Search

Materials and colloids science can provide significant contributions to the conservation of Cultural Heritage. Hybrid systems made of a castor oil-derived polymeric network and a disperse phase of zinc oxide particles (ZnO/COPs) can be more effective absorbers of acetic acid (AcOH, a major pollutant harmful to artifacts in museums and art collections) than state-of-the-art materials, provided the acid uptake mechanism by the hybrids is elucidated and optimized. The starting hypothesis was that the polymer matrix might act as transporter, while acid adsorption would take place at the ZnO particles surface. The effect of particles size was expected to play a significant role.The adsorption kinetics of the hybrids were studied in the 23-45˚C range, in comparison with activated charcoal, the benchmark employed by conservators. Morphological and fractal dimension of ZnO micro- and nano-particles in the hybrid networks were investigated and correlated to the adsorption kinetics.The presence of a two-steps mechanism for AcOH uptake by the hybrids was demonstrated for the first time: a combination of Fickian diffusion and Case-II transport occurs in the COP matrix, and adsorption dominates acid uptake (followed by neutralization) at the particles surface. This mechanism is likely key to explain the enhanced performances of the hybrids vs activated charcoal and state-of-the-art tools to remove AcOH. The hybrids have high uptake capacity, and lower activation energies for the removal process than materials where the uptake of acid relies solely on adsorption. The size of the ZnO particles contributes to the process, i.e. nanoparticles form smaller and ramified fractal clusters that are able to adsorb AcOH more effectively than microparticles. These insights demonstrated the efficacy of the novel hybrids in art conservation, where the control of minimal concentrations of VOCs is crucial for the preventive conservation of masterpieces, and can be useful to other fields where efficient capture of acetic acid is critical (food industry, textile dyeing/printing, etc.).

The aim of this study to find out the role of biomaterial cross carmellose sodium and Eudragit s100 is to control the drug release drug dosage form into a particular site, colon, which is part of large intestine. The drug Budesonide was used as a model drug. In this study nine formulations (F1-F9) were prepared using different concentration of polymer, cross carmellose Sodium and all were evaluated as per standard parameters, and found as per prescribed standards. All formulation were pursued for coating process using Eudragit S100 as a polymer and different excipients like castor oil act as a plasticizer, talc as anti-agglomerative agent. All the formulation showed significant role in gastric media, i.e. 0.1 NHCl does not release the drug in in GI fluids for 2 h. Most of the formulation has given their release above 90% but F4 has given its release 99.4 in 36 h in colon part of large intestine. It shows a sustained and constant release performance till next 36 h which showing the best release among all formulation.

The present work involves turning AISI 4340 with carbide insert under three cooing/ lubrication environments (dry condition, MQL condition, MQSL condition) to recognize the sustainable cooling or lubrication technology. Machining performance is evaluated by analyzing energy consumption, carbon emission, tool wear, and surface roughness. Two cutting speeds (100 and 140 m/min), a fixed feed rate (0.5 mm/rev), and depth of cut (0.5 mm) are used for the experiments. For MQL machining, castor oil is selected, and for MQSL, Molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) dispersed in sunflower oil is used as a lubricant mixture. From experimentation, the tool wear value under MQSL is the lowest compared to the other two cooling/lubrication conditions. In addition, when compared to dry conditions, the value of surface roughness for MQL is minimum, but it is found marginally higher when compared with MQSL condition. The results show that the MQSL condition is more effective than the other two conditions with enhanced machining performance.

Polyoxyethylene glycerol ricinoleate (PGR) serves as a solubilizer/emulsifier that is commonly used in pharmaceutical formulations despite being associated with severe anaphylactoid hypersensitivity reactions. Cremophor EL® (CrEL) is the most representative PGR produced from reacting ethylene oxide with castor oil. To help clarify the cause of side effects and potentially improve the safety of PGR-based drug delivery vehicle, we have developed separate but related analytical methods for the quantitation of CrEL and its main metabolites, glycerol ethoxylate (GE) and ricinoleic acid (RA). Since CrEL and GE are highly disperse mixtures of polymers that are not amenable to analysis by conventional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), we used liquid chromatography-triple-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF MS) combined with product ion data acquisition by MSALL and sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragments mass spectrometry (SWATH MS), respectively to perform the analysis. In contrast, RA is a single molecular entity that could be readily analyzed using conventional LC-HR MS/MS. Selection of specific fragment ions for CrEL, GE, RA and their internal standards enabled a precise quantitation of such a complex analytes system in rat plasma after a single and simple sample preparation method. Assay validation indicated linearity for CrEL, GE and RA over the concentration ranges 0.2~20.0 μg/mL, 0.1~10.0 μg/mL and 0.1~20.0 μg/mL, respectively with satisfactory results for other validation parameters. A subsequent pharmacokinetic study involving single intravenous 200 mg/kg injections of CrEL to rats showed the methods enable comprehensive and high throughput quantitation of CrEL and its metabolites in a biological matrix. Our combination of assays provides effective application in investigating the cause of the hypersensitivity reaction of PGR and potentially to improve its safety for using as a vehicle in drug formulations.

Composites that use natural fibers as reinforcement have generated great interest in the industrial and scientific community due to the need for materials that present environmental responsibility and are economically viable. This work aimed to develop and establish a comparative analysis of the mechanical properties and physical characteristics between a castor oil based polyurethane resin composites reinforced with fibrous bamboo residue and a commercial Oriented Strand Board (OSB), in which where determined the technical issues of using these composites as OSB panels. Bamboo fibers used were obtained as a residue from a barbecue sticks industry. Composites were made with 20 and 40% volume fraction of continuous and aligned bamboo fiber. The density, moisture absorption, and mechanical strength of the composites were tested and compared with the commercial OSB. The composites not only presented mechanical performance superior to the commercial OSB, surpassing 1000 J/m, 85 MPa and 4.4 GPa for impact resistance, flexural strength, and flexural elastic modulus, respectively, but also fulfilled the standard requirements, while the commercial OSB, failed in most of the observed standards criteria. In addition, the developed materials contribute to a sustainable environment by using both bamboo waste and castor oil based polyurethane resin in a composite material.

