Exploitation of Biomass for Applications in Sustainable Materials Science

Biorefinery may be defined as the process of accessing chemical commodities from living systems; consequently, biomass becomes the antecedent for renewable resources through biorefinery. Advantages to this process over petroleum refinery include: (1) increased potential for sustainable products, (2) increased diversity in chemical structure including heterocycles, and (3) potential for regional resource independence. Despite these clear advantages, adoption of biorefined commodities can be limited by the risk associated with small initial application portfolios and concomitant uncertainties. The strategies adopted by our dynamic and collaborative research team entail continuous engagement of those issues by: (1) preparing renewable polymers, (2) chemical diversification of biomass-derived platform chemicals, (3) direct modification of biopolymers, and (4) development of petroleum replacements. Battling the inveterate proclivity towards portents of gloom need not solely justify investigations into biorenewable feedstock chemicals; the ramifications of bioinspired molecular inquiry create opportunities to go beyond mere sustainability through innovation. This dissertation includes specific examples which illustrate utilization of three types of biomass: (1) oil seeds, (2) lignin, and (3) carbohydrates. Each class of biomass-derived materials offered unique advantages as well as challenges associated with their varied structures. The presentation has been divided into five sections: (1) biomass, sustainable chemistry and design thinking; (2) styrene replacements and their application in renewable vinyl ester thermosets; (3) catalyst-free lignin valorization by acetoacetylation; (4) chemical diversification of 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural; (5) valorization of cellulose-derivable platform chemicals by cycloaddition with a potentially bioderivable reactive intermediate: benzyne.National Science Foundation (NSF) (Grants IIA-1330840 and IIA-1355466)ND-EPSCoR (Doctoral Dissertation Award

Towards more sustainable materials for boat decking: Novel fillers for light-weighting and enhanced recyclability

In this study selected hollow fillers in several polymers and polymer blends have been evaluated for use in composite boat decking. Traditionally teak has been the material of choice for boat decking, but there are now concerns regarding sustainable management of this material. Synthetic polymers now dominate the market, due largely to easier installation and maintenance; with PVC being the polymer frequently used in boat decking. The decking takes the form of strips, rolls or prefabricated panels. A particular focus of recent development has been to enhance thermal insulation (reduce temperature underfoot) and lower the density of the material. Although hollow glass microspheres tend to be the material of choice to achieve these properties, they can be abrasive on processing equipment and difficult to recycle. Hence the focus of this work has centred on hollow calcium carbonate in PVC, because calcium carbonate is used as a filler throughout the PVC industry. The rationale is that end-of-life decking could be more easily close-loop recycled or, regrind directed to a wide-range of alternative PVC applications, thereby enhancing sustainability of the product. At present hollow calcium carbonate is not in widespread commercial production, therefore in this study hollow calcium carbonate was synthesised by templating with a cationic polymer (PDADMAC or PDDA) to direct 3D assembly of hollow structures. The influence of template concentration, mixing time and order of addition of components was evaluated. Both spherical and rhombohedral polymorphs of calcium carbonate were produced. The latter was incorporated in plasticised PVC at filler fractions of 15 wt.% and 24 wt.%. The performance of calcium carbonate was assessed against hollow glass filler in PVC. In addition, predictions using calculations based on volume fraction, for alternative fillers (e.g., cork and expanded microspheres), polymers (epoxy and polyester resins) and polymer blends (PVC/TPU, PVC/Nitrile rubber, PVC/CPE, PVC/CPVC, PE/CPE, PE/CPVC) were undertaken, with a view to optimising product performance

Articles indexats publicats per investigadors del Campus de Terrassa: 2013

Aquest informe recull els 228 treballs publicats per 177 investigadors/es del Campus de Terrassa en revistes indexades al Journal Citation Report durant el 2013Preprin

Waste Material Recycling in the Circular Economy

This book highlights current challenges and developments in waste material recycling in the framework of a circular economy. The increase in the standard of living has resulted in the large consumption of several materials, mainly polymers. Therefore the problem of waste recycling, specifically polymer recycling, in an environmentally friendly way is more urgent than ever. Nowadays, more specialized recycling methods are required to manage a wide variety of wastes. Over fourteen chapters in three sections, this book addresses such topics as chemical recycling techniques, recycling of polyethylene, denim production and recycling, valorization of waste materials, urban mining, the circular economy, and much more

Studying “fitness for service” of the sealing assemblies and cement system

Well integrity is a crucial phase of well design and construction, as such multiple barriers are usually installed in wells to prevent any migration of formation fluids. One of these barriers include the elastomeric sealing system or seal assembly. Limited knowledge is available on elastomer behavior in harsh downhole conditions. Lack of adequate knowledge makes elastomer selection during well design a problematic phase. This thesis reviews literature on elastomer performance under various conditions and expounds on the chemical reactions involved in the failure mechanisms of elastomers. Experiments have also been conducted on three popular elastomers: Nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), and Fluoroelastomers (FKM) in the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2) and brine. The performance of these elastomers is also discussed. Experiments conducted help us make an informed decision thus classifying the elastomers based on the degree of degradation under these harsh downhole conditions. The second barrier is the set cement. In Oil and Gas drilling operations, cement is used to maintain wellbore integrity by preventing the movement of formation fluids through the annular space outside the casing. However, in gas migration prone regions, cement sealability may be inadequate. The reduced sealability also makes such regions prone to well instability. This thesis reviews gas mitigation approaches according to published literature. Some slurry designs published in literature are used in the experiments and the results are reported herein. A novel gas tight cement slurry is designed to prevent gas migration. This cement slurry has been tested in different pipe sizes and has proven to mitigate gas migration of any sort

Natural Polymers and Biopolymers II

BioPolymers could be either natural polymers – polymer naturally occurring in Nature, such as cellulose or starch…, or biobased polymers that are artificially synthesized from natural resources. Since the late 1990s, the polymer industry has faced two serious problems: global warming and anticipation of limitation to the access to fossil resources. One solution consists in the use of sustainable resources instead of fossil-based resources. Hence, biomass feedstocks are a promising resource and biopolymers are one of the most dynamic polymer area. Additionally, biodegradability is a special functionality conferred to a material, bio-based or not. Very recently, facing the awareness of the volumes of plastic wastes, biodegradable polymers are gaining increasing attention from the market and industrial community. This special issue of Molecules deals with the current scientific and industrial challenges of Natural and Biobased Polymers, through the access of new biobased monomers, improved thermo-mechanical properties, and by substitution of harmful substances. This themed issue can be considered as collection of highlights within the field of Natural Polymers and Biobased Polymers which clearly demonstrate the increased interest in this field. We hope that this will inspire researchers to further develop this area and thus contribute to futures more sustainable society.

Accelerated Aging: Photochemical and Thermal Aspects

Surveys accelerated-aging tests and the underlying causes of the deterioration of organic coatings, based on research conducted at the Carnegie Mellon Research Institute

Equine Surfaces White Paper

This white paper has been drafted as a collection of published scientific papers and data. It is considered a work in progress and will be updated as new scientific studies and surface data become availabl