Effect of DMPA Content on Colloidal Stability of Jatropha Oil-based waterborne Polyurethane Dispersion

Driven by the increase of oil price in the market as well as environmental concerns by the society, a renewable raw material such as vegetable oil becomes the alternative to produce bio-based polyol to replace non-renewable polyols in polyurethane production. The recent development of aqueous polyurethane dispersion proves that environmentally waterborne PUD offers an efficient alternative to the solvent-borne PUD for the application in ink, adhesives, and coatings. In this study, the jatropha oil has been successfully functionalized to polyol (JOL) by epoxidation and oxirane ring opening steps. Jatropha oil-based waterborne polyurethane (JPU) dispersions were produced by polymerizing the JOL with isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and dimethylolpropionic acid (DMPA). The colloidal stability of JPU dispersions was studied in terms of particle size and zeta potential. Varying DMPA content from 5.0-7.0 wt.% resulted in small average particle size of dispersion from 39.40 nm to 133.2 nm. High zeta potential obtained in a range of -52 mV to -65 mV indicates the particles in the dispersion are sufficiently separated and therefore stable. Eventually, the study provides an overview of vegetable oil-based waterborne polyurethane dispersion with good stability for surface coating application

Composting of food waste in passive aerated bioreactor with turning mode

Almost 45% of municipal solid waste in Malaysia consist of food waste. Composting is one of the sustainable ways to manage food waste compared to incineration and landfilling. This paper investigates the physicochemical and phytotoxicity characteristics during food waste composting in passive aerated bioreactor assisted with compost turning. The initial compost mixture consists of 124 kg of food waste mixed with 62 kg of dry leaves. The composting process was conducted for 40 days, and physicochemical characteristics i.e., temperature, moisture content, total organic carbon, pH and conductivity were monitored. Seed germination test was conducted with cabbage seeds (Brassica oleracea). The highest temperature and final moisture content obtained were 42 °C and 78%, respectively. The seed germination index value was 127%, indicating that the compost is suitable for plant growth

Adsorption of ammonium ion using zeolite, chitosan, bleached fibre and activated carbon

Several materials have been studied for the adsorption of ammonium ion from synthetic solution. Zeolite is having the highest adsorption capacity (3.160 mg/g) with fast reaction time followed by chitosan (2.5770 mg/g). Activated carbon derived from Tarap (Artocarpus odoratissimus) and rice husk shows better performance than the low-cost bleached fibre