Recently, the increasing demands of the portable devices and flexible electronics have caused lots of electromagnetic wave pollution. MXene, a novel two-dimensional material, was considered as a promising two-dimensional material for preparing flexible electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding films. Herein, we firstly synthesized a series of flexible and self-healable EMI shielding waterborne polyurethane (ADWPU) films by mechanically blending with Ti3C2Tx (ADWPU-T). Interestingly, the self-assembling between ADWPU and Ti3C2Tx constructed a tunable analogical structure providing reflection-absorption-multiple reflection shielding mechanism. Furthermore, the ADWPU-T emulsions were prepared from castor oil which is a low-cost and eco-friendly biomass polyol. The chain extender 2-aminophenyl disulfide endow a reversible dynamic polymer network which leading to shape memory performance (45 °C heat treatment) and self-healing ability (60 °C, 5 min healed). Above all, these multifunctional flexible films also exhibited outstanding EMI shielding performance (51.37 dB) and performed less decrement after 200 times bending and 80 °C aging test for five days. Therefore, this work would provide a novel promising method for preparing responsive electromagnetic interference shielding products and smart electronic devices.

The Brazilian as well as the global energy matrix is still mostly supported by non-renewable energy sources such as oil. However, the national energy scenario has a much higher renewable share, and this behavior is largely due to the fact that the country has abundant renewable resources. The immediate availability of renewable grease in Brazil fell on soybeans, the main Brazilian agricultural crop. However, reliance on a single source, whose oil yield per planted area is low (approximately 500 kg/ha), led to the need for alternative sources with higher energy density. Thus, this work sought to obtain biodiesel through frying oil mixed with castor oil in order to obtain biofuel with adequate physicochemical properties and reducing dependence on soybean oil. The physicochemical analyzes, as well as statistical tests revealed that among the obtained indexes, the acidity and the viscosity were above the value established by the National Petroleum Agency (ANP), while for the iodine index a positive effect of the addition of castor oil was registered, indicating effectiveness regarding the strategy used. The value of the acidity index with the addition of castor oil to the frying oil was 0.49 mg KOHg−1 and the viscosity value was equal to 7,02 mm2/s which was within the norms established by ANP, EU and ASTM. The value of the iodine index was 108.3 g/100 g of iodine, remaining within the EU standard, while without the addition of castor oil these two indices were not within the mentioned standards.

A novel kind of fully bio-based PSAs were obtained through the curing reaction between two components derived from the plant oils: carboxyl-terminated polyricinoleate (PRA) from the castor oil and epoxidized soybean oil (ESO). The gel content, glass transition temperature (Tg), rheological behavior, tensile strength, creep resistance and 180° peel strength of the PSAs were feasibly tailored by adjusting the component ratio of ESO to PRA. At low cross-linking level, the PSAs behaved like a viscous liquid and did not possess enough cohesiveness to sustain the mechanical stress during peeling. The PSAs cross-linked at or near the optimal stoichiometric conditions displayed an adhesive (interfacial) failure between the substrate and the adhesive layer, which were associated with the lowest adhesion levels. The PSAs with the dosage amount of ESO ranging from 10∼20 wt% were tacky and flexible, which exhibited 180° peel strength ranging from 0.4∼2.3 N/cm; and could be easily removed without any residues on the adherend. The process for the preparation of the fully bio-based PSAs was environmentally friendly without using any organic solvent or other toxic chemical, herein showing the great potential as sustainable materials.

As world is gone up against with double emergency of oil fuel exhaustion and ecological debasement, more prominent utilization of oil powers, high import cost of diesel and oil, expanded contamination has made biodiesel an appealing elective fuel to fulfill the future vitality needs. Biodiesel is an option in contrast to oil diesel, perfect, natural well-disposed and biodegradable fuel. As country is confronting a deficiency of eatable oil, it would not be practical to create biodiesel by palatable oils. Castor oil is non-eatable oil in this manner it opened a decent chance to think about its appropriateness to deliver castor biodiesel. The serious issue with castor oil was its consistency, which makes poor fuel atomization; carbon stores arrangement issues in the customary diesel motor. An outstanding base transesterification strategy was utilized for castor biodiesel creation utilizing methanol and NaOH. The fuel properties of castor biodiesel mix i.e. esterified castor oil in addition with petrol were studied and compared with petro diesel. In earlier studies mixing of biodiesel with diesel in various extents, for example, B10, B20, B30 were tried in diesel motor. In this present work, a test examination has been done in a single cylinder diesel engine at a consistent speed of 1500 rpm from zero load to 50% load to assess the performance qualities of esterified castor oil with petrol as biodiesel blends in three different proportionate.

A series of cotton-nylon (CN) hybrid fibre polymer composites with varying castor oil as a crosslinker were prepared conventional wet hand-layup technique followed by vacuum bagging using an anhydride-based curing agent. The prepared composites have been assessed for mechanical and thermal behaviours. The Tensile strength, tensile modulus, percentage elongation at break, impact and flexural strength of these composites are evaluated are as per ASTM methods. The thermal attributes of the composites have been analysed by utilizing DMA. Results revealed that composites exhibited promising results with increase in fibre content. In addition, the composites prepared with castor oil also exhibited better results compared to the composites prepared without castor oil. The tensile Strength of the composite with 15 wt% of CN fibres in the presence of castor oil was found to be 35.98 N/mm2 and 38.32 N/mm2. Thermal behaviours of oil based composites were investigated by dynamic mechanical analyser (DMA). The glass transition (Tg) temperature and storage modulus of castor oil based composites shown higher results than composites prepared without castor oil.

Metalworking fluids are widely used to increase productivity and quality of metal cutting. However, these metalworking fluids possesses the problems in terms of the effect on environment and health of the worker. Hence, various approaches to provide cooling and lubrication are explored such as mist cooling, high-pressure cooling, minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), nano fluids, solid lubricants, etc. In this regards, the present work exhibits the performance evaluation of vegetable-based minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) in drilling of aluminium alloy. This drilling tests have been performed in different cutting environments such as Dry, flood cooling, MQL with castor oil, MQL with sunflower oil with uncoated HSS twist drill. The effect of various drilling parameters have been analysed by measuring surface roughness, axial thrust, and torque produced. The comparison of results indicates effectiveness of the vegetable-based MQL in terms improved surface finish and reduction in axial thrust and torque during drilling.

Our study aimed to prepare nanoemulsions coated with alginate/Aloe vera gel (A/AV) for oral insulin delivery. Uncoated nanoemulsions were prepared by homogenization of water in oil in water (w/o/w) multiple emulsions that were composed of castor oil (emulsifier). Coating of the nanoemulsions was achieved based on ionic gelation method, with sequential addition of calcium chloride and Aloe vera gel (AV) to the bulk nanoemulsion dispersion that contained alginate. The particle size of the coated nanoemulsions was about 400 nm and the insulin entrapment ratio was 47.3%. In vitro leakage study indicated well-preserved integrity of the nanoemulsions in simulated gastric juices. In conclusion, the nanoemulsion coated with alginate/Aloe vera gel (A/AV) was a potential delivery system for oral delivery of polypeptides and proteins. Feasibility of this nanoemulsion for oral delivery of insulin (model peptide) is investigated in Caco-2 cell line using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide viability assay. The cell culture results for translocation of insulin across the cell monolayer are very promising (20%–25% increase), and animal studies are actively under progress and will be published separately in near future.

