 850% increases at 20 wt % NR, respectively. However, the tensile strength and Young's modulus of PLA/NR/CNT nanocomposites decreased compared to PLA/CNT nanocomposites. The morphology analysis showed the homogeneous dispersion of NR particles in PLA/NR/CNT nanocomposites, while CNTs preferentially reside in the NR phase rather than the PLA matrix. In addition, the incorporation of NR into PLA/CNT lowered the thermal stability and glass-transition temperature of the nanocomposites. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 44344. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have shown that techniques such as microwave-assisted extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, pressurized liquid extraction, and supercritical fluid extraction developed for extraction of valuable components from plants and seed materials have been successfully used to effectively reduce the major shortcomings of the traditional method such as Soxhlet extraction. These include shorter extraction time, increase in yield of extracted components, decrease in solvent consumption, and improvement of the quality of extracts. This review presents a detailed description of the principles and mechanisms of the various extraction techniques for better understanding and summarizes the potential of these techniques in the extraction of oil from plants and seed materials. Discussions on some of the parameters affecting the extraction efficiency are also highlighted, with special emphasis on supercritical fluid extraction. A comparison of the performance of traditional Soxhlet extraction with that of other extraction techniques is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review presents recent research advances in defining the curing and thermal characteristics, mechanical properties and appropriate processing techniques of thermoset resin derived from vegetable oils. Vegetable oil is the latest alternative found to replace the dependence on petroleum-based synthetic resin. Petroleum based resin reinforced with synthetic fiber composite is unbiodegradable, cannot be reused and recycled. Thus, it is very valuable to replace the dependance petroleum based resin to renewable source which contributes to green environment. However, biocomposites synthesized from vegetable oil-based resin matrix, reinforced with natural fiber, have some limitations. The properties are differentiated based on the type of vegetable oil. Modifying the fatty acid chain and applying nanoclay in composites as filler, helps to improve some properties due to the addition of vegetable oil in the resin system. Within this contribution, special emphasis was placed on a broad-brush approach over the potential opportunities concerning the use of renewable feedstock, such as modification of soybean oil, linseed oil, and nahar oil in thermoset resin. This review is focusing on investigating the approaches that have been proposed to produce bioresin and bio-based nanocomposites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of incorporating montmorillonite (MMT) on the mechanical, morphological, rheological, and thermal properties of recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (rPET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) nanocomposites. The MMT contents in 90:10 rPET/HDPE and 70:30 rPET/HDPE ranged from 1 to 5 wt.%. rPET/HDPE nanocomposites were prepared by using a single screw extruder, and injection molded to prepare mechanical test specimens. The samples underwent rheological tests by using a capillary rheometer, and the morphology of the nanocomposites was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermal stability of the nanocomposites was tested using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed that MMT acts as compatibilizing agent and improves phase dispersion and interfacial adhesion in the nanocomposites. The maximum tensile strength was found at 3 and 1 wt.% of MMT for the 90:10 and 70:30 rPET/HDPE blends. However, the tensile modulus decreased significantly with the incorporation of MMT. The impact strength for both the 90:10 and 70:30 blends reached a maximum at 3 wt.% and started to decrease beyond 3 wt.%. The incorporation of MMT increased the shear viscosity of the 90:10 and 70:30 blends, which reached a maximum value at 3 and 1 wt.%. SEM micrographs showed a good interaction of MMT that improved the adhesion between the two phases of blends and led to an increase in the mechanical properties of rPET/HDPE nanocomposites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of incorporation of maleic anhydride grafted acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS-g-MAH) on rheological properties of PA6/ABS blends. Flow properties of the blends were examined by dynamic and capillary rheometers. The dynamic rheological analyses showed an increase in complex viscosity with the incorporation of a compatibilizer. The reduction of tan δ peaks showed enhanced interfacial interaction between PA6 and ABS phase, which resulted in the enhancement of melt strength. The power law index analysis showed that 1.5 wt.% resulted in minimumnand maximumKvalue for the blends while still retaining the pseudoplastics behavior necessary for plastics processing and prediction for the end use performance of the PA6/ABS blends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]