Book Review

Reviewing Frank E. Cooper, Living the Law, Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., 195

Thermal and antimicrobial characterization of olea Europaea leaf reinforced TPU-based bio-composites

34th International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemist Societies Congress, IULTCS 2017 -- 5 February 2017 through 8 February 2017 -- 133186In this study, the use of plant leaf obtained after the harvest as a potential reinforcement material in polymer composites was investigated for the production of footwear sole material. For this purpose, olive (Olea europaea) leaf was used as the reinforcement material for thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) based composites. Alkali and silane treatments were applied for modifying the surface of olive leaf to increase the compatibility between the filler and polymer matrix. The preparation of the composites with different filler loadings (10, 20 and 30 wt%) was performed via hot melt extrusion. The bio-composites were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analyses as well as antimicrobial studies. The antimicrobial activity was tested with Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains for the prepared bio-composites. The FT-IR results showed that the olive leaf was incorporated into the polyurethane matrix successfully and partial structural modifications were occurred as a result of the alkali treatments. Although the thermal resistance of composite materials at low temperatures was found slightly lower than the TPU, higher thermal resistance values were obtained at higher temperatures. The obtained bio-composite materials were found to be a good candidate to use as bio based antimicrobial footwear sole material

Eco-leather: Properties of chromium-free leathers produced with titanium tanning materials obtained from the wastes of the metal industry [Eko-deri: Metal Endüstrisi Ati{dotless}klari{dotless}ndan elde edilen titanyum tabaklama maddesi ile üretilen kromsuz deri örneklerinin özellikleri]

In this research, a new titanium tanning agent (TMW/2) obtained from the wastes of the metal industry was investigated in the production of chromium free eco-leather, by experimenting with various amounts of tanning agent and comparing the physical and chemical properties of the tanned leathers. The tanning process was performed with different concentrations of active titanium tanning material such as 1%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%. The titanium content, chromium oxide content, formaldehyde content, shrinkage temperature, pH value, ash content, and fat content of the tanned leathers were investigated for the determination of chemical characterization. The tensile strength, elongation at break, tear strength, and colour measurement tests were also carried out for investigating the physical properties. The titanium tanned leathers had a mean shrinkage temperature of 79.5°C and more yellowish colour than the chromium tanned leathers. Their tensile strength properties were found similar with chromium leathers, while the elongation at break was found to be lower and tearing resistance was higher. The usage amount of 2.5% could be perfectly advised for the tanning process based on the titanium tanning material for achieving optimal properties required from different leather types such as upholstery, automotive and shoe upper leathers. Consequently, our results showed that this new titanium tanning agent could be used as an alternative tanning material in the production of chromium free eco-leathers considering the visual, physical, and chemical properties of resultant leathers