In this study, friction and wear analysis of castor oil-based biodiesel was conducted. The B0, B100, B10, B20 and B50 are the samples considered for the test. The test was performed on pin-on-disc machine at different loads 40 N and 100 N. The sliding speed of 150 rpm was considered constant and ambient temperature was taken during the analysis. It has been observed that the coefficient of friction increases with the applied load. The diesel was taken as the reference oil. The diesel (B0) shows more coefficient of friction and wear at both the loads. The minimum coefficient of friction and less wear of the surface was obtained at 100% biodiesel (B100). The increment of biodiesel blends showed better results in reducing friction, and wear of the parts during their sliding contact. Biodiesel is having better lubricity as compared to diesel and could be implemented in the diesel engine as a lubricant in near future.

Biodiesel has got a great demand these days due to the depletion of fossil fuels. As they are green and also have the most similar characteristics of diesel, biodiesels are claimed to be the best alternative of diesel. It has always offered the best option when it comes to emissions, despite having a bit of lower performance. Production of biodiesel from edible oil doesn't seem to be economical nowadays due to its cost. This makes the individual give the non-edible oil such as castor oil, jatropha, rubber seed oil etc. much more importance than the edible oils. Sea mangos, which are also known as Cerbera Manghas or Cerbera Odollam are also considered to be a non-edible fruit found mostly in the areas of Marquesas islands and Hawaii. Though a large study has been conducted on different types of biodiesel derived from various feedstocks, only limited research has been on the biodiesel obtained from sea mango. This paper presents a detailed evaluation of the production of biodiesel from sea mango oil and its performance.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), castor oil (CO), and recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (rPET), were used to add value to renewable raw materials and to a recycled polymer produced worldwide, producing mats composed of fibers on the nano- and submicrometric (ultrathin) scales through a sustainable process. Bio-based electrospun mats composed of aligned (rotary collector) and nonaligned (static collector) nanofibers/ultrathin fibers were produced from the electrospinning of solutions prepared from rPET (mixed with CO, CNCs, or CNCs/CO). The contact angle results showed that the CNC mat surfaces composed of nonaligned fibers were hydrophilic, and in contrast, these surfaces were hydrophobic when composed of aligned fibers. Among the mats composed of nonaligned fibers, PET/CO/CNC exhibited storage and Young's moduli approximately eleven and ten times, respectively, better than those of neat rPET. The PET/CO/CNC mat showed both modulus and tensile strength values higher than those of PET/CNC, when characterized in the preferential direction of fiber alignment. Electrospun mats were obtained from environmentally sound raw materials with diversified properties, which were modulated by the type of collector used, as well as whether CO and CNC were mixed with rPET, and have the potential for use in applications such as membrane separation processes and biomedical applications.

A recent trend in the processing of difficult-to-machine materials is the replacement of traditional coolants with vegetable oil, which is environmentally friendly. In this study, a new type of blended coolant that is suitable for minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) was developed by leveraging the mutual solubility of castor oil and ethanol. The physicochemical properties of the blended coolant and its effects on cutting vibration, surface hardness, surface roughness and tool wear mechanism under different working conditions were studied. Turning experiments on AISI 304 steel under dry cutting, flood cutting, vegetable oil (castor oil) minimum quantity lubrication (VMQL), 95 % ethanol MQL (EMQL), and blended coolant MQL (BMQL) conditions were conducted using a coated carbide tool. Among all the cooling methods tested, the minimum vibration in the axial and radial axis directions occurred in the BMQL, with vibration intensity reductions of 2.46 % and 3.38 %, respectively. Furthermore, the tool wear and changes in the matrix material surface hardness were the smallest under the BMQL, and the surface roughness decreased by 4.50 % or more. The average wear, VB, of the flank face decreased by more than 7.72 %. The blended coolant proved to be more conducive to cooling for cutting processes under MQL.

Waste tire rubber is produced on a large scale in the automotive industry and is considered difficult to recycle because they have iron, nylon, polyester, and chemical structure formed by cross-links. In this way, the waste is almost always deposited in inappropriate places or incorrectly burned, causing a series of environmental problems. The objective of this work was to analyze the viability of the use of waste tire rubber (5, 10, and 20% m/m) reinforced in polyurethane foam (PU) derived from castor oil to obtain composites, as an alternative for raw materials petrochemical industrial. The materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical microscopy (OM), apparent density, contact angle, water absorption, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), spectroscopy infrared (FTIR), thermogravimetry (TGA) techniques, and mechanical tests. The results showed that the residue of the rubber powder reinforced with polyurethane caused an increase in the density of the composites when compared to pure PU, which directly influenced the morphological, physical, thermal, and mechanical properties. This fact occurred because with the insertion of rubber powder in the PU there was a decrease in cell size and increase of pore volume. The TG and DTG analyzes showed that the insertion of the rubber powder improved the thermal stability of the composite when compared to pure PU, as well as impact tests and contact angle.

This study was focussed on developing polysaccharide based nanoemulsion (P-NE) encapsulating curcumin. Two different carrier oil, olive and castor oil, and various polysaccharides like, levan, fucoidan, alginate, guar gum and κ-carrageenan were evaluated for their entrapment efficiency for curcumin. The prepared nanoemulsions with fucoidan and κ-carrageenan were found to have relatively better properties than nanoemulsions prepared with Tween 20. The lowest particle size after ultrasonication was observed when fucoidan was employed as emulsifying agent. Rheological and thermodynamic analyses confirmed better stability of P-NE. Additionally, encapsulation efficiency (EE) of polysaccharides was comparable to Tween 20 with κ-carrageenan exhibiting significantly higher EE than Tween 20. Synergistic increase in the antioxidant potential of the P-NE containing curcumin was also noteworthy. The structural interaction for the observation was proven by FT-IR analysis. The study, first of its kind, was able to evaluate efficiency of different polysaccharides for emulsification of curcumin, without the use of any coemulsifier.

