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Polymers
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Advances in Sustainable Polymers from Biomass
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Advances in Sustainable Polymers from Biomass

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2022) | Viewed by 12905

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Hui Sun

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China
Interests: polymers from rewable resources; engineering plasitcs; polymer surface modificaiton; plastics products standardization
Prof. Dr. Yunxuan Weng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Beijing Key Laboratory of Quality Evaluation Technology for Hygiene and Safety of Plastics, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China
Interests: biobased materials; biodegradable; polymer; plastic; cellulose

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

At a time when environmental awareness is increased and sustainability is emphasized, environment-friendly or green materials have been at the front of research. In view of this situation and also because of the increasing awareness of the limited nature of fossil fuels, energy, chemicals, or materials from renewable resources are receiving extensive and intensive research attention. Materials derived from biomass have become a research thrust from both academy and industry. In particular, development of sustainable polymers from lignocellulosic biomass is growing and evolving rapidly. To reflect advances in this area, this Special Issue is aimed at reporting recent advances in sustainable polymers. Manuscripts covering materials from, but not limited to, lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose and their composites with other polymers, especially biobased and degradable polymers are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Hui Sun
Prof. Dr. Yunxuan Weng
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

  • biomass
  • lignocellulosic materials
  • sustainable polymers
  • green composites
  • lignin
  • cellulose
  • hemicellulose

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 4752 KiB  
Article
A Novel Approach to Charcoal Fine Waste: Sustainable Use as Filling of Polymeric Matrices
by Fabíola Martins Delatorre, Gabriela Fontes Mayrinck Cupertino, Michel Picanço Oliveira, Felipe da Silva Gomes, Luciene Paula Roberto Profeti, Demetrius Profeti, Mário Guimarães Júnior, Márcia Giardinieri de Azevedo, Daniel Saloni and Ananias Francisco Dias Júnior
Polymers 2022, 14(24), 5525; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14245525 - 16 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1563
Abstract
Most composites produced come from fossil fuel sources. Renewable strategies are needed for the production of composites. Charcoal fines are considered waste and an alternative for the production of biocomposites. The charcoal fines resulting from the pyrolysis of any biomass are an efficient [...] Read more.
Most composites produced come from fossil fuel sources. Renewable strategies are needed for the production of composites. Charcoal fines are considered waste and an alternative for the production of biocomposites. The charcoal fines resulting from the pyrolysis of any biomass are an efficient alternative for the production of green composites. Studies to understand how the pyrolysis parameters influence the properties of this material for the production of biocomposites are necessary. Charcoal has a high carbon content and surface area, depending on final production temperatures. This study aims to evaluate charcoal fines as potential reinforcing agents in biocomposites. This study investigated for the first time charcoal fines from three pyrolysis temperatures (400, 600, and 800 °C) to identify the most suitable charcoal for use as a raw material in the production of carbon biocomposites with 30% by weight incorporated into a polyester matrix composite. Apparent density, porosity, morphology, and immediate chemical composition and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of charcoal fines were evaluated. The charcoal fines produced at 800 °C showed interesting potential as polymeric matrix fillers due to their higher porosity (81.08%), fixed carbon content (96.77%), and hydrophobicity. The biocomposites were analyzed for flexural and tensile strength and scanning electron microscopy. The results revealed an improvement in resistance at elevated temperatures, especially at 800 °C, with higher breaking strength (84.11 MPa), modulus of elasticity (4064.70 MPa), and traction (23.53 MPa). Scanning electron microscopy revealed an improvement in morphology, with a decrease in roughness at 800 °C, which caused greater adhesion to the polyester matrix. These results revealed a promising new biocomposite compared to other natural lignocellulosic polymeric composites (NLFs) in engineering applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Polymers from Biomass)
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22 pages, 4028 KiB  
Article
Alkalization of Kraft Pulps from Pine and Eucalyptus and Its Effect on Enzymatic Saccharification and Viscosity Control of Cellulose
by Isabel Carrillo-Varela, Claudia Vidal, Sebastián Vidaurre, Carolina Parra, Ángela Machuca, Rodrigo Briones and Regis Teixeira Mendonça
Polymers 2022, 14(15), 3127; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14153127 - 31 Jul 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2036
Abstract
Bleached kraft pulps from eucalyptus and pine were subjected to cold caustic extraction (CCE) with NaOH (5, 10, 17.5, and 35%) for hemicelluloses removal and to increase cellulose accessibility. The effect of these changes was evaluated in enzymatic saccharification with the multicomponent Cellic [...] Read more.
Bleached kraft pulps from eucalyptus and pine were subjected to cold caustic extraction (CCE) with NaOH (5, 10, 17.5, and 35%) for hemicelluloses removal and to increase cellulose accessibility. The effect of these changes was evaluated in enzymatic saccharification with the multicomponent Cellic CTec3 enzyme cocktail, and in viscosity reduction of pulps with the monocomponent Trichoderma reesei endoglucanase (EG). After CCE with 10% NaOH (CCE10) and 17.5% NaOH (CCE17.5), hemicellulose content lower than 1% was achieved in eucalyptus and pine pulps, respectively. At these concentrations, cellulose I started to be converted into cellulose II. NaOH concentrations higher than 17.5% decreased the intrinsic viscosity (from 730 to 420 mL/g in eucalyptus and from 510 to 410 mL/g in pine). Cellulose crystallinity was reduced from 60% to 44% in eucalyptus and from 71% to 44% in pine, as the NaOH concentration increased. Enzymatic multicomponent saccharification showed higher glucose yields in all CCE-treated eucalyptus samples (up to 93%) while only CCE17.5 and CCE35 pine pulps achieved 90% after 40 h of incubation. Untreated bleached pulps of both species presented saccharification yields lower than 70%. When monocomponent EG was used to treat the same pulps, depending on enzyme charge and incubation time, a wide range of intrinsic viscosity reduction was obtained (up to 74%). Results showed that eucalyptus pulps are more accessible and easier to hydrolyze by enzymes than pine pulps and that the conversion of cellulose I to cellulose II hydrate only has the effect of increasing saccharification of CCE pine samples. Viscosity reduction of CCE pulps and EG treated pulps were obtained in a wide range indicating that pulps presented characteristics suitable for cellulose derivatives production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Polymers from Biomass)
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Review

