Search

The recycling and utilization of feather waste from animal husbandry and straw from agriculture is a worldwide problem. In this study, keratin was extracted from waste feathers and used to modify urea‐formaldehyde (UF) adhesive to obtain biodegradable adhesive for making straw flowerpots with high performance. The results showed that keratin could reduce free formaldehyde and improve the thermal stability of UF. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the flowerpot with keratin were greatly improved. The observed performance enhancements were attributed to the excellent adhesiveness of the bonding interface. In addition, the addition of keratin makes the flowerpot more hydrophilic and provides a better source of nutrients for microbes to grow and reproduce on the surface of the flowerpot, which is more conducive to the biodegradation of flowerpots after they are discarded. Our experiment suggests the great potential in terms of profitability and environmental protection by flowerpots prepared by fermented straw fiber and keratin‐modified UF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrolytes soy protein isolates (HSPI)-modified urea–formaldehyde (UF) resins were synthesized via copolymerization process. The best bonding strength is 1.50 MPa and improves 51.5% compared with pure UF. In addition, the formaldehyde emission decreased. The effect of (HSPI) on the biodegradable (UF) resins was investigated. Biodegradation was evaluated by composting under controlled conditions in accordance with ISO 14855. The faster degradation rate was obtained when lower hydrolysis degree of HSPI was added into the system. Characterization of the resulting samples was performed by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis, XRD, scanning electron microscopy, and AFM. The results showed that no evidence of biodegradation was found for UF resins. The UF modified with lower hydrolysis degree of hydrolytes soy protein isolates (HSPI) resulted in a faster degradation rate. The HSPI in the network of modified UF degraded first, which resulted in the broken of the network of HSPI-modified UF resins. The thermal stability of degraded resins was found to be enhanced as the mineralization time increased. Not only the surface of the sample was degraded, but also the crystalline regions of the samples were also decomposed. The degradation on the modified UF surface occurs mainly via the formation of holes. The roughness of the degraded surfaces of modified UF resins increases with the hydrolysis degree of HSPI decreases. The presence of HSPI has driven the degradation of urea–formaldehyde. The modified resins used as adhesives in biodegradable seedling container can be seen as a controlled release source of nitrogen fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The hydrolyzed soy protein isolate (HSPI) was used to partially substitute urea to synthesis modified urea–formaldehyde (UF) adhesives via copolymerization process, in order to reduce the dependency on petroleum-based chemicals and mitigate possible environmental pollution. The soy protein isolate (SPI), HSPI, and modified UF adhesives were characterized by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). The bonding strength, adhesive properties, biodegradability, and micrographs of the UF and HSPI-modified UF after degradation were also measured. The results show that the SPI native structure is unfolded during the treatment with sodium hydroxide. The thermal stability of HSPI is better than SPI. HSPI can incorporate into the structure of cured UF adhesives with three different feeding methods. And the best bonding strength of modified UF adhesives is 1.31 MPa when HSPI is added at the first step. The formaldehyde emission of modified UF adhesives is lower compared with UF. The earlier the HSPI is added, the better the properties for modified UF adhesives can be obtained. The degradation rate of modified UF adhesives improved nearly two times compared to the UF after six months of degradation in biologically active soil. There are microorganisms adhering to the surface of modified UF from the SEM micrographs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The hydrolyzed soy protein isolate (HSPI) with different hydrolysis degree was applied to modify urea-formaldehyde resins (UF) via copolymerization process. The properties of HSPI were characterized by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and TGA. The results show that HSPI with different hydrolysis degree is obtained. 1H NMR and ATR-FTIR spectra indicate that HSPI with different hydrolysis degree can incorporate into the structure of cured and uncured UF. The UF modified with higher hydrolysis degree of HSPI possess more stable units and contribute to the lower exothermic peak temperature in DSC curves. The bonding strength of HSPI modified UF increases as the hydrolysis degree of HSPI increases at the hot-press temperature of 120°C and decreases at the hot-press temperature of 150°C. The best bonding strength is 1.53 MPa at the hot-press temperature of 135°C and improved 56.12% compared with UF. In addition, the formaldehyde emission is dramatically reduced. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41469. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering is the property of Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering is the property of Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering is the property of Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)