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-11T21:11:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-07-01 Oligo Basics USA, LLC (Cary, NC) North Carolina Agricultural Foundation, Inc. (Raleigh, NC) USDA-NIFA Project Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of functional oils containing cashew nutshell and castor oil on turkey performance and intestinal morphology. In experiment 1, 585 hatchlings were randomly placed in 15 replicate floor pens, (13 poults/pen) with recycled litter and provided feed and water ad libitum. Birds were randomly assigned to 3 dietary treatments from 1 to 12 wk: nonmedicated control, 0.15% functional oils, and 66-ppm monensin. From wk 13 to 20, each initial treatment group was further divided into 3 treatments-control (no additive), 0.15% of functional oils, or 20 ppm of virginiamycin to produce 9 different treatments, 5 replicate pens per treatment. Data on feed weights were collected weekly, and body weight bi-weekly. At termination (20 wk), birds were euthanized, and their meat was processed to determine mass of carcass sections and meat quality, while intestinal samples were collected for histology. In experiment 1, toms fed monensin or functional oils were 10.5 and 4.5% heavier (P < 0.05), respectively, than the controls at 12 wk. Birds fed monensin had a 4% improvement (P < 0.05) in feed conversion as compared to the other treatments. Neither virginiamycin nor the functional oils affected bird performance when fed from 13 to 20 wk. The jejunum villi surface area at 3 wk was most enhanced (P < 0.05) for the poults fed monensin. Supplementation with functional oils significantly reduced leg yield and thiobarbituric-acid reactive substances of white meat after 7 D of storage (P < 0.05). There were no effects on performance or carcass characteristics in experiment 2. While additional confirmatory studies are needed, functional oils in the diet of turkey toms may be a viable alternative to antibiotic growth promotants. NCSU, Prestage Dept Poultry Sci, Raleigh, NC 27695 USA Sao Paulo State Univ, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil ARS, USDA, Market Qual & Handling Res Unit, Raleigh, NC 27695 USA Oligo Basics USA LLC, Cary, NC 27519 USA Sao Paulo State Univ, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil USDA-NIFA Project: NC06343

The effect of the mechanical mixing for Pd/H-ZSM-5 and Pd/γ-Al2O3 catalysts over different concentrations (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 wt. % as base Pd/H-ZSM-5 catalyst) was investigated in the hydrotreating of castor oil at different reaction temperatures (340, 360 and 380 °C). The presence of H-ZSM-5 increased the specific area of the final catalyst. Consequently, a higher Pd dispersion was observed. The above allowed a higher transformation of the castor oil into gas and atmpospheric distillates (

Aim of the study: 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) can’t be given orally because of very low bioavailability and produces serious adverse effects. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to develop, evaluate, and comparative effects by different nanoformulations of topical application on chemoprevention of skin cancer in different types of skin. Material and methods: Castor oil (oil), Transcutol HP (surfactant), and Polyethylene glycol (PEG)–400 (co-surfactant) have taken on the basis of nonionic property and highest nanoemulsion (NE)-region. Aqueous micro titration method with ultra-sonication method (based on high energy) was used for the preparation of 5-FU-NE. Optimized-5-FU-NE was stable thermodynamically, and their characterizations was performed on the basis of globule size, zeta potential, refractive index, and viscosity. Optimized-NE has been converted into 5-FU-NE-Gel with the help of Carbopol® 934 and also performed their permeation studies in the different skins (cow, goat, and rat, ex vivo) using Logan transdermal diffusion cell (DHC-6T). Optimized-5-FU-NE and 5-FU-NE-Gel were evaluated cytotoxic studies (in vitro) on the melanoma cell lines. Results: The permeation of 5-FU from 5-FU-NE-Gel nanoformulation for rat skin model was 1.56 times higher than the 5-FU-NE and 12.51 times higher than the 5-FU-S for the cow and goat skin model. The values of steady state flux and permeability coefficient for 5-FU-NE-Gel of rat skin were higher i.e. 12.0244 ± 1.12 µgcm−2h−1 and 1.2024 ± 0.073 × 10−2 µg cm−2h−1, respectively. Optimized-5-FU-NE and 5-FU-NE-Gel nanoformulation were found to be physically stable. SK-MEL-5 cancer cells have showed the results based on cytotoxicity studies (in vitro) that 5-FU as Optimized-5-FU-NE-Gel is much more efficacious than 5-FU-NE followed by free 5-FU. Localization of 5-FU from 5-FU-NE-Gel was higher with higher permeation in rat skin. Conclusion: 5-FU-NE-Gel is found to be for the better to treatment of cutaneous malignancies. It can be developed 5-FU-NE-Gel could be a promising vehicle for the skin cancer chemoprevention. Keywords: 5-Fluorouracil, Nanoemulsion, Nanoemulsion-gel, Different skin permeation, chemoprevention, Cytotoxic activity, Local accumulation efficiency, Transdermal delivery

In the present study, hybrid bio-support catalyst (BSC) has been prepared for the production of biodiesel from Castor oil. Lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia has been immobilized on a hybrid bio-support material (BSM) by entrapment method and characterized. The highest immobilized lipase activity and loading efficiency were 87.28 (U/g) and 55.2%, respectively. The composition of Castor oil expelled from Castor seeds evaluated through Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) technique. GCMS spectra show the percentage composition of ricinoleic, linoleic, oleic, stearic, palmitic, and nonanoic acid, as 78.67, 9.62, 6.65, 1.53, 2.19, and 0.08, respectively. Optimized conditions for the transesterification of Castor oil with propan-2-ol as acyl acceptor in solvent free medium were, 10% immobilized lipase relying on oil-weight, molar ratio of alcohol to oil (6:1) at 50 ± 1 °C for the period of 24 h. The product yield was estimated as 75% while the calculated conversion of biodiesel was approximately 78%. The reusability of hybrid BSC for 12 runs was found to be 70% of its initial biodiesel yield after 6 cycles. The properties of oil and biodiesel were calculated using American Standards for Testing Material (ASTM) D6751; formation of biodiesel confirmed by Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis.

Nowadays, energy consumption is growing increasingly in all sectors due to population growth and lifestyle enhancement. The increase in demand of petroleum-based fuels depends on need for energy consumption. The decreasing characterization of petroleum fuels and the growing nature of energy consumption have led to the researchers for finding alternative source of energy. Considering this, the use of alternative fuels such as biodiesel can be one of the possible solutions for future energy demand. The production of biodiesel is yet another solution for researchers in this context. Biodiesel is a non-toxic, biodegradable and renewable fuel which can be produced from animal fats, edible oils and their wastes by applying different methodologies. Contrary to the benefits, the cost of feedstock is the biggest disadvantage of biodiesel. Though it has the nature of the food, castor oil can be used as a feedstock for biodiesel production. This review paper has presented a detailed overview of castor oil, the physicochemical properties of castor oil and its biodiesel, the performance, emission and combustion characteristics of the castor oil biodiesel used diesel engine. The results of the review showed that the production of biodiesel from castor oil is possible, and literature observations have resulted in comparable fuel properties, engine performance and emission parameters with those of diesel.