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24 pages, 3937 KiB  
Review
Pineapple Agro-Industrial Biomass to Produce Biomedical Applications in a Circular Economy Context in Costa Rica
by Valeria Amores-Monge, Silvia Goyanes, Laura Ribba, Mary Lopretti, Manuel Sandoval-Barrantes, Melissa Camacho, Yendry Corrales-Ureña and José Roberto Vega-Baudrit
Polymers 2022, 14(22), 4864; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14224864 - 11 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3073
Abstract
Pineapple is a highly demanded fruit in international markets due to its unique appearance and flavor, high fiber content, vitamins, folic acid, and minerals. It makes pineapple production and processing a significant source of income for producing countries, such as Costa Rica. This [...] Read more.
Pineapple is a highly demanded fruit in international markets due to its unique appearance and flavor, high fiber content, vitamins, folic acid, and minerals. It makes pineapple production and processing a significant source of income for producing countries, such as Costa Rica. This review collects bibliographic information dating back to the beginnings of pineapple production in Costa Rica to the state of the market today. It details the impacts of its production chain and proposes a biorefinery as a solution to environmental problems. Besides the potentiality of new sustainable markets to contribute to the post-COVID-19 economy in Costa Rica is highlighted. The general characteristics of pineapple by-products -cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and other high-value products like bromelain y saponin- are described, as well as the primary processes for their ex-traction via biorefinery and main applications in the medical field. Finally, a brief description of the main works in the literature involving modeling and simulation studies of pineapple by-products properties is included. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Polymers from Biomass)
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16 pages, 1965 KiB  
Review
Effect of Biomass as Nucleating Agents on Crystallization Behavior of Polylactic Acid
by Kang Shi, Guoshuai Liu, Hui Sun, Biao Yang and Yunxuan Weng
Polymers 2022, 14(20), 4305; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14204305 - 13 Oct 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2327
Abstract
Polylactic acid (PLA) is one of the most productive biodegradable materials. Its bio-based source makes it truly carbon neutral. However, PLA is hard to crystallize as indicated by a low crystallization rate and a low crystallinity under conventional processing conditions, which limits its [...] Read more.
Polylactic acid (PLA) is one of the most productive biodegradable materials. Its bio-based source makes it truly carbon neutral. However, PLA is hard to crystallize as indicated by a low crystallization rate and a low crystallinity under conventional processing conditions, which limits its wider application. One of the most effective ways to enhance the crystallization ability of PLA is to add nucleating agents. In the context of increasing global environmental awareness and the decreasing reserves of traditional petroleum-based materials, biomass nucleating agents, compared with commonly used petroleum-based nucleating agents, have received widespread attention in recent years due to their abundance, biodegradability and renewability. This paper summarizes the research progress on biomass nucleating agents for regulating the crystallization behavior of polylactic acid. Examples of biomass nucleating agents include cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, amino acid, cyclodextrins, starch, wood flour and natural plant fiber. Such green components from biomass for PLA are believed to be a promising solution for the development of a wholly green PLA-based system or composites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Polymers from Biomass)
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17 pages, 2920 KiB  
Review
Carbohydrate-Binding Modules of Potential Resources: Occurrence in Nature, Function, and Application in Fiber Recognition and Treatment
by Yena Liu, Peipei Wang, Jing Tian, Farzad Seidi, Jiaqi Guo, Wenyuan Zhu, Huining Xiao and Junlong Song
Polymers 2022, 14(9), 1806; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14091806 - 28 Apr 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2958
Abstract
Great interests have recently been aroused in the independent associative domain of glycoside hydrolases that utilize insoluble polysaccharides-carbohydrate-binding module (CBM), which responds to binding while the catalytic domain reacts with the substrate. In this mini-review, we first provide a brief introduction on CBM [...] Read more.
Great interests have recently been aroused in the independent associative domain of glycoside hydrolases that utilize insoluble polysaccharides-carbohydrate-binding module (CBM), which responds to binding while the catalytic domain reacts with the substrate. In this mini-review, we first provide a brief introduction on CBM and its subtypes including the classifications, potential sources, structures, and functions. Afterward, the applications of CBMs in substrate recognition based on different types of CBMs have been reviewed. Additionally, the progress of CBMs in paper industry as a new type of environmentally friendly auxiliary agent for fiber treatment is summarized. At last, other applications of CBMs and the future outlook have prospected. Due to the specificity in substrate recognition and diversity in structures, CBM can be a prosperous and promising ‘tool’ for wood and fiber processing in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Polymers from Biomass)
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