The conversion of sodium lignosulfonate (SL) into high-value functional materials remains challenging. Hereon, a bio-based waterborne polyurethane (WPU) was synthesized using castor oil and ...isophorone diisocyanate as the raw materials. SL was used as a functional filler to prepare transparent or translucent composites of sodium lignosulfonate/waterborne polyurethane with good properties through physical blending method. The influence of varying SL contents on the performance of composite emulsions and films were studied. The results indicated that the composite derived from bio-based materials had an occupancy rate of 89.5 %, and all composite emulsions exhibited outstanding storage stability. Interestingly, the addition of sodium lignosulfonate greatly improved the mechanical properties and heat resistance due to the strong interfacial interaction between WPUs and SL molecular chains. Furthermore, the composite film could achieve complete UV shielding performance when the sodium lignosulfonate content reached 9 wt %. This work had significantly expanded the range of high-value-added applications for lignin and potential prospects for its use in the field of sunscreen coatings.
•SL is incorporated as a functional filler into bio-based WPUs.•The incorporation of SL enhances the mechanical properties of bio-based WPUs.•SL as functional filler gives bio-based WPUs excellent UV resistance.•The SL/WPU composites can serve as a reference in the field of sunscreen coatings.
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The production of polybenzoxazines from natural renewable materials has attracted interest because of the environmental impacts caused by conventional petroleum-based materials. This ...is a comprehensive review of benzoxazine resins using natural renewable raw materials. Substances, extracted from the nature, or converted from agro-waste or byproducts of the environmental industry, are utilized to synthesize benzoxazine monomers, and their polymerization behavior and the properties of polymers have been discussed. Diversity of structural features and unique functions make natural renewable materials potential candidates for high-performance benzoxazine resins. Abundance, low price, multi-approach available bio-based waste are the driving force of future applications. Papers on the manufacturing of polybenzoxazine blends and composites with renewable fillers and their applications have also been reviewed.
Renewable polymeric materials derived from biomass with built‐in phototriggers were synthesized and evaluated for degradation under irradiation of UV light. Complete decomposition of the polymeric ...materials was observed with recovery of the monomer that was used to resynthesize the polymers.
Biodegradable and recyclable: Renewable polymeric materials derived from biomass with built‐in phototriggers were synthesized and evaluated for degradation under irradiation by UV light (see picture). Complete decomposition of the polymeric materials was observed with recovery of the monomer that was used to resynthesize the polymers.
The commercial breakthrough of Li‐ion batteries (LIBs) in the 1990s irrevocably shaped today's energy storage landscape, but the disposed batteries represent a growing hazard to the environment. One ...may initially assume that recycling processes are commendable technologies to ensure a counterbalance to LIBs manufacturing. However, the question remains whether current state‐of‐the‐art in LIBs recycling technologies can be considered as green. This problem is due to the application of toxic chemicals or the in situ generation of harmful substances during the recycling process. Besides the potential toxicity, current solutions are accompanied with intense energy consumption, causing carbon dioxide emissions, in disagreement with the circular economy principles. This review provides a critical assessment of both published research articles and patents to derive a broad picture on the sustainability of LIBs recycling technologies. Although the efficiency of industrially applied recycling technologies can exhibit a high overall efficiency, their general process design is generally based on waste reduction and downcycling. Contrariwise, sustainable recycling of LIBs should rely on circular processes ensuring upcycling of all materials toward zero waste and minimized energy utilization. Current solutions and expected development in LIBs recycling are presented, ranging from dismantling over components separation to application of bioderived materials.
Current recycling technologies of used Li‐ion batteries (LIBs) cannot be considered as green technologies due to their sole focus on waste minimalization. This review provides a critical assessment of recent progress in LIBs recycling with an emphasis on sustainable processes, which are designed toward zero waste, minimized energy consumption, and circular materials management.
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•Rice hull (RHB) and rice–wheat straw biochar (RWB) were used for Hg remediation.•RHB and RWB reduced Hg bioavailability in soil by 55–71% and 67–72%, respectively.•RHB amendment ...significantly decreased MeHg concentration in soil relative to control.•RHB and RWB significantly decreased MeHg content in the rice grain.•RHB and RWB significantly decreased the probable daily intake of THg and MeHg.