Polyurethane (PU) nanocomposites were fabricated using renewable castor oil and 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate. The modified Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs), as well as Clay (Closite 30B), was used as fillers for hybridizing the nanocomposites. The clay percentage was varied from (1–5) wt % and MWCNTs was varied from (0.05–0.2) wt % for the PU nanocomposite. The prepared nanocomposites were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). FTIR analysis confirmed the formation of polyurethane linkages as well as the presence of peaks corresponding to clay and MWCNTs, which indicates the good dispersion of hybridizing filler content. Also, the results obtained further confirmed the presence of detangled nanotubes in TEM images for nanocomposites. The addition of filler content will lead to enhancement in the properties of polyurethane nanocomposites.

This paper deals with an experimental study of a constant speed diesel engine for various blends of castor oil and pure diesel on the performance parameters of a diesel engine. The diesel engine with constant compression ratio (i.e. 18) is used with blend of pure diesel and castor oil (10%, 20%, 30% and 40%). Results indicate that the blend C20D80 gives higher indicated power than that of diesel by 550 W. It has also been observed that IMEP of C20D80 is higher than that of diesel by 1.18 bar and 0.7 bar at no-load condition and full load condition respectively. The brake thermal efficiency of blend C40D60 is higher as compared to pure diesel by 0.15% at 50% of engine load and by 0.17% at 100% of engine load respectively. Brake specific fuel consumption has higher value for blend C20D80 at engine load of 0 to 25%. It is observed that the blend C20D80 produces best results among all blends and close to pure diesel for performance parameters of a diesel engine.

The objective of the study is to investigate the friction and wear characteristics of the castor oil with TiO2 as an additive. Effect of sliding speed on the wear of the pin was assessed. The nanoparticles are added to the base castor oil in the ratio 0.1% to 0.2%. The 0.2% nanoparticles concentration shows minimum COF which further gets increased on 0.3% concentration. In terms of wear rate, minimum wear of the pin occurs at 0.2% concentration. The maximum COF and wear was observed at lower sliding speed. At higher speed with increase in sliding speed, COF and wear gets reduces.

Guar gum was hydrophobically modified by microwave assisted condensation with dimer acid (DA, a dimer of ricinoleic acid derived from castor oil) under “green” conditions. The condensation product (HMG) was then blended with polyvinyl alcohol and cast into films abbreviated as HMGF (hydrophobically modified guar gum film). FTIR and UV–visible spectroscopies, X-ray diffractometry, swelling, permeability and tensile strength measurements were used to evaluate the properties of HMG and HMGF. HMGF exhibits optimal mechanical strength with UV protective effect and restricted entry of chemical contaminants. HMGF could be easily disposed by burying in soil. HMGF may be a potential eco-friendly food packaging material.

Polyurethane foams (PU), are found in various industrial and domestic applications due to their high energy absorption and sound absorption properties, especially in shock absorbers and noise control problems. This study investigates the effect of silica gel as additive filler in castor oil-based PU foam and its mechanical and acoustical properties are evaluated. Three different loading of 5%, 10%, and 15% silica gel is used as filler. For mechanical properties, the compression test is carried out. As the percentage of filler increases, the rigidity of the foam increases. The acoustical properties of the sample are tested using the two-microphone impedance tube method. Raw PU foams are seen to exhibit a reasonable sound absorption only in higher frequencies. The results show that the sound absorption coefficient of 10% filler PU foam has comparatively better sound absorption capabilities throughout all frequencies, ranging from 200 Hz to 4000 Hz, that it is exposed to. This can be attributed to the optimum number of voids present, compared to the highest number in 15% (high porosity) and lowest in 5%. The results show that the addition of silica gel up to a certain extent enhances both, the mechanical as well as acoustic properties.

Castor cake is a major by-product generated after castor oil extraction and has been widely used as an organic fertilizer. Once applied to soil, a toxic alkaloid ricinine in castor cake may be released into soils and subsequently taken up by crops, which poses a potential threat to food safety and human health. However, the environmental fate of castor cake derived ricinine in agroecosystems remains unclear. In this study, the release and metabolism of ricinine in soils were conducted using soil pot experiments with different castor cake application rates. The analytical methodology of ricinine quantification in soil pore water was first established using solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled with liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF/MS). A non-target screening workflow associated with LC-QTOF/MS and SIRIUS platform was further developed to identify ricinine metabolites in soil pore water. After castor cake application, the ricinine concentrations in soil pore water significantly increased to 297-7990 μg L

We examined the rheological and tribological behavior of novel formulations based on castor oil and epoxidized cellulose pulp intended for use as biodegradable lubricating greases. Epoxidized cellulose pulp was found to thicken castor oil to a variable extent depending on its modification degree and the epoxide compound. Greases were subjected to small-amplitude oscillatory shear tests, evaluating the temperature-dependence of the plateau modulus. In addition, friction coefficient and wear were determined in a steel–steel ball-on-three-plates tribological configuration, at two different temperatures (25 and 95 °C), generally obtaining smaller values of both parameters when using aromatic diepoxides instead of aliphatic to modify the cellulose pulp.

Cutting fluid is indispensable in the machining industry as a fluid for lubrication and cooling in the metalworking process due to their ability to significantly improve various properties of cutting fluid. Castor oil, as a common base oil and additive in cutting fluid, can be grafted onto the surface of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) to further enhance the lubricating properties of cutting fluid. It has been shown that cellulose nanocrystals and castor oil modified cellulose nanocrystals (CO-CNC) as additives in cutting fluid have good dispersion stability and can effectively improve the lubricating properties. When the amount of CNC or CO-CNC was added in the working fluid at about 0.5 wt%, the friction coefficient was significantly reduced. According to the results from this study, cellulose nanocrystal is a promising candidate as the nontoxic and renewable additive for the improvement of diverse performances for the water-based cutting fluid.

The new technology can however be incorporated in conventional machine tools in order to minimize cost of new equipment. In present work, the effect of magnetic abrasive powder and castor oil mixture in magnetic abrasive finishing process is investigated. The lower concentration of lubricating oil results in higher heat accumulation which further decreased the cutting efficiency due to blunting action of abrasives. On the other hand, the larger quantity of lubricating oil prevents blunting which resulted in higher cutting efficiency.

