Sustainable Materials – TechConnect Briefs

Vibration Assisted Injection Molding for PLA with Enhanced Mechanical Properties and Reduced Cycle Time

Duhduh A., Kundu A., Coulter J., Lehigh University, US

Vibration assisted molding (VAIM) is a process in which vibrational movement is introduced to the injection screw during the injection stage of molding processes. This research was focused on the effect of processing parameters on [...]

Multilayer Low Tg Inorganic Glass/Polymer Barrier Films

Vennerberg D., Bemis Company, Inc., US

Conventional high barrier films are produced by coating or laminating inorganic materials to polymeric substrates. While successful at lowering the permeability of the films, several unit operations are required to introduce multiple inorganic barrier layers. [...]

Vitamins C and B1: Amorphization, Crystallization, and Vitamin Degradation

Mauer L.J., Ismail Y., Arioglu-Tuncil S., Voelker A.L., Purdue University, US

Crystalline ingredient forms of water soluble essential vitamins C and B1 may dissolve or melt during food production, and then re-solidify in crystalline or amorphous forms. This study compared the phase transformations, amorphization, and chemical [...]

Yeast Cell Wall Particle Encapsulation of Pro-Terpene Payloads

Soto E., Rus F., Ostroff G., University of Massachusetts Medical School, US

Terpenes are naturally occurring compounds produced by plants that have long been recognized for their insecticidal, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. However, applications of terpenes have been limited by their volatility and poor water solubility resulting [...]

Personal & Home Care, Cosmetics, Food, Agriculture

Creating a Global Hydrogen Infrastructure from Waste Materials

Madden D., Eco Energy International, LLC, US

The lack of a hydrogen infrastructure has impeded the implementation of fuel cell technology in many areas worldwide. At the same time, the world is awash with waste materials. For example, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) [...]

Diatom Frustules as Substrates for Photocatalysts

Day N., Olsen J., Thiebes J., Polliack A., Diatomix, US

Nanomaterials are quickly becoming highly useful for many applications. The public is concerned with the long-term effects of nanomaterials in the environment. Composite materials as substrates for nanoparticles can be tailored to maintain functionality as [...]

Composite Wool – Natural Product Antimicrobial Textiles

Aljohani S., Johnston J.H., Victoria University of Wellington, NZ

Wool textile products are widely used in apparel, furnishings and floor coverings. They also find use in medical, and healthcare applications such as bandages and masks where unfortunately they can provide environment favourable for microbial [...]

Catalytic technologies for the complete conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into fuels and chemicals

Le Van Mao R., Le Van Mao Biochemicals Inc., CA

Catalytic technologies for the complete conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into fuels and chemicals Raymond Le Van Mao (1,2) (1) Le Van Mao Biochemicals Inc., 1172 Alexis-Nihon, Saint-Laurent QC H4R 1S2 Canada (2) Industrial Catalysis Laboratory, [...]

Waterborne Hybrid Silica-Alumina Coating to Increase Poplar Wood Application Opportunities

Del Curto B., Politecnico di Milano, IT

Environmental sustainability and health issues are important factors to be considered in developing new coating materials. Sol-gel is a widely studied procedure that represents also a sustainable one, due to the mild process temperature and [...]