Mitigating the risk of mercury (Hg) contamination in rice soils using environmental friendly amendments is essential to reducing the probable daily intake (PDI) of MeHg via rice consumption. Here, we examined the impacts of different doses (0% (control), 0.6% and 3%) of rice hull-derived biochar (RHB) and mixture of wheat-rice straw-derived biochar (RWB) on the fractionation, phytoavailability, and uptake of total (THg) and methyl Hg (MeHg) by rice in Hg-polluted soil (THg = 78.3 mg kg−1) collected from Wanshan Hg mining area. Both biochars increased rice biomass up to 119% as compared to control. Application of RHB and RWB significantly (P ≤ 0.05) decreased bioavailable Hg (soluble and exchangeable and specifically-sorbed fractions) concentrations by 55–71% and 67–72%, respectively. The addition of RHB significantly decreased MeHg concentrations in the soil. However, RWB (particularly at 3%) increased significantly MeHg concentrations in the soil as compared to the control and RHB treatments, likely due to the increased abundance of Hg-methylation microorganisms (e.g., Geobacter spp., Nitrospira spp.) in the RWB treatments. Both RHB and RWB significantly decreased MeHg concentrations in the rice grain by 55–85%. We estimated a reduction of the PDI of MeHg from 0.26 μg kg−1 bw d-1of control to below the reference dose (0.1 μg kg−1 bw d-1) of two biochar treatments. Our results highlight the potentiality of RWB and RHB for mitigating MeHg accumulation in rice and reducing PDI of MeHg via rice consumption, which offers a sustainable approach for management of Hg-polluted soils.
•Manufacturing methods for 3D printing of poplar wood-filled PLA were investigated.•20% poplar in PLA; extrusion at 210 °C and printing at 230 °C were the best conditions.•The statistical ...distribution of tensile properties using 70 poplar trees was studied.
Fabrication of renewable materials through additive manufacturing using wood-filled polylactic acid (PLA) is an emerging field of study. The variability in the tensile properties of 3D-printed materials due to the variability in woody biomass properties has not been studied. Biomass size reduction, filament extrusion, and 3D-printing methods were investigated to determine the conditions that resulted in consistent printing. Using 20% ball-milled poplar reinforcement in PLA, 210 °C filament extrusion temperature and 230 °C printing temperature were found to be the best conditions. Subsequently, seventy poplar samples from a common garden were used to test the tensile properties of the printed materials. The median tensile strength at yield was 50 MPa, with 5–95 percentiles ranged in 37–54 MPa. Strain% at break had a median value of 2.1%, and 5–95 percentiles were 1.7–2.7%. The median Young's modulus was 3.65 GPa, and 5–95 percentiles ranged in 2.9–4.1 GPa. Biomass density was correlated to composite density. Median particle size of ball-milled poplar was negatively correlated with tensile strength. Composite density affected tensile strength of the composite. β-glycosidic bond of polysaccharides in biomass affected Young's modulus of the composite. These data show that genotypic variation among Populus trichocarpa have substantial effect on tensile properties of 3D printed PLA-poplar materials.
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The mineral or synthetic oil is mostly being used in conjunction with paper as the dielectric medium in most of the high voltage equipment. However, impact on environment, lack of petroleum oil ...reserves and disposal problems with used oils, have prompted researchers to direct their focus onto biodegradable and renewable insulating materials. The new insulating liquid materials development is guided by multiple factors such as environmental requirements and other safety and economic considerations. Therefore transformers manufacturer have to face new specifications related to these new requirements. The Vegetable-oil based transformer fluids increasingly replacing mineral oil-based products in the market place. They are successful because they perform better than mineral oil products and they provide definite environmental and safety gains. This paper reviews the current status of vegetable oils use as transformer oil, including their production, processing, and characterization. The vegetable oils most used as transformer oils are presented and their main advantages described in comparison with mineral oil. The various experimental work carried out in different countries is described, giving an overview of the current research carried out on the vegetable oils. In addition scope and challenges being faced in this area of research are clearly described.