Castor oil has been widely used as raw material to obtain compounds such as paints, solvents, rubbers, polyurethane polymers and chemical inputs. Then, one highlighted route is thermal cracking of castor oil to produce bio-oil, mainly composed of heptaldehyde and methyl undecenoate, which are used as precursors of lactones in the food and beverage industry. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the separation heptaldehyde and methyl undecenoate by distillation of bio-oil from thermal cracking of the methyl esters in castor oil (MECO). Distilled fractions were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC). Thus, it was possible to concentrate the fractions of heptaldehyde and methyl undecenoate in a section with a distillation system at atmospheric pressure with a distillation rate of 5.0 mL min-1 at 270 °C, which motivates new researches for up-scaling of the process.

Owing to the discovery of a less soluble crystalline form (form 2) of cyclosporine (CsA), risks in solubility and physical stability of these formulations need to be revisited. This work focused on understanding the solubility behavior of various CsA forms in different media, including water, castor oil, and selected cosolvent micellar systems. In water, form 2 was approximately 8-9 times less soluble than form 1 (aka. tetragonal dihydrate). In neat nonaqueous solvent, for example, castor oil, form 3 (aka. orthorhombic hydrate) was found to have the lowest solubility and therefore the most stable form. In addition, the solubility-temperature relationship of CsA is complex and solvent-dependent. In aqueous vehicles, retrograde temperature dependence of solubility was observed in aqueous vehicles, that is, the solubility of CsA decreased with temperature, which was attributed to the effect of temperature on the strength of hydrogen bonding interactions; conversely, the solubility of CsA increased with temperature in nonaqueous solvents. In addition, the solubility of these CsA forms was very sensitive to temperature. Temperature-dependent form transformation was also observed in the media studied, with faster form conversion occurring at elevated temperatures. These studies provided key information to support the risk assessment for topical ophthalmic formulation development of CsA.

The Michael addition reaction was used to create ambient curable film materials based on an acetoacetate-modified castor oil, and a multifunctional alamine was prepared. The thiol-ene coupling reaction could change the proportion of hydroxyl groups in the castor oil, thereby improving the crosslinking density and mechanical properties of the coating films. The acetoacetate-modified castor oil was achieved in two steps. First, the C C bonds of castor oil were coupled using a thiol-ene coupling reaction, which has a high conversion rate and few by-products. Second, acetoacetate-modified castor oil was prepared by a transesterification reaction between tert-butyl acetoacetate and modified castor oil. The acetoacetate-modified castor oil was characterized by Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) and viscosity measurements. Finally, coating films were prepared from the acetoacetate-modified castor oil and 4,4-diaminecyclohexylmethane via a Michael addition reaction at room temperature (25 °C). The mechanical properties were noticeably improved compared to those of the unmodified castor oil film. The tensile properties increased from 0.68 MPa to 1.76 MPa, and the glass transition temperature (Tg) increased by approximately 30 °C.

This study is devoted to the evaluation of vegetable oils (in this case castor oil) as an inexpensive, sustainable, environment-friendly, natural and promising resource to design/synthesis efficient kinetic/anti-agglomerant methane hydrate inhibitors. The castor-based waterborne polyurea/urethanes (CWPUUs) were synthesized on the basis of the waterborne technique. The high-pressure autoclave cell and high-pressure micro-differential scanning calorimeter (HP-μDSC) using methane gas were applied to evaluate the inhibition performance of CWPUUs as an inhibitor for methane gas hydrate formation. The results of gas uptake tests confirm that the CWPUUs show high efficiency as kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs). The CWPUUs with ∼3.2 and 6.8 kD molecular weight delayed the onset time of methane hydrate formation by a factor of 26.8 and 13 times and reduced the methane hydrate growth rate by a factor of 3.8 and 2.5 times in comparison with pure water. The results were further confirmed through DSC measurements, in which the usage of CWPUUs with ∼3.2 and 6.8 kD molecular weight decreased the mean onset temperature of methane hydrate formation on 6.1 and 4.7 °C compared to pure water, respectively. Additives of CWPUUs (1 wt % solution) increased the mean onset time of methane hydrate formation from 2.3 h for pure water to 8.7 and 6.4 h. CWPUUs also demonstrated the thermodynamic inhibition by decreasing the melting temperature of methane hydrates comparing to the pure water system. On the other hand, the torque measurements were used to assess anti-agglomerant performance of CWPUUs. During the methane hydrate formation in the presence of CWPUUs, the torque changes remained constant that suggests the hydrate particles stayed separate without aggregation. Moreover, synthesized CWPUUs can be related to biodegradable substances because their BOD5/CODcr value measured in this work is equal to 0.389. Hence, the application of CWPPUs can be a prospective option for delaying the onset time/temperature of hydrate formation, reducing hydrate growth rate and preventing agglomeration of hydrate particles, and this strategy refers to the terms of green chemistry.

Thiol-ene click reactions are more oxygen tolerant alternative to the conventional (meth)acrylate chemistry that is frequently used for the rapid production of photopolymerized networks with numerous desirable properties. To attain a high curing efficiency while maintaining the advantages of thiol-ene systems, a castor oil-based hyperbranched urethane acrylate was employed in this work as a primary oligomer for UV-curable coating formulation. Subsequently, a tetrathiol monomer (PETMP) was introduced into the coating formulation to obtain a thiol-ene system. The effects of PETMP loadings on the UV-curing kinetics and final polymer properties were systematically investigated. Consequently, thiol-ene based films with excellent flexibility and water resistance were obtained as a result of the high efficient thiol-ene photopolymerization. The double bond conversion of the thiol-ene system was found to increase with the addition of more PETMP. Impressively, with the incorporation of 5 wt% PETMP, the resultant UV-cured film had the best acid resistance and exhibited a double bond conversion of 93.6%, a pencil hardness of 6H, a water absorption of 0.76%. Additionally, all of the prepared films were completely transparent and possessed good microstructures. These thiol-ene based films may provide insight into the preparation of high-performance UV-curable coatings with excellent flexibility.

A novel ambient-cured coating film obtained via a Knoevenagel and Michael addition reactions between modified acetoacetylated castor oil and a crosslinker that contain both aldehyde and acrylate groups was developed. The modified acetoacetylated castor oil was synthesized via thiol-ene coupling and transesterification reactions and was characterized by NMR, FTIR, and viscosity analyses. The coating films prepared by the Knoevenagel addition reaction, Michael addition reaction, and Knoevenagel and Michael addition reactions coating film are discussed. The tensile and thermal properties of the obtained coating films were investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results demonstrated that the Knoevenagel and Michael addition reactions coating film has a good balance of properties. Moreover, we also prepared films with different crosslinkers by Knoevenagel and Michael addition reactions and found that the films have good properties, including glass transition temperature (41%–54%), pencil hardness (3 H), and tensile properties (1.17 MPa – 2.23 MPa). Overall, the film made via Knoevenagel-Michael addition technology provides an excellent bio-based coating system.

