Recent Advances in Bio-Based Polymer Composites

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2025 | Viewed by 1339

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Departamento de Ingeniería de Procesos, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Interests: natural fibers; composites; biomaterials; processing; rotational molding; PLA; polyethylene; recycling; agrowastes
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to explore cutting-edge developments in sustainable materials, particularly with regard to bio-based polymers and their composites. Various reinforcing agents also of bio-based origin have received extensive attention within materials science and engineering; in particular, the use of natural fibers in the reinforcement of various polymers has been widely studied in recent years. The application of various reinforcing agents in biopolymer matrices and their effect on the mechanical, thermal, process-related or biodegradable properties of these materials are within the scope of this Special Issue. Therefore, this Special Issue welcomes the submission of articles that address renewable sourcing to novel fabrication techniques, biodegradation and recycling; this also includes the exploration of different paths for the more sustainable development of composite materials and their application in various sectors, from the packaging to agricultural or automotive industries. 

Dr. Zaida Ortega
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

  • biopolymers
  • composites
  • biocomposites
  • natural fibers
  • bio-based materials
  • sustainability
  • characterization
  • biodegradation
  • recycling
  • environmental impact

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

23 pages, 5267 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Microalgae Biomass-Based Composites Obtained through Rotational Molding
by Sara Díaz, Francisco Romero, Luis Suárez, Raúl Ríos, Monserrat Alemán, Marianna Venuleo and Zaida Ortega
Polymers 2024, 16(13), 1807; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16131807 - 26 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1115
Abstract
The wide range of applications and the numerous advantages of plastics have led to their excessive use, with subsequent damage to ecosystems. As an environmentally friendly alternative, biocomposites have gained much attention, and microalgae have become a potential source for their production. In [...] Read more.
The wide range of applications and the numerous advantages of plastics have led to their excessive use, with subsequent damage to ecosystems. As an environmentally friendly alternative, biocomposites have gained much attention, and microalgae have become a potential source for their production. In this study, the use of washed and unwashed Spirulina in polyethylene-based composites has been evaluated as a way to prevent the thermooxidation of polyethylene, while at the same time, reducing the amount of virgin plastic used. Biocomposites were produced by rotomolding, testing different biomass contents and determining their mechanical and thermal performances as well as their water uptake level. Composites with up to 15% of biomass (by weight), a particularly high ratio for rotomolding, were satisfactorily produced. Using 5% of both biomasses did not significantly modify the behavior when compared with the neat PE samples’ properties. For higher loadings, the use of non-washed biomass allowed us to obtain better properties, with added benefits related to using an unwashed biomass (less water consumption, lower costs and fewer environmental impacts). On the other hand, this study showed a promising beneficial effect on the thermooxidative resistance of composites, as the oxidation induction times were notably increased with biomass addition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Bio-Based Polymer Composites)
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