Strategy of constructing flexible Sodium-Ion Battery based on Natural Renewable Polymer Materials.
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•The concept of green sustainable development based on flexible sodium-ion batteries ...is put forward.•Flexible organic electrode materials and flexible carbon materials derived from polymer materials are summarized.•The selection strategy and preparation method of flexible electrode materials are discussed.•The challenges of renewable polymer materials for flexible sodium- ion batteries are reviewed.
Sodium-ion batteries have been developing rapidly in recent years due to abundant sodium resources. Organic polymers and their derived carbon materials are abundant in resources, with small environmental footprint and controllable structural design, and can be directly used in the positive and anode of sodium ion batteries, which is of great significance for green and sustainable development. Organic polymers also offer great advantages in flexible Sodium-ion batteries due to their inherent flexibility. The research progress of flexible organic polymer materials and flexible polymer derived carbon materials in sodium ion batteries are reviewed. Among them, flexible organic polymer materials will be divided into flexible organic polymer carbonyl molecules and their composites with graphene/carbon nanotubes. For polymer-derived carbon materials, we will introduce several different precursors and preparation methods. Perspectives are envisioned for the further development of flexible renewable polymer materials.
Despite significant past efforts to exploit green, renewable precursors in polymeric materials and to improve the recyclability and reprocessability of nonisocyanate polyurethane (NIPU) networks, no ...single study has previously investigated biobased polyhydroxyurethane (PHU) network reprocessability. Renewable, dynamic PHU networks were synthesized by reacting bioderived polyfunctional cyclic carbonates, carbonated soybean oil (CSBO), and sorbitol ether carbonate (SEC), with either a synthetic diamine or a biobased diamine. Network reprocessability was studied by dynamic mechanical analysis. With relatively mild reprocessing conditions, CSBO-based PHU networks exhibit complete recovery of crosslink density and associated properties after multiple melt-state recycling steps. In addition to the presence of reversible cyclic carbonate aminolysis and transcarbamoylation exchange reactions, CSBO-based networks were shown via a model reaction to undergo a third dynamic chemistry based on a transesterification exchange reaction. In contrast to the excellent property recovery achieved by CSBO-based PHU networks, as a result of disadvantageous monomer molecular design, SEC-based networks exhibit poor reprocessability even with increased catalyst load and reprocessing temperature and time. This work reveals the effect of monomer structure on the reprocessability of dynamic polymer networks and highlights the effectiveness of CSBO to serve as a precursor of robust, sustainable NIPU networks with excellent reprocessability.
Oxocarbon salts (M2(CO)n) prepared through one‐pot proton exchange reactions with different metal ions (M=Li, Na, K) and frameworks (n=4, 5, 6) have been rationally designed and used as electrodes in ...rechargeable Li, Na, and K‐ion batteries. The results show that M2(CO)5/M2(CO)6 salts can insert two or four metal ions reversibly, while M2(CO)4 shows less electrochemical activity. Especially, we discover that the K2C6O6 electrode enables ultrafast potassium‐ion insertion/extraction with 212 mA h g−1 at 0.2 C and 164 mA h g−1 at 10 C. This behavior can be ascribed to the natural semiconductor property of K2C6O6 with a narrow band gap close to 0.9 eV, the high ionic conductivity of the K‐ion electrolyte, and the facilitated K‐ion diffusion process. Moreover, a first example of a K‐ion battery with a rocking‐chair reaction mechanism of K2C6O6 as cathode and K4C6O6 as anode is introduced, displaying an operation voltage of 1.1 V and an energy density of 35 Wh kg−1. This work provides an interesting strategy for constructing rapid K‐ion batteries with renewable and abundant potassium materials.
Organic electrode material: Oxocarbon salts (M2(CO)n) with different metal ions (M=Li, Na, K) and frameworks (n=4, 5, 6) were rationally designed and used as electrodes for rechargeable Li, Na, and K‐ion batteries. A first example of a renewable and sustainable K‐ion battery based on K2C6O6 and K4C6O6 with a rocking‐chair reaction mechanism is shown.
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