Castor oil plant is a very important crop, known worldwide for its seed oil quality. However, the crop shows serious issues with pathogens that may affect seed quality. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) radiation effects on the physiological and sanitary quality of seeds of two castor oil plant cultivars (Agima and Tamar). We used a completely randomized design in a 2 × 5 factorial scheme with four replicates. The treatments consisted of two castor oil plant cultivars: Tamar and Agima and five UV-C radiation doses: 0 – control; 10.4; 20.7; 31.1; 41.4 kJ m−2. To characterize the physiological and sanitary qualities of the seeds, we performed moisture content, germination, first counting, accelerated aging, electrical conductivity, radicle and hypocotyl length, dry mass of radicle and hypocotyl and sanity test (Blotter test). The 41.4 kJ m−2 dose of UV-C radiation reduced the incidence of Aspergillus spp. Fungus in 44.8 and 100% for Agima and Tamar, respectively. However, it has caused a reduction in the physiological quality of both cultivars. The dose of 20.7 kJ m-2 resulted in the germination increase in 66% for Agima and 50% for Tamar. Thereby, the dose 20.7 kJ m-2 provided better physiological quality results of Agima and Tamar, presenting better germination (93 and 86%, respectively), accelerated aging (43 and 65% respectively), radicle length (5.5 and 5.2 cm, respectively), hypocotyl length (1.5 and 1.7 cm, respectively), and lower electrical conductivity (54.2 and 45.2 μS cm-1 g-1, respectively). UV-C radiation can be used to better physiological and sanitary quality results of castor oil plant seed up to the dose of 20.7 kJ m−2, from which UV-C radiation negatively influences seed vigor.

Based on the stealth behavior of castor oil and poly(ethylene glycol), we selected a polyurethane system to obtain an ideal surgical adhesive. The polyurethane adhesives with varying concentrations of castor oil were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, goniometer, and universal testing machine. Curing results show that a 7-min to 25-min room temperature curing can be achieved, providing one possibility of shortening the surgery time. In vitro biodegradation test demonstrates that a certain proportion of the polyurethane film will be hydrolyzed in a foregone manner after a period of time (7 weeks). The adhesion strengths of these adhesives show a strong bonding between pieces of tissue, which makes them qualified for application in a moist environment.

Cardanol glycidyl ether, epoxidized acetylated castor oil methyl ester, and epoxidized soybean oil were grafted on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) chains to obtain flexible PVC materials. The structure and properties of graft modification of PVC materials were investigated. The glass transition temperature of graft modification of PVC with cardanol glycidyl ether, epoxidized acetylated castor oil methyl ester, and epoxidized soybean oil was 42.1 °C, 43.8 °C, and 37.9 °C, respectively. The mechanical properties illustrated that graft modification of PVC materials were more flexible than PVC. The extraction tests showed that the modified PVC materials presented no migration in n-hexane and can be used to prepare flexible PVC products with high requirements of durability. The internal plasticizing mechanism was also discussed according to the free volume theory.

Renewable resource based polyol derived from undecylenic acid, a by-product of castor oil, was successfully synthesized by three consecutive reactions: methylation, thiol-ene addition, and amidation. The biobased polyol is a sulfur- and nitrogen-containing polyol. The structure was confirmed by FTIR, NMR, and mass spectroscopic techniques. The undecylenic acid based polyol was used as a polyol along with phosphated cardanol-based polyol in the preparation of polyurethane coatings. The obtained polyurethanes were assessed for their properties by various techniques such as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical and thermal analysis (DMTA), Universal testing machine (UTM) and electrochemical study. Interestingly, the biobased polyol improved mechanical property such as toughness of the material when it was incorporated in different weight percentages to the phosphated cardanol-based polyol. Moreover, the synergistic effect of the phosphorous and biobased polyol with the elements - sulfur and nitrogen, enhanced the anti-corrosion and antimicrobial natures of the polyurethane coating. The corrosion rate was drastically decreased from 3.0 × 10–4 to 1.8 × 10–7 mm per year for the prepared polyurethane coatings.

A novel tri-functional castor oil-based methacrylate prepolymer (MCOG) was developed by mercapto castor oil (MCO) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) in this study through a two-step method. Primarily, the mercapto castor oil (MCO) was prepared through thiol-ene reaction of castor oil and mercaptoacetic acid, and subsequently an esterification reaction based on above product and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) was conducted. FT-IR and 1H NMR spectra collectively revealed that MCOG was successfully synthesized. As a dominant component, MCOG was formulated with other additives including a reactive diluent pentaerythritol tri-acrylate (PETA), a photo-initiator (TPO) and another self-made polyurethane acylate prepolymers (B-215) and cured under UV irradiations. UV-curing kinetics of the MCOG/PETA/B-215 film was detailly investigated by tracing the ATR-IR spectroscopy and gel content and it demonstrated that the cured films had more than 95% C C double bond conversion. Moreover, dynamic mechanical property, thermal stability and mechanical property of the cured films were respectively determined by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and tensile measurement. DMA testified that with the increasing of B-215 content, storage modulus, cross-linking density of the cured films dropped, whereas the corresponding glass transition temperatures (Tg) increased. TGA showed that the maximum thermal decomposition temperatures were all above 460 °C. Tensile tests indicated that the better tensile strength was obtained with the content of 20% of the B-215 in the cured film. Additionally, transparency and flexibility of the cured films were respectively analyzed by digital image and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Besides, these cured films displayed high pencil hardness (5H–6H) and excellent resistance to acidic and alkali solutions.

