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Polymers
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Agricultural Waste-Reinforced Polymer Composites: Preparation and Characterization
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Agricultural Waste-Reinforced Polymer Composites: Preparation and Characterization

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Composites and Nanocomposites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2025) | Viewed by 3399

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jonas Mochane

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Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, Florida Science Campus, University of South Africa, Roodepoort 1710, South Africa
Interests: polymer nanocmposites; hybrid fiber composites; flammability studies of polymer composites; conductive nanocomposites; agro wastes hybrid composites
Dr. Teboho Clement Mokhena

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Guest Editor
DSI/Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre, Randburg 2194, South Africa
Interests: polymer (nano)composites; electrospun nanofibers; biomass composites; nanostructured materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agricultural waste residues are generally regarded as a significant environmental burden globally. With the rapid growth of the global population, there is a need to utilize agro-waste, such as maize stalk, sugarcane bagasse, rice husks, and wheat husks, as reinforcing fillers to enhance the properties of polymers.

This Special Issue discusses the development of green composites made from agro-waste biomass and polymers and their various applications, requiring the examination of properties via morphological, mechanical, flammability, thermal, rheological, and dynamic mechanical analyses.

We look forward to receiving your research contributions on this topic.

Prof. Dr. Jonas Mochane
Dr. Teboho Clement Mokhena
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • agro-waste
  • composite
  • circular economy
  • preparation
  • characterization

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 6876 KB  
Article
Novel Electrohydraulic Technique of Cellulose Fiber Production from Industrial Hemp
by Undrakh Mishigdorzhiyn, Oksana Ayurova, Shunqi Mei, Belikto Tsydenov, Nikolay Ulakhanov, Kirill Demin, Yuri Grigoriev, Oyuna Tsybikova and Marina Namsaraeva
Polymers 2025, 17(23), 3178; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17233178 - 29 Nov 2025
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Abstract
The key stage of processing high-cellulose hemp raw materials is delignification—the removal of lignin and hemicelluloses to obtain strong cellulose fibers. This study experimentally demonstrated the effectiveness of using the electrohydraulic effect (EHE) to delignify high-cellulose hemp raw material, which can then be [...] Read more.
The key stage of processing high-cellulose hemp raw materials is delignification—the removal of lignin and hemicelluloses to obtain strong cellulose fibers. This study experimentally demonstrated the effectiveness of using the electrohydraulic effect (EHE) to delignify high-cellulose hemp raw material, which can then be used as a base for composite materials. Hemp raw material, in the form of 50 mm-long straws, was placed in a water-filled chamber and exposed to a shock wave generated in the water by an electric discharge with an energy of 1.6 kJ at a voltage of 50 kV. The tensile strength of the treated fibers after combined processing (NaOH/EHE) and after EHE reached 262 MPa and 201 MPa, correspondingly, which are 5% and 37% higher than after chemical delignification in a NaOH medium (191 MPa). Cellulose materials obtained from cellulose fiber after EHE exhibit higher strength properties compared to materials based on cellulose obtained by delignification in a NaOH medium. Thus, the tensile strength (σ) of materials made from fibers after EHE was 4.37 MPa, after combined NaOH/EHE treatment 1.94 MPa, and after alkaline treatment 3.95 MPa. EHE reduced delignification time by 2–20 times compared to NaOH treatment and eliminates the need for an additional fiber separation procedure. The use of EHE is proposed as a highly cost-effective, technologically and environmentally sound solution for producing hemp fiber for use in biocomposites, woven, and non-woven materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Waste-Reinforced Polymer Composites: Preparation and Characterization)
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Review

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33 pages, 2600 KB  
Review
Sawdust as a Byproduct of Wood Processing: Properties, Applications and a Reinforcing Filler in Hybrid Polymer Composites
by Tlholohelo Sylvia Sikhosana, Ntsoaki Joyce Malebo, Tladi Gideon Mofokeng, Mpho Phillip Motloung and Mokgaotsa Jonas Mochane
Polymers 2025, 17(11), 1523; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17111523 - 29 May 2025
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2332
Abstract
There is a sizeable amount of sawdust produced from wood industries such as timber and furniture. In the past, sawdust has been utilized as a fuel source and in the manufacturing of furniture. Based on the limited use of sawdust, there is plenty [...] Read more.
There is a sizeable amount of sawdust produced from wood industries such as timber and furniture. In the past, sawdust has been utilized as a fuel source and in the manufacturing of furniture. Based on the limited use of sawdust, there is plenty of sawdust accessible from the industries. Sawdust is the material of choice due to its cost effectiveness, environmental friendliness, and biodegradability. However, if sawdust is not appropriately disposed or utilized better, it may have negative impact on the aquatic life and organic products. Hence, this review paper discusses the best possible methods or proper routes for the utilization of sawdust to benefit the environment, society, and the economy at large. Sawdust possesses superior capabilities as a reinforcing filler in various polymer matrices for advanced applications. This paper provides an in-depth discussion on sawdust hybrid composites in comparison to other natural fibres hybrid composites. The applications of various sawdust hybrid polymer composites for specific systems are also mentioned. Furthermore, the morphology and preparation of the sawdust/polymer composites and/or sawdust hybrid polymers composites are also discussed since it is well known that the properties of the natural fibre composites are affected by the preparation method and the resultant morphology. Based on the above, the current paper also plays a critical role in providing more information about waste to value added products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Waste-Reinforced Polymer Composites: Preparation and Characterization)
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