Water-based polyurethane coatings give a soft feeling for surface engineering for advanced wear- and friction-resisted purposes. In this work, we synthesized three types of polyols from castor oil applying short- and high-efficiency method for potential soft coating uses, as an appropriate alternative for methods that use a rotary evaporation and a vacuum oven in polyol synthesis. Castor oil was epoxidized in the presence of two types of catalysts, i.e. γ-alumina (ECOAl) and formic acid (ECOF). Although we could not detect unwelcome reactions taking place in the reaction chamber that should reduce the content of oxirane oxygen, the relative percentages of double bond conversion to oxiran for ECOAl and ECOF were theoretically 96% and 74%, respectively. Ring opening reaction of ECOAl was performed by two types of saponified castor oil utilizing Dean–Stark trap, an appropriate alternative for methods that use a rotary evaporation and a vacuum oven in polyol synthesis. The synthesized polyols were characterized by FTIR (ATR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), viscometer and OH number evaluation. Different weight percentages of the polyol samples having Tg values of ca. -6.5 °C and OH number of 6.2 were applied in synthesis of water-based polyurethane (WPU). It was found that WPU with 40 wt.% polyol has a minimum particle size and minimum poly dispersity index. WPU with 60 wt.% polyol exhibited the highest molecular weight, while it had the lowest viscosity, water absorption, glossiness, hardness, adhesion and Tg. By such structural manipulations we provided a basis for enhancement of properties of coatings for future works.

Carbon quantum dots with multifunctional properties (CQDs-N) as lubricant additive in polar base fluid of bio-based castor oil (CO) were first studied. Followed, a liquid-like CQDs-N with oleylamine capped on the surface (O-CQDs-N) was achieved through chemical grafting route, which could dissolve in apolar base fluid of polyalphaolefin (PAO). Either CQDs-N or O-CQDs-N exhibited excellent dispersion stabilities in CO and PAO, which not only endowed them with enhanced anti-wear performance, but also anti-oxidant performance. The carbon quantum dots-based nanoparticles deposited on the worn surface unevenly and formed a thin protective film containing iron oxides, inorganic carbon and nitrogen. Furthermore, the deposited carbon was proved to produce more defects and disordered structure when test load increased, which enhanced the lubricating performance and loading capacity of base fluids.

Herein, castor and tung oil-based polyurethane-imides with tailored thermal and mechanical performance were developed by a one-pot method. First, tung oil (TO) was transformed into eleostearic acid diethanol amide (EADEA) by methyl-esterification and amidation. The resulting EADEA was then mixed with castor oil (CO), N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-maleimide (HEMI) and isophorone diisocyanate to prepare biobased polyurethane-imides. The formation of Diels-Alder (DA) adducts from EADEA and HEMI during the curing process was determined by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The effect of DA adducts contents on the thermal and mechanical properties of corresponding polymers was investigated. The results show that the introduction of TO-maleimide DA adducts significantly increases the glass transition temperature, tensile strength, Young’s modulus and gel content of the resulting polyurethanes. The highest tensile strength of the resulting polymers can reach 48.2 MPa. Besides, the thermal stability was also improved with the incorporation of imide groups. This technique reported here demonstrates several advantages, such as one-pot synthesis, high bio-renewable content, low cost and tunable performance, and it is promising to find application in coatings, adhesives and so on.

Due to the increasing demand for green and industrial biodiesel production, recyclable and stable catalysts need to be developed. Li/NaY zeolite catalysts with different molar ratios of Li2CO3 to NaY zeolite were synthesized from fly ash by hydrothermal and microemulsion-assisted co-precipitation method, and used to catalyze the transesterification of castor oil with ethanol. The structure, composition and morphology of Li/NaY zeolite catalysts were characterized by thermogravimetric (TG), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Under the optimized conditions of molar ratio of Li2CO3 to NaY zeolite of 1:1, calcination temperature of 750 °C and calcination time of 4 h for catalyst preparation, the FAEE yield of 98.6% was obtained (catalyst amount with respect to oil of 3 wt%, ethanol/oil molar ratio of 18:1, reaction temperature of 75 °C and reaction time of 2 h). The results show that the catalyst has excellent stability (including air tolerance and reusability) and a certain regenerative capacity (the FAEE yield was increased by 17% after activation treatment), which are crucial for industrial applications. Pseudo-first-order reactions and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were compared to demonstrate the proposed reaction mechanism. The pseudo-first-order reactions kinetic model was fit with experimental data (R2 = 0.9906). Activation energy of 57.37 KJ/mol was required for transesterification of castor oil into biodiesel using Li/NaY zeolite catalyst.

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permitted for direct addition of castor oil into food for human consumption and recently FDA approved castor oil as over-the-counter (OTC) for laxative drug. Castor oil (COL) is a vegetable oil and naturally polyol which is inexpensive, environmental friendly and a very valuable renewable resource. Metals are believed to influence antioxidant property of ligands. Metals copper, zinc, cobalt and barium were incorporated with castor oil and subsequently structures were established by FT-IR, UV-Visible, and 1H NMR spectroscopic techniques. In vitro antioxidant activities of metal containing COL were determined by DPPH and superoxide scavenging methods and the results were compared with vitamin C. Enhanced antioxidant nature of metal containing castor oil was noticed and compared to virgin castor oil. This study reveals that synthesized metal containing-COL is a potential antioxidant material.

A series of novel industrially relevant halogen-free flame retardant self-curable silanized waterborne polyurethane (WPU) coatings were successfully synthesized. The effect of reactive-type phosphorus flame retardant diol (Exolit® OP560) incorporation into PU structure was investigated. High limit oxygen index (LOI) value of 30.4% accompanied by V0 classification of UL-94 vertical burning test confirmed promising flame retardancy of the WPU film containing 8.7 wt% OP560. Furthermore, microscale combustion calorimeter (MCC) indicated the obvious decrease in the heat release rate (HRR), the temperature of maximum HRR, total HR, and HR capacity (HRC) of WPUs by adding phosphorus diol. TGA, SEM, MCC, and TG-IR studies revealed that great improvement in flame retardancy was due to not only integral char formation through the synergistic effect of phosphorus and silicon but also gas dilution effect. Moreover, bio-based polyol (castor oil) was added to the formulation to increase water contact angle and water resistance. High flame retardancy and enhanced mechanical properties make this formulation highly relevant for industrial applications.

The legislation pertaining to air pollution has led the paint and coating industries to develop ways to reduce the volatile organic content (VOC) of the solvent-borne coatings without compromising the film performance and application characteristics. This resulted in the emergence of solvent-free alkyd coatings which are the most potential solutions to reduce environmental problems. In the present work, hydroxyl functional castor alkyd (CA) was synthesized using a solvent-free process and cured with Melamine Formaldehyde (MF) resin. Structures of the formed product were confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and 1H and 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) analysis. Thermal properties of the cured film samples were determined using Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) analysis which showed that Tg and degradation temperature values increased as the amount of MF increased. Also, the corrosion performance of the coating films was studied by using a salt spray test which revealed that the best corrosion resistance was shown by 70:30 ratio of MF: CA. All the results including mechanical properties of the coating film showed that the eminent role was played by the MF in